Frozen

I'm not used to this. Fourth winter here and it's still a shock when the real cold hits. I am carrying jugs of warm water all over the barn to pour over the ice in all the water containers. When I went out the north door to carry water to the goats living in the hay mow I was carried up the hill by the wind. They ran for the water. Cold air makes everybody thirsty. I moved the mother bunny and her babies to another cage closer to the middle of the barn. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this giant of a barn that is impossible to keep warm. Many windows are broken and covered with plastic that has blown loose in the wind. The big sliding doors are frozen open in mud and manure. Any lambs now are in trouble without sweaters on. And it's not nearly as cold as it can get. I asked a Mennonite woman I know from the farmer's market how she made out over last winter, when we got down to minus 20 frequently. She replied that it was no problem for her as the house was always toasty warm. I took that to mean she doesn't take care of the animals outside. Not even the chickens I'm thinking? I can't imagine it, but, hey, good for her!