Christmas 2023, what do you recommend that family give you for Christmas?

[catjac1975]

Here's a question. It might be thought of as a gardening tool if by March you are like me and venturing out pre-dawn to the greenhouse to check on heat to protect garden starts.

Rechargeable Flashlights. How long do they hold a charge.?

The reason that they have come to my attention is because a family, including a little boy about 4 and his dog, is visiting next door. The little guy showed up with a small flashlight in the backyard and set it on the birdbath. If it makes it to this afternoon, it will have been shining up at my garage roof for 2 days! Color me, impressed.

Steve

I have the big spotlight ones. They last a long time....months. And I use it daylily when I close up the chickens for the night/

 

[ducks4you]

UPDATE: My younger friend did indeed shore up my shelter door against drafts on Sunday!!!!

We only needed the 1/2 plywood (4' x 8') piece. We also cut up some 1/4 inch particle board in two 5 inch strips to use on the 2 sides to cover where we stuffed in recycled fiberglass insulation.
I put the horses in Sunday night and kept them in all of Monday. 25-35mph winds with 50 mph gusts.
Still in the works to get my other friend to finish clearing the shelter.
ANYway, for the first project he asked for $40.
I wrote him a check for $50

 

[catjac1975]

UPDATE: My younger friend did indeed shore up my shelter door against drafts on Sunday!!!!

We only needed the 1/2 plywood (4' x 8') piece. We also cut up some 1/4 inch particle board in two 5 inch strips to use on the 2 sides to cover where we stuffed in recycled fiberglass insulation.
I put the horses in Sunday night and kept them in all of Monday. 25-35mph winds with 50 mph gusts.
Still in the works to get my other friend to finish clearing the shelter.
ANYway, for the first project he asked for $40.
I wrote him a check for $50

When I first had horses, I asked my generations of horse owner neighbors....Hurricane? Horses in the barn or out of the barn. It was aways a toss up if the really big one ever came. You know the one that might take down the 200 + year old barns. Had a few pretty bad ones. Barns are still intact. I always chose in the barn. My favorite times were always the deep snow blizzards.Horses make a barn full of hay quite toasty. I loved brushing my horse, while he chomped on hay, snow and winds all around us. And he oblivious to it all. My last old boy all be gone a year soon. I decided I was too old to get another horse. Not fair to any animal that could outlive me.

 

[ducks4you]

I like my horses to have time to dry their feet off in the winter. This winter has been dry, but we've had enough rain in the last week that stall time is necessary. I will have to take a photo of the barricade.
The shelter door probably Won't be rebuilt soon. No need,
Anyway, no draft. The opening is on the south and it funnels cold air in.
Livestock needs fresh air, but not drafts. They can catch a chill like us.
When I close up the first floor of the barn, I often open up the 2nd floor west facing sliding door to the shelter and manger catwalk. Thus, fresh air, no draft. Good air exchange.