Volume 17, Issue 6
According to news reports that I read, the groundhog saw his shadow, thus another 6 weeks of winter until spring makes its arrival. Here in northwest Montana where the ranch is located, it looks like winter will linger on and blend with the arrival of spring. The extended weather forecast is snow into April. Most of us here on the ranch are ready for green rather than white by spring, but in the mean time winter white lingers on and with it cold and snowy days.
Working on the ranch in the winter means layers- lots of layers. Besides the given hat, gloves, wooly socks and scarves, there are a few things to consider when working outside all winter. Sometimes, depending on what I am doing on any given day, I need to get creative with my oh-so-fashionable ranch wardrobe. When the temps are below freezing, I might put on 3 to 4 pairs of socks (sometimes mismatched pairs, but who is looking anyway, right?), Muck Boots and even feet warmers that have a sticky side to attach to my socks. I most often choose mittens over gloves to keep my hands warmer. But, after Christmas, I was given a pair of gloves that are heated by batteries. Wow! Just amazing!
When it is below freezing and windy, I pull out my ear muffs and ski mask. I get rather claustrophobic in a skin mask, but it is better than breathing in bitter cold air, so I tolerate it.
When I know I will be out in the snow for a an extended period, like when I am out in the pastures looking over horses or pulling snow from roofs, I will wear ski pants and a waterproof jacket with a down jacket underneath. And, always, always, long underwear. I do not think I could survive long, chilly Montana winters without long underwear. In years past, I have worn such into mid to late April. Crazy, I know, but I tend to stay on the cold side.
This January, there was about a 5-7 day span of rain and with that comes ice. The defense of choice is slip-on spikes over one’s boots. I prefer MicroSpikes- the kind that dig into the ice. Some others on the ranch use variations of such, but MicroSpikes are what I prefer. Slipping on the ice can be life altering, like breaking bones. There is no room for tending to broken bones on the ranch- horse and human need you to be in working condition to keep things running.
Lastly, when I am throwing hay off the feed truck when the snow flakes are big and steady, I will choose to put on my Carhartt coveralls and jacket. Carhartts are the typical ranch wear, since they are made to be functional and hold up under much use, but as you can conclude from the above, I don’t always turn to Carhartt to keep my insides and outside warm. I guess I just go with what seems to work at the time.
All this to say, boy, am I ready for the warmer days of spring.
Brenda