I really didn't intend to skip ten days without posting but Mother Nature is a bitch. When you live on a farm, even if you claim you don't work there, when the weather goes to hell, you either work or get disowned.
We're in the middle of the longest, coldest winter freeze the region has seen since 1985. The long underwear I had in 1985 has long since been eaten by moths and I've grown a bit since then ( I was 9 that winter ). There used to be equipment here to handle this kind of cold but none of it has been used in 25 years and most of it refuses to work any more. So everyone, whether we're dressed for the occasion or not, has been drafted and has been working overtime hauling feed and water for the critters. And we're counting ourselves among the critters. One third of the houses on the farm are without water and one quarter are without heat and power. Anyone with a fireplace is very popular right now. I only have two bedrooms but I've got ten people sleeping in front of the living room fireplace. One of my sisters, her husband, and two daughters have commandeered my office for the duration.
It's supposed to get above freezing tomorrow for the first time in over ten days. Which means all the pipes will thaw and leak and the nice solid frozen ground will turn to mud. And we all shift from disaster response to cleanup and repair.
I'd tell you that life should be back to normal by March but I live on a farm: this is normal.
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