"It was a 3 dog night!"
I know, I know. To some of our northern friends, this was no big deal. But to we Texans, this was a BLIZZARD. The storm of the century. Seriously, weather guy said that we’ve never had a storm like this since they began keeping records…in 1900.
I mean, hell, we have our own electric grid down here and produce our own power, and they’re STILL telling us the whole thing might crash. Entire state of Texas without electricity. What? Talk about living like the ancestors. Except they were used to it. And they were a bit tougher than us. Worries me about the state of things. And of people.
So really, what do we do with all the animals during a blizzard, you ask?
The goats have done fine. We’ve supplemented their food with alfalfa and quite a bit of grain. But they’ve not left the barn in a few days. The chickens and rabbits have stayed in the coop. Maybe the most tedious of tasks during the blizzard has been keeping water available to them. For most of the animals, we use an item called a Freeze Miser to keep water from freezing. Works like a charm. (If you have to water animals outside and are tired of frozen water, give them a ring. Ask for my friend Jeff – great guy and his product is a literal life-saver for farmers and ranchers.) But for the rabbits and chickens, we remove frozen water and replace it with warm water 3-4 times a day. Worth it though…they give us eggs and lots of terrific fertilizer, so I’ll do it. Even when it feels like minus 25.
But what about the DOGS, during the blizzard???
There’s an old saying about how when it’s very cold, it’s a “three dog night”. Some of you who are older…no…wiser and more experienced…will probably remember a band called Three Dog Night. Terrific band from a half a century ago. Ouch. No wonder my old bones hurt sometimes. Anyway…they took their name from the saying. Not sure where it originated. I’ve heard in the trenches of WWI. I’ve heard Alaska. The Arctic. Somewhere cold, we know that, because it means how many dogs you’d need in bed with you on a cold night in order to stay warm.
Well, this week’s nights have been 3 dog nights, for sure. And while we may have only had maybe 2 actually in bed with us at once (Baldie and Dicey are usually the lucky ones), ALL the dogs have been indoors. It’s been fun for sure. And to top it off, Nettie Mae, the Bernese Mountain Dog, had puppies on Monday…during the blizzard. The coldest day in recent Texas memory.
So it’s been fun, but we’re ready for spring. We’re ready to plant the garden. Ready to play some fetch. To get back to training and get a little sweaty. We’ve had enough Minnesota. Let’s go back to Texas. I’m sure I’m speaking for the animals, too.
