Rumor has it, winter is supposed to be the quiet, relaxing season on the farm. So far, this winter is crazy busy. Nevertheless, I intend to be a better blog-poster than I have lately.
Last week it warmed up for a few days and the poultry enjoyed being outside.
The bees must have taken advantage of the warm weather to clean out the hive -I noticed quite a few dead bees scattered in the snow near the Langstroth hive. (They need a January thaw so they can carry out their dead and their waste.) There weren't any bee remains near the Warre hives, however - I am afraid that might mean they have not survived.
We picked up another load of hay for the cows, from yet another farmer. The cows are not any happier with this batch of hay than the last, scattering much of it on the ground and then mooing at me for the good stuff. That makes ME a bit crabby, at $5 a bale! It is a tough year to find yummy hay, and it sure is pricey.
The cows are enjoying a supplemental bowl of beet pulp and a scoop of grain with their hay, however. I give Jitterbug her scoop of grain on the barn step because LaFonda budges her away from the feeder to gobble it all herself. Jitter generously shares her grain with the wild chickens (the 13 hardy chickens who have chosen to live in the loafing shed rather than the coop.)
We had a couple days of rain, so our snow mostly melted and then it got cold again. But it was such a nice afternoon today that Orange went out hunting and caught a bit fat vole somewhere, which he proudly brought home and laid on the steps for me to admire. Zinny wanted that vole so badly!
Must post a Zinny photo - she is growing so fast, gaining on the big dogs. Her ears are beginning to get tufty like Nutmeg's...
and her tail is starting to get fluffy. She has a little bit of collie butt fur now and the fringy beginnings of fetters on her legs.
The biggest news is that our son-in-law has arrived from Mexico! (Cadence has a very happy smile now). Other than that, Rog has been intrepidly organizing the basement. I have been sewing like crazy on the big upholstery project. Grant-writing. Preparing a presentation and creating a book art work for this weekend's library fundraising event. And squeezing in a teeny bit of yoga. I am a week behind on the 30-paintings in 30-days project, but the sewing must get done first.
Maybe February will offer that fabled winter rest for farmers.
2 comments:
Enjoyed reading your update on things there in MN. Nice to hear the son in law made it finally. We have had lots of rain but no snow in 2013.
Sounds like you have more than enough on your plate this month. I love the book garden. Please post pics of your upholstery project. I love the way your couch turned out last year.
The painting challenge is tough to keep up with.
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