February is close to being on it’s way out. We’ve had a few bright sunny days but mostly cold and snow and this morning it is snowing again! I have had colder times in my life, down to 40 below zero when I was young and we lived below Mount Washington, in New Hampshire. I have seen much larger snowstorms than we were dealt this winter, up to three feet with gigantic drifts. but never has it happened that we have had months of very cold with no break. This has lead to a multitude of unexpected problems resulting from the buildup of large amounts of snow on roofs.
My heart goes out to those who lost many great cows as barns collapsed on them. To the people who were injured trying to unload their roofs of snow, as well as the financial and physical hardships of rebuilding and doing without what is needed.
Many abandoned buildings that dot our countryside of course, caved in. But so many new ones were also included. I’ve picked a few pictures of how the snow left the roofs successfully saving the buildings at Hoyt Top Dairy where I help to feed calves. Both the free stall barn for the dairy cows and the giant coverall for baby calves were completely cleared of snow, very tricky work, especially Jay on the coverall; see also Eric on the free stall barn. More snow is also coming off at Dancing Ewe Farm. (Tim from the, tractor bucket). As I look out the window, snow has clouded the nearby fields and will soon close us in to heavier snow…………..
