Living in the deep freeze.

High Prairie is found here:
55°25′57″N 116°29′10″W,

our climate is a sub arctic climate.
That means in layman's terms that we live in a deep freeze for 5-7 months of the year.

The average temperature of a household freezer is around -18C,
ours fluctuates anywhere between 0 and -52C.

We have had our first little blast of winter this week,
our daytime temperature was around -17 and at night would dip down to -27C.
There is just no easing into winter in this way.

A question that I regularly hear is "how do you survive?"
Well, I will use this blog to give you a little insight into what we do to survive the winter.

The first thing I would like to say is that our house is actually heated,
and we have hot coffee.
Two essentials for ranching here.

The first initial evaluation about how cold it actually is,
 can be heard when you walk on the snow.
The sound or crunchiness gives away a lot of clues..
The crunchier the snow, the colder it is.

If you have icicles hanging on your eyelashes, it is cold.
When you breath freezes on your face..it is cold.

Toque (woollen hat) and mitts are not optional, even if they look ridiculous on you,
who cares when it is that cold?

Winter boots that warm to -40 or lower are an essential.

Dressing in layers until you look like the Michelin man is the way to go.

All vehicles whether they are trucks, cars or tractors all have to be plugged in.
The block heater keeps the oil in the motor block in a liquid state.
If you do not have a block heater, then the oil becomes like butter and your engine will not start
or may even be damaged if you try to start it cold.

Plugging in the tractor or vehicle is one of those chores you always wish someone else will do early in the morning. Running outside in your jammies and a coverall to plug in the vehicles is not really a fun activity.

All our watering stations have a heater.
If the stockwaterer does not have a heater of its own,
we hang in a heated flotation device.
If the stockwaterer freezes in the winter,
it requires a lot of work and energy to defrost and de-ice everything to get it functioning again.
In the worst case scenario you may have to wait until next spring before you can use it again.

The animals stay outdoors,
 they get fed a high forage ration that will create some internal heat.

Their coats are adapted to the climate and they are thick and fluffy trapping air between the fur forming an insulation layer.

We provide straw for additional bedding,
 for the animals to snuggle into.
This is particularly important for breeding bulls and rams, considering that their "crown jewels" are prone to freezing.
Frozen testicles are not conducive for reproduction.

The animals also have natural shelter such as bush to get out of the wind,
 and provide some protection against the snow.

If they do not have natural shelter we build a shelter belt for them with bales.

The dogs get additional meat, fats and oils to supplement their diet to create more warmth,
they can cozy up to the sheep and share the straw bedding.

The more vulnerable animals can come into the barn,
even though our barn is not heated, it does break the wind.
If the animals really need some added warmth then a heat lamp really helps to get 

them all warm and fuzzy again.

 

 So, even though I feel sorry for myself today..
Winter is also beautiful.
The air is crisp,
the skies are stunning and the northern lights are an added perk.

Until the first snow falls, I always feel some trepidation about the upcoming winter,
however once it is here,
 it is simply a matter of embracing it.
Appreciating the stark beauty,
enjoying the warmth of the house,

and accepting  that
 everything takes a little more time and effort to do in the winter.

Border Collie pup update

The little rascals are doing good.
They are still a little small for their age,
however considering that:
1. I had no idea they were on there way,
2. had worked mom Sheila up until she whelped,
3. did not feed Sheila as an expectant mom..

it is to be expected that they are (maybe) on the lighter side...

I did make some "inbetween" pictures however  they never made it to this blog.
They did get onto our Dutch  blog though..
So, to see them: click HERE

These pictures were taken today.

This is a fluffy girl, soft, sweet and a little timid.
My favorite.

This is the black girl, she is Eric's choice.

This is the short coated girl.
I like her too.

Same girl, no with the only tri colour and only male..

Fluffy female, sweet as candy

The boy, cute as a button.

All the pups

Shy girl, snow queen

These next bunch of pictures were taken yesterday.

We brought the pups inside for some snuggle and cuddle time
 as we have had over 6 inches of snow overnight and it is getting cold.
Cuddling close to the furnace is so much nicer.

 Sweet girl

Black girl

Fluffy girl

Shy girl

Black girl

Oops,
I must have missed the boy on this photo session..

Have a wonderful day.

Gathering the sheep

This last week was one filled with some mild frustrations,
and a few nights where sleeping did not come easily.
Perhaps the looming winter,
or the uncertainty of what is to come
contributed to the uneasy feeling.

One of the daily joys is gathering the sheep.
Every night, we gather up two groups of sheep,
the ewes,

 and the lambs,
 to bring them to their respective night corrals.

 The beauty of the setting sun brings a calmness to my soul.

The ewes slowly amble towards the night corral as the sun starts to set.
Some encouragement from Lad, gets them headed in the right direction.

The ewes are full and contented as they head towards the bedding area.

Under the watchful eye of Mali.

The last few stragglers get a nudge from Lad.

The second gather of the evening are the lambs.

The edges of the flock are tucked in before heading home.

The last rays, the distant howl of the coyotes, a dog barking, the mist rising.

Good night.