This morning when I went to feed the horses I couldn’t help but notice the season’s first snow in the hills to the north of us. Seeing that and experiencing the recent onset of colder temperatures got me thinking about winters on the farm. Even though this December marks just my third winter at Boulder’s Farm, I’ve been around just enough to know what to expect.
Making sure our horses are healthy and comfortable is a top priority this time of year. We do this by providing extra hay, clearing ice from the water trough, and putting blankets on our farm’s horses when it gets really cold. Our other farm animals, two house cats named Fumi and BC, seldom wander outside so they requite no winterizing, other than warm laps to sit on.
Keeping our 1925 farmhouse warm during the cold weather is another priority. Since it lacks central heat and insulation, we’re largely depended upon our fireplace to keep the living areas warm—very old school! Fortunately, each farm resident has an electric blanket and this time of year they’re on every night.
Compared to other parts of the country, winters relatively mild here on the farm, since we don’t get tons of snow or weeks of bone-chilling cold. One or two times a year we’ll receive four to six inches of snow on the valley floor, just as we’ll get the occasional cold snap of several consecutive nights of temperatures in the low 20s. Of course, freak weather occurrences like heavy snowfalls and single digit overnight temperatures do happen from time to time, but it’s rare.
It’s pretty quiet on the farm to begin with, but things get even quieter when there’s lots of snow on the ground. Even a thick blanket of snow doesn’t seem to slow down our local critters judging by the tracks I’ve spotted, especially early in the morning. Those around here who hibernate, like the California ground squirrels, just keep sleeping.
Since I have no faith in long-range weather forecasts, be they from the National Weather or the Old Farmer’s Almanac, I have no idea what kind of winter we’ll have this year. I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out. It’s always a surprise and that helps make it all the more memorable.