Snowstorm at Weathervane Farm

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Imagine that.

Speaker 1 Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Everyone

Speaker 1 in which

Speaker 1 nothing much happens.

Speaker 1 You feel good.

Speaker 1 And then you fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I'm Catherine Nikolai.

Speaker 1 I write and read all the stories you'll hear on Nothing Much Happens.

Speaker 1 With audio engineering by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week. And this week we are giving to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
They are a global nonprofit helping animals and people thrive together.

Speaker 1 Learn more in our show notes.

Speaker 1 This is a moment we can take care of a touch of housekeeping. So it's a good time to be brushing your teeth,

Speaker 1 turning on Do Not Disturb, putting in your sock curls, or finding your teddy bear.

Speaker 1 If you've ever wished you could actually stay awake and hear a whole story,

Speaker 1 you know we have a show for that?

Speaker 1 A daytime version called Stories from the Village of Nothing Much.

Speaker 1 It's like easy listening. but for fiction.

Speaker 1 And if you are a premium subscriber,

Speaker 1 not only do you get this show ad-free along with bonus and extra long episodes, you get that show ad-free as well.

Speaker 1 And you support us and keep us going.

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Speaker 1 Learn more in our show notes or go to nothingmuchhappens.com.

Speaker 1 Okay, this works

Speaker 1 because we are are giving your brain a steady point to focus on.

Speaker 1 You need that minimal but constant engagement to ease you into sleep

Speaker 1 and keep your mind from wandering.

Speaker 1 I'll tell our story twice,

Speaker 1 and I'll go a little bit slower the second time through.

Speaker 1 If you wake later in the night, just turn an episode back on.

Speaker 1 Most folks fall back to sleep within seconds.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called Snowstorm at Weathervane Farm.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about settling all the animals on the farm into their cozy stalls and pens before the blizzard arrives. It's also about the pond, icing over,

Speaker 1 friendships that reach beyond species

Speaker 1 blueberries and extra blankets rubber boots and the excitement of fresh snow

Speaker 1 so lights out

Speaker 1 devices down

Speaker 1 plump your pillow

Speaker 1 and pull your blanket up over your shoulder

Speaker 1 feel your whole body drop heavy into the bed.

Speaker 1 You have done enough for the day.

Speaker 1 It was enough.

Speaker 1 Now it's time for rest.

Speaker 1 Draw a deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh through your mouth.

Speaker 1 Nice.

Speaker 1 Again, breathe in

Speaker 1 and let it out.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Snowstorm at Weather Vane Farm.

Speaker 1 They had been predicting it for days.

Speaker 1 A snowstorm like we hadn't seen in years.

Speaker 1 And to be honest,

Speaker 1 I've heard that before

Speaker 1 probably

Speaker 1 more than once per winter

Speaker 1 so at the beginning of the week

Speaker 1 when all this snow was much more hypothetical

Speaker 1 yes we'd made sure the barns were stocked with extra hay

Speaker 1 and the plow was on the truck

Speaker 1 but we hadn't made any other plans.

Speaker 1 We just watched the forecasts and waited.

Speaker 1 But each day they sounded more sure,

Speaker 1 and their predictions had grown along with their confidence.

Speaker 1 Now we weren't looking at just five inches of snow or even eight.

Speaker 1 Now they seemed pretty sure that by the time Old Man Winter had finished with us,

Speaker 1 we'd have two feet of fresh flakes to contend with.

Speaker 1 Today, when that latest prediction had played over the radio,

Speaker 1 I'd been standing in the kitchen of the farmhouse,

Speaker 1 the scent of breakfast, toast, and coffee

Speaker 1 still rich in the air.

Speaker 1 And I smiled and rubbed my hands together in excitement.

Speaker 1 Looking out from the kitchen window,

Speaker 1 I could see the calm before the storm.

Speaker 1 Our paddocks and yards were clear,

Speaker 1 trampled grasses still visible,

Speaker 1 and our rescue animals were out playing and feeding.

Speaker 1 I like at least one solid snowstorm each year.

Speaker 1 I don't know, I find them fun.

Speaker 1 Especially if we didn't have to go anywhere, which we didn't,

Speaker 1 and we had plenty of supplies. We did.

