Happy 2018 from my “Home-on-the-Ranch” located in the region known as the High Plains. Here we are familiar with a weather term called wind-chill factor. This means that the wind makes the temperature feel cooler than it actually is. The harder the wind blows, the colder it feels. And on the High Plains, the wind blows hard. All. the. time. Today it was 45 below zero. Fahrenheit. Actual temp! Not even wind chill!! 45 BELOW ZERO!!! The coldest place on earth for this day. Record setting low. So cold that your face hurts when you are outside doing chores. Your eyes blur, your nostrils stick together, you can’t breathe, your exposed skin begins to get frostbite in 5 minutes, the sewer vents freeze, water pipes freeze, tractors won’t start, animals are moved inside, and you wonder why you live in a place that gets THIS COLD???!!! Now, that I’ve convinced you all that we are certifiably crazy to live here, and you’d never want to visit, let me say that it’s not always this cold. Tomorrow it will be 20 degrees above zero. 60 degrees warmer than today!!
But, frankly, once it gets below zero, it’s just cold. Yes, it’s hard sometimes. This morning I had the unfortunate experience of finding a frozen baby doeling (female baby goat) in the barn. Now before you think I was negligent and call the ASPCA, I have to preface it with the fact that the mama goat was not supposed to have a baby! In fact, most of our goats will have babies in March, but this one wasn’t supposed to have a baby at all. (Sometimes things happen when goats get out at the county fair…) So, IF I had known she was pregnant, I would’ve watched her closer, and IF I had found her baby right away, we would’ve brought it in the house. But, we didn’t know. The barn is warm, and out of the wind. It shouldn’t have happened! However, even though we did all we could, I was still upset. In fact, I stewed about it most of the morning, then said a prayer for grace, and moved on to the next project.
You see, life goes on even in the cold; neighbors travel to visit over a cup of hot coffee, ranchers chop open frozen water and feed hay for their cattle, kids have basketball tournaments, and we read livestock reports in front of a roaring fireplace. We commiserate over livestock loses due to the extreme weather, help out one another, and rejoice when things go well. It’s not always cold here. Sometimes it’s warmer than New York. Sometimes it’s even warmer than California! (Just wait for my blogs about fencing in 110 degree weather!)
Hope your 2018 is a great year no matter what the temperature!
Summer Joy