Is any one else really tired of this weather?

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I really feel for those who live in the warmer climates getting such a beating this year. We expect winters to be like this mostly so we are prepared. It is much harder when it is not something you have to deal with all the time. Stay safe, spring will come eventually.

 

[jacks'thunder]

Uhhhhh I'm sooo tired of it.

And I'm mad! I zipped my stupid snow pants up in my stupid coat and broke my zipper pull! I was trapped in my coat and pants... I know, It sounds so stupid, and it was! I just stood their staring at the ceiling thinking, Really! Really! I get a bit claustrophobic and sometimes I panic when I have a turtle neck on! LOL! I did not panic(that bad

) and No I'm not still wearing my carharts! LOL! I grabbed an old key ring and fed it through the zipper pull thing and finally got it loose. Stupid weather!

But what I'm really mad about..... The gas prices! And the Propane shortage! They have a sign at our Lumber Jack in town stating the propane shortage is because of the farmers drying their corn. I have to go in town today I'll see if I can take a picture of it. I asked the girl working if she thought it was true. She said "yeah I guess". I asked her, don't you think it could be because it's so cold and every ones heat is running non stop? She said "yeah I guess".

Stupid cold weather!

Oh yeah and I just checked the temp's gauge and they say -15 - 17 and - 18 right now!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Propane shortage--thank goodness for our wood stove! We have a mesquite "forest" around here so wood should never be a problem. We HAVE been getting a little tired of carrying wood but it's a small price to pay for keeping warm so inexpensively. And the radiant heat from a stove is much more comfortable than a furnace.

It seems criminal to raise the price of fuel when it is most needed.

Sun is out today! I think it's been at least 10 days since we've seen it.

 

[Performancemini]

Well, my car MIGHT be ok. Husband let it run at work last night. Said the gage worked fine and the heat was back on. My son, who does mechanic work (but he likes the foreign cars better to work on) did a check on it. He says it looks like the only thing wrong now is that the warning light is stuck on and he thinks it's only the computer thingy. H. says he may have our regular mechanic take a look at it anyway. And he still wants to get his truck in. He doesn't think there is anything really wrong with it; he just wants it in good shape for this spring and he thinks this weather is tuff on a truck of it's age ('94). It has low miles though and never pulled til we bought it. I have seen more people's car's left by the road; not all stuck in a drift either. I think engines are taking a beating.

 

[paintponylvr]

And it's snowing again here (white out conditions right outside my front door!). School out (doesn't directly affect me anymore) and no work (means less $$ to pay for higher power/heat bill and extra hay for ponies)... This is 4th week in a row Mama Nature has thrown this type of curve ball at us here in NC and while I can sorta deal with it - NC is NOT PREPARED to deal with this type of weather. We don't have the trucks, we don't have the crews, the roads aren't banked correctly on all the curves (cars slide right off if its' slick - lots of cars in the ditches right now), cars aren't set up for this type of sustained cold, wet, frozen weather....

BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE - I'm tired of the folks who are here from Northern States or overseas (germany, austria, switzerland) LAUGHING that schools are shut and roads are closed and everyone is being told to STAY HOME... 2 people died on the two roads that I take to go home from work yesterday - saw the one wreck while I was driving a slow 40 mph in the blowing snow (roads were wet but not slushy or frozen at that point) at 2 pm yesterday. SAD...

I, too, have lived in and dealt with Montana cold/snow (just below the Canadian border) and Colorado and 4 different areas of Germany over a 6 year period and two winters in Korea (OMG - that was COLD since I thought that that was only "monsoon" country when I was 20 something before touching down in country).

It's just a drag when everyone else thinks "we" (southerners) are being overly dramatic. I pray that my water pipes (only 18" below the frozen top soil) don't freeze. I'm tired of dragging 200' of water hose into the house & family is so upset about tripping over it all on the kitchen floor. Water stays running at night (the water bill is starting to suck as much as the power bill) and we'll see what happens when it warms enough to change snow to rain this afternoon and then drops again well below freezing. I pray again that we don't lose our power (source of heat)... Beginning to rethink the fireplace idea (I hate chopping/hauling wood and cleaning up ashes)...

We are having problems with fuel lines, batteries on all of our regular gas vehicles too. I remember when I drove a diesel truck here and someone asked what the plug was on the front and what a surprise it was to not have anywhere to plug it in when I drove it to town the first winter (LOLOLOL). That seems so long ago (1997)... I'm now used to the mild winters here and this one has been killer instead!

