Thistleblooms Rambles

[thistlebloom]

I stayed in bed an extra hour and a half this morning. No rush, no worries... the horses got bulging hay nets for dinner and I knew they would still have some left, so it was nice for a change to just lay there and watch the snow fall out the window by our bed.
Got up and dressed, came out to the kitchen to start the coffee and looked out the window. OH MYLANTA! What the...?

The snow which has been falling continuously since yesterday a.m. collapsed the Shelter Logic 12x12 shelter we put at one end of our cattle panel hay structure. My little Farmall cub lives there, as well as about 12 bales of alfalfa that didn't fit in the packed out "hay tube", the cats insulated kennel with heater and their food, and a barrel of chicken feed.
So much for a relaxed morning. I geared up and started dealing with the mess. Had to get on the ladder so I could shovel the snow off the shelter so I could safely get inside and start removing the cats house, filled hay nets, feed barrel etc.
My husband had to help me dismantle it and take the cover off, which is now draped over the Cub to keep the snow off.
Such a mess.

I shouldn't have ignored my rule of "do as much as you can when you can". Maybe if I had removed the snow off the hay shelter yesterday afternoon I could have saved it. Or if I got up at my usual time and gone out for chores. I don't know when it gave out, but that was some stinkin' heavy snow.

We were out dealing with snow for 6 hours today. DH cleared the driveway and the vehicles, then blew all the paths, while I got up on the horse shelters and took snow off the roofs.
Dh is planning on getting up on the house roof Monday and clearing it. It makes him nervous when it gets a couple feet deep and is wet snow.
I dread roof clearing. I am stationed below as ground crew and shovel what comes off the roof out of the doorways and off the walkways. It's grueling, heavy, stupid snow work. Did I mention grueling and heavy?

We finally came in, I changed out of my soaking wet insulated overalls, threw all the wet clothing in the washer and made some coffee at last.
Then I remembered that I took a picture of the collapsed hay shed and thought I'd forward it to Kid#2 as a reminder not to trust the rickety carport at his rental house. OH MYLANTA#2! I left my phone in the top pocket of my overalls which was then on the rinse cycle.
It is now in a tub of rice, hopefully getting all the water sucked out of it.

I do like winter, but right now I'm trying to remember what part that was. Is. Whatever.

 

[Bruce]

Oh man, that is NOT a good day. I hope your phone can be saved. Last year the snow turned my upside down U shaped cattle panel support over the blueberry bushes into an M shape. I had it covered with chicken wire so the wild birds couldn't get to the berries in the summer. Even with all those 1" holes, the heavy wet snow apparently formed a solid "floor" and all the snow that piled on top of that pulled the panels down in the middle. Probably would have done even worse if the panels weren't attached at the base and 4' off the ground to T-posts.

 

[thistlebloom]

It's amazing how snow clings to bare wire and accumulates. I have a CP trellis over my chicken coop that I grow clematis on for summer shade, and even in the winter when it's bare I knock the snow off just in case.

Next year we are dismanteling the CP hay tube and building a permanent hay shed. I am so looking forward to that. The CP "tube" (32'x 8' or 9'ish) and about 8' tall has done a very good job of keeping the hay dry and is such an improvement over tarping 10 tons of hay. But I have to remove accumulated snow daily.

 

[Bruce]

You will love having a permanent hay shed!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Holy moly, Miss @thistlebloom! That is not a fun way to start the day. I hope your phone turns out OK. I guess you can sympathize with Miss @babsbag because her metal barn/shed collapsed from snow early last year! We had almost 6" of rain Friday night and Saturday. I would hate to think what would happen if that were 6" of snow!

 

[Baymule]

Shoveling snow is so far off my radar that I can't even begin to imagine. That is tough about your collapsed shelter. I hope Janie didn't get all scratched up. 6 hours of shoveling snow! Bless your little heart! And you were touting Idaho as a place that @Ridgetop should consider moving to! Somehow from shoveling sunshine to shoveling snow...…..I don't see her making the move.

I know you had a bad start to the day, but I can't help but poking fun. That's what we do to each other.

 

[thistlebloom]

Shoveling snow is so far off my radar that I can't even begin to imagine. That is tough about your collapsed shelter. I hope Janie didn't get all scratched up. 6 hours of shoveling snow! Bless your little heart! And you were touting Idaho as a place that @Ridgetop should consider moving to! Somehow from shoveling sunshine to shoveling snow...…..I don't see her making the move.

I know you had a bad start to the day, but I can't help but poking fun. That's what we do to each other.

Thanks for the sympathy Bay you know I appreciate it. Actually in the scheme of things it wasn't a disaster, just a darned inconvenience. Janie is fine. She kind of held up part of the roof but is already covered with a heavy canvas tarp so no new scratches to add to her patina.
Here's Janie for those who haven't met.

As I was getting tired and using a little vocabulary I did think of a Texas winter. The snowless ground, sunshine, high heat and humidity (I know, not in the winter), puckerbrush, giant weeds, poisonous snakes, man eating hogs, and tornados were almost appealing! Yep I got close to that edge but didn't fall over it.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Ohhhh, she is a pretty ole gal ..gotta love a farmall

 

[farmerjan]

YES on the Farmall. I have a super H that I use to rake the smaller fields with due to it's maneuverability..... but mine is a narrow front end -- Tricycle -- and not near as pretty as yours. Pretty weather beaten but still runs like a top. Nice thing is not much goes wrong with them.

 

[Bruce]

Yep I got close to that edge but didn't fall over it.

Wow, sounds like it was pretty darn close! Do you have a snowblower to clear paths rather than shoveling?