February ended with a major storm and we joined the rest of the country with a visit by the polar vortex. Projected to get another dusting tonight. Trying to keep in perspective - irrigation season begins in 5 weeks.

Those of you with outside livestock know the trials and tribulations to keep everyone healthy, fed and watered. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. I was pleased with my pre-planning moving stock close to water troughs that can be heated and brought down a weeks worth of hay. Only 12 inches of snow predicted to last 5 days. First night dropped 3 feet of snow. I dug walkways everywhere and unburied the chicken house openings. By day 3 below 20 degree temperatures were projected to last 10 plus days.

Fortunately I have neighbors, politically we may differ but are always ready to assist each other.

I was allocating 2 days to reach the hay barn and return with a load budgeting time necessary to dig out the chained-up 4 drive pick-up a few times. The phone rang it was the 71 yo neighbor recovering from a knee replacement vetting about how he could not run his tractor or help his wife shovel shovel snow. If I need help he would send down the 83 yo neighbor (D) with his dozer (very large bulldozer)with the 10 foot bucket to clear the driveway. The hay was more complicated, D wanted to assist me loading hay bales into the bucket and I refused to let the post-heart attack 83 yo lift bales. So we pre-arranged to have a helper do the hand work for him. The place is now littered with 7 foot piles of snow up to the barn, hay by the corral and a path I will use Sunday to drive up to the hay barn.

Why deal with all the work? Because I like the challenges, experiments and satisfaction of a job well done. The section of field being watered similar to a marsh was producing enough insects to attract swallows to feed last year. Seventeen years ago no small birds were around the house and barnyard areas. Now they are so numerous smaller hawks regularly hunting. Working on expanding areas for more frogs to winter over and lay eggs. A Red fox is regularly visiting for rodents and a chicken last fall. Pygmy rabbits have a den by the current bushes.

Vehicles are tough environmental choice. It is easier to vilify them, hard not to use them. Did turn in my old van for a used Prius for highway driving. The gas guzzling pick-up is limited to hauling. A necessity for a few days of the year. Looking forward to the electric pick-up mentioned a few times on C99. It appears more appropriate for farm work than the electric golf carts I have used over the years.

Serious risk to keeping the farm appeared late summer 2018. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has funds to work on the traffic issues in Terrebonne, a small rural community nearby. During the public workshops several anonymous were put forth for a bypass that would go through the acreage. Some took out the house and others the modular home designated as a future a caretaker cottage. One plan took out both residence and all outbuildings. On the plus side, ODOT favors a plan avoiding the bypass issue for at leat 20 years. On the negative side, concerned business owners just submitted a plan to State Transportation Committee to ignore ODOT's plan for the community and update one intersection built that will have capacity for land development immediately and a tie in to a future by-pass when funding is obtained.

The last political election reduced the clout of the by-pass supporters but it may not be enough. The pro-development county commissioner who lost still sits on the state committee. There appears to be significant outside money driving the highway change and properties along most of the route has changed hands the last 10 years. Oregon is not the pro-environment state I was raised, it has become owned by developers and business. While most of us were feeling good about public beach access, land use zones and recycling different business lobbies took over. Polluted by Money How corporate cash corrupted one of the greenest states in America

It is an odd feeling to know multiple people are planning on destroying your home some for personal gain and others for increased tax base. My last home the city required a developer to simply end a new road with completed sidewalks at the edge of the pasture so it could be tied into the next phase they wanted developed. Which after several years the road was completed. Not sure of the next steps, simply wishing good thoughts is not going to be adequate. But for this season I will move forward on my gardening plans as soon as I can reach my supplies.