Humans are not as accepting as animals, but they are perhaps as adaptable sometimes. We are adjusting to he endless winter, as so many others are doing. We find a way to get around the storms, the snow, the challenges. On the farm, this kind of winter calls upon us to be more ingenious, disciplined, patient and determined.

It is time to pay attention to the amount of snow on the rooftops of the house and barns, the snow needs to be raked off or the roofs can collapse. It is time to chip away at the ice along the gutters, they can jam and leak into the house. We have to spray the wood in the barns or the donkeys will gnaw through it, they get bored standing in the Pole Barn all day, there is nowhere to graze, the spray is like a hot sauce, equines don’t like it.

We need to get up early, to feed the animals. We need to rake the rooftops three of four times a day. We need to shovel the paths at least twice a day. We call upon our friend and neighbor Tyler, who loves storms, he is out snowmobiling, to help us keep the paths clear and move the mountains of snow around. He comes by in the late afternoon.

I spent some time this morning looking for a source of seasoned firewood, our firewood is getting low this winter, the cold has been unbroken since Christmas, the wood stoves are going all day. We have never used this much wood so soon, a note to make for next year. I double-checked on the hay, we are good until Spring.

I found a firewood supplier nearby, he is a smart man, he stores wood in the winter and waits for the panic to set in during February if the winter is harsh. It costs more, it is worth it, seasoned wood burns hotter and crisper than new wood, and causes less creosote to build up on the pipes and chimneys.

We learn to keep doors open and keep some heat on at night to keep pipes from freezing. We have to dig out an area for the dogs to run and eliminate, the snow is too high for them to walk now. We have to store food and water, warm up the cars, give grain to the sheep and donkeys for energy, bring warm water to the chickens – their heated waterer freezes in sub-zero temperatures. We have to brush off the cars and move them so Vince the plow man can come by and clear the driveway. There is no more room for him to put the snow, it is building up.

We have to maintain the mail box, the door freezes and clogs, it has to be cleaned and cleared each morning. We have to dig out a path for the oil man, we might need more heating oil as well.

We have to be alert for egg-laying, the eggs will freeze in a minute in this kind of cold. Spring looms here in February, it is only a few months away. We have adapted to this snow and cold, it is the new normal. We know what we have to do, this is our life, the life we chose. We accept our responsibilities, understand our different roles (I am  not allowed on the roof), ask for help when we need it. Odd, but there is no complaining in this house, we have fallen out of the habit. We will not speak poorly of our lives.

And yes, Red teaches me acceptance. It makes no difference to him if there is no snow or a ton of snow, he will do his job, the sheep will be where they are supposed to be.