Brrr – it’s cold out there. Can’t imagine what we would be experiencing if we didn’t have Global Warming.
Farmer is over to the barn trying to get the milk truck up to the loading bay. This picture is from this summer. He has to hook the tractor up to the milk truck with a chain and pull it backwards to the bay. That big ‘ol milk truck just can’t make it on its own.
Cold weather brings a category of problems all its own at the barn. Pipes freezing, snow building up on the roofs, and just trying to drive the tractor from one barn to another to feed can be an exhausting process. We’ve had two years where the snow has caved in part of the roof. No cattle or humans were injured. We’ve also had several years where we had a bunch of guys shoveling the roof. It’s a whole lot more fun than a sidewalk. You have a lot farther to fall.
There is enough cattle in the barns to keep the barns warm enough for them. All our animals are inside buildings. The cows are getting fuzzy. Well, fuzzy may not be the best word, but they seem to be a bit hairier.
Then Farmer has to plow the driveway and even the road sometimes to ensure our employees and milkman can get to the farm. Throw in a few stupid drivers and it will make Farmer’s day, or I should say night when it comes to the stupids.
Speaking of stupids, we’ve had a few incidents of them driving down our private road and right out into the hay field. On one occasion they were so warm from their drinks of choice, they spent the whole night there. Farmer noticed the sun glinting off the top of their car. That’s the time I told him he should get paid, and paid nicely, before he pulled them out.
Our road is really good at drifting shut no matter what direction the wind blows. A few years ago, Son #4 and I were headed for Florida to visit my parents. It was snowing and blowing and we were determined. I had my Cadillac which rode about 3 inches off the ground – hated that! Anyway, we knew we were coming to a bad spot and Son #4 says “Floor it”. I did, and we bucked into the middle of it and had snow flying everywhere to the point that I had no clue where I was going. He kept saying “Keep going! Don’t stop!” I on the other hand was having a personal conversation with Jesus. When we finally broke through I was still in the road pointed in the right direction which I can’t say was always the case on that stretch of the road.
And to think, winter has many days left to taunt Farmer.
