Foggy Hollow
We are having a very strange weather pattern. It's deep January but the temperature is only around 5C ( 41F). We've had over a week of fog. The old timers say they have never seen anything like this. The ice fog precipitates and turns the most mundane of objects into graceful art work. I think it is astonishingly beautiful.
We're prepared for snow. It's not really a bother. But the warm weather causes our carefully plowed kilometer long driveway to turn into a sheet of ice. Ice that at times has a film of water on it. Treacherous. I tried six times the other day in our 4X4 truck equipped with brand new studded winter tires to make it up a right angled hill. I succeeded on try number six, and it was touch and barely go.
Today we've got some snow coming down. If it keeps up it will add weight to the already ice covered trees. Fortunately the ice on the trees are crystals and not the thick sheets we had several years ago that permanently bent some of the birches on the edge of our South field. Our skid steer is sitting in the shop patiently waiting for a heater, and the snow chains to be re-tightened. It's been out of action while I waited for some parts to be shipped from the other side of the country so I am very excited to get it back on the road.
Especially so now that we have a six way grader blade attachment. It has a scarifier blade edge on it. That's a blade designed to cut grooves in the ice giving the road a bit more traction.
One of our 10 sows gave birth to eight healthy little piglets a few days ago.
Mom is taking very good care of them. We didn't get her into a farrowing stall and she had them in the main barn sty. We just put a fence up around her and all is well. The other pigs are very curious and line up against the fence for a peak at the babies.
I am contemplating growing some oats, barley and pea shoots in the greenhouse to supplement the animals winter rations. Spring time I want to have an acre or so growing to provide fodder for the meat chickens that will be kept in movable pens ala Joel Salatins tractors.
Well I think my to do list is quite a bit bigger than my to done list so perhaps I better get at it.
Hope you take time today to notice the beauty around you.
The tree's become studies in black and white:
We're prepared for snow. It's not really a bother. But the warm weather causes our carefully plowed kilometer long driveway to turn into a sheet of ice. Ice that at times has a film of water on it. Treacherous. I tried six times the other day in our 4X4 truck equipped with brand new studded winter tires to make it up a right angled hill. I succeeded on try number six, and it was touch and barely go.
Today we've got some snow coming down. If it keeps up it will add weight to the already ice covered trees. Fortunately the ice on the trees are crystals and not the thick sheets we had several years ago that permanently bent some of the birches on the edge of our South field. Our skid steer is sitting in the shop patiently waiting for a heater, and the snow chains to be re-tightened. It's been out of action while I waited for some parts to be shipped from the other side of the country so I am very excited to get it back on the road.
Especially so now that we have a six way grader blade attachment. It has a scarifier blade edge on it. That's a blade designed to cut grooves in the ice giving the road a bit more traction.
One of our 10 sows gave birth to eight healthy little piglets a few days ago.
Mom is taking very good care of them. We didn't get her into a farrowing stall and she had them in the main barn sty. We just put a fence up around her and all is well. The other pigs are very curious and line up against the fence for a peak at the babies.
I am contemplating growing some oats, barley and pea shoots in the greenhouse to supplement the animals winter rations. Spring time I want to have an acre or so growing to provide fodder for the meat chickens that will be kept in movable pens ala Joel Salatins tractors.
Well I think my to do list is quite a bit bigger than my to done list so perhaps I better get at it.
Hope you take time today to notice the beauty around you.
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