When the Winter Wind Blows

I want to curl up by the wood-burning stove, and read, or chat on the phone. I find myself outside doing endless chores. When temperatures and wind speeds are in the teens, water freezes quickly. The chickens, sheep and horses need more calories to stay warm. At noon, I carried warm water to the chicken houses and brought in the frozen waterers. I marveled at how much grain the chickens had eaten for breakfast. The sheep's hay feeders were empty. The grass hay that they usually pick through was eaten, and the sheep awaited more. After refilling hay feeders and water buckets, I carried wood inside. Like the critters, the wood-burning stove seems to need more fuel when those temperatures drop.