Crazy ancestors

Last night Kris got home at 10:30 p.m. because the milk pump wasn't working correctly.  He was able to mess around with it and get it started again.  He got a text from the guys at 4:15 a.m. this morning - same thing.

It was -11 this morning.  Yes, -11!  What were my ancestors thinking?  I asked my brother, and he said their brains must have frozen.

So, the milk pump didn't work right.  The foamers (which we use to clean the cows' udders) froze. Kris fiddled with the air adjustment, and the guys milking had to shut the doors in between the cows coming in and out so they wouldn't freeze again.

The waterers for the cows were frozen, which is never supposed to happen, so Kris had to go around breaking all of them.

The vacuum lines - which make the milking units have suction - were freezing from the outside.  Kris had to pour hot water on them.

A cow slipped on the ice and hurt herself.  She's recovering ... a guy at church had done the same and torn his rotator cuff.  (Ice! So tricky.)

The skid steer won't start.

But other than that, everything is fine!  It's windy, it's cold, and we're all buckling down and trying not to go outside until this all blows over.  I mean, my ancestors weren't so crazy to settle here ... it's not like they picked Boston.



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Big snowstorm!

From morning ... until night ... 

Sunrise

Moonrise

We cleaned up from the snowstorm.  We got a lot of snow - 11 inches recorded in Lansing, and a TON of wind and drifting.  Kris got up extra early to push snow so he could feed the cattle.

Here's an example of a drift he had to scoop away:

So he could do this, which is putting the feed from the pile into the mixer to take to the cows in the barn.

Did you know that cows, like a lot of animals, grow a thicker coat in the winter?  Look how shaggy our heifers look!  On their backs ... 

And on top of their heads.  I love this look.

When there aren't serious problems, everything on the farm is beautiful in the snow.  From perfect drifts, icicles and blue sky ... 

to curious cattle and pink cheeks.

Or no faces showing at all.

Snow, cold, and broken machinery!

We woke up to a beautiful winter day.  The boys and I spent all morning and a lot of the afternoon outside in it.

We were at our friends' house - they have a pony, goats, and chickens, which all the kids loved! - and Kris got a call from home that the wheel loader wasn't working.

At home, they tried to fix it, to no avail.  It seems like something electrical.  And of course you can't call anyone to fix it at 6:30 p.m. on a Sunday.  (Well, he did call, but they didn't answer.)

This is the machine we use to take the feed from the feed pile and put it into the mixer.  Since it wasn't working, they had to take the tip bucket off and put it on the skid steer.  It's supposed to fit both.  But unlike Legos, it never really transfers super easily, so it took a lot of time and tools.  Legos, where are you in the ag equipment market?!

Kris offered to feed tomorrow morning, because even though it isn't his day, he didn't want anyone else to have to mess around with it.

So ... tomorrow at 4:00 a.m., it's supposed to be 1 degree.  Instead of being in a warm, closed cab wheel loader, Kris will be in an open cab skid steer ... which means it's going to be a COLD job!

Kris said he was going to wear all of his clothing that he has.  I fished out a ski mask-type cover from the depths of our coat closet and suggested he wear it tomorrow.  It's a little different - it has little holes for breathing in the mouth area, and it sort of resembles a hockey mask.

He stood in the bathroom, pulled it on, and we both looked at him in the mirror.  He looked terrifying.  It was a scene right out of a horror movie.

"This should help me keep warm," Kris said in a muffled voice.  He leaned close to me and whispered, "I'm going to get you."

Let's hope that wheel loader gets fixed quickly, or he's going to scare the children.


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Let it snow ...

The daffodils were so mad this morning. Robins everywhere, looking confused. It's funny to walk outside and hear birds singing while also getting snow in your hair. The boys immediately wanted to play in it - and I couldn't even locate their snowpants. (I told them to just not sit down. They shoveled the sidewalk - because it needed it!)

It was all melted by the end of the day.

Last year on April 21 Kris started planting corn. That seems a bit far off right now, but it was early for planting last year.

Everyone is ready for it to be busy, but it's not. All the farmers are anxious to get into the field. It's an exciting time of year! ... Almost.