February 2011- We got the blast of arctic cold weather like much of the rest of the country. Even though I felt like I was the only one battling the blistering cold I do know that it wasn't near as bad here as it was elsewhere. Casey was out working in it every day in West Texas, the Texas panhandle and New Mexico. Most of the clients he had lined up for the week wanted to re-schedule. But that wasn't exactly possible as he is booked up nearly every day from now until the end of March with not a day to spare. So to work he went in the bone chilling cold.
School was closed for a day for icey road conditions. Then for a few days I kept Pecos home in an attempt to keep us all well and healthy. I just didn't want to have to get Brazos out in the weather if not absolutely necessary. We built a roaring fire and tried to keep from getting cabin fever. There was a light dusting of snow which made Pecos very excited but he really wanted to make a snowman and had a hard time understanding why there wasn't enough. Afterall, he had prayed for lots of snow!
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| wishing for more snow |
I have a much better appreciation for farmers and ranchers that live in colder climates and have to feed and water livestock daily throughout the winter. I was having trouble getting it done for just a few days trying to break ice twice daily, feed heifers and horses and monitor them all while trying to keep myself and the boys warm. By the end of the first week of cold weather we were just about out of water in both troughs. Each morning had a layer of ice about 4 inches thick. And the pipes leading down to them were also frozen solid. I kept a bucket of water full and thawed up at the house and the livestock found it- and drained it- quickly!
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| me + crowbar + anger towards old man winter = this jagged masterpiece |
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| when she's thirsty enough WidowMaker can reach much farther down into the water trough then she would normally lead you to believe |
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| a very cold and fast drink before it freezes over again |
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| janet & wendy didn't seem to mind the cold too much as long as the feed truck- my Expedition- arrived at the designated time each day |
The second week of the cold blast was no fun either. By this time Pecos and I both had the flu while cooped up at the house and away from everyone. So much for flu shots and my plan to stay well. We were cold, achy, stir-crazy and now had a frozen well-head and busted faucet at the shop which meant no running water to the house. Feel sorry for me yet? Our neighbor came to defrost the well and cap the busted pipe so at least we had water again. And once Oma stepped in to help with the boys so I could rest it became apparant that I might actually survive. Then Casey came home for a brief weekend to play the part of my hero and it was all better. Almost. Then Brazos got the flu.
There is a reason I don't live in a colder climate- I wouldn't survive!!! Spring can't get here fast enough. Bring on a heatwave!
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