Cute, Eh?

I found the little egg in one of the nests the other day, and yeah, I had to save it. It's almost as though a small bird flew in and left it - very diminutive, and therefore cute. The middle egg is of average size; about what the ladies give us every day/every other day.

We've had a few of what I call "rocket' eggs, really large ones, even larger than the one shown. Too large for six-month old pullets, methinks.

Still, the range is interesting.

Rainy day, inside, about to bake more of this:

I baked it a couple of days ago, and it's gone already. I think I may make an herbal loaf (rosemary, or something). Haven't decided yet.

Festive Friday

Well, the gang had quite the little treat today!
I hard-boiled some of their eggs (older and cracked ones) -
Made up a pot of oatmeal -
Crushed the eggs (with shells) into the cooked oatmeal -
Opened a can of pumpkin near the expiration date, added two big glops -
Added some crushed red pepper flakes, turmeric and garlic (good for gastrointestinal chicken workings). Whew! Good thing chickens can't smell.

Took it outside. They came running immediately.
Added some of their layer mash and scratch seeds to the mess. It looked sort of like...alien egg salad. But a weirder color.

By this time, they were all waiting outside the tack room. Some were peeking in through the cat access door. Impatiently. Tapping their little chicken toes on the concrete.

Emerged with the bowl in my arms, and proceeded to spoon out the gunk into their flat Tupperware dishes. Old ones, you know, that we don't use anymore.

THEY WENT WILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone had some, and some more, and YAY! PARTY! And some more. YAY! (again)...peck, peck, peck...chickens waddling everywhere with egg/oatmeal/whatever all over their beaks, faces - oh, the joy of just snarfing something extra yummy on a Friday afternoon! And then to doze in the sun!

Later, I came back out to take some photos of some lazy pasture-ranging as the day wore on:

Stonewall and one of the girls relaxing on the cart:

Buddy patrolling the front of the barn:

In other news, a clandestine friendship has apparently sprung up between an evidently lonely bachelor pheasant and several of our ladies. I caught them together on the loft side of the hill (again) this afternoon:

He had spotted me by the time I took the picture and retreated to the left side of the rain barrel. He is gorgeous, very vividly colored, so who knows - maybe the ladies think him an odd but companionable sort of fellow, a rooster! maybe, then again...maybe not, but hey, whatever, plenty of room to hang out, so yeah...let's!

Happy Friday!
Happy Spring!

The Newbie

Isn't he a beauty? Allow me to introduce Buddy, our new Plymouth Barred Rock cockerel. He was dropped off by persons unknown at my neighbor's house a few evenings ago, poor fellow. My neighbor brought him to us to determine if he might be a good fit for the flock, and, since we had been considering acquiring a youngish roo (one that wouldn't challenge our alpha male), we took him in. Stonewall, our adult rooster, is teetering upon the brink of exhaustion in his zeal to keep up with twenty-four ladies who seemingly have minds of their own. A junior cadet might be just the ticket...as long as he keeps to his rank, that is.

He spent a couple of nights sequestered in a cage, away from the others, and DH let him out today after the others had had a chance to inspect him (he really should have been quarantined for 30 days, but DH made the call). Stonewall immediately stepped between the interloper and his girls, dropped a wing, circled and pushed him to the edge of the group, assisted by a couple of indignant ladies who flew at Buddy for good measure. Buddy wandered away, cooperative, if a bit lost.

This went on for the greater part of the afternoon. The two males did not fight, and I was frankly (and quite pleasantly) surprised, but Stonewall did keep a sharp eye on the newcomer, broke up spats, prevented any romantic, er, interludes from taking place (not that the ladies were entertaining overtures), and generally kept order in the yard. Impressive achievements for a creature almost universally disdained as stupid. (Chickens aren't stupid, by the way. They are charming. And very good at being exactly what they were created to be.)

Buddy exploring his surroundings:

He had cautiously re-approached the far orbit of the flock by evening and, upon finding that he was, by then, huffily tolerated by most of the ladies and the celestial ego object Stonewall himself, he happily pecked around the coop before retiring for the night.

