Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

Welcome to Christmas Eve at Bedlam Farm. It started simply and peacefully for me and quickly became beautiful. According to the Weather Channel, it snowed 3 to 5 inches this morning.  It was 24 degrees. I decided to join in the beauty and was pleasantly surprised when two animals—Zinnia, as always, and Zip—agreed to accompany me on my walk.

As you know, I receive a lot of advice, most of it well-meaning and some cruel and hurtful. I tend to ignore it; I’m never comfortable accepting the advice of strangers who have never met me, spoken with me, or seen my home and farm.

I am sensitive to warnings about harming my animals – social media is a drug for alarmists because I love them and take stewardship seriously; I don’t ever want to do them harm. And I am fully responsible for their welfare.  When the temperature got below zero, I worried about the sheep and donkeys and Zip, who has lived outdoors all his life.

When I came out this morning, it was 22 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the WC, and snowing lightly but steadily. Zinnia is a snow dog, so I knew she’d come eagerly. Zip is a snowcat, but he has never walked with me out of the pasture into the woods in a snowstorm. If I ever wondered if he was an actual snowcat, that was gone by the end of the walk.

Zip started by rolling through the snow and digging his nose to look for moles and mice. He then went after Zinnia and provoked her into a chasing, barking, and rolling fest. They were both having a blast, and the sight of their joyous playing lifted me, a beautiful thing to watch on Christmas Eve.

Both were conscious of my careful walking on the ice and crusts. They paused to wait for me, kept an eye on me, and came running when I slipped or stumbled.

I don’t walk in the snow as much as I once did, especially in falling snow, and walking is one of my all-time favorite things.

I loved walking with these two. Their fearlessness, adventurousness, and joy shone through and into my heart. I’ll walk anytime with them, day or night, in snow, rain, or wind—a special Christmas gift.

Zip back resting on his favorite fleece.

Zinnia and Zip, best pals now, head out to the bird feeder to see if they can scarf up any seeds. They did.

Maria greeted us as soon as we got back. Zip got a hug and kiss.

The Pasture Apple Tree In The Snow

Sheep Down The Hill. Zip is a gift all of his own.

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.