HAGGIS How Hot is it in Tropical Minnysoda

[uncle Will in In.]

Haggis, I was just wondering how it went milking old bossy this morning. Did the milk freeze before it hit the bucket?
We are up around zero here. Pretty warm, right?

[Christina R.]

I was thinking of you too today, Haggis. The radio said it was -54 in a place called "Embarrass"? I was thinking of you and that finger of yours and the cold.

[willow_girl]

Frankly you guys, I don't see how Haggis does it! It was -7 this morning when I went off to milk -- that probably feels downright BALMY to our Minnesota friend!

I, however, thought it SUCKED!

[Christina R.]

Haggis, I was thinking of you too this morning when the radio said it was - 54 in a place called Embarrass (outside of Minn.?). As if your finger wasn't enough grief.... speaking of which, how is your finger doing?

[Haggis]

My milker did freeze last night due to the steam rising off the milk in the bucket and being pulled into the vacuum filter; it froze solid. By-the by, the good folks at Parts Department will bend over backwards to help solve any problems with using their milkers. The problems so far have all been weather or idiot related.

I froze the tip of a pinky finger last night and the feeling still hasn't come back into it, and the loose chunk of Haggis on my thumb doesn't appear to want to grow back into place. I think it got frozen too, but it hasn't turned black so I still have hope.

We're having a blizzard just now, but the weather is great; 19 degrees!!

[Jim in MO]

Haggis my friend when I think of you I'm reminded of a story of a man named Job. You hang in there buddy Spring is coming. I hope the hand heals soon.

Jim in MO

[uncle Will in In.]

Haggis, Life sure gets teajus don't it? That's the beauty of retirement. Being able to comunicate with nature on a daily basis up close and personal. And fresh country air to boot. None of that trudging off to the salt mines every morning to earn our pitance. Spring is at the next corner of the seasons and winter will be a faded memory. Fingers will be healed, and the birds will sing, the lilacs will fill the air with the nectar of the Gods. Happy trails to you.
xxxx-BLIZZARD-?????

[cloverfarm]

Some mornings you just wake up and think ... kinda glad we don't live where it's REALLY cold. It was only -8 here today. Some weather you just can't imagine!

Ann

[Haggis]

It was truly -54 in Embarrass 20 miles away yesterday and one of our milk buyers had -56 just five miles away, so it has been some chilly.

The good news is that the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February are the usual "cool" weeks, and then we start getting a Chinook every once in a while until April or early May when the ice goes of the lakes.

My chickens hardly come of their roost on these really cool days. The Peafowl hunt for any sunny spots out of the wind. The geese could care less; as long as they don't have to walk in the snow. The cattle are frosted white most mornings and we have to watch for manure build up on their tails.

Yesterday Herself and I heated 10 gallons of water and carried it to the barn to clean Dorsey's tail. A bit of manure gets stuck to the cows tails and as time goes on a bit more until they can't lift their tails to eliminate. Due to the cold the manure freezes poste haste and they can get 20 to 30 pounds of frozen Prairie Pizza or Moo Moo Poo Poo accumulated from their dangling appendage.

We tied Dorsey off and soaked her tail until we got all of the muck off it, and she didn't even say thank you!

[myersfarm]

i am from missouri i remember milking when i was a kid by hand and a cow tail full of everything...hitting me in the head...drings back alot old memberies....i really don't remember it cold back then.... when i was a kid but the water froze so i guess it was 32 degrees ...now i get cold at 50 degrees was in colordo thanksgiving and a man threw water in the air and it froze before it hit the ground it was only -20 there ...dont know what -54 would feel like really don't think you would feel anything that cold...glad to be in missouri i can tell you that

[Reformed_Farmer]

Look at the "bright side", at least the sun still comes out. When me and the wife got married we spent our first year out in the Alaskan bush. In winter we only got a couple hours of sunlight. Dark when you get up, dark when you eat lunch, dark when you go to bed. After a while it drains all your energy. I can still remember the nights at our trapping cabin. We would be so tired when we went to bed. If you didn't wake up in the night and put more wood on the fire, which happened more than once, it would be -40 in the cabin when you woke up! Those were the days! Now I'm complaining about getting the chores done when its -8, think I'm getting soft.


Scott

[Haggis]

Anything passed -30 does add a new dimension to the homestead lifestyle. Everything moves slowly, except the wind, and stuff wants to break. We do pretty well during the first week or so of a cold snap, but long periods at -0 just seem to drain body, mind, and spirit.

The snow builds up over time, even though it settles between snows, and hides needed items or uses them to set booby traps to catch boots or snow shoes. Our wood pile has disappeared under the snow and has to be dug out. Even it we had a tarp on it there would be feet of snow on the tarp. The snow is halfway up the sides of my round hay bales; neither my little Ferguson tractor, ATV can get to them, so I cut the bales into pieces with a chainsaw, fork the pieces into a sled, and drag them by hand to the barn. (We have a wood shed and small square bales in the barn on our to do list for next year.)

We were very happy when we had our well drilled and found the static water level at 12" above the ground, but in an area where the frost can drive 4 to 9 feet down, we have to thaw the well pipe everytime we need to get water; and we do have a 8'X8'X8' well house, heat tapes, and a heater in the well its self.

I wouldn't trade our Wolf Cairn Moor for the World, but we do need to change a few things around here as we get older; if we're going to make it into our 90's.

[uncle Will in In.]

Haggis, You need your barn connected to your house like some of the UK old time setups. A big pole barn would hold lots of hay, wood, and a place to milk where you could build a fire.
If your water table is 12" above ground, wouldn't you have a flowing well?? That would be great if you could get rid of the water before it turned into a glacier.
If you just scaled down to a couple nanny goats, they could stay in the house where it's warm.

[tyusclan]

Man! Y'all give me chills just reading your posts. Coldest we've been so far this winter is mid 20's. In January of 85 we got down to 2. I think every pipe in 9 counties busted. That's the coldest I've seen it in my 44 years.

[mawalla]

Gad Zooks, -54!!! I can't even begin to imagine being somewhere that cold! They don't make enough clothes that would keep me warm in that climate! I admire you for your tenacity to live there, but it also makes me wonder WHY!!!
You must love a challange.