Monday, December 15, 2008

Winter Life on a Ranch

It's cold, bitter cold.  Some days I really wonder why I'm here?  The last two days the water going to the chicken coop has frozen, causing a major flood across our lawn, going into our carport and freezing all four of our truck tires to the ground.  It then froze from the back of the truck, across the driveway and into the cedar trees.  Ever feel like you should just move to Hawaii?

The first thing I had to do was disconnect the chicken water hose and get the pipe under the house so the pipe wouldn't continue to freeze, then I would have no house water!  That would be a bad thing, been there done that before.

So I'm laying on the ground unable to dig down because of the frozen ground.  I manage to slide the pipe under the house but there is a tap on the end, and there is no way it's going under, the hole is just too small.  What to do?  Call Hubby and whine and cry?  Well I called him but I can't let him think I'm that much of a baby, so I tell him that I will "figure something out."

In the meantime I have to pack five gallons of water out to the coop, we won't even discuss the condition of the unused all summer waterer that took me a half hour and a cup of bleach to clean!

After filling the woodstove and sitting back in the house, teeth chattering, trying to warm up, I'm trying to think of what to do with the tap/hose.  Sydney says "Can you drill a hole Mama?"  Good girl Sydney!  I drill a bunch of holes, take a hammer and pop out enough of the wood to get that hose, and tap, under the house.  It's patched back up and we are good to go :)  Sydney's getting a full stocking this year ;)

Now it's time to get the truck out.  A bag of summer leftover pool salt helps thaw the ice a bit.  A polaski (an axe on one side and a flat pick on the other) helps break the ice up around the tires.  Oh my! Cold air and the swinging of a polaski is just so flippin' exhilarating!  (Yes I'm lying).  I've also grabbed a bag of leftover kitty litter from when our cat was a wee thing and spread that all around, but I didn't have enough to do the whole ice patch.  Unfortunately Hubby has parked our other truck in a bad spot and backing up on solid slick ice will spin me out of control and wipe out the side of the truck I'm driving, and the front of the other truck.  What to do?  Move the other truck... but did you know that diesel trucks do not like to start when it's cold and I quickly find out that batteries die?  I wander over to the shop to get a battery charger.  After several hours I find out that the battery charger has shorted out and truck still does not start... By this time Hawaii is sounding sooooo tempting.  But one doesn't give up hope...

I grab the other charger (the big one!) and wheel it over to the truck and, as I type this I have it hooked up, by golly that truck better start in the morning or I'm booking plane tickets!

As I'm standing over at the shop I have a conversation with my FIL; Pops.  He's had to put down a couple of cows due to pregnancy complications.  Where else but on a cattle ranch, would you be discussing "vaginal prolapse" with your Father-in-law?  Ahhh the joys of living here (I'm being sarcastic).

Right now it's -19 Celsius, if my math is right that would be -2.2 Fahrenheit my American friends... and that's cold.  Call me wimpy but I'm a summer person, a blazing hot, over 35 to 40 degrees Celsius summer person! 

I must leave now and curl up with the dogs around the woodstove, she ain't pretty but she does hold a lot!  Have a warm night everyone...

10 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

And every time I look back over those pictures of green, green fields, trees and blue skies and hummingbirds as far as the eyes can see, and sigh enviously...

...I remember you dragging the #($*%& watering pipes and the killer dagger icicles and all the sleep you loose.

Truly, the best of times and the worst of times...

Karen Baking Soda said...

OMG Kansas.. I just posted that I was cold. I'll retrieve that immediately and eat my words! You would be bored out of yr skull in Hawaii.

Anonymous said...

You AMAZE me...I am not HALF the woman you are!!

Stay warm - and I sure hope that truck starts (for ITS sake!) =)

Hugs from balmy VA,

~ Donna

Little Ol' Liz said...

I'm thinking along the same lines. Bring me warmth! But I'd guess that that precious grandbaby is what keeps you in your neighborhood this winter.
Lucky you.
I'm ready to bolt!

KansasA said...

Tadmack: Truly it is!
Karen: I will count the grains of sand on the beach to keep me busy! LOL
Donna: I'm sitting here wondering if I should go outside and try or just pick up the phone and call an airline?
Liz: My precious granddaughter is still in the hospital, :( Dal & Lexi might be home Wed or Thur if all goes well.

David T. Macknet said...

I hope you have enough wood! Yikes!

Jackie said...

Hmmm. I know what you mean! So far we have been rather mild. More rain than snow but that will all change in a couple of weeks when we enter the deep freeze. And there we will stay until Mid March. Shiver.
Buy two ticket's will you?

Oma said...

My favorite place to curl up is by the fire in your house. The fire we see on TV here just doesn't do it. I am very much a Summer Lover!

Love Ya!

Oma said...

Dal's GGG Grandmother's name was Nanni Kangas it was pronounced Nonnie, she was born in Finland. This sounds like a good Grandma name.

Love Ya!

Anonymous said...

Stay warm AB