The #1 question this time of year is....."What do you guys do during the winter?" As I think about it, what do we do. We always start out with a list of things to do, mostly mechanic, maintenance, that sort of stuff, but as spring comes along, there is very few items checked off. So I sat down to figure out what my Farmer really does with his time in the winter and why he gets less done in the winter verses the summer. I know why I don't get as much done.......cuz I don't like the cold, but this isn't about me it's about him...hehe.
His day starts as the sun comes up, in the summer time that's about 6, in the winter its 9. ( Now remember, this is my Farmers schedule, not mine......i DO NOT get up early.) The day ends as the sun is setting low in the sky, summer days around 8, winter days around 5 (or earlier). At this point, my Farmers work day has gone from a 14 hour day in the summer to, approximately 8 hours in the winter. His main chore in the winter is tending to the cattle. Between morning and night, this usually takes about 3 hours a day. Except every 4th day it takes an extra hour or so to load up the wagons with hay. So that takes us down to 5 hours of daylight, except every fourth day its 4 hours left. Then there's lunch. Since he doesn't always get much of a lunch break in the summer, he makes sure he takes at least an hour for lunch in the winter. I think something about hibernation comes into play. So now let's say we are down to 3 to 4 hours of the work day left, let's say 3 cuz hibernation happens more often then not theses days. Then there's the "honey do" stuff. Keeping me, I mean the house, stocked with firewood. A very important job and we will give it a half hour. Now I have never timed him, but I am sure it takes him at least 1\2 hour every day just to put on and take off his winter gear. I know it takes me twice that long.....because he tells me! Evidently he has timed me. So by my calculation, he has 2 hours left in the day to do mechanicing. Oh wait, I didn't take into account his daily "meetings" or "conference calls" with his Farmer Friends. Ok, so that takes the rest of the daylight hours that were left! No wonder by the time spring comes there isn't anything on the "to do list" marked off! Oh well, there's always next winter.
Now after doing this, I realize that that leaves way more down time, or in the house time, or together time. No wonder we feel lucky when we both survive the winter. But ya know, that's livin' the life......the Farm Life that it.
