Day in the life of...

I haven't kept track of how many people have asked me "So, what do you do on a farm during the winter?" There's not a whole lot to do, but it's beginning to pick up now that March is here. Chores, however, have been the daily constant, as follows:

Wake up at dawn. Lie in bed and admire the sunshine coming in through my east-facing window, if it's not cloudy or snowing. Think about how lucky I am to a) have an east facing window b) not have to wake up to an alarm c) have such a sweet job. C occurs to me more often when I've got legit sunshine. My morning ritual commences: this, then the elaborate chore of getting dressed in layers - I average probably about five shirts n' sweaters every day.

My commute is the best ever - I either tiptoe or amble downstairs, depending on whether I've heard the baby's voice yet. I scarf leftovers - crusty bread, last night's dinner, apples - and then lead the charge to go out. (Proper breakfast usually comes after chores.)

The trick with livestock, you see, is that they're dependent on humans for survival, and need basic tending every day. This means carrying hay bales (25-40 lb range - I only rarely try to take two at a time); filling water buckets; and Poop Management.

The trick with freezing weather is that everything's frozen. I don't think I'd understood what writers meant when characters walked over the "barren, frozen ground," but the quality of the earth changes when all its moisture freezes solid. It really feels frozen under your feet. I think all its happy inhabitants burrow down below the freeze line, have some vital channel for air flow, and hibernate. Frost heaves, too - we didn't have them growing up, but here they push all the fence posts over and bring more rocks up from the subsoil to lie in wait for spring plowing.

So for water, the stock tank has a crust of ice on it every morning, up to 3" thick, so we whack at it with a chunk of wood and scoop the ice out - mostly with a kitchen strainer, but with bare fingers too for big & awkward chunks. Once that's filling, it's time for Poop Management. When the cattle are all distracted with breakfast, we scoop out the fresh manure from the shed where they sleep. When it's really cold, it's all frozen to the ground, and we pry up the dozen or so poopsicles and cart them off to the manure pile. When it's just above freezing, everything's wet and mucky and the smells are much stronger. I just hope I don't lose a boot in it one day. I periodically sugar-coat the task in my head: call it Farm Nutrient Management and remember that it's all going on to the fields later to make the soil fertile, the fruits and vegetables big and healthy.

That all happens twice a day, and soon hand milking will get added to the list. Our first calf is due today, and we'll have fresh milk again soon. I'm off to see if it's been born yet. More on births later.