Exhausting Snow and Exasperating Guineas

Rog deserves a big round of applause! After  four bouts of snowblowing today, our farm is once again accessible.  We still have a bit of  work to do on the patio. Usually I take care of that part with my wovel, but this snow is too deep, densely packed and heavy.

Any patio furniture we did not get stored away may be  snowed in until spring.

I am especially appreciative of the paths Rog snowblew to the barn, loafing shed and chicken coop. This morning I had to wade through this deep snowdrift to feed the critters. The dogs appreciate the paths, too.

I am happy to report that our water   hydrant worked in today's cold!!  Last year it froze up and I had to haul 60 gallons of water a day in 5-gallon buckets from the kitchen faucet to the loafing shed and coop for the cows and chickens. This year, Rog wrapped  the hydrant with heat tape and built a little insulated box around it. My back, shoulders and elbow are so grateful!

The biggest problem this weekend has been the guinea fowl. They had been  roosting in the barn at night, but if something frightens them they get all discombobulated and usually their response is to fly into the trees. Perhaps the guys who were  installing the solar panels startled them when they were working in the barn, but whatever it was, they were outside last night as the storm approached. I tried to shoo them into the barn, but they flew up onto the barn roof and into the trees.  I hated to leave the barn door open and risk chilling the chickens inside the barn, but I wanted the guineas to be able to go inside if they came to their senses. When I went to bed late last night the storm was raging and by the yardlight I could see one guinea struggling to stay on a tree branch in the fierce wind. I worried about that bird all night.  This morning when I went out to do the chores it was still alive, surprisingly, up in the trees with  four other guineas.

It was really cold and windy today. Guineas come from Africa, so you don't expect them to be that hardy. I put grain on the snow to try to lure them down. One guinea had icicles hanging from its wattles!

Mid-afternoon, I discovered one guinea had fallen out of the tree and was barely able to walk. I  easily caught it and put it in the chicken coop, under the  heat lamp.  An hour later, another ice-encrusted bird fell out of the tree; we caught it and put it with its companion in a crate in the coop so the chickens wouldn't pester them. I gave them food and warm water with some electrolytes added.

It looked like I was going to have to wait for each stubborn bird to get so cold it couldn't hang on any more and to fall out of the tree. But then, just as I was going out to do the evening chores, I saw one guinea plummet to the ground and scramble into the barn. I went back inside, got my camera and waited by the kitchen window. If I scared them, I knew the last two wouldn't come down.

 FINALLY, they flew to the ground and went into the barn. I rushed out and gave them warm water and food before they got settled on a roost for the night, and closed the barn door. Then I did the chores.

I will not be leaving the door open again or letting these guys out until the weather warms up. I am a bit worried that the two guineas in the coop may have frostbit feet, but they are looking more perky already.

Let It Blow

Rog is out in the  cold playing with the new snowblower.

A lot of guys might have waited until after noon when the blizzard is supposed to end and the wind might calm a bit, but either his  Minnesota work ethic kicked in or he just couldn't resist the allure of a new toy.

I was already out and fed the critters - not as much fun when you have to wade through  crotch-deep snowdrifts. I brought the  poultry a pot of hot oatmeal with leftover squash soup and some coconut oil stirred in to warm them up. Now I am admiring Rog's work and the beautiful snow from indoors through the frosty windows while my migraine diminishes - triggered, I suspect, by lying awake all night worrying about the stupid guinea hen that refused to go into the barn and instead clung to a high tree branch, whipping around in the bitter wind. I expected to find  him frozen  stiff this morning, but somehow he survived.

Let It Snow

Outside it has been a cold, stormy white-out, but inside tonight it is warm and colorful.

This morning after we drank our coffee and watched the birds at the feeders we decorated the Christmas tree (wish the daughters were here for that!)

Our tree displays an eclectic hodge-podge of all the ornaments we have accumulated  throughout our marriage, including handmade, souvenirs, wacky, sometimes tacky, traditional, intercultural, vintage, and found objects.  We can't help but reminisce as we hang them and recall when and were we acquired each ornament.  More than a few are actually kind of ugly but have nostalgic value. I can't bring myself to discard them, so I try to hang them in the back of the tree or deep on inner branches.

