Winter Whiner

My dad says the only good thing about winter is that there are no flies.

I am not looking forward to winter. This has nothing to do with the holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s; they are all fun for me and not stressful. I am strictly talking about the weather. Bah humbug on that, indeed.

Unfortunately we’re going to have our second cold wave come through this weekend, and while it won’t be bad it is a sign of things to come.

Cold weather only means more work on the farm. As the grass in the pastures goes on vacation we’ll add feeding hay to those groups of heifers to our list of chores.

There are many water tanks scattered around the farm for the cows and calves to drink from. Those will all need tending to, whether it be to make sure the lines don’t freeze or to bust the top layer of ice that will form.

Cold mornings also slow down the milkings. Part of the air and vacuum lines that power the milking operations can freeze up and cause issues until they are thawed. We do have a nice, almost musical heater, to help with warming things up. I always hear the first note of the Star Wars theme as it turns on, do you?

While it is easy for me to whine about the weather I do recognize that it is mild in the South in comparison to what others may have to deal with in colder climates. That said, I will still complain about needing to wear coveralls and layers, cold, and snow.

Dad was right.

 

Fly Photo By Gladson Machado (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons