01/28/2026
We’ve made it through the storm, and the last few days have been spent shoveling and plowing paths to all of our animals’ homes— nonstop shoveling. Well, we stop long enough to feed and give fresh water and a little love to all 197 currently calling this home! Finding the time to give them the care and attention they need while adding the pressures of this storm equates to even less than the normal 5 hours of sleep.
We heat with wood stoves in 4 of the buildings and houses, so extra time stocking wood too. (We have smoke alarms and cameras in all buildings for safety.) We lost water to our outdoor frost-free hydrants thanks to a chipmunk digging out the insulation around the well pipes and had to thaw and re-insulate. Yay, running water again!
Even with all our preparations, this week has been brutal, and it’s just the two of us fighting to keep everyone comfortable and happy.
We are heading out again after morning feeding is through to continue digging out the dog yards (we have 5 large fenced areas for play and potty time). The trails we made need expanding so they can have more yard to move around (but none of them want to go out for long in this cold).
Oh, to be one of the many cats who get to live here, lying by the wood stoves with no care in the world (watching the many wild birds that we are feeding too because all life is struggling in this mess).
Keep us in your thoughts as we continue to give these souls everything we have to keep them warm, safe, fed, and loved!
Definitely looking forward to spring, but ohhhh, the mud we will see…
