We had a couple of very cold days. Temperatures of minus 30 C , feeling like minus 42 C. That is very cold! There was a cold warning out with the advice to only go out when needed and to dress properly for it.
I spread out hay for the horses in the pasture everywhere where there was no wind. A lot of work, dragging the small tarp loaded with hay through the narrow paths through the woods, and the big tarp , also loaded with hay, to the back of the pasture. Good exercise for me though! In fact it was nice it was so cold, because I was SO warm from my work! Hahaha! But this way the horses can choose where they like to eat, and can always find a spot where there is no win at all.
I’m sure they were very grateful, because they were hardly in the round pen. Nice for me because less manure meditation! Hahaha.
The cold brought beautiful clear nights and wonderful sunrises and sunsets. At one time I could see crystals floating and with the sunshine they looked like tiny diamonds. Beautiful!
Even though it was minus 30 C, I still went outside to split wood, feed and water the horses, feed the birds and do other chores. Dressed warm it was really nice to be outside. When I got cold, I went back inside for a while. Have a coffee, eat something, and then outside again.
When I feed the birds I always call them. I say a few times : Chickadee dee dee and then they come flying from their shelter. They know now! The grosbeaks become less and less shy and one of them almost landed on my arm one day!
It’s lovely to get to know my group of birds. The Megpie doesn’t come often, but I have like 8 Blue Jays. There are lots of Chickadees and Grosbeaks and the common and Heary Redpols. Since a few days I got also a woodpecker visiting the feeders. So cool!
Doing dishes is a joy. From my kitchen window, I can see 3 feeders. It’s so much fun to watch the birds eating, flying from one feeder to another, waiting their turn to eat from a feeder (some birds are very bossy! ) and dishes are done in no time. When it was so cold, the birds are like twice as big as they normally are. They keep their feathers up to keep warm. It’s amazing they can stay warm with this kind of extreme cold.
Last Friday I helped Sheri with putting some round bales from a field close by, in her pastures. She would strap a bale and tie the strap to the truck. Then she just dragged the enormous bale to the pasture.
After we were done with the bales, she went with me to the well and helped me to get the bottles in the cabin. It was a nice day for it, even though it was chilly.
On Facebook I had seen an idea to avoid freezing up of water during the cold by putting bottles filled with water and salt in the water bowl. I thought to give it a try and it worked.
But, I have a very naughty pony that loves to play. She took the bottles with salt water out of the water bowl! After that she took the whole water bowl and empty it. Ugh! What to do??
So I thought to take the really big water bowl that I used to put hay in, and put a water bowl in there. It was half full with snow and leftover hay and I put the water bowl in there. I put lots of snow around it, to keep it in its place. I filled it up, put the saltwater bottles in there, and done.
I had put the horses in the summer pasture for a while so I could do this and also clean up the round pen a bit. I let them back in, and everything went fine. Flicka didn’t touch the bottles or tried to take out the water bowl itself. I was happy!
Until the next morning. the water bowl was next to the big throgh and the salt water bottles were in it, covered in hay.
Oh boy. What to do? Back to giving water a few times a day until I can figure something out that this pony can’t wreck. Hahaha!
Ben came over to cut some more trees down. I got 2 loads of wood again. Poplar and pine. I already split some and it burns all well. Nice to have a good load of wood again. Thanks Ben!
On one of the really cold days, Dizzy went outside with me when I was going to feed the horses and birds. Once I was done I called her, but didn’t see her. I looked around the cabin and under the cabin , then at the overhang. There she was, sitting beneath it, right where the stove gives its heat. I called her again, shaked with cat candies, but nope, she didn’t want to come in.
She came back in the cabin 4 hours later! i felt her skin and she was warm. All cats love to climb to the overhang because it is warm. They do damage the house wrap though, so I rather don’t have them doing that.
It was too cold for them to hunt birds long. Maybe 5 minutes and then they came back inside again. The birds are smart though, because they just change feeder if a cat sits at one. Then the cat will go to the other feeder, and the birds fly back to the first one. It’s like a dance. Hahaha! Smart birds!
Saturday afternoon I was just done with bringing hay into the pasture, when the wind suddenly popped up. It was horrible! I was so happy I was done on time, because being outside with that wind it got just too cold.
The horses disappeared deep in the woods, where I had put their hay, and I sat in front of my wood stove with a hot chocolate.
I was glad I had feeders in so many different spots for the birds. There was always a spot out of the wind for them.
Scruffy, Taz, Hunter, Dizzy and me were very comfortable inside the warm and cozy cabin. Listening to the radio, reading and making another Mandela.
Even though it was bitterly cold, I slept great. The cabin stayed very warm and before bedtime I put on two big logs and in the morning there were still lots of coals left to restart the fire within minutes.
Sunday I spend lots of time outside again. I just love splitting wood in the sunshine, mean time listening to the birds chirping from joy around the feeders.
I also finished a good book that Sheri gave me to read. It’s called Beyond the sea of Ice, by William Sarabande. It’s a pre historic novel, about the first people traveling from Siberia to America, through the Bering Sea pass. A great book! Loved it! I can’t wait until Sheri got the second book finished, so I can read it.
With this terrible cold, I give the horses some extra boost in the form of a half cup of beet pulp, soaked overnight, and mixed in with two sliced carrots, also soaked over night. I noticed that Flicka wasn’t drinking very much, but once I start with the beet pulp she is drinking more. I also give a hand full of crunchies in the mix and they both love their breakfast! As soon it’s light outside, they are waiting for me in the round pen. So cute.
I saw a Blue Herron flying over the cabin this weekend! Twice! So weird! It does happen that sometimes they stay for the winter, but I never had seen one.
Monday Sheri and I went to Kamsack to get some groceries. When we got back, she gave me a huge split block that she didn’t use. It’s great for making kindling, because it’s high and better for my back. Thanks Sheri! Very happy with it.
Cold weather is also good to do some indoor chores. Tuesday I was changing my bed sheets, and behind my bed I have an extra matrass against the wall with a cover over it. I thought to take that off and shake the dust off outside. Well, it was stuck somehow. Couldn’t get it off the matrass!
So I pulled the bed away from the wall to have a better look, and I was shocked to see that the wall was covered with ice. The cover was frozen to the ice on the wall, as was the matrass. I pulled the cover loose and then the matrass. Took the matrass to the living room and then I hung up my tiny fan to push the warm air down to thaw the wall. I put towels on the ground to soak up the melted snow.
It’s finally dried up, but there is mold on the wall. Yuck! Lucky I got still a bottle of spray to remove mold. When I’m done with that, I will put the matrass back but not close to the wall anymore.
I might have to remove the part of the lino that touches the wall, just in case it’s wet.
Oh well, I learn as I go. No matrass against a wall!
Today I went home. Paul was also home. He had hurt his ankle during basketball last night. So I got him breakfast and some pain killers. I got my groceries and then removed the Xmass tree that was very dead and without needles after I removed the decorations. I cleaned up in the living room and did the dishes. I also cleaned up the fridge. The garbage bin was too full so the the town didn’t empty it. I took out lots of bags, and put it ready for tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will go to see Paul again, make sure he gets a good breakfast, and get him some groceries and do some more cleaning up in the house.
It will be nice weather, with minus 2 C, but very windy. But the cold spell is over and warmer weather is in the forecast.