Cold, Wind and Snow

Got out to the post office in New Berlin to mail some packages. Mia gave me some nicely broken in Dansko clogs and Lands End shoes along with a couple of nifty outerwear vests to send on to Hannah and Annie in Ca. It can be cool in San Francisco in the summer, too. Mailed that along with a soap order to my Dear Friend George in NJ, and another little one to Pa. that came on the Etsy site. Every bar counts. I am starting to feel like this long winter is winding down, then I remind myself that I had a baby goat freeze to death on April 17. Found her stiff when I got home from school. We can have snow as late as May here. The Postma brothers came with a dump truck full of hay. What joy not to have to go pick it up. The elevator cooperated after a moment of sheer terror when I threw the switch and nothing. These bales are much heavier than the elevator is used to and we could only send two up at a time. That made it a longer job in bone chilling wind and horizontal snow. Glad I had the job of sitting in the hay mow making sure the bales were falling down from the track right. What a blessing this new hay is. Giant solid green bales I can hardly get off the ground. The old hay I could carry two, each with one finger. Not much food in those bales, and only a dollar less. I am still figuring out how much of this new second cut to put down, trying to minimize waste. First cut has all the sticks left in it from the previous fall. Second cut only has green, nutritious grass. Have to go get an emerald green dye run spread out and start another pot. OH, I have to feed the BEAST - wood stove - again. If I don't keep the fire roaring I get more downdrafts. Yesterday the alarms were going off all day. My fabrics and wool will smell rather smoky, a unique Centra New York scent!