All in all, today was the ideal snowbound day: I worked on my painting a bit. Rog recorded a new song.  I ventured outside and took a few photos and posted on the blog. Rog made two loaves of incredible banana bread.  While I did evening chores, Rog roasted a chicken for dinner.  Then, we snuggled under a blanket and watched a movie while the wind blasted around our house.
Every winter should provide a few days like this.

Snowstorm

Yesterday afternoon when they were warning everybody about this big storm, it was so lovely out it was hard to imagine it  would amount to much.  They got it right this time, though--a great storm, with impassable roads, canceling all events and giving us a luxurious snowbound day at home.

Last weekend,  our rather rickety snowblower survived a few close encounters with a big  chunk of wood, a small hunk of brick and a cookie sheet that had been serving chicken feed until it got wrapped around the snowblower blades. Shortly after these near-death experiences it made a gasping sound a burning smell and really gave up, never to start again.  We decided rather than purchase another old used, hard-to-start snowblower, we would buy a new one. So, last night at the last minute we went out and quickly chose one,  then zipped home and unloaded it from the back of the pickup just as it started to sleet, a layer of ice freezing on the east-facing windows. Soon, sleet turned to snow, rapidly accumulating.

This afternoon when I ventured out with my camera to check on the critters and check the mail, the snow had drifted unevenly from bare frozen grass in some areas to thigh-deep.

 The outbuildings on our farm create sort of a courtyard that it is cleverly sheltered from the wind and blowing snow. When I left the shelter of the yard to go out to the road to check the mail, the snow blasted my face like icy needles. (No mail or newspaper- I guess our couriers are stayed from their appointed rounds today.)

There would be no solar power today, even if they had finished  installing the PV panels. The barn roof is now covered in snow, but if the snow stops and the wind keeps up like this, it should be bare again in no time.

Lariat's fuzzy  coat was crusted with snow.

LaFonda didn't care to come out of the shelter of the loafing shed.

The smarter chickens stayed indoors, but the oblivious guineas sat on the fence complaining. When I went out to do the chores just now I tried to herd them into the barn, but no, they flew up onto the roof. Aargh. It is expected to get bitterly cold tonight. I left a small barn door open for now, hoping they come to their senses and go in.  I don't relish going back out into the blizzard to close the door.

A Third of the Way to the Sun

This morning I left for a meeting as the solar panel crew was arriving to start work. When I  got home a few hours later, the support rails had already been installed on the barn roof.

The first two solar panels were being mounted!
Currently, there are two trees that cast shadows across the  PV panels. They are scheduled to be removed next Monday. Then the roof will have 100% clear solar exposure.

The back side of a photovoltaic  panel - looks pretty simple! The panels are  surprisingly light and the entire installation will add much less weight to the barn roof than a snowfall would.

The first twelve (of 36) panels were successfully installed!  They just need a few more hours to complete the installation, but we are forecast to get a huge snowstorm tonight, with up to 20 inches of snow followed by bitter cold. Curt spread tarps over the rails so  they don't have to chisel ice out of them to attach the panels.

Looks like the PV panels will scarcely be noticeable on the metal roof!

Two Steps Forward...

Everything has arrived and the solar panels are ready to be installed on the roof of the barn!  The snow had finally melted off the roof and this morning was even a bit warmer than the past few bone-chilling days. Curt had all the safety gear set up, and this morning his crew arrived to begin work.

On the underside of the roof, some of the beams required boards to be sistered to them to provide a place for  the mounting hardware to attach. These two men worked way up in the roof above the loft, amid a nice crop of  cobwebs.

Unfortunately, the crew had barely begun this morning when freezing rain began to fall - not very safe for working on a metal roof - so work ceased.  Tomorrow night a big winter storm is forecast, but they hope to be able at least get the mounting brackets installed before the weather deteriorates.

Solar Panels Arrive!

The FedEx truck delivered the first 20 solar panels today! 

Curt Shellum, our fearless solar installer,  was already here, waiting to make sure everything was in order. They hauled the panels into the barn.

It was kind of like Christmas; we had to open them up and admire them!

Everyday while he has been to here working, LaFonda has been curiously following Curt's work. He requested a photo of her with him and a solar panel, but she wasn't the most cooperative.

I don't think I have a future as a bovine portrait photographer.

The weekend's 8-10 inches of snow is almost melted off the barn's south-facing roof already. Curt brought his roof rake to clear away a bit more snow to speed things up, and if we are lucky and it stays sunny, they may be able to begin the actual installation tomorrow!