Thanks for starting a thread allowing us to vent at Mama Nature!!!

 

[Performancemini]

I think it's cruel to laugh at others just because their 'not prepared' or 'used to it'. They live in states where the NORMAL weather is to their choosing. I think it's crazy here even, because people STILL go out when WE have icing or heavy snow conditions. I still think it's better to be safe than sorry. Of course, most men don't agree with that thinking and will go out anyway. My husband and son always 'pooh pooh' my anxiousness; but I want to do what feels safest for me.

This weather this year is no laughing matter. There is nothing funny about human lives being lost or conditions being extreme. Paula, you make a good bit of writing for all this. Sounds like you have handled a good bit of a variety of weather areas.

 

[jacks'thunder]

Let it out! Our weather sucks right now! This weather and how it's effecting lives is nothing to laugh at! And driving in this is no joke. My hubby drives over 75 miles back and forth to work and he's on a crazy shift of days then midnights non stop. It scares me, I worry for him. It's no joke...

My moms pipes froze twice so now she lets her water run also. It's been running sense Christmas, no joke!

I was just telling my hubby about your post paintponylvr. And he said ABSOLUTELY your right on! You guys don't get this like we do. It's the dingle berries who live here and act like this is the first snow ever and cause all the problems. We have complete sympathy for all the lower states that are not used to this and are getting hit hard. Were with ya!

Performancemini, Fingers crossed for your car! My hubbys truck is still down sense the first jolt of minus blahblahblah degrees! He won't take it in and can absolutely fix the fuel pump him self but being so cold and no $$$ has put that on hold. Thank God we have 3 vehicles just for situations like this. But I must admit, my 95 Jeep has been sitting through most of this. I'll take my son to school in the vehicle thats warm when he get home off midnights. That Jeep is cold! LOL!

 

[Performancemini]

For a bit of an "upper" watch accuweather's long range forecasts now and then. I see 50-58 near the end of March for our area of N. IL. WhoooooHoooo! Sounds simply tropical! Even if it changes everyday, it still gives some hope for the future. (Ok, so there will be some flooding and mud here-and I sure hope we don't see major flooding all over-but I am trying for a bit of not gloomy on this one.).

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Want not gloomy

I an do that. We have +2C (above freezing) and ...shhhh..don't scare it away...sun! Thats right folks its sunny and not so cold your breath turns to icicles.

We had snow on Monday and Tuesday (about 4or5") but this morning dawned clear and the its like a postcard out there. Everything is so clean with the fresh snow covering it. The roads are not perfect but passable even in my 2 wheel drive car (I know, what the heck were we thinking getting a 2 wheel drive here in the back of beyond, right ) Hows that for not gloomy? We had our neighbour come in with his skid steer and clean up our front yard and driveway so I could get in after I left for my dentist's appointment (and hair cut) so we should be fine until my guy feels ready to fire up his own equipment this weekend and finish the clean up - provided we don't get even more of that white stuff.

 

[Performancemini]

I guess my car's alright. H. and son said it was almost out of water and antifreeze (I am the worst at keeping my car up; I think I forgot my 3,000 mile ??? oil change too this fall). I won't trust it and them for a while though.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

I'm 30 miles from Paula (paintponylovr) and this is what it looks like out my back door. Had to knock the icicles off to let Lucky--my Jack Russel--out to go potty. And guess what?? With all that out there, she doesn't pull her pajamas off!! LOL

I'm soooooo glad I checked the weather Sunday before we put new roofing paint on the trailer we boughte. That would have been $90 that would have been completely WASTED!!

I also agree about not being prepared for this type winter if it's not usual. I still starting wanting to lay in a wood supply, wrap water lines, put up plastic over windows etc., etc. starting in late August every year. I remember too well winters in ID, MN and CO. My husband from El Salvador doesn't respect it at all!! This week has been a real eye-opener for him. Imagine how shocked he was when he couldn't open the truck doors 'cause they were frozen shut!!! I'm really, really glad I ignored him ("the radiator's fine" he said) and put extra antifreeze in the radiator. And try explaining a block heater to someone who's never seen snow and ice like this!!! The neighbors' vehicle has a completely frozen engine, I hope it's not a total lose for them.

Seeing everyone else with "real" winter, I've been thankful each day for knowing I won't be hunting Easter eggs in a snowbank...but this week has sure had me feeling justified for being so cautious back in August!!

