I’d rather have a blizzard than an ice storm. The gates are frozen and need warm water and oil to open, ice gathers in the feeders and needs to be scraped out, the temperature is not going above freezing for a week or so. And it’s sheer ice everywhere.

Every chore is more complicated, but we are getting beautiful skies. This is the winter solstice week; it will start to get lighter every day. I am thinking of planting my two gardens in the Spring, ordering some seeds.

Maria bears the brunt of most of the shoveling, she isn’t crazy about the cold, but she lives farm chores. I am a lucky man.