Changes, Soon

Although I have been working on drawings, paintings, gourds, the set of old doors and other projects (I may score yet again today in the "old stuff" category (maybe, we'll see, and if I do, I'll post those photos), I probably won't be posting here about art much anymore. Soon all existing art posts (and images/information on anything new that I have been working on) will be migrating to a Wordpress blog, and this blog will be devoted to farm/homestead life. It's too random this way, for one thing, and it's also difficult to post photos to this blog, for another. I don't know if it's a blogger issue, a Mac issue or an ISP issue, but it is annoying to have to spend 15 minutes or better to post a single image. I hope WP is a little more user-friendly, to drag a term out of mothballs. If I find the process works better and saves time, the farm/homestead blog will migrate there as well.

I figure it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to add posts here that I'll just have to cut and paste to a new blog in the next few weeks, so sorry for that. I hope that those of you who are interested in in farming/homesteading will continue to visit me here - or there, however it ultimately works out - and those of you who like art and art-making will visit the new blog when it's up. It's been great to see the many countries around the world listed daily in my stats. I appreciate every interaction.

Is it too cliche to write that I hope your day brings you joy?

A Very Busy Day

Our neighbor came over this afternoon to load our beautifully composted cow/chicken poo into his manure spreader, the contents of which were then shot over the area to be plowed under in a couple of weeks for the soon-to-be garden space. We are so grateful for neighbors who are willing to take the time to lend a hand, and we try to reciprocate in kind. We were also glad that Andy was able to return home with a bucket of compost for his wife's planter box.

Speaking of compost, this is some good stuff:

And seeds started in it simply burst into life (here comes the eggplant!):

Poo is a actually a blessing, when it isn't siphoned off into great lagoons and mixed with toxic sludge and chemicals/pharmaceuticals that make it unusable, hazardous to human health and offensive to anyone who may catch a whiff downwind of it.

Allowed to compost with hay, straw and other organic materials, it breaks down into nutrient-rich, black soil that may then be tilled back into the earth to amend it for crops that sustain both human beings and animals. This process also provides the animals an important role to play as team members; they help to close the nutrient cycle.

Paul, a very dear friend who has been a tremendous blessing over the last several months, installed an additional two new sets of motion lights around the barn today, working well into the evening. The barn looks amazing.

We also cleaned stalls, tidied the chicken coop, fed and watered every animal that calls our home their home, DH and Paul helped Andy load and unload a piano, and we entertained (after a fashion) some dear friends from church this evening. They were so gracious to allow us some extra time to finish up outside before we hurried in, washed up, made a pot of coffee and arranged dessert on a tray to be enjoyed in front of the fireplace.

I am beyond exhausted, tonight we move the clocks forward an hour (losing a bit of sleep), but we had a fantastic day.

ETA: Happy girls on pasture (or wherever they choose to range. Sometimes it's on/under straw):

Natural Beauty

These eggs, given by a Buff Orpington, a Red Star and a Black Australorp, all of whom are pastured chickens, had only moments before been snuggled in a clean nest of sweet fresh straw and pine shavings. I gathered them yesterday to make this meal, so simple and nutrient-dense, for myself and a friend:

Eggs poached in diced tomatoes with Herbs de Provence on toasted bread rubbed with garlic, sprinkled with a little grated cheese.

So simple, and yet so good.

Morning

The view this morning:

Winter is sensing that she is needed elsewhere, and bends to gather her long white cape about her to betake herself to other lands; the geese are beginning their long flight back to northern climes and baby animals will soon be instructed in the art of survival by their mamas. Spring, and the promise of new life is nearly here, repeating a cycle as old as the earth itself.

The light is changing again, and seems to flood all living creatures - and even inanimate objects - with a hale and hearty anticipation of good things to come. (Hope.) It seems alive, this Light. It is certainly a joyful thing to awake in it, to watch as it dances through the windows in the morning hours of a never-before-day.