Hugs all, your welcome here any old time!!

Julie

 

[lucky seven]

Totally tired of it all, snowing again and it's 25 degrees. The wind is blowing the snow all over the place and won't stop until sometime tomorrow.

 

[Carolyn R]

I can't tell you how sick and tired I am of this snow. My days off consist of plowing our driveway, the neighbors and anyone else out. Hauling hot water to the barn, soaking hay, hauling it up to the barn, trying to keep the house clean, did I mention plowing.......I go to work to get a break from all the work at home.....after plowing the driveway and feeding the horses this morning, I headed to work, only to walk in the door and go home because they were closing due to the weather......so home I went to plow some more, do the stalls, hang out with the kids ( thankfully my parents are there for them when we both work). Hubby got a room near work,it wasn't worth risking the drive home when his workplace offered to pay for the room. Tomorrow.....the kids have another snow day, at least the kids will be my snuggle buddies for the night! (not until after I soak more hay, haul it up to the barn,yet again, along with hot water and tuck the critters in for the night.

 

[chandab]

It wasn't so bad here, til today; got a skiff of snow, which covered all the icy patches and I took a header doing chores, I couldn't see the ice... Dumped two buckets of feed and wrenched my wrist a bit.

 

[jacks'thunder]

Hope you feel better Chanda. Wrap it and put some Bio-freeze\icy hot on it.

Truthfully this morning I have no complaints! It's 21ish here and I'm cool with that! It's not snowing(for the moment

but just wait, it's suppose to) and it's above 0, I'm happy!

Dragons Wish Farm- GREAT PICTURES! Your place looks pretty covered in snow!

 

[amysue]

I am sooo sick of it. Got another 10" of wet heavy snow over the past two days, then freezing rain so now its slick as heck out here and we're expecting 6" more tomorrow and 3-5" Monday. Im seriously running out of places to put it. My little goat paths shoveled to all of my bird coops are so narrow now that I have to scoot thru sideways to fit. All of the snow is frozen hard like cement so I need the payloader to move it. I am scrambling to get all of these barn roofs shoveled before they fall in. My horses are crawling the walls because it is way to icy to turn them out. I tried and we both slipped. But its ok I broke the pony's fall when she landed on top of me. Im ready for spring!

 

[shorthorsemom]

We got about 20 inches total for the storm here with rain and sleet mixing in with it to make it nice an heavy. Drifting is bad and up to my hips in fun places, like in front of all my gates... ugh...I am so sore and I have blisters on my blisters from shoveling. Enlisted the help of our kids for shoveling but even with the 5 of us working it was hard to keep up. Can only do so much with the skid and then it is hand shoveling for the rest. Skid got stuck and spreader wouldn't go under the barn cleaner so we hand shoveled a parking lot size 15 inch deep area so we could back the spreader in to do evening milking chores and to get the feed mixer under the conveyor at the silo.. Its amazing how deep and heavy this snow is.

Got up this morning and noticed it snowed an additional 4 inches overnight. So back out this morning shoveling for the dogs and for the milk truck and the feed guys... Its going to be another long day. Kids off school again but they didn't notify us until 9:45 pm even though it was snowing and only one lane on the roads. Yes I am really whining here. sorry.

I had to shovel for my goats, only had one venture out of the hut before I did yesterday. My horses are doing good thankfully but I am burning through hay like crazy to keep them warm. Last night while we were trying to get liquid cow poop to go up a frozen ramp to the spreader and two of us were pushing with forks in the stinging sleet while the other tried to keep it from jamming under the barn exit door and holding a finger on the off switch in case the paddles got jammed under the return.... I thought to myself how much can we take... I guess we have room for more, but only if we can whine a little bit.

Got home from milking last night at 1:00 am this morning. Had to take care of heifer that calved and her new born baby after milking chores that were already late from all the delays. Heard a loud crash when exiting the barn last night and noticed the snow falling off the upper roof has messed up the roof below it. My yard looks like a bomb went off in it with all the limbs.

We also have a coyote hanging around the barn.. big one, probably a wolf cross. scary.

Ok, now I am really whining. I messed up my shoulders moving heavy feed bags when my husband was laid up last October. I am sore and it hurts to comb my hair. I just grabbed my youngest dog last night when I got home, cuddled up on a heated mattress pad and put a big blanket over me and slept really deep.