Speaker 1 I loved watching the landscape change hour over hour.

Speaker 1 The goats becoming indignant about it

Speaker 1 and then about a half hour later playing wildly in the snow.

Speaker 1 I liked talking everyone into their stalls and pens

Speaker 1 with straw and treats and blankets

Speaker 1 and retreating back to the house for cocoa and cookies.

Speaker 1 So now that it seemed like a sure thing

Speaker 1 that the snow was coming

Speaker 1 and coming soon,

Speaker 1 we set about making a list of things to get done

Speaker 1 before it got too late.

Speaker 1 Once we had our marching orders, we layered on our coats and hats

Speaker 1 and stepped into our rubber boots.

Speaker 1 My first stop was the pond on the far edge of the property,

Speaker 1 where the ducks and geese were out for their daily splash.

Speaker 1 I wondered if it would be frozen over by the end of the storm,

Speaker 1 and guessed that it probably would.

Speaker 1 I swiped a package of blueberries from the fridge, as they were one of our feathered friends' favorite treats.

Speaker 1 And I met them at the water's edge and tossed a handful of berries among their waddling bodies.

Speaker 1 It's going to snow, y'all, I called through my muffler.

Speaker 1 I turned toward the barn

Speaker 1 and tossed a few more over my shoulder,

Speaker 1 and they came toddling after.

Speaker 1 Just then the first flakes started to fall

Speaker 1 and from our spot on the edge of the farm

Speaker 1 we could see it dropping like fairy dust

Speaker 1 over the fields and outbuildings.

Speaker 1 I smiled as we trudged down the path.

Speaker 1 When the ducks and geese were all inside their pen with fresh water

Speaker 1 and the last of the berries, I went to settle the donkeys.

Speaker 1 Our youngest,

Speaker 1 a donkey named George,

Speaker 1 who had been born in the spring,

Speaker 1 was excitedly chasing through the yard with our husky Frigo.

Speaker 1 They had become good friends over the summer,

Speaker 1 and often napped together in the donkey enclosure.

Speaker 1 I wondered if I'd have a hard time getting Frigo to come into the house with me once the chores were done today.

Speaker 1 He loved the snow and the cold,

Speaker 1 and I decided that if he wanted to snuggle with George and Muriel and the other donkeys, it would be fine.

Speaker 1 Their part of the barn was well insulated.

Speaker 1 And a few years back,

Speaker 1 while we were renovating, pulling out rotten floorboards,

Speaker 1 we'd installed some under-floor heating, which the animals loved.

Speaker 1 It was never toasty in there, but it was never frigid either.

Speaker 1 And one of the promises we made to the animals we gave sanctuary to

Speaker 1 was that their best days lay ahead of them,

Speaker 1 that they would feel cared for,

Speaker 1 and if we could manage it, even a bit pampered.

Speaker 1 And heated floors definitely helped.

Speaker 1 I called for George and Frigo.

Speaker 1 The snow was thick now,

Speaker 1 and I couldn't see much past the edge of the corral.

Speaker 1 The ponies who'd been out with them had had enough

Speaker 1 and came clippity clopping through the open barn doors.

Speaker 1 I brushed the snow out of their hair and settled them into their pen.

Speaker 1 I called again for George and Frigo,

Speaker 1 and in the distance heard the goats being called in from their yard.

Speaker 1 We decided to divide and conquer in our chores,

Speaker 1 and I was a bit glad I'd not ended up with the goats on my list.

Speaker 1 They were stubborn and silly, and while I loved them very much,

Speaker 1 I knew getting them to all go in the same direction was a bit like hurting cats.

Speaker 1 Speaking of cats,

Speaker 1 I looked down the row of pens, past the pigs who were snoring in their straw, and the llamas munching their grasses.

Speaker 1 to see if the barn cats had shown up to snuggle in.

Speaker 1 they,

Speaker 1 unlike the goats and George and Frigo,

Speaker 1 did not need to be convinced to come in out of the weather.

Speaker 1 I found them stretched out on the elevated walkway we'd built for them over the summer.

Speaker 1 They like to make their rounds around the barn and look down on the other animals.

Speaker 1 It's a cat thing.

