The Weather Channel has named this winter storm Elektra, and it is too stupid a name for me to accept or use, I think I’ll pass on corporate weather channels marketing winter for ad revenues. I’ll just call it a storm, as humans have done throughout history. But it is a whopper of a storm, and Red and I went out just before midnight to check on the barn, the sheep and the donkeys, I was surprised, the snow was up to my knees in some places, Red just waited at the gate, as usual, to go to work. We didn’t go herd the sheep, we went into the barn to visit the donkeys, I always visit the donkeys in a storm to give them some cookies, make sure they are dry and settle them down.

They were in Rocky’s old stall, dry and cozy. I put some old hay out earlier as they will be in the Pole Barn for awhile, probably most of tomorrow, so they might be lying down in there. The sheep were all huddled up and dry as well, every had heated water, animals settle beautifully in a storm, they accept the weather, they don’t heed super-hyped cable channels, they just sense and feel it, as I try to do. I brushed off my car and Maria’s, there was a foot of snow on both. I am glad the barn cats are inside tonight, Flo spent the evening in my lap, Maria and I watched a movie, unaware that the storm had started and become full-blown. We will be out shoveling in the morning and much of the day, maybe some neat photos too. The forecast says it will snow until 4 p.m., winter has announced itself with a flair.

The farmers are all assuring me this will be a long and nasty winter, but I keep track of what the farmers tell me, they are right about one-third of the time. And I’ve never heard them forecast good weather, ever.