I’ve just spent the better part of an hour, semi-racing against time, re-winterizing the goat shed and henhouse.

 

Received a Pierce County Alert a few hours ago saying that our temperature is going to drop to 18 degrees F (-7.78 Celsius for my overseas friends) this afternoon and will stay under 23 degrees F. for the next several days; plus it’s windy, so the wind chill factor will make it even colder.

 

I know chickens and goats do fine in the teens as long as they can stay dry and draft-free, but being the anal person I am when it comes to caring for pets, I went to Wilco and bought an extra bale of straw and 20 cubic feet of pine shavings.  I already have pine shavings in both places, but figured adding more plus a layer of dry flaky straw would be a nice touch, too.

 

The goats immediately hunkered down in the new bedding. 

 

 

There are only two of them now (Mr. Tumnus and Tillie) and they usually rest and sleep pretty close to each other, but they had one mom (Tillie’s) with them last winter and they don’t anymore. They’re more “needy” companionship-wise as a result, so I figured I’d layer in some additional “comfort” since there is no way on earth I’m gonna go out there and stay with them during what’s coming! It will be all I can do to break the ice in their buckets, schlep them warm water, and take them food in the a.m. and p.m. The goats have a heater in their main water trough but it isn’t in a covered area, so I have a bucket of water nearer where they sleep too, that I refill every day or so for them.

 

 

 

I’ve put food out for the wild ones, too — birds, squirrels, raccoons, possums, and whoever else decides to stop by to take the edge off their hunger and thirst during the next several super cold days.  Maybe they’ll cozy up to the goats, too.  I know the chickens would, if they shared the same shed, but I have to lock the hens up at night or owls and other nocturnal predators would take them.

 

So, now that my critters are cozy, I can relax and think about other things.  Like: where the hell did my shed key go while I was doing all of the above? I’ve looked everywhere, retraced my steps, asked my sis if she took it (because usually when I can’t find it, it’s because she has absconded with it), and… it’s still AWOL.

 

Luckily I have a spare and the lost one will inevitably turn up at some point. I just don’t know when or where.

 

Stuff like this drives me batty. I even looked the refrigerator to be sure I didn’t have a “senior moment” and put it in there.  Nope.  GRRR…

 

In fewer than two months Lisa and I will swap seasons in under 18 hours when we fly from Sea-Tac International to Auckland for a two-week vacation. That’s gonna feel weird–and very, very good.

 

I’ve packed summer clothes — t-shirts, shorts, wading shoes, swim trunks –which felt utterly nuts because of what has been happening outside my window, but also wonderful!  We get to skip two weeks of a Pacific NW winter. That is, if the airport stays open on the day we’re scheduled to leave. I don’t even want to think of what would happen to our vacation plans if Sea-Tac got snowed or iced in on our depature date, so I’m doing my best not to think about it. Nothing I can do about it, either way, at this point!

 

When I get up in the morning it’s gonna be f(reak)ing frigid outside. There isn’t a cloud in the sky so the likelihood of snow is slim, but it’s gonna be uncomfortably/dangerously cold.  I’m gonna stay indoors as much as possible.

 

Sunday is my book reading/signing day unless it’s so miz’able outside that we decide to reschedule it…  Hmmmm…

 

Have a great evening. I’m certainly ready to hibernate for the night and it’s only 5 pm here! It has been a very long day. I got up at 0 dark thirty this morning…

 

HUGS!!!

This was taken 30+ pounds ago!