Perspective

[Gooserun Farm]

We had 8 -10 inches of snow Wed. followed by ice and rain. I got up back around 8pm to plow. Found my 45 x 130 ft. polebarn completely flattened. Inside was my tractor, forecart,bobsleds,sulkys,fourwheeler and all my haying equipment. Polebarn next to it had a broken timber and a 2ft dip in the roof. Under neath that one was my cattle and some horses. Two very good friends came and we managed to shovel it and save it. Got done about midnight. Looking at the damage under a flashlight was discouraging to say the least. Went to bed feeling fairly pitiful. Between injuries, economics and the weather this has been an extra difficult winter. Had toyed with the idea of selling out. Well, I got up Thursday and went out in the daylight to look things over. As I crawled around that building checking damages I took on a whole new outlook. Yes stuff is busted up and now I need to build a new polebarn. But then I thought, of the worst things that could have happened that day that didn’t even make the top 100. In spite of all the snow and ice and whatever else comes later for some reason I am very optimistic that it’s all going to work out fine. Sorry to go on and on but needed to share that. On a lighter side when I went to cut the only standing pole left to use fixing the other barn my chainsaw broke. Thats when it got funny. 🙂

[Gooserun Farm]

It occurred to me after rereading this post that it might be taken as a belittlement of Lisa’s shelter collaspe. Definetely not. I meant nothing of the sort. I wish I lived closer so I could help her. We’re in the same shoes. 🙂

[Rod]

I really feel for you and love the spirit of your response to the setback you are in the midst of. I can imagine how overwhelming it must feel like to have all your equipment under a collapsed barn and having to face the expense and work of rebuilding the barn and repairs to the machinery in the spring.
I was feeling a little down myself, partly because both my wife and are both in the midst of a bad case of the flu, during which period the snow knocked the roof overhang off one of my barns and we had the cancel our vacation trip to the sunny south to see our grandchildren. Then two friends called to volunteer to feed our cows, get groceries and anything else we might need. Since we had a lot of down time on our hands Marilyn and I had time to plan out our next years garden and were amused and surprised to realize that we would really not need to go to the grocery store for 6 months as we have so much good food in our storage. Weighed against our small and temporary difficulties is the thought that these latter experiences more than compensate and in some ways are a blessing.
Isn’t it wonderful when a friend or neighbor steps up and picks up one end of our load to help us over the hump? How much easier it is to appreciate the fruit of our labor putting food by when you need to depend on it for a period of time. These might be experiences we would miss if everything went perfectly but then in farming we sometimes get plenty of these occasions to enjoy this part of our troubles.

[Rod]

Well, add this to my last… I lost my dear sister to cancer last night and my 20×50′ metal dry hay barn went down today. My Flu turned out to pneumonia and my barn yard is like a glacier. Been a tough winter.

[Gooserun Farm]

Wow,that is terrible. I am very sorry for your loss. Wish you the best. Anything we can do let us know. Wouldn’t take more than half a day to get there.

[Rod]

Thanks for the offer. I posted a picture of the barn in the photos section. I think I have some one who will clean it up for the steel.

[Lisa]

Even I am optimistic after our collapse. No one got hurt, I realized, and they very well could have. The bent cattle panel in front where one escaped is pretty dramatic evidence of how quickly they moved, and how close a call it was.

I found some place to board them for a month, and I worried about how I would trailer my filly. I didn’t sleep all night worrying about it, and she walked right in like no big deal.

But on the way there, with three Percherons in my trailer and our little F150 huffing and puffing, I got a flat tire, in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone, about three miles from the farm. I just started laughing though. I mean, come on! We had a huge house fire 10 years ago, and got a flat tire on the way to stay with some friends. Murphy just won’t give up, you know?!

[Carl Russell]

Well after reading all these posts, I just laid in bed last night listening to it pour, not able to sleep ’cause they were all inside and I hadn’t been able to free up the time to shovel the barn roof. The first thing I did today was clear off three and a half feet from my stable roof. My heart goes out to all of you, Carl

[Gooserun Farm]

Carl, if you can’t get time to shovel the barn by this weekend give me directions and we’ll come help. I shoveled roofs all weekend and every night for folks around us. Getting pretty good at it.

[Carl Russell]

I appreciate your offer, but I got it. I think a snow shovel is very probably the tool I’ve handle for more hours than just about any other during my life. My first self-employment was as an 11 year-old I shoveled walkways for several older women in the village where we lived. Self-employed, but my dad wouldn’t let me take any money.
I too am pretty good at it. Just spent four hours today shoveling (busting crust first) 3 feet off the roof of a hill top summer home of out-of-staters. You know as back-breaking as it was, I was working with a 270* panorama of central VT with sharp ridges and valleys, watching the lake-affect plooms blow in, up there all by myself with the ravens tumbling and calling overhead. These skills and motivations can provide us with the most amazing opportunities sometimes. Carl

[Gooserun Farm]

I have to admit that any time I am on the roof of one of my barns I tend to dally some taking in the views. I am on a south facing hill and can see for miles. Have gone up there in the summer just to look around some. Tempted to stay up there and watch a thunderstorm come in over the lake but didn’t think that would be very smart. Still might anyway. 🙂

[dirtywhitehorse]

Good greif you guys and here we are in Delaware yearning for some snow . It is a howling March wind now with daffodils blooming and fruit trees getting pruned . We were thinking of moving north but not sure we could handle it! I now realize how spoiled we are ,though I am sure when the heat of summer hits, It is you that will be grateful for your place in the universe!
We have our first ever plow days at a local farm April 5th (KC’s 59th birthday ). We hope to put Rosie to the plow for the first time in the next week or so plowing in some cover crop rye on 1/2 acre CSA garden . Hopefully it will go well . We are trying to beg some experienced teamsters to be there to assist us .
I do remember deep snows and freezes here as a child. We could skate on the rivers . Even in “78” we were snowed in for a week . We have not seen more than an inch or two in years . I think there was a foot in 97 . Perspective from southern Delaware . :)Sharon

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