Off to the barn this morning to check on my favorite heifer that calved. Raised from birth she now weighs about 1600 lbs. She followed me like a dog from the calving pen to her new stall for her first milking and gave me a hug.
Thank goodness for feel goods... Hugging heifers, hugging horses, snuggly dogs and for family working together to get through this "worst winter ever".

Bless all of you who are also hanging in there by a thread. There is comfort in numbers and for sharing.

Off to the barn again... will take days to get the milking back on schedule...

When you pour your milk on your cereal say a little thanks to dairy farmers who stand out in sleet and work until 1 am to care for the critters before themselves. Its a farming thing, its hard to explain. check out "got made a farmer" by paul Harvey on youtube. its so true.

cheers and have a great day.

happy valentines day

 

[paintponylvr]

WOW, shorthorsemom, that's a lot...

I've not done either the regular calving or 2x daily milking, but have helped w/ several roundups and dipping of up to 1,0000 first year heifers on who knows how much pasture space (have no idea how large those pastures were). THAT was done in relatively good weather in CO, however, I had to have help saddling the horses I rode and thanked everyone available that at the time I had an iron bladder, 'cuz once up I didn't dismount thru the whole day... I'd been in a car accident that flipped rear over front 3x and while nothing was broke I was literally "green & yellow" for a long, long time with full body bruising, torn ligaments and tendons and a concussion... I remember those days of "git 'er done".. AND I now pay for some of that with my body approaching fifty and feeling some of those youthful injuries (several horse wrecks, too, and the "pounding" while in the army later)...

Some of these other posts make me very thankful I at least know how to deal with winter, even if it's hard to prepare for it completely here... Here's a pic of our 4 youngsters out in the round pen during part of a heavy fall ("white out")... They weren't staying in the barn, so I put them back out where they had free choice hay and alfalfa pellets away from the mature ponies. A pic of the ducks both during the first part of the snow when their "pond" is frozen solid and the next day when we had a partial thaw and rain and the ditch between the house and barn was full of water...

The Jr mares - their pasture has trees in the back edge. It was completely clear of snow and blocked from the majority of wind by the trees & underbrush I haven't cleared yet in a 20 x 14 area. They preferred standing at the hay and getting covered in layers of snow! Though the manure this am shows that they've spent time back there - I will need to concentrate on pick up there when we get dry.

Well, I was supposed to get a load of 4 round bales this weekend. That water (above) is the ditch that I need to cross - there isn't supposed to be any standing water there - that's what the ditch is for to drain it away from the house, hillside in front of the barn and drive. Hmmm... may be getting a load of small squares and using ponies to pull them up to the barn thru the snow and water on tarps or a skid... I've only got 2 small squares left from the last load of 50 I had. The supplier I get small squares from has 300 left and I have 100 of that, but hadn't planned on getting but about 5 this weekend. We'll see. If I have to feed the small squares to the one pasture that is low on round bales this will be a hard working weekend. UGH. We can't seem to keep ahead of the storms since last June (when I got the 4x4 truck stuck in the mud hauling round bales and it "broke" the truck).

WOW - Chandab - you are having a heat wave!! It's above freezing. And it's the exact same temp here right now.

 

[chandab]

Yep, Paula, its practically a heat wave here for this time of year.

 

[Performancemini]

Got sun and 20 degrees today. Seems nice, considering. Snow tomorrow 1-3. Mixed bag Monday. But then we are supposed to get up to 40ish mid to end of week (might have some little rivers running then). Since I was out and the area near the barn door was ice free, I decided to pull the car up to the door and get an in person peek at my Hubby's kitty. He is keeping him in the little tack room with the heater on (to keep extra water buckets liquid, since we have to turn the water on and off at the house and he has to haul water). He said the kitty uses the litter box; but Hubby never has wanted to clean litter boxes and I always got stuck. He is evidently not doing too good a job or kitty is not that tidy. OMG! There are little piles of kitty-poopy all over the floor in there!!! It smells like cat. I am not sure he is spraying (he's not neutered-YET); but that is one other thing I can't abide. Cat spray on my hay, equipment, etc. I wish he could have had a spayed female. He rescued this guy. Then, the horses water trough is buried in snow up to the top edge. I am not sure how they are drinking. There are hoof prints up to it, so assume they are drinking; but surely they can only reach down so far! I hate to bug him since he is doing triple duty with me layed up with this foot and crutches; but somethings need attention maybe.