I felt it coming. The Sunday morning before the recent cold snap moved in was almost balmy. As the day progressed, I sensed an apprehension, a conscious awareness of what was to come. The wind picked up, and as we maneuvered our way around the farm to do chores and head out to attend church, one could tell that a change was coming.
Sure enough, later in the day the outside temperature gauge inside our car showed a minus-zero reading. It made me shiver in the warm car, just acknowledging the temp.
Contending with the cold on the farm is always a challenge. Pre-planning helps, and then you just have to wait it out. Common sense tells us to layer up when we need to be outside for an extended period and, of course, covering any exposed skin. Extra firing up in the wood stove keeps it perking and the house toasty.
The weatherman gave us fair warning for what was to come and my husband took heed, readying the farm as much as possible for the onslaught, even completing tasks like fueling up the tractor and skid steer. The things that could go wrong are endless and any equipment breaking down is always harder to fix when temperatures plunge, so all the equipment we need to use year-round has to be in good working order, such as the skid steer, barn cleaner, tractor to haul manure, and the spreader.
Concern for machinery starting and working is foremost on husband’s mind. Also, the electric waterers in the outside heifer barn are closely monitored.
During the warmer days (relatively speaking) beforehand, my husband had chiseled off the frozen silage on the inside of the one silo we are feeding out of. (We put up silage bags for the majority of our feed storage to make it a little easier around here as we age.) He takes a pick ax or fork up the chute with him and makes his way slowly around the silo, scraping off as he goes.
As the silo unloader works around the silo each morning and evening, it leaves behind a slight layer of feed that clings to the insides of the silo. Cold temps freeze that leftover silage tight to the wall. It has to be removed periodically to make sure the unloader doesn’t get caught on excess silage and stop doing its thing. When it gets above freezing, and especially when the sun is out, the job of chopping off frozen silage is a little easier.
My extended family’s Christmas celebration landed on the first day of this recent frigid cold snap, which happened to be the day of the hotly contested NFC North Division championship game between the Packers and the Bears. Also at stake was securing a playoff spot. What a thriller! Wasn’t that a crazy game? There was never a dull moment.
Because there were so many of us at my brother’s farm, my nephew brought the TV from his place and set it up in an adjacent room. The older adults were watching in the living room and we happened to be on an eight-second delay. (The younger ones explained why to me but I still don’t get it.) Every time there was a nail-biting play, be it a recovery resulting in a fluky Packers touchdown, a crucial fourth-down that needed to be converted, or a great TD catch by Cobb, the other room would erupt in wild screams eight seconds before we witnessed it in our room!
Finally, with two minutes left in the game, I was running to the kids’ room so I could see it happen that much quicker. I’d run back to the living room and holler, “Cobb caught it!” and “Shields intercepted it!” seconds before the living room crowd actually saw it happen. What an awesome game. If that doesn’t warm a person up, you’d better check your pulse.
We had watched this particular game “live,” something we rarely do. Instead, to avoid commercials and time-outs, we usually tape it on our DVR and watch after milking without knowing the outcome. Because of the Christmas party, we had hired a milker and took the night off. What fun to watch this thriller with my extended family, as a lot of us are die-hard Packers fans. Good food, great football, smiles all around!
Contending with the cold weather needs pre-planning, using common sense and calm patience, just have to wait it out. A boisterous crowd cheering on the Pack to victory doesn’t hurt!
(“A happy heart makes the face cheerful.” Proverbs 15:13)
Categories