Despite the challenges we have faced (and continue to face), I know I am tremendously blessed to be able to live this way - to have been entrusted with the care and stewardship of this spot of earth and the animals who flourish upon it, to be able to walk into the barn every morning and hear the welcoming nickers of our horses. My raucous (and often demanding) ladies make me smile as they crowd around me at feeding time, hoping for treats, as do the barn cats, who leap and run ahead of me each morning as I bring their food to the tack room. These moments may seem insignificant to others, and that's okay. I receive them as gifts from a loving and bountiful Creator.

I'm grateful. For my life, exactly as it is, and for every obstacle and trial that has sculpted my soul; for my family, friends, home (yes, even with everything that we have had to contend with), but most of all, I am grateful for my Savior and Lord, who loves me greatly, and teaches me daily to love him, love others and trust in his goodness.

New Life

Look at these little beauties! I started several kinds of broccoli, cauliflower and eggplant on February 26 in the deep, dark, rich soil from the compost heap to which my chickens have been making regular "contributions" since last September - and already these tender little shoots are growing up to turn their faces to the sun. The seeds from whence they have sprouted are so tiny - but all that is needed for them to flourish and thrive (and reproduce after their kind) is contained in that wee package.

Sowing. An act as old as humankind. No wonder it stirs something in our blood.

The fig tree has really taken off. (See my pet spider in the window? OK, she's not really a pet. She's a web-sitter and has managed to make a very good living in a high window where no one, except for me, is really aware of her presence. I sometimes sit and watch her as she quietly goes about the business of being a spider - fascinating in itself. She doesn't bother anyone.)

I'll start my tomatoes this afternoon. I'm sure by the time all the vegetables that need an indoor start are sown, every shelf and windowsill will hold a flat or two. Maybe next year I'll have devised a more systematic approach to getting the garden underway, but this seems to be working for now.

Besides, I may put the seeds into the ground, but it is God who blesses them to cause them to grow, and who gives the increase in this as in every endeavor of life.

Early Morning Visitor

Caught this guy (or girl, but I think it's a guy-bird) hurrying up the dirt road behind our place early this morning.

Here he is again! I took this photo today (March 4), through the window of the house, as this handsome fellow ventured near the barn once again. I hope no one bothers him.

Free-Ranging

Now that the days are lengthening and the sun is making an appearance in the sky more often (or so it seems), the ladies have been free-ranging around the coop and near the barn, finding all sorts of goodies in the mud under straw and hay. I found about eight of them today in Sally's stall taking a dust bath, all but laying on their backs and throwing dust up into the air with great abandon while others picked carefully through the hay for bits of dropped horse feed (oats and whatever else they were able to find). They seemed to be having the equivalent of some sort of party, and if they could have, I'm willing to wager they would have been laughing - great fluffy-belly chicken laughs.

The rooster is very entertaining in his self-important way; he certainly struts his stuff (and has it to strut), but if he finds a particularly tasty morsel, he summons his girls to him and allows them to eat it. He also takes seriously his responsibility to protect them, and the various calls, clucks, barks and other sounds he makes are meaningful, at least to his charges; in specific instances, his chatter elicits an immediate response.

Really, they are fascinating creatures.

Fluffy bums in the sun.

Shadow is intrigued, but unafraid.

Speaking of Shadow, isn't this a great photo of her? She climbed to the top of the coop to have a look around.

The girls have also been very generous with their eggs. They gave us five so far today - and such pretty little eggs they are! Of the six breeds we have, some (if not all) of the Red Stars, Wyandottes, Orpingtons and Delawares are laying. I think the Barred Rocks are laying as well. I have seen the Australorps inspecting the nesting boxes with great interest, but I don't know if they have begun to give eggs. No hurry, though. They're still young, and all good things come in their time.

Stonewall "taking the air" with his ladies.

I think I may have been born for this.

This Year's Garden

This is a non-comprehensive list of the veggies, herbs and flowers that I am/will be growing. I spent the afternoon cataloging them and assigning each a start/transplant date, except for the varieties that are sown directly outside at a specific time of the year. I still have to order cabbage, pumpkins, potatoes, onions and two or three additional varieties of herbs, but this is the bulk of what I believe will be an aesthetically pleasing, diