The Weather

Those that have animals or take care of a yard are constantly thinking about the weather.  For me, I wouldn’t call it an obsession, but rather a preoccupation that is hard to ignore.  Last week, we received a lot of snow, followed by a lot of rain and a warming.  Thankfully, the Piscataway Creek didn’t flood too high.  There have been at times feet of water running through the yard.  When bad flooding occurs, the animals must be moved to safety, hatches need to be battened, and anything worth anything must be kept from floating to the Potomac.  Flooding is not my only concern.  Tonight and tomorrow high winds are predicted.  With high winds, trees could fall.  From the pictures posted on the site, you will notice that there are a lot of trees here.  A fallen tree could take out several fences, which could potentially make way for an animal getaway.  There would be little doubt that Eliza would lead the group in making a run for it.  The temperature is also important.  I normally like to fill water buckets up for the animals in the evening, after work.  However, during these cold nights, the water freezes and morning are spent defrosting water buckets.  Carrying buckets of warm water out to the animals at six in the morning isn’t much fun, especially when it is cold and windy, but it is required.

Although I enjoy the shifts in weather, I have realized how much a slave I am to it.  Planning meals, schedules, trips, budgets around what mother nature deals out becomes a necessity.  In our mostly modern and sanitized life, I didn’t realize how much our ancestors must have watched the weather, trying to predict the next day as I do now.