Breakfast in the barnyard - winter mode

First we grab a buckets of hot water for the laying birds (and unplug the electric fence). Even with heat lamps, the water will still freeze, and warm water warms the birdies too. A 2nd bucket of warm water is on standby for the trip out to the meat birds coop, accessed through the barnyard.

First stop - laying flock coop, all closed up for the night. They get fresh water and their feed topped up.

These gals (and 2 roosters) haven't been outside for days. I guess Club Hen (heat lamp and indoor feed & water) is keeping them distracted from the chilly weather.

Hmmm....miniature skating rink for hens? Here's what happens when you don't have a trough heater. The big red bucket in the background is heated though, and is working fine for Stella, Lassie, Berry & the old hens. Out to the meat bird coop with a bucket of hot water and a bucket of feed. They stay indoors during the chilly temps too.

Past the remnants of the loose hay we cut this summer. Boy did we learn a lot about storing loose hay. Can't wait to build the 2nd half of the barn with a big loose hay bin. But then again, Stella may just eat all the grass so we don't have to cut any.

After the meat birds are fed, it's out to the run-in to fill the manger with hay, scatter some scratch and COB (corn/oats/barley with molasses) for the old red hens. Meanwhile, the dogs are running around in the snow, looking for poopsicles on the compost pile and generally being idiots.

Then open the coops (not that anyone will venture out into the cold), plug in the electric fence, refill the wood box, holler for the dogs, and hope the frostbitten fingers are only temporary.

Such are the joys of country life in winter!

Still freezing...

Looking west down Central Rd from Mission Rd, Everson, WA

There's no real way to convey scale without me hiking back out there with a yardstick (which I'm not about to do in 10F temps), but Central is a two-lane road, and those drifts on the right are over 2 feet deep. The left side of the road is wearing a 2 inch layer of ice.

Much of Whatcom county is in similar condition, and looks to remain so through tomorrow. Then we get another round of rough weather. Warmer, just enough to melt some ice, but still cold enough that 4 more inches of snow are forecast before it turns to rain.

You'd think an all-wheel drive Outback with studded tires would pretty much guarantee a smooth commute, but my Seattle roots go deep, and the slip-slidey feel of iced pavement, combined with drop off on either side of most roads makes for a gut-twisting drive.

None of which is helped by the auto graveyard that passes for scenery now. I constantly creep past SUV's, trucks, minivans, sedans, in various states of uprightness. From crushed and spun all the way to fully embedded in snow, roof down. I'd have posted more pictures, but accidents get a bit depressing. Mt. Baker was out today and absolutely stunning. But the only good vantage points for a picture also required two hands on the wheel. I figured home safe, without postcard mountain, was better than sitting in a ditch, peering at my prize pic in the tiny digital camera window, while waiting 4 hours for a tow truck....

Ahhh....country life. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post about the fun and hijinx involved with keeping 2 cats, 2 dogs, 1 parrot, 2 goats, 1 cow, and 29 chickens warm, fed, and passably content, in record low temperatures. (Yes, it involves getting up at 2:45am and multiple buckets of hot water!)