Aftermath

These are the two young toms that hang out at our house every day now.  They seem to be fine here, searching for all the dropped sunflower seeds under the feeder. Earlier, though, they looked completely miserable and huddled against the wind.  It reminded me that the wild critters do suffer. They just don't complain.

So, the state pretty much closed down today for the big storm.  It was nasty out there. We stayed inside most of the day, watching the snow and keeping warm by the fire. It's really nice actually, to have a day like that every once in awhile.  We did not lose power, which was even nicer.  I finished a scarf I have been knitting, and Steve did some reading.  

There was a bit of a lull in the storm, so we decided to go for a run.  We dressed appropriately, and were really quite comfortable despite the  bitter cold.  It was quiet and actually nice out there.

Our selfie out on the road while running. 12 degrees, windchill minus 9.
But we were comfy.  And yes, we have matching sunglasses.

As we got almost home, we waved to our neighbor, out plowing his driveway.

Here is Jack. He thinks we are nuts. Sorry about the photo. There was snow on the camera lens.

After a quick lunch, we decided it was time to start clearing the snow, even though there will be a bit more coming until the wee hours of the morning.  I don't know how much we got. There was so much blowing and drifting, that it was hard to really tell.  Some places were almost blown bare, and some had over three feet. I am going to guess though, that we got somewhere around 18-20 inches.

Steve ran the snowblower, and I got the shovel and worked on the chicken pens, duck pens, and around the  front and back doors. The drifts were so high in the back I couldn't open the door till I shoveled it out. We finished after a couple hours of steady work.

I guess this gives an idea of the snow depth. I couldn't get out this door either until it was cleared out a bit.

On a day like this, especially with all the blowing snow, I kept the hens locked in their coop. They don't like it much, but it was much warmer for them that way, and they were safe from the wind. Chickens can deal with a good bit of cold temperatures, but they will die if they are not sheltered from rain or snow and wind.  I shoveled out their run, so there is at least an area they can get outside.  They don't like the snow, so I put down straw on top of what snow was left, and they will walk on that.

Weather today.... It was single digits this morning, I don't know what the high temp was, but not above 20 I think. Windy, gusty, snowy blowy and cold!
Wildlife. The turkeys were interesting to watch.  At one point, they seemed really cold and huddled against the wind. Then, as in the video, they seemed ok. The smaller birds were amazingly out and about as well.
Training  Two hour easy run.

Isaih 25:4
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from  the storm