I grew up on a Midwest farm in an era when the only telecommuting occurred in the Asimov and Bradbury books I had stacked on the floor near my bed. When a blizzard hit, we were stuck (or happily exiled) on the home place--no work or school online. So I was saddened last year when I read an article about workers who basically must log on, sit in front of a computer, and work from home even on an official snow day.
Analog Snow Days
Pre-digital days on the farm were different. It was magic to hear that school was cancelled and the yellow bus would not be sliding down the gravel roads to snatch us away. Mom only tolerated our version of "flipping a house" for so long until she accessed her "cabin fever app"--the front door. She bundled us up in snow suits and boots--and sent us out into the winter wonderland of a farm with creeks, barns, and sledding hills. The fun but frigid details are in this blog.Frozen Mustaches--and Frozen Manure
As we grew older, a snow day on the farm meant a bit more work, and many farmers today face tough conditions if the weather has gone arctic--this article says that "regardless of what temperature it is, farmers need to milk cows, feed, livestock, and do all the other routine barn work on a daily basis." In the past, such winter work could be even more challenging. Dad recalls an old timer who told him, "My mustache stayed frozen all winter." This blog looks at "A Cold Taste of the Hard Work That Came with the Good Old Days."
by dan gogerty
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