The cats are having a great time running and chasing each other around the living room, Needles is enjoying his second kittenhood playing (and napping) with Box's kittens. The little guys will be as big as she is soon, she is such a small cat to begin with and is really skinny now.
We enjoyed a two day break from the extreme cold, but it was back this morning with a howling wind to make it feel like -33 C (that's about where it is in degrees F if I remember where the scales converge correctly) This morning the guys just carried buckets of water out for the cows to drink, because it was so cold in the barn that the knew the waterpipes and bowls would freeze back up as soon as they got the water running to them. The wind really makes a big difference to how cold the barn is. The plastic canvas sides are fine as long as the wind doesn't blow!
Garry tells me that the sick cow is still in the pen with the calves. She hurt one of her legs a little when she was down, and is limping a bit, so he will keep her in the pen a few more days so she can heal up. The ladies just milk her in the pen by hand into a pail. I think the calves may be getting a little extra milk with her there.
This morning we ran out of water in the house- it wasn't frozen, the cistern was empty! I was making bagels this morning when we discovered the water had run out, Garry had used it to make coffee when he got up. So I had flour-covered hands and had to try cleaning up with antiseptic hand cleaner, which doesn't work really well, I can tell you.
If you remember, the town water truck has broken down, and so Maxim was delivering water last week. Right now- 3 pm - I am watching someone trying to back the tractor/watertank into the right driveway- I know the tractor wan't fit under the gas line there, so this should be interesting. Too bad I am recharging the camera, and can't take a photo of it trying to back in the narrow slippery driveway- looks like it stopped, hopefully before hitting the line!
Looks like the top of the tractor fit under the gasline- not sure how, Garry always told me it wouldn't fit under there, guess we can wash up the dishes soon. Garry just got back from Zaporosia (picking up the plane tickets) and is assisting the effort- he just came in for a stocking cap (toque for Canadians) because he was wearing his farmer's hat (baseball type) and his ears were freezing with his new haircut.
He tells me the tractor isn't under the line, but they are going to lift it up somehow to get the tractor past it, Max says people in the village do it all the time. The water in the hose from the tank keeps freezing solid when they try to snake it over to the cistern.
They got it backed up right after I took the photos (battery was a little charged) of them lifting the line up, and started the water running into the cistern. You can see the deceptive bright sunshine in to the pictures, since I was taking them out of a west-facing window, the afternoon sun is getting lower, but it has been shining all day. Garry says they raised it by sticking a couple bricks under the line on top of the posts it sits on going over the driveway.
Garry is waiting for the load of compicorn- ground feed- that was supposed to come yesterday, then today, to arrive. It is hard to get the old truck backed up and get the feed blown into the bin upstairs, so it better arrove before dark. Victor called around four to say that they had called him to say that they had the truck loaded with the feed now. It is mostly corn, and little wheat, with salt and limestone added for minerals. It is really cold so they had trouble with the truck. of course. We have enough feed for tonight but we'll need it for Wednesday.
I can hear water- I'm off to flush the toilet!
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