As I go to provide water and food to the domesticated creatures here, I ready myself for breaking the ice, draggy wooden gates, and putting out extra feed. The winter conditions are stressful on livestock, poultry, and for that matter, chicken ranchers. The bitter cold nighttime temperatures have made life a bit hard for the wild animals too.
Some days, slaking their thirst is a major challenge for the deer, turkey, and waterfowl that live in abundance around us. Most creeks, ponds, and rivers are frozen over. The nearby Sangamon River is a frozen stack of white dominoes. Three foot square blocks of eight inch thick ice are in a frozen scalloped state, one block riding the back of another. The animals walk the banks looking for a thin layer that might yield and provide a frigid drink. And that can prove dangerous to them. Last year, my grandson, Kirkland and I found a good size buck in a creek during one of our walks in the woods; it may well have broken through the ice and drowned.
I pour water into the chickens containers. Songbirds that have braved the winter, flock in as I leave, and guzzle the life sustaining liquid with gusto. They prod and crowd one another for a chance to drink. The cardinals and blue jays scatter the smaller birds as they fly in. The doves, though the biggest of all, come in quietly, and seem not to want to create a fuss. The hens too are taking advantage of the warm water before it freezes over. Our hens are hearty Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds. They can handle the cold as long as they are out of the wind at night. They walk through the snow in the hen yard, even when the breeze ruffles their feathers, and a white dusting lies upon their backs.
The wood pile has depleted significantly in recent days. The crackling fire and dancing flames warms us inside and out, on these long frigid nights. The wood stove brings the work shop to a comfortable temperature, making necessary projects easier to accomplish. Something cozy about a wood stove on a snowy winters day. There is a nice contrast of the warmth of the stove and the snowflakes drumming the window pane.
When there is no snow, farming country has a sepia tone look in the winter.The houses and barns sit on an island, surrounded by a sea of brown dirt and guarded by stark black trees. The pastures of ranches and farms are a faded, barely green; nothing like the deep lush color that a wet spring would produce. It makes a body look forward to spring . That being said, I do like the seasonal changes.
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