Frigidity
Well, we made it up to 0°F today. Or actually, -0° according to my digital thermometer, which apparently won't drop the minus until it gets higher than zero. Tonight's predicted low is -14. Definitely too cold.
The animals don't seem to mind, except for the cats who are hovering near the woodstove or hiding under the quilts on the bed. Providing unfrozen water to the critters outside is a bit difficult, though. The boys have buckets and a water trough with heaters in them, so they are fine. But the bunnies don't fare so well. I put warm water into their bowls and if they don't drink it right away it freezes solid in about an hour. The same thing happens to Tess and the sheepers, though their buckets are larger and take longer to freeze. Tess has an insulated bucket in her stall with a floating styrofoam cover. That one stays liquid for several hours usually, but is frozen by morning. Tonight I plan to fill it with almost hot water in the hope that it will stay drinkable longer.
Ducks are the most bizarre. They seem immune to the cold, so much so that when we open their house and let them out in the morning, they rush out and plunge right into their drinking water for a swim. This gets their feet and belly feathers wet, of course, so then we have to go on "frozen duck watch" because they sit on the ground in one spot so long that they freeze to the ground and can't get up. This necessitates pouring hot water over their feet to get them loose. Birdbrains.
Spent two hours working on the spinning guild newsletter because it had to go out today. Now my hands are stiff and near frozen so I'm headed for the woodstove myself.
The animals don't seem to mind, except for the cats who are hovering near the woodstove or hiding under the quilts on the bed. Providing unfrozen water to the critters outside is a bit difficult, though. The boys have buckets and a water trough with heaters in them, so they are fine. But the bunnies don't fare so well. I put warm water into their bowls and if they don't drink it right away it freezes solid in about an hour. The same thing happens to Tess and the sheepers, though their buckets are larger and take longer to freeze. Tess has an insulated bucket in her stall with a floating styrofoam cover. That one stays liquid for several hours usually, but is frozen by morning. Tonight I plan to fill it with almost hot water in the hope that it will stay drinkable longer.
Ducks are the most bizarre. They seem immune to the cold, so much so that when we open their house and let them out in the morning, they rush out and plunge right into their drinking water for a swim. This gets their feet and belly feathers wet, of course, so then we have to go on "frozen duck watch" because they sit on the ground in one spot so long that they freeze to the ground and can't get up. This necessitates pouring hot water over their feet to get them loose. Birdbrains.
Spent two hours working on the spinning guild newsletter because it had to go out today. Now my hands are stiff and near frozen so I'm headed for the woodstove myself.