A severe cold wave is coming; I’m always surprised to see how adaptable our animals are. They are all given shelter and safety, but they never seem to mind as much as we do. Every morning, Zip appears at the door to work with me, but when it’s this cold, I can’t work outside.

He seems annoyed but doesn’t wait long.

After waiting five or ten minutes, he heads off to various hunting grounds. He’s doing well picking up some moles but doesn’t eat them; he leaves them on the porch.

The hens emerged from their roost yesterday and today and have found a new place to hang out, cold or not. They sit right below the board feeder at the side of the house and wait all day for seeds to fall or spill.