The Old Folks Home

[Sally PB]

It's about 11 degrees out now, so it's a good day to defrost my freezer. I got everything into totes and put them outside. I found some tasty surprises too.... Turkey breast for dinner this week!

(And a couple of packets of hubby's favorite bacon that I can't get at the store anymore. Shhhh.... it's a secret!)

 

[CapricornFarm]

Any idea how long the power will be out?

I am worried that there must be a jillion trees fallen onto power lines...

Yeah, there's one across the road not far from us.
The power company said power would be on by 3 pm the next day. Then they said the same thing the next day. Then they said 10 pm today. Then they said our power had been restored. NOT. Hubby called and they told him we were among only 27 homes where power had not yet been restored. 10 pm tomorrow. I am certainly not holding my breath. I just want to scream. I have chicks in the living room. I am going to need to clean those bins tomorrow. Hubby goes nuts over smells.

 

[Peep_Show]

 

[Peep_Show]

My chickens are comfortably ensconced in the garage. I think the rooster likes the acoustics. I'm definitely enjoying not having to trek out to the veggie compound to tend to them.
Anyway, too many gruesome and graphic pictures posted locally of poultry frostbite from folks caught unaware of what cold temps can do to combs and wattles. Lots of "ISO Delaware or Wyandotte chickens" posts.

 

[microchick]

not even attempting outside until temp goes up some more! 33 right now

33? If it was 33 here I'd be running around outside in shorts and a tank top thinking it was spring! grumble grumble.

@CapricornFarm, I am so sorry to see the damage you suffered at the hands of mother nature. She is a B isn't she? Yesterday I looked outside at the blowing snow coming down and the whole world looking frigid and told DH that Mother nature must really be P'eed off at us mortal humans at the moment because she sure is throwing a hissy fit at us. Luckily metal and glass can be replaced and or repaired.

We had a low of -10 last night, it's up to 4 right now. The past 4 days have been miserable here. The wind chill hit -30 at one point. I think the warmest it has been the past 4 days is 7 degrees and that was Saturday I think. Today it's supposed to get up to 10 and back to normal temps by the weekend.

To add insult to injury, we have had snow every day. One inch to 3 inches per day with more called for overnight. We have about 9 inches on the ground now, deeper in the drifts. I feel like Shackleton every time I trudge up to the coop with my jugs of hot water and hot treats for the birds.

They are doing a lot better than I am handling this weather. One has frost bite on big dangly wattles but I expected that. All I have been doing is staying as much on the sofa, bundled up in a warm throw, sipping hot chocolate and catching up on my reading/working on the article for BYC....and complaining....lots and lots of complaining and for once my husband is complaining along with me.

@bruceha2000, I have electricity. My heated water bowl took a powder on me and quit in it's tracks. Discovered that happened on Friday when I plugged it in for the first time. To make matters worse, we haven't gotten any deliveries here since Friday. Fed EX called that they are holding our deliveries till the weather settles. UPS said they are trying to get through today. I told them deliveries would be nice as most of our packages contain non perishable food items that we need. I don't even think the mail has gone through today. And even if I ordered replacements, they would be sitting in some UPS warehouse and not get to me in time to do me any good as they are calling for temps in the 40s next weekend/week.

To say this is very unusual weather for us would be an understatement.

Needless to say spring can happen any time for me. And in the meantime, I'm looking at all my packets of seeds and imagining little sprouts growing in the garden....

 

[microchick]

Hey guy out here on craigs list had to laugh 600 for tractor
old ford one tree landed on it bad covered the engine front end smashed but he want 600

Around here that sounds like a bargain! Body work? As long as it runs and does what it's supposed to do that is what folks look for. Our White/Iseki had a dented in radiator cover and a glitchy exhaust pipe that DH rewelded. Still runs like a champ, mows our lawn and is the little tractor who could! We've had it since '08 and wouldn't take 600 dollars for it....6000....maybe! LOL~

 

[Alaskan]

Yeah, there's one across the road not far from us.
The power company said power would be on by 3 pm the next day. Then they said the same thing the next day. Then they said 10 pm today. Then they said our power had been restored. NOT. Hubby called and they told him we were among only 27 homes where power had not yet been restored. 10 pm tomorrow. I am certainly not holding my breath. I just want to scream. I have chicks in the living room. I am going to need to clean those bins tomorrow. Hubby goes nuts over smells.

Sounds terrible!!

 

[Alaskan]

Mother nature must really be P'eed off at us mortal humans at the moment

Or maybe.... this is why:

 

[microchick]

View attachment 2532348

Laughed till I cried. I should have got a picture of me going out yesterday to take care of the chickens. Cold weather heavy duty Army surplus winter coat with hood, heavy winter boots, stocking cap under the hood, heavy sweat pants and gloves.

Sometimes I sing 'I Enjoy Being a Girl' as I waddle along, plowing through snow drifts, pulling my heavy laden sled behind me. But in all seriousness, I would much rather be (and pretty much am) that girl on the right. And I would much rather be that girl than the girl on the left. The girl on the right is much happier...or at least I think she is. It's hard to tell under all those Carharts.

Speaking of Carharts. I think I'm ready to check into those.

 

[Bunnylady]

I keep seeing these posts about the weather, and am having a real "count your blessings" moment. I took this on my back porch a few minutes ago:

That's not a pond in the background, it's my pasture, which is underwater again, again, again. We got about 2" of rain last night; I keep telling myself, "it could have been snow/ice." We've got wind about 20 mph steady, gusting over 30, but it was worse last night . . . folks about 40 miles to our south had a tornado came through about midnight. They are reporting 3 dead and 10 injured. What am I complaining about?!!