"Its 9 below this morning", I breathed to myself as I got suited up to go outside.
"Some warm boots, thin jacket to go under the coveralls and I spose a scarf for my face."
Its a crisp morning at Natural Crossroads Farm. Emmy talks to herself before she heads out to do the morning chores. After a rough evening of power outage and fitful sleep due to her ever present cold she dreads going out in the frigid air. But she knows regardless of how she feels, there are animals who need her attention. The freezing water is her least favorite job with the chicken chores. It needs to be done more then once to ensure the chickens get plenty of water during the arctic climate.
She trudges out to the coop to check and see what needs doing first.
"Here chick,chick,chick," she calls. She's answered by the replying crackles of her 4 beautiful Australorp hens. "Water of course, is frozen solid. I'll just break it up and get the pail for hauling some more."
Quickly realizing they needed more straw for warmth she grabs a can with handles. She got the hammer to break some straw off the huge bale stored in the other shed and fills the can.
"I'm really glad this isn't heavy," mumbles Emmy, through her scarf.
"I'm learning things already! Mainly how I don't like using straw for bedding in the winter. I don't think its as warm. And I am really missing the deep bedding method I've done. There is a significant difference in warmth when I had the deep bedding creating heat while it decomposes."
After throwing more straw in, she dumped the kitchen scraps, riddled with some alfalfa sprouts for something green in their diet.
"Happy hens" she commented.
After feeding the Tolbert's two hungry cats, she trudged back to the warm house. Nose dripping, throat raging, and face stinging from the cold. She sits down with a mug of ginger lemon tea.
"Farms have many things going on behind the scenes that others may never see," she thought to herself. "It is never all roses and beautiful scenes. There is the harsh reality of death, sickness, biting cold and a ever bearing burden of forces against the small farms. Its anything but easy. And yet, there is persistence, fight, drive, motivation and courage."
Its because the reward is far greater then this thing called money. Its contentment, eagerness to learn anew, joys in the births of cute little calves, peace in knowing the livestock is safe, fed & warm, and accomplishment in the things you never thought you would see working again. (Those who use old equipment know what I mean here)
Oh, the valuable lessons learned on a farm the Lord has entrusted to my family and I!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Written at random by: Emmy Tolbert
