The Blizzard, continued ...
Normally this would have been a perfect place, as far as a
range horse is concerned. They ride out blizzards by simply getting
out of the wind. Normally, an insulating coat of snow will build
up on each horse's back. However, today they were soaked to the
skin and the snow was melting on them as fast as it fell. Icicles
were growing on their bellies.
Coquetta was shivering. I led her into the hay shed. Valerie
got a stack of towels and began drying her.I went to check on
the chickens. I felt my way along the lee of the six-foot-high
windbreak fence that led to the hen house. A Japanese bantam
and a Cubalaya rooster staggered by almost under my feet. Chunks
of ice and snow clung to their feathers. I scooped them up and
carried them to the hen house. I opened the door, turned on the
heat lamp, and did a double take. Hardly any chickens were inside.
I set the roosters on a shelf near the lamp so they could thaw.
I went outside and hollered over the shrieking of the storm
for the Collies. They came running, vibrating with excitement
that they were going to get a job. A job! Border Collies live
for jobs! "Get the chickies," I said.
Jo Kid and Choplicker plunged their heads into a drift on
the side of the hen house. With a blur of paws, they threw back
snow between their hind legs. Within a minute, they dug out all
the missing chickens, all still alive.
Virginia joined me at the hen house. "Mom, one of the
cats wasn't in the milking room." She turned to the Border
Collies "Where's the kitty?" We rushed off after the
dogs, who eagerly nosed through the whiteout. They led us to
the goat hay shed. Inside we founda half-grown kitty shivering
between two bales of hay. Virginia cradled her in her arms and
we headed for the house.
I paused by the doorway. The thermometer now read 12 degrees.
She set the kitty down on her bed. He shivered and vomited.
She stayed inside to nurse him.
I grabbed more towels, brushes, a currycomb and some halters.
I had this idea of forcing the rest of the horses to take shelter
and getting them clean and dry. This would turn out to be easier
thought than done.
I joined Valerie at the horse hay shed. She had just finished
toweling off Coquetta. We went around to the its lee side to
check on the rest of them. Some of the icicles dangled from their
sides were already a foot long.
Now Vashti was shivering. Valerie haltered her and led her
to the hay-shed door. Vashti balked. The groaning of the shed
under the gale force wind wasn't helping. Finally, Coquetta came
to the door, nickered, turned and walked back to the wall of
hay on which she had been feasting. The filly followed her inside.
Valerie began toweling her off.
I went back out to the geldings. The icicles hanging from
their mud-matted hides were now more like eighteen inches long.
Steam ran in streamers away from their backs. Now the geldings
were shivering. We hadn't had time to even to groom off their
mud. We had to get them dry.
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