Speaker 1 I filled their water and food bowls

Speaker 1 and added extra blankets on the beds, balanced up on their shelf.

Speaker 1 Finally, I'd had it waiting on my silly donkey and dog,

Speaker 1 and tromped out into the snow to hustle them inside.

Speaker 1 When I stepped out,

Speaker 1 it seemed a full two or three inches had already fallen.

Speaker 1 The whole landscape was draped in white,

Speaker 1 and it was a beautiful sight.

Speaker 1 George was trotting through it

Speaker 1 and called out to me with a long hee haw,

Speaker 1 his little whipped tail wagging behind him.

Speaker 1 He nudged me for kisses and cuddles,

Speaker 1 and I stood there with him,

Speaker 1 his long head in my arms,

Speaker 1 murmuring to him about the fun he could have tomorrow,

Speaker 1 when there would be even more powder to prance through.

Speaker 1 Frigo was rolling in the snow, his fuzzy fur inundated with it.

Speaker 1 And I couldn't help but laugh.

Speaker 1 These kids made me so happy.

Speaker 1 From the other barn, I could just hear the lowing of the cows and the bleeding of the goats, who had finally been tucked in.

Speaker 1 I leaned into George's shoulder and kissed his soft cheek.

Speaker 1 Come on, Georgie, nap time.

Speaker 1 He and a well-chilled Frigo followed me in,

Speaker 1 and as they settled into the straw with the other donkeys,

Speaker 1 there was a chorus that began

Speaker 1 and resounded through the barn.

Speaker 1 Each animal called out to hear the others.

Speaker 1 Was everyone inside? They seemed to be asking.

Speaker 1 I looked and listened and assured myself, as well as them,

Speaker 1 yes,

Speaker 1 everyone was accounted for.

Speaker 1 Everyone had bedding and food and water,

Speaker 1 favorite stuffies and balls to play with.

Speaker 1 As I pulled the heavy barn door closed behind me

Speaker 1 and turned back to the farmhouse, ready for cocoa

Speaker 1 on a spot by the fire.

Speaker 1 I hummed under my breath.

Speaker 1 Let it snow, let it snow.

Speaker 1 Let it snow.

Speaker 1 Snowstorm at Weather Vane Farm.

Speaker 1 They had been predicting it

Speaker 1 for days.

Speaker 1 A snowstorm

Speaker 1 like we hadn't seen in years.

Speaker 1 And to be honest,

Speaker 1 I'd heard that

Speaker 1 before,

Speaker 1 probably

Speaker 1 more than once per winter.

Speaker 1 So at the beginning of the week,

Speaker 1 when all this snow

Speaker 1 was much more

Speaker 1 hypothetical,

Speaker 1 yes, we'd we'd made sure

Speaker 1 the barns were stocked

Speaker 1 with extra hay

Speaker 1 and that the plow

Speaker 1 was on the truck.

Speaker 1 But we hadn't made any other plans.

Speaker 1 We just watched the forecasts

Speaker 1 and waited.

Speaker 1 But each day

Speaker 1 they'd sounded more sure

Speaker 1 And their predictions had grown along with their confidence

Speaker 1 Now we weren't looking at just five inches of snow

Speaker 1 or even eight

Speaker 1 Now they seemed pretty sure

Speaker 1 That by the time

Speaker 1 Old Man Winter had finished with us

Speaker 1 we'd have two feet of fresh flakes to contend with.

Speaker 1 Today,

Speaker 1 when the latest prediction had played over the radio

Speaker 1 I'd been standing in the kitchen of the farmhouse

Speaker 1 The scent of breakfast, toast and coffee,

Speaker 1 still rich in the air,

Speaker 1 and I smiled

Speaker 1 and rubbed my hands together in excitement.

Speaker 1 Looking out from the kitchen window,

Speaker 1 I could see the calm

Speaker 1 before the storm.

Speaker 1 Our paddocks and yards were clear,

Speaker 1 trampled grasses

Speaker 1 still visible,

Speaker 1 and our rescue animals were out

Speaker 1 playing

Speaker 1 and feeding.

Speaker 1 I like at least one solid snowstorm

Speaker 1 each year.

