Winter Diary

Editor's note -- The following excerpts are from the journal of Mrs. Henry (Margaret) Verbeke, farm wife. She relates the family struggle to keep all systems going on their dairy farm in Beechwoods, during the severe cold winter of January 1977.

JAN. 17 -- Extremely cold, never above five degrees above zero all day. We found the water frozen between the milking parlor and the first waterer and have been carrying water to it all day. There were also problems with the milk tank compressor.

JAN. 19 -- Prolonged cold is freezing all rivers and lakes making the shipping of oil, gas and salt for roads very hard.

JAN. 24 -- Sort of a warming trend with two days in the twenties. They were able to scrape the barn of all frozen manure.

JAN. 25 -- The water is frozen between the shop and the old milk house, making chores at the heifer barn much harder.

JAN. 27 -- Governor Shapp ordered all schools closed yesterday. High winds caused drifting. A "drunk" got us out of bed at 2:30 a.m. He was stuck in the snow. Henry pulled him out. After many more "pull-outs" I finally called PennDOT and a huge pay loader came and worked two hours clearing the road. We should be O.K. for a while.

JAN. 28 -- Writing this at 5 p.m. in the afternoon. The weather has been freakish all day. The bank thermometer registered 34 degrees. The first above freezing mark since Christmas. This afternoon a regular blizzard came and by 4 p.m. the temperature was down to two below zero. We listened to the radio, everything was canceled. The shortway was closed and route 28 is closed. Our road is open because of yesterday's plowing. Our phone is out. I just hope the electricity stays on.

JAN. 29 -- 15 degrees below zero. Henry to barns at 5 a.m. to check water.

JAN. 30 (Sunday) When Henry went out at 5 a.m. the water wasn't running in the milkhouse. However the problem was resolved. We are now letting it run all the time. The salt mixture on roads and streets isn't working very well as it is too cold. We have had no mail or newspaper for two days. Church was chilly, and many churches canceled. There is no traffic at all. The wind is even worse than yesterday.

JAN. 31 --  Minus 5 degrees. Henry and I were up at 4:40. The water is still running in the barn. Henry takes a bucket of hot water to the old barn to use to unthaw things.

FEB. 2 -- Days run into days much the same. It has been 10 degrees above, the last two mornings. I heard that the average temperature for DuBois for January was 10 degrees above zero. Today is the day it is finally to get into the twenties. The ensilage is frozen on the west-side of the silo. The men must keep crawling up and adjusting the unloader. Henry thaws spigots and drinking cups at 5 a.m. We check at midnight to make sure of everything. Last night we saw on t.v. a farmer letting milk out of  a tank and down the drain, as milk trucks can't get through. There is really not that much snow but the wind and drifting are bad. The snow piles along the road are over 10 feet high. I can't see a car passing except at the driveway. Our kids have been off school a week now.

FEB. 3 -- We are staying up all night to keep water running to the barn. At 9:30 a.m. this morning our fear of a shut-off materialized. They were pumping from spring to cistern as usual and no water was coming up. We called the Falls Creek Fire Company and they brought us a tank full (1500 gallons.)

FEB. 4 -- Staying up all night to keep water recycled from milk house back to cistern. We can't waste any water by letting it run so we catch it in tubs and carry it back to the cistern.

FEB. 6 -- The days and nights run together. I did not write last night, as I "slept", was tired from going to the barn every one and a half hours. Temperatures dropped to five below zero again. It is a test of endurance. We decided to buy 600 feet of plastic pipe and lay a new line on top of the ground from the spring to the cistern. It required heating the pipe in the cellar with the "salamander heater." The whole family had to help to get it heated and uncoiled as it was big, stiff and unwieldy. Finally all systems were go and everything was ready for the big test. It worked!
        Meanwhile the water in the cistern was getting lower and lower. I called Falls Creek Fireman and they said water was on the way. They are true volunteer firemen. My mind is so much easier tonight knowing that there is water for the cattle. Everybody has worked so hard these last two days to keep everything going. The cows seem to be holding up fine.

FEB. 7 -- I just returned from my hourly trip to the barn. Zero degree temperatures the last two nights. I heard on the t.v. that it has been below freezing, 40 out of the last 43 days. We are still plagued with frozen ensilage. They got some special teeth for the silo unloader only to find out they would not fit. So we still have to crawl up and dig ensilage away from the sides when the sun shines on the one side.

FEB. 9 -- The thermometer stayed at 32-34 degrees since 2 p.m. this afternoon. This is the first time since Christmas Day that it really got above freezing.

FEB. 14 -- Almost a week of warm weather, 20 degrees, 40 degrees, even 50 degrees. The snow piles really went down around here. I'm taking it easy today after two weeks on the "night shift."