Chores And More Snow.....

The first snowfall of the season always seems fun and magical.  But the realities of frigid weather can become tiresome when you have livestock under your care.  Cleaning out frozen manure stuck to the concrete, keeping the water troughs from icing over for the cattle and chickens, getting the tractor started on nights in the teens to feed out the cattle are some examples of quick chores that can take half a day to get done when everything freezes. 

Ahhh....but the rewards of seeing those cute calves frolicking in the snow or those thankful cows giving you a gentle lick will melt the most frozen of hearts!  I always groan a little in the evening when I leave our warm house with the fire crackling in the stove to feed out the cattle.  After feeding them, I'm always reinvigorated and am sometimes fortunate to walk back to the house under a dark clear sky blanketed with thousands of twinkling stars.  Life is magnificent on the farm, and you're always welcomed to join me for my evening cattle feedings.

Rich

Ps- The snow angel in the picture below is made by Emmett.