Winter

A girl growing up in the Willamette Valley of Oregon rarely sees snow. So when I woke up this morning and looked out the window to a white blanket of fresh snow, my first reaction was "Yay! Snow!" My second reaction: "Thank goodness today is my day off." I've got the gear to keep me warm, but I honestly didn't feel like working in the snow today.

The past two days have been extremely cold. I don't think the temperature got above 20 degrees Fahrenheit on either Sunday or Monday. It was extremely dry, so the wind was the major element to worry about. This is cold that bites at your cheeks and makes it hard to keep your eyes open. This is cold that makes the refrigerator feel warm. We work around the farm with nothing but our faces showing, and even those are partially covered. If I ever complain about it being cold when I get back to Oregon, remind me of winters in the Midwest.

The horses do surprisingly well in this weather, though. They've been living outside all winter, so their bodies have developed the winter coats to deal with the cold. We help them out by keeping a nice layer of fat around them. I'm sure my horse would freak out at this cold. I'd put her outside and she would give me this look of "You have got to be kidding me."