Cyber Monday is known for a day of sitting cozily down to the computer to order various gifts for the holiday season. Wikipedia states Cyber Monday was introduced in 2005 to describe the spike in online sales that occurred on the Monday following Thanksgiving. This spike was attributed to consumers returning to work after the holiday weekend. Things have changed a bit over the years as many homes now have faster internet connections and home computers but the trend for online shopping on this day is still very real. Capital One Shopping reported that the most online sales in 2024 occurred on Cyber Monday.
While we no longer have the typical "go to the office" type of jobs, we were planning to take advantage of some of the online deals this year. However, as things can happen on the farm, plans changed.
It all started Sunday evening when we noticed the winter storm report predicting a significant snowfall starting Monday evening. How would snow have any impact on our online shopping? It was an indirect effect that changed many plans for the day.
We do get snow and cold temperatures in Kentucky, but it seems to have started earlier this year. Last year, we really didn't experience too many cold days until the week of Christmas. However, Mother Nature had other plans this year and has been turning the thermostat down much earlier than expected. The other issue to consider with Kentucky weather is that we live in a middle ground for winter weather effects. It is common to experience a range from rain to ice to even several inches of snow in only a few miles. It is a common joke in our area that when the weatherman predicts a "dusting" this can be anything from rain to a foot of snow. We simply do not know.
This weather prediction happened during the same week that we had planned to make significant animal moves and take some of them to the processors. The plan looked good on paper when we expected to have all of this completed before travel became an issue. However, the weather didn't agree to these scheduled plans. We were forced to make a frenzied attempt to adjust for the upcoming weather.
- The hubby called the processor to reschedule at the last minute. We originally planned to take the chickens to the processors on Tuesday but with the warnings of treacherous driving conditions, we didn't want to risk it. We want to gain customers, but not for notoriously blocking a major highway with a load of frolicking fowl. Luckily for us, our processors are amazing and agreed to the last-minute change in plans.
- I picked up our monthly order from Azure Standard. Our grocery shopping looks different than most (I may write a post about this in the future), but we get a lot of our pantry staples from Azure Standard. This involves meeting a delivery truck and loading up the supplies.
- While I was loading up the vehicle, I received a message from our neighbor. She informed us that our cattle were out. For those of you that know, the phrase "Your (insert farm animal here) is out" is the one phrase that sends cold chills down your spine and increases your heartrate faster than a full pot of coffee. I was too far from home, so I called the hubby. He explained the situation to his boss and escaped the computer. He and our son enticed the cattle back into their pen. It appeared that they were spooked by (we suspect) coyotes or dogs. No person nor animal was hurt so everyone returned to their previous occupations.
- On the way home, we made a quick stop to visit. We learned that a local farmer had a calf that was not being cared for by the mama cow. The farmer had given the calf colostrum but really didn't want to continue the work required to keep this sad fellow alive. He offered it to us. It was a gamble as the calf may not make it no matter what we do, but all I heard was "Do you want a cute baby calf?". Of course, I said "YES!". I suspected that the hubby would hear "Do you want to work very hard to try to keep this pitiful thing alive?" and not be as enthusiastic about this unexpected gift. So, I decided it should be a surprise.
- I ran another errand as my father and son delivered the calf to our house. Luckily, I was able to get home in time to hear the hubby say, "Did I just see your dad carry a baby calf into our barn?" My response, "Surprise! We have a new baby calf!".
- We settled the calf into a barn stall with a heat lamp and hay bedding. He was weak but very cute, so I was hopeful. We made plans to care for this new animal.
- Since I was in the barn, I noticed that the chicks in the brooder were large enough to move outside. I was informed that this was on the long to-do list, but for some reason, it wasn't high on the list. So, being the helpful person that I am, I volunteered to move them while the hubby and boys loaded up the meat chickens for transport. As it turns out, the combination of several chickens, inquisitive dogs and short arms that only reach half-way across the brooder did not allow this activity to be a solo one. However, as a team effort, it happened quickly and only delayed the main activity of the day (loading and transporting the meat chickens) by a short bit. Moving the larger laying chicks into the hoop house, this eliminated one daily chore.
- While we were introducing the adolescent chickens to their new home, I noticed that the laying hens were killing my strawberries and garlic. I thought we would have a bit more time to fix this issue but if I want any production out of these plantings, we had to address this situation immediately. My son volunteered to help cover the raised beds with wire in order to escape the job of loading up the meat chickens.
- Apparently, taking away half of the help to fix the garden bed led to a slower than expected loading time of a few (ninety) chickens. We went up the hill to help. During this process, we all agreed that the purchase of true chicken crates will be needed for the next batch as our current process was laborious, frustrating and time-consuming.
- The hubby took the meat chickens to processors. This is roughly a two-hour drive one way.
- Meanwhile, I worked on a few other tasks that quickly ate up the remainder of winter daylight. We unpacked the Azure order and organized the pantry. We cleaned the house from the constant in-and-out mud piles created during the day.
- We packaged pet treats from the freeze dryer and started a new batch.
- Our son picked up and stored the remainder of the electric netting fence that was in the field. When the ground freezes, the removal and transportation of these posts is a more difficult task.
- In preparation for the freezer space needed for the chickens being processed, we canned frozen green beans. They will now be stored on pantry shelves instead of taking up valuable freezer space.
- After the morning cattle escape, we were extra careful, so we did another check on the sheep and cattle. We refilled their minerals during this time. The cattle pretended that nothing had happened just a few hours ago.
- When the hubby got home, we fed the baby calf. He was weaker despite our interventions. We provided additional care and hoped for the best.
- The hubby set up a corral system in the barn. This was in preparation for moving the sheep and cattle from the rental property back to our land and separating out the ones going to the processors. The weather forecast had the possibility to disrupt those plans, too.
- The kids squeezed in some independent schoolwork in between these events. I worked with them in more depth when we were snowed in.
- By the end of the day, I finally obtained some computer time. I printed and prepared orders for shipping/delivery and placed our feed order. I doubt this counted in the Capital One Shopping report as true Cyber Monday shopping, though. I guess our holiday shopping will have to wait one more day.
Cyber Monday was just one example of how the weather (and other things) can really change the plans of a day. We have learned to be flexible and make the best of these changes and surprises as they come our way.