Monday, January 21, 2008, 02:41
Still Cold
The temperature was 21 degrees below zero again on Sunday morning. (Don't you hate it when I start sounding like a broken record? Of course, you have to be of "a certain age" to know what a broken record sounds like. . .)
Anyway, after church, I needed to go to town to get some dry kitty food and some horse feed. Randy said I should wait and go at 5 p.m. because then no one would be out shopping -- they would all be home watching the Packer game and I could have the parking lot and the store to myself. '
Since it was frigidly cold, I really did not want to drive after dark, so I went Sunday afternoon.
After the game started later Sunday afternoon, one of the gray kittens sat on the floor in front of the television, watching the Packer game too. Randy thought it was Katerina.
"Katerina likes football!" he said.
I took a closer look.
"That's Henry," I said.
"That's my boy!" Randy said.
Several days ago, my husband informed me that I would have to tie an "H" and a "K" on ribbons and hang them on the respective gray kittens so he could tell them apart.
I would not have had to take a closer look to tell it was Henry watching the football game, though. Henry is a little more of a darker gray than Katerina. Katerina also is not as brave as Henry, and sitting in front of the television would not have been the kind of thing to appeal to her.
Later on when I was ready to feed Henry, Katerina and Dora downstairs, I could not find Dora.
"I don't know where she is," Randy said.
Right.
She was curled up in a tight little ball on his lap, sound asleep. She apparently was not one bit bothered by all of the yelling and screaming going on in the living room that was directed at the television.
LeAnn R. Ralph
Sunday, January 20, 2008, 05:19
Too Cold for Man or Beast
Saturday morning, the temperature was 21 degrees below zero Fahrenheit here at Rural Route 2. Wouldn't have been so bad, but there was a stiff wind out of the north/northwest to go along with it. Sky was clear, though. Lots of sunshine.
At least it warmed up to 2 below zero in the afternoon. Still -- it was too cold for kitty cats. Of the kitties who like to go outside during the day, none of them stayed out for more than a few minutes. Then they were ready to come back in the house, and I never heard another word out of them about going outside again. Usually our little tabby Bobby Cat will go in and out about 20 times a day, especially when it's kind of cold out but not too bad. She loves to be outside. But even Bobby Cat did not want to go outside more than once on Saturday.
We took Charlie for a walk around the hayfield Saturday morning, and then Charlie was ready to come back in the house and stay in his kennel, curled up on his blankets and quilts for the rest of the day until we were ready to feed the horses in the evening. Our little Sheltie, Pixie, was willing to go outside, but then she was just as willing to come back inside RIGHT AWAY. Both dogs were hopping on three from time to time, and when dogs hop on three, then you know it is really cold for their feet.
Isabelle and Kajun had to stay outside, of course, but both of them stuck close to their respective barns, or at least stayed out of the wind when the sun was shining. They ate all the hay we gave them. And when it was time for their grain, they were more than ready for it -- and ready for more hay, too.
You would think when it is cold like this that you would see lots of birds at the bird feeders, but you don't. I think the birds stay hunkered down somewhere until the temperature warms up enough for them to be out and about. The time when the birds are busy is when there is a low pressure system approaching.
The temperature is supposed to stay below zero or in the single digits for most of the week.
I am deeply grateful that we have a furnace and an LP tank with fuel in it to keep the furnace going! I am also grateful for blankets and quilts and hats and mittens and big winter boots and clothes to wear in layers . . .
LeAnn R. Ralph