When the temperature falls below zero, it stops being quaint and beautiful and starts getting serious. My new friend, the Weather Channel, said it was colder than – 7 before we got up. All animals respond to that kind of cold, and so do we.
Farmers are used to that and worse. We are used to it also now.
I’m not supposed to go outside in that cold, certainly not in a bathroom and slippers. I ignore those restrictions (the heart has to work harder in that cold, so it becomes dangerous for people with heart disease). It’s good to be cautious, and I am mainly keeping my time outside within five minutes when it’s this cold.
After that, the heart can tire. So, I was in and out in five minutes with my camera and felt fine—it was exhilarating. Maria also set up her iPhone to yell at me to get inside. I listen to Maria; I don’t mess with sub-zero weather. Taking pictures is one way I can participate. I can also toss some hay around.
It can get colder up here, but zero is a benchmark, meaning we should consider the animals and give them what they need.
Maria was cold this morning; I could see it on her face. But she has a very high tolerance for cold, loves being outdoors in any weather, and has an insatiable appetite for physical labor. We both feel close to nature. There is nowhere we would rather be.
Zip (this morning), as always, surprises. The heated cat house is warmed up and plugged in.
He spent much of the night in the big barn (which is oddly warm, perhaps because of the hay), but he slept in his raggedy old dog bed when we looked.
As soon as the sun rose, he greeted his many animal pals and slept on the back porch in his new leather fleece blankets. He seems bewildered and perhaps annoyed that I’m not coming out to visit with him, take photos, or scratch his neck. He gave up waiting and is now sound asleep. He pays no attention to the weather except when it slows down his hunting. Nothing phases that cat.
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The animals all react differently.
The sheep and donkeys are sheltered in the Pole Barn but are edgy and hungry. We feed them second-cut hay, which is more nutritious and warming. Our water tank is connected to an electric warming device to keep them warm.
We feed them more hay which also warms them up, and they all turn sideways to the sun; when it appears, all their coats are warm, and they soak up the sun. Donkeys, sheep, and some dog and outdoor cat breeds have acclimated to the cold since birth – Zinna, and almost any barn cat – don’t seem to mind it.
Given warm alternatives – like our heated cat – they don’t go in. Some more domesticated cats and dogs prefer warmth and indoor living.
People forget that sheep and donkeys are desert animals; extreme cold and heat don’t bother them.
In sub-zero weather, I overexposed my first photo to capture the feeling that cold generates when I look at it.
In single-digit weather, my study gets company until Spring – Cacti. Maria has had some of these cacti since before we married; she takes excellent care of them. They get sun when it’s out, enough warmth, and water when needed. Her succulent plants stay on the windowsills; they have no trouble.
The only animals that are different are the birds and the chickens. The birds have full feeders until the end of May. The chickens come out of their roost in all weather but snow. They won’t come out of the roost until they can see the ground.
We’ve placed a heated water bowl inside the roost, changed daily, and a daily feed.
The usual rules continue. No human eats until all the animals are checked and fed.
St. Joe predicts cold to New Year’s.