Snow Day Photos

While we were out in the snow the other day, I had my camera and took some photos.

There was a little sprinkling of snow resting on top of the silo cable.

This galvanized tub was doing a good job of protecting this elevator motor from the elements.

Look how the snow clung to the planks on this fence section framing out the water trough.

This old fence post and the stack of bricks was a serene pastoral sight.

Mama's birdhouse and rose garden looks shivery.

The yard fence and gate was crusted with ice and snow.

The entire hillside looks blanketed in cold and more snow was falling!

Crafting and Parenting Through Generations

Before the children headed back to school, Bridgette took some time to teach them a craft or two.
They crafted delicious smelling oranges with cloves on that day.

Sometimes she parents kind of like she was parented.

Her parent sometimes parented like she was parented, too.

At times there was intense concentration.

And at times the movie Rocky was more riveting.

I can remember drawing a line or etching a line on the peel to make it easier to dig those cloves into the orange peel and forming designs.

And at times we would just poke the end of the clove in at random and see what turned out.

I think this is certainly a planned design and really no surprise considering the crafter.

The smell was heavenly and I'm wishing I had some oranges and cloves right this minute!

Parenting and crafting traditions down through the generations can be wonderful at times.

Life on a farm is no fun when the weather is cold, freezing, and snowy.  The animals need more feed because they burn more energy trying to stay warm.  Their water freezes and they are dependent upon us to break the ice and provide fresh water.  So, out to the barn I went on a snow day to keep this guy company and give him a helping hand.

I was told to bring him a broom and then get into the truck and wait for him.  So, I did.

He swept and scraped and brushed the entire truck off..

... while I sat inside and watched.

Then, I rode alongside him as we trekked...

...over hill...

...and curve

to get to my parents' place.

He remembered to stop at the mailbox to get the paper and see if the postman had run.  Then, we crept up the hill to the barn to check on the boys.

They were waiting at the fence in expectation and seemed quite happy to see us.

Isn't that a happy face?

We gave them some grain, checked their water supply, (They are lucky and have a heated waterer from the days when we operated a dairy farm there.) and gave them a good inspection to make sure they were weathering the cold, freezing, snowy day.

Happy times two!

We stopped in at the house to check on Mom and Daddy.

Finding them snug and toasty, we headed back over hill and curve to our house.  And when we arrived there, we fed, and watered, and inspected Mike's calves before tracking half-a-snowman into the house on our boots and clothes where little puddles of muddy water formed before I could even get my boots in the boot tray.

The snow never even let up.  It kept blowing and falling and covering all day long.

The roads got nastier looking. (This is at almost the same spot as the first road shot above after only a couple of hours!)

And the snow kept falling.  So, the next day was a repeat all over again.

Not fun in my estimation.  Glad to have the opportunity, though!

Then and Now

We got snow earlier this week.  We got snow Friday.  We are getting snow as I write this today - Saturday.

Wednesday

Friday

Same stack of bricks.  Lots more snow!

Wednesday

Friday

Same interesting rock.  LOTS more snow!

Only the frozen rain and frozen fog clung to the pipe fencing Wednseday.

A layer of ice and a layer of snow was stacked on the pipe fencing Friday.

And there is more today!  It is beautiful if we could stay inside and just look out the window at it.  However, today the high temperature is expected to stay below or near the freezing point.

Yesterday we were hoping things would be clear enough to go to my niece, Megan's wedding.  It is about an hour and a half drive south of here.  Today, Mike and I are hoping we can drive fifteen to twenty miles to my parents' house to check on them and feed the livestock.

Best wishes to the bride and groom and to my sister and brother-in-law as they host folks for a wedding and corn boil.  Wish we could sled our way there!

The Boys

On the first snow day we had earlier in the week, Mike and I went out errand-running and stopped in over at Mom and Daddy's to check on them and their boys.

They came up to say hello.  So, we gave them some grain and a good looking over.

I thought it was ratherr funny that this nosey guy kept trying to watch me and eat at the same time.

He would turn his head sideways and stick his tongue out to rake in some of the pelleted grain.

I kept missing the tongue and finally, it was like he knew what I was trying to do and he gave me this look:

"Here.  You want to see my tongue?"

A Lot of Weather

We have started to get a good bit of weather lately.

I always used to think it was funny when I would hear my grandfather say that.

I mean, we always have weather of some kind don't we?

Of course, I know that he meant weather that includes precipitation...

...or weather that includes extremes...

...or weather that is worth commenting upon because it is a bit out of the ordinary.

I think he meant something like the warm early-fall-like weather we got back in December.  You know where we were wearing t-shirt sleeves and shorts during December?

Well, this week we have really gotten a good bit of weather.

Earlier this week we had some ice and a wee bit of snow.

We had frigid temperatures that make me shiver just thinking about it.

Then, today...

It was raining out my back door at seven o'clock this morning.

By eight-fifteen it looked like this.

And now, it looks like this.

And this.

Toby didn't even want to go out until he was crossing his legs and miserable.

He made a quick trip of it and was back in a flash looking like this!