The Bunch Spend 4 Days in Alaska

Happy Valentine's Day

Ok. We really didn't go to Alaska, but it felt like we could have. The lowest temperature we recorded was -6! I never thought I would ever be anywhere where the temp was below 0. I absolutely hate being cold and the absolutely frigid temperatures were rough. What made everything even worse was, like most Texans, our power outages. I knew the brutal weather was going to be rough since we have farm animals, but I definitely did not plan on no electricity in freezing weather. When our power is out we not only have no heat, but also no running water and no sewer. They all run on electric pumps. I was really worried about not being able to drip faucets while we were without power. I was afraid the pipes in the well house would freeze without water moving constantly. Luckily, so far it appears that we have avoided pipe damage. Many, many homes and businesses have extensive water damage from burst pipes. We were also very fortunate that we at least had power ocassionally. Thousands of people were without power for 3 days. I am grateful for our well water. Virtually, every Texan who does not have a well, is either out of water entirely because supply ran out or under a boil water notice. However, our water supply is fine.

The kids had fun playing in the snow once it warmed up outside and started melting.

They played for over 2 hours! They haven't played like that together for a long time.

Even our girl who hates the outdoors had more fun than she has had in a long time....her words.

They had snowball fights.

Built snowmen

Made snow angels

And generally just had fun together. It made T so happy. His sisters never want to play with him.

A is more at home indoors cuddling the cat and reading.

Believe it or not, I never put a blanket on the horse or mini donkey. Most other people did, but our horse had been out in the snow and was covered in it. If you blanket a wet horse, they can become very ill. The donkey was the only one that actually acted cold, but we had tried to blanket her before and basically she told us in no uncertain terms that we would NOT be putting a blanket on her unless she was sedated. Fortunately, my idea to tarp in the sides of the shelter and add HUGE amounts of wood shavings, worked really well. While it was still definitely cold, it felt noticeably warmer in their cozy little hut. They had unlimited hay, which I was surprised they didn't really over eat, and every 2-3 hours D and I would trek through all the snow drifts and wind to bring them water. The horse trough completely froze so they had a 5 gallon bucket in their stall that they would drink from. FYI, five gallons of water weighs about 40 lbs and carrying it all the way across a football field and a half in 10 inches of snow every 2 hours, was NOT fun! Thankfully, this horrendous event happened while D was home so he did most of the carrying of the water.

Gwen preferred the warmth of their house.

Iris came out a lot. The cold didn't seem to bother her, just the wind.

Putting the extra tarps in the chicken coop however, was a waste of time. They were obviously very cold still so we ended up putting our old tent up in the garage for them for 4 days. It made it easier having them in the garage. I see why pioneers use to attach the barn to the house. It would have been really nice if the horses were in the garage. We could have cared for them without going outside. We also had to make frequent trips to the trailer to make sure it had heat on and to check on the heater in the well house. Basically, we were constantly doing things outside when it was really cold. I am surprised we are not sick yet. It was worth it though since we still have all the animals, water, and no broken pipes.

They seemed to enjoy the garage.

It was quite comical when the power came on. We literally would have a list ready for what we needed to do when we had power again. It usually stayed on for about 30-45 minutes at a time. As soon as it came on, D was running to go check the trailer and well house heaters, I would fill 5 gallon waters for the horses and make a meal, the kids were flushing and maybe trying to shower, and we tried to get as much done as we could with our allotment of energy. For over 24 hours, our home was 56 degrees inside, which considering it was below zero outside I guess that wasn't too bad. We have loved having constant heat and power again though. Every time the heat kicks off now, our hearts stop a little and we look around to see if anything else is still on.

I did learn I was right though. I NEVER want to live anywhere cold. I much rather be too hot than too cold.