The winter is coming and we need to get ready for the cold

I don't particularly like the cold weather. I used to love to ice skate but I have not been on a pair of skates in over forty years. I would probably fall and break my posterior now. With the coming of winter it is necessary to get the entire out door things ready for freezing.


The water fountains or barrels need to be insulated good so horses can drink all day. We have good electric heaters in one of ours and it is kept away form the horses by a board over it to protect it and them. This month in my Mother Earth News magazine there is a nice solar stock tank heater. I am a big fan of solar heat and electric. This stock tank uses polycarbonate glazing, which would have to be kept on the outside of the fence for our horses. They would kick it and break it. I can see how this is a good heater though and it would work for us. I will most likely build one and put it under the fence so the glazing is to the south, where it needs to be, and the horses can not get at it.

The horse trailer needs to be drained of the water and then put in anti-freeze to keep it healthy. Same with the camper trailer, all the water lines have to be drained and the stool has to have anti-freeze put in it.

I take all the clothing out of mine too. Mice like to make havoc in there so I take everything out. I usually put some Bar bait in the cabinets and under the sink to take care of the mice, but they still manage to get into other things.