Speaker 1 I don't know, I

Speaker 1 find them fun,

Speaker 1 especially if

Speaker 1 we didn't have to go anywhere,

Speaker 1 which we didn't

Speaker 1 and we had plenty of supplies.

Speaker 1 We did.

Speaker 1 I loved watching the landscape change

Speaker 1 hour over hour.

Speaker 1 The goats

Speaker 1 becoming indignant about it.

Speaker 1 And then

Speaker 1 about a half hour later,

Speaker 1 playing wildly in the snow.

Speaker 1 I liked tucking everyone into their stalls and pens

Speaker 1 with straw and treats and blankets

Speaker 1 and retreating back to the house

Speaker 1 for cocoa and cookies.

Speaker 1 So now

Speaker 1 that it seemed like

Speaker 1 a sure thing

Speaker 1 that this snow was coming

Speaker 1 and coming soon,

Speaker 1 we set about making a list of things to get done

Speaker 1 before it got too late.

Speaker 1 Once we had our marching orders,

Speaker 1 we layered on our coats and hats

Speaker 1 and stepped into our rubber boots.

Speaker 1 My first stop was the pond

Speaker 1 on the far edge of the property

Speaker 1 where the ducks and geese

Speaker 1 were out for their daily splash.

Speaker 1 I wondered if it would be frozen over

Speaker 1 by the end of the storm

Speaker 1 and guessed

Speaker 1 it probably would.

Speaker 1 I'd swiped a package of blueberries from the fridge

Speaker 1 as they were one of our feathered friends'

Speaker 1 favorite treats

Speaker 1 and I met them at the water's edge

Speaker 1 and tossed a handful of berries among their waddling bodies.

Speaker 1 It's going to snow, y'all,

Speaker 1 I called through my muffler.

Speaker 1 I turned toward the barn

Speaker 1 and tossed a few more

Speaker 1 over my shoulder

Speaker 1 and they came toddling after.

Speaker 1 Just then,

Speaker 1 the first flakes started to fall.

Speaker 1 And from our spot

Speaker 1 on the edge of the farm,

Speaker 1 we could see it dropping

Speaker 1 like fairy dust over the fields and the outbuildings.

Speaker 1 I smiled as we trudged down the path.

Speaker 1 When the ducks and geese

Speaker 1 were all inside their pen

Speaker 1 with fresh water

Speaker 1 and the last of the berries,

Speaker 1 I went

Speaker 1 to settle the donkeys.

Speaker 1 Our youngest,

Speaker 1 a donkey named George,

Speaker 1 who had been born in the spring,

Speaker 1 was

Speaker 1 excitedly chasing through the yard

Speaker 1 with our husky Frigo.

Speaker 1 They had become good friends over the summer

Speaker 1 and often napped together

Speaker 1 in the donkey enclosure.

Speaker 1 I wondered if I'd have a hard time

Speaker 1 getting Frigo

Speaker 1 to come into the house with me

Speaker 1 once the chores were done today.

Speaker 1 He loved the snow and the cold,

Speaker 1 and

Speaker 1 I decided

Speaker 1 if he wanted to snuggle with George

Speaker 1 and Muriel

Speaker 1 and the other donkeys,

Speaker 1 it would be fine.

Speaker 1 Their part of the barn

Speaker 1 was well insulated

Speaker 1 And a few years back,

Speaker 1 while we were renovating,

Speaker 1 pulling out rotten floorboards,

Speaker 1 we'd installed underfloor heating,

Speaker 1 which

Speaker 1 the animals loved.

Speaker 1 It was never toasty in there,

Speaker 1 but it was never frigid either.

Speaker 1 And one of the promises

Speaker 1 we made to the animals

Speaker 1 that we gave sanctuary to

Speaker 1 was that their best days lay ahead of them

Speaker 1 that they would feel cared for

Speaker 1 and if we could manage it

Speaker 1 even a bit pampered

Speaker 1 and heated floors definitely helped

Speaker 1 I called for George and Frigo

Speaker 1 the snow was thick now

Speaker 1 and I couldn't see much past

Speaker 1 the edge of the corral.

