It's just after 5 a.m. Son and DH just drove off in the crunchy snow toward Tennessee to the airport. I've had coffee, Finn has been inside and eaten and, in spite of the temps, 7* and going down prior to daylight, he insisted on going back outside. He will either meow to come back in or he'll retreat to his heated condo. It will be up to me to go to everyone and break up waterers that have frozen, try to remove frozen poop from roosts (good luck there) and check on Amanda, Snow and Isaac and my broody gals. I'm going to move Maretta into Zane's cage so she has a heat lamp just on her and can eat and drink unmolested and maybe, if I'm lucky, break up entirely. I'm going to move Aimee's nest box closer to where the heat lamp hangs over the roosts-don't know why I didn't think of doing that yesterday but tonight's low is projected to be colder than last night's was, probably sub zero. I'm going back to bed for awhile, if I can sleep for worrying about my husband on these dark, slippery roads. He knows how to drive but black ice is everywhere as are idiot drivers.
ETA: It was 3* when I got up again around 7:30 a.m.; couldn't really sleep after they left, just dozed a little. They called about 8 a.m., were in Maryville, going to get Chris a Chick-Fil-A that he hasn't seen in years and then DH has to make the long trek back home. They said it was really, really hairy out there but more travel all morning should help make the roads more passable on DH's way back (I hope).
All chickens were alive this morning. Everyone got their chicken crack (Knockout grain mix) this morning, but the elderly ladies got warm grits mixed with scrambled eggs and juiced up with olive oil, turmeric and cayenne pepper. The waterers weren't all frozen solid this morning, only a couple. Atlas's and Isaac's were only a little icy, but mostly fine. I took a 2 liter bottle of hot water with me to pour in the trays to loosen things up where needed. By the time I got back, I was frozen solid!
I remembered why I didn't move Aimee's nest closer to the roosts. The nests in there are two milk crates on their sides with a band of plastic across the front as a lip, but the top one is screwed into the actual wall behind it so it won't tip over/off the other. My fingers were numb, couldn't even feel the heat lamp when I held my hand under it, so a session with the screwdriver was out of the question until later today.
I just wasn't paying attention because I thought I read that he had left today to go to Knoxville. I remember you saying that he has to drive along the Ocoee, he doesn't eventually have to get on 1-40 does he? I remember my husband and I drove on I-40 one time just a little north of Knoxville in 13 degree weather after it had snowed the previous day snow and it was a harrowing experience. I swear to Pete, people were driving like it was 80 degrees and sunny! I guess it is all what you are used to......
