I’ve spent most of my life in Alaska. I was born here and I’ve spent plenty of time working and playing in the cold. Doing chores at -20*F gives you a strong appreciation for a good heater.   

Today was our first day of single digit temps for the season. It happens every year but the first one is always the worst. Your body’s not acclimated yet, you forgot where you put your hat and gloves, and then you realize you never did make the appointment to service the barn heater. 

Last week, 97 meat chickens gave off enough heat we didn’t notice the heater wasn’t actually cycling. This week those birds are shrink wrapped in the freezer and the barn faucet is frozen solid. 

Thank goodness Encore Mechanical can squeeze us in, and our groovey service guy (who once had a chicken named Godzilla) doesn’t mind dragging his tools into a chicken coop. The girls gave him room to work and didn’t try to roost on his ladder. Now the heater is purring like a kitten and I’m waiting patiently for the faucet to thaw. 

Farming in Alaska, never a dull moment.