I remember in the late 1980s, Pete and I were living in Fairbanks, at the edge of town, in a huge three story cabin. It was so large that a couple was living downstairs, in the basement. Our cabin was located in the Birch Hill area; we could step right outside the door and ski. We paid rent, actually we were house sitting and didn’t have to pay rent. The heating bill, which the house owner paid, must have been quite high.

At one point, the temperature dropped to -65˚F. I stepped outside and tossed a cup of water in the air, and it came down in sparkles. I was then training to do the Iditabike – it was so cold that my rear freewheel froze up, and so when I pedaled, there was no engagement.

Pete skiing with Bootleg

I regarded this as a fun adventure. We had just one dog, Bootleg, who was always with us. She went out when we went out. We did not have to worry about her being too cold. For all I cared, it could have dropped another 20˚F.

It’s not near as cold here, but rather than consider the colder than usual temperatures here, I am considering them to be an energy suck. We are having to work to keep ourselves warm, which is no big deal. The big deal is keeping the animals warm. We don’t have a heated shed or barn, so chickens, goats, and horses are at the mercy of the colder temperatures. Every morning, when I get up and check on them, and find them okay, I breathe a sigh of relief. I do the same at night, and so far, have felt the same way.

We are putting a four-gallon horse supplement bucket filled with hot water in the chicken roost. This seems to be keeping them warm. Ranger’s goat coat is on the way, and not any too soon. Swampy has a vest that I purchased for her at the thrift store – Sassy, in her sheltered pen, has a thick coat and appears to be doing just fine. I do wish she had a young goat buddy, but for space reasons we can’t take on any more caprines.

Tinni has a wool/canvas blanket that’s a dog send. I take it off him in the morning, take him for a walk, then put it back on him. I think that he knows this is keeping him warm.

The mares seem to be the least affected by the cold, but I take them for walks anyways. They like getting out, especially Tyra who most enjoys running on the trails.

Our cabin is cold. The worst thing of all is the tiled bathroom floor, which sends chills up my spine.

We have many layers of blankets, which makes getting out of bed quite difficult.

Pete and I both are keeping our nose to the grindstone and working at keeping ourselves and the animals from being too uncomfortable. We seem to be best when we have a common mission, and this is it. I’d hate to have it the opposite way around.

Next: 346. 12/15/21: Accidents?