Speaker 1 The ponies who'd been out with them

Speaker 1 had

Speaker 1 had enough

Speaker 1 and came clippity clopping through the open barn doors.

Speaker 1 I brushed the snow

Speaker 1 out of their hair

Speaker 1 and settled them into their pen.

Speaker 1 I called again

Speaker 1 for George and Frigo,

Speaker 1 and in the distance

Speaker 1 heard the goats

Speaker 1 being called in

Speaker 1 from their yard.

Speaker 1 We'd decided to divide and conquer

Speaker 1 in our chores.

Speaker 1 And I was

Speaker 1 a bit glad I'd not ended up with the goats on my list.

Speaker 1 They were stubborn and silly.

Speaker 1 And

Speaker 1 while I loved them very much,

Speaker 1 I knew getting them all to go

Speaker 1 in the same direction

Speaker 1 was a bit like

Speaker 1 herding cats.

Speaker 1 Speaking of cats,

Speaker 1 I looked down the row of pens,

Speaker 1 past the pigs who were snoring in the straw,

Speaker 1 and the llamas munching their grasses

Speaker 1 to see if the barn cats had shown up to snuggle in.

Speaker 1 They,

Speaker 1 unlike the goats and George and Frigo,

Speaker 1 did not need to be convinced to come in

Speaker 1 out of the weather.

Speaker 1 I found them stretched out

Speaker 1 on the elevated walkway we'd built for them over the summer.

Speaker 1 They liked to make their rounds around the barn

Speaker 1 and look down

Speaker 1 on the other animals.

Speaker 1 It's a cat thing.

Speaker 1 I filled their water

Speaker 1 and food bowls

Speaker 1 and added extra blankets on the beds

Speaker 1 balanced up on their shelf.

Speaker 1 Finally,

Speaker 1 I'd had it,

Speaker 1 waiting on my silly donkey and dog

Speaker 1 and tromped out into the snow

Speaker 1 to hustle them inside.

Speaker 1 When I stepped out,

Speaker 1 it seemed a full

Speaker 1 two or three inches had already fallen.

Speaker 1 The whole landscape was draped in white,

Speaker 1 and it was a beautiful sight.

Speaker 1 George was trotting through it

Speaker 1 and called out to me

Speaker 1 with a long key haw,

Speaker 1 his little whipped tail wagging behind him.

Speaker 1 He nudged me for kisses and cuddles,

Speaker 1 and I stood there with him,

Speaker 1 his long head in my arms,

Speaker 1 murmuring to him

Speaker 1 about the fun he could have to morrow

Speaker 1 when there would be even more powder to prance through.

Speaker 1 Frigo was rolling in the snow,

Speaker 1 his fuzzy fur

Speaker 1 inundated with it,

Speaker 1 and I couldn't help but laugh.

Speaker 1 These kids made me

Speaker 1 so happy.

Speaker 1 From the other barn,

Speaker 1 I could just hear the lowing of the cows

Speaker 1 and the bleeding of the goats

Speaker 1 who had finally been tucked in.

Speaker 1 I leaned into George's shoulder

Speaker 1 and kissed his soft cheek.

Speaker 1 Come on, Georgie.

Speaker 1 Nap time.

Speaker 1 He

Speaker 1 and a well-chilled Frigo followed me in,

Speaker 1 and as I settled them into the straw

Speaker 1 with the other donkeys

Speaker 1 there was a chorus that began

Speaker 1 and resounded through the barn

Speaker 1 Each animal called out

Speaker 1 to hear the others

Speaker 1 Was everyone inside?

Speaker 1 They seemed to be asking.

Speaker 1 I looked and listened

Speaker 1 and assured myself

Speaker 1 as well as them.

Speaker 1 Yes,

Speaker 1 everyone was accounted for.

Speaker 1 Everyone had bedding and food and water,

Speaker 1 favorite stuffies,

Speaker 1 and balls to play with.

Speaker 1 As I pulled the heavy barn door closed behind me,

Speaker 1 and turned back to the farmhouse,

Speaker 1 ready for cocoa

Speaker 1 and a spot by the fire,

Speaker 1 I hummed under my breath.

Speaker 1 Let it snow,

Speaker 1 let it snow,

Speaker 1 let it snow.

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams.