Denim Deb Hay, hay, hay. Thank the Lord!

[Denim Deb]

I do not want to go out there! We had a high yesterday of close to 60. It was 4 when I got up, and it's now dropped to 3! Add the wind chill to that and it's around -15 if not lower! I have clothes in the washer, they'll be going in the dryer. My DS is supposed to stop this afternoon. I think I'm going to call or text him and tell him to throw some wood on the fire when he's here. I really wish I didn't have my appointments today. Otherwise, when I was done at the farm, I'd be able to come home and hide in my house. So, my list for today:

1. Iron shirts (done)
2. Wash a load of clothes (they're in the washer right now)
3. Practice piano (done)
4. Clean bathroom
5. Feed animals, put out hay
6. Try to clean my field-if I don't freeze doing it!
7. Feed Stormy, bag feed, take care of chickens
8. Go to my appointments
9. Stop at a couple of stores
10. Feed goats
11. Bring in some wood
12. Make and eat dinner
13. Do dishes
14. Thaw out!

At least by Friday, they're calling for a high in the 40s. I think that's going to be the day I do the roosters.

 

[hqueen13]

Good luck cleaning the field. All the poop from my friends horses was frozen to the mats in the run in barn aisle. I can't imagine attempting to pick it ought of frozen dirt. I How you have a metal shovel!

 

[Denim Deb]

I got some of it up, but not all of it. I just used my regular manure fork. Anything that was frozen solid to the ground got left.

It is cold out there! I don't know how people in the mid west handle this every year! It was in the single digits for most of the day, then this afternoon it briefly went up to 14. Now it's back down to 9.

Even though she's blanketed, Misty was shivering this morning. But once she ate and I got more hay out, she did stop shivering. I put out extra hay and hope it's enough.

The auto waterer that my horses share w/CL's froze on the one side. I don't understand how that can happen. I took a hammer and broke up the ice, but don't know if it stayed clear or not. It's going to be below freezing again all day tomorrow, so as a precaution, I'm taking out my 15 gallon rubber water tub. If I have to, I'll water horses w/that tomorrow.

The other day, CL put a bag of feed in my tack shed. It was so muddy out there that there was just no way she could get it to her feed stall. I used up the last of her one feed today and needed to get it over to her feed stall. But, her horses were out of hay. And because of the weather, there's horses in fields where they don't belong. There was just no way I could get to her feed stall w/the extra horses. So I decided to throw out one of my sbs. I had trouble getting it out because of the horses and wasn't able to get it to where I wanted to. But, since I wanted to stay safe, I put it out at a not ideal spot. What I didn't know was that the one donkey in the field has vision problems. And because of all the rain, melted snow then bitter cold, a large puddle in the field froze solid. This donkey walked onto that and went down and couldn't get back up.

I tried to push it off, no luck. She was just too heavy. Then I called RU and got no answer, so I figured she was probably at her son's watching her GDs. I got some ashes, put them down on the ice hoping it would give her some traction, didn't work. Just when I was ready to call 911, I noticed that PT was there so called for her to come and help me. We tried to push her off the ice, no luck. So I went and got a 14' lead rope. Put that across her back, behind her legs, then under her belly and thru the legs. We were then able to pull her off the ice and she was finally able to get up. As a precaution, PT put her in her field.

In spite of the bitter cold temps, I actually stayed pretty warm-even my toes! I had on a pair of thin socks, then a pair of fleece socks, then my muck boots. And my feet stayed warm! Only problem being, my socks kept falling down into my boots.

I was getting ready to leave, but decided I'd call RU and let her know about the horses. I get the answering machine again, then noticed that all the cars were there. I get over to the door, it's locked. I have a key for when she's away, so I open the door, and call for her. She was fine, just screening her calls because of some harassing phone calls she's been getting. So, I told her about the hay and went to my appointments.

I was going to stop at Wally World on my way to my 2nd appointment. Didn't feel like it. Get there, and find out they had no bathroom-the pipes were frozen. Had a couple of stops that I was going to make B4 going home. Decided not to. Get home, and while I had plenty of coals in the house, the house was cold! It was 56 in the living room. I turned on the heater B4 heading out to do the goats and bring in some wood. It's now gotten up to 64. I'm sitting here w/an afghan on my lap and thinking about dinner, but I don't want to move! I get cold when I get up.

 

[perchie.girl]

Wow what a day for you.... I just popped in to say hi. I dont have the issues you do with frozen ground...l Not enough water here to freeze the ground.

I moved my horse home a couple of years ago. Life is so much easier now. I actually free feed her. Shes 2000 lbs. There is no forage here for horses .... ever. So I have to buy hay. I feed her 1 bale of bermuda every three days. California bales are around 125 lbs. Bermuda is not her favorite so she doesnt over eat. Her gut stays as if she were on pasture because she nibbles on it all day long. What that does for me is keep her entertained, I dont have to be home at a certain time of day, and she has stopped pounding on the second rail of the pipe corral like a Prisoner with a tin cup.... LOL

I feed the goats the same way with a bale of alfalfa.... But then they have made their own door to their paddock and have been sneeking out to eat Chaparal.... Never looked better. The alfalfa used to last ten days.... Now its lasting a month or more...

deb

 

[Denim Deb]

If I could have my horses home, I would in a heart beat! But, I'm not zoned for horses and don't really have enough land here. And while the neighbors don't say anything about the goats, I can just imagine what they'd think of 3 horses in my back yard!

 

[hqueen13]

Glad you didn't have to many problems, Deb! Poor donkey! We had an old Belgian where I used to be that would last down and couldn't get up if it was the least but slippery because of his arthritis. We used to have to flip him over to get him up sometimes. It happened so often that he was quite cooperative, even helping to roll himself over.

 

[perchie.girl]

If I could have my horses home, I would in a heart beat! But, I'm not zoned for horses and don't really have enough land here. And while the neighbors don't say anything about the goats, I can just imagine what they'd think of 3 horses in my back yard!

LOL I totally understand I boarded for at least 30 years before I got my place. BTW I got my three goats from a Woman who raised them in their back yard.... they had never seen a giant boulder to climb on or had anything to eat besides Alfalfa.

deb "Um... too"

 

[Denim Deb]

We're still in the grip of the arctic freeze though today is supposed to be warmer. But, it's cold in the house! I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit B4 I do anything. But once it does, I have a lot of work to do. My list for today:

1. Clean out fridge
2. Take out trash and recyclable
3. Clean kitchen
4. Put away a load of clothes
5. Practice piano
6. Feed animals
7. Clean field best I can and dump the cart
8. Clean up around my tack shed
9. Feed Stormy, bag feed and take care of the chickens
10. Go to TSC, the bank and get gas
11. Cut up some wood
12. Feed goats
13. Make and eat dinner
14. Do dishes

I'm not sure if we're having choir practice today. I know they talked about it, but I haven't heard anything else. And since we didn't have church on Sunday, nothing more has been said. I'll take my book w/me. I'm sure if we have it someone will probably give me a call.

 

[Denim Deb]

I hope hubby learned a lesson. He's known for some time now that the battery in my truck needed to be replaced, but he didn't want to do it. (Don't ask me why) Today I got done at the farm, and headed over towards TSC. I have a friend that lives near there, and she wanted me to stop in when I had a chance, so I decided I'd stop today-it gave me a chance to warm up and get a cup of hot chocolate. When I went to leave, the truck would not start. I tried to jump it w/no luck. So, I had to call hubby and tell him I was stranded. My friend told me to take her truck and get the feed I needed, so at least I was able to get my feed. And, since I had to go right past the bank, I stopped and got my money.

Hubby was able to get my truck started and he drove the truck home for just in case. Once home, he took the battery out of the Durango-which isn't being used now and stuck it in my truck. I went to get an egg out of there and the lights came on when I opened the door-that hasn't happened in awhile! But, by the time we got home and I got the fire going, it was cold in the house again-56*! I had planned on getting home around 2:30 at the latest. And since I was able to get the kitchen cleaned this morning, I was going to do a load of dishes, then work on cleaning the basement. That didn't happen. I don't know that I'm doing any dishes tonight nor that I'm going to put away the clothes. It's getting warmer in the house, but it's still cold! At least it is slowly starting to warm up outside.

 

[Denim Deb]

I am so looking forward to Saturday, I get to sleep in! I'm really feeling tired and I think it's a combination of the weather and how much I've been getting done. But at least the next few days is supposed to be warmer. And the weather on Monday is supposed to be absolutely beautiful. I'm thinking of leaving the green house open and letting the roosters out. I'm pretty sure they'd go back in this evening, and if they don't or something gets them, I'm not going to worry about it. I had been going to do them tomorrow, but they're calling for rain, so that means I won't get to them until Monday.

Today is going to be another busy day. I've already done some work, and about ready to go back to bed, but I can't. I have too much to do. So, my list for today:

1. Work on bed room (I've done some, if I have time this afternoon, I'll do more)
2. Wash dishes (I did a whole bunch, but there's still more to do)
3. Practice piano (done)
4. Feed animals and put out hay
5. Bible Study and maybe choir (I've heard nothing so we'll see)
6. Pick field
7. Feed Stormy and take care of the chickens
8. Go to Wally World, bank and gas station
9. Get a load of wood, unload it and fill up the wood holder in the basement
10. Feed goats
11. Make and eat dinner (I'm going to finish the soup I started last week)

I think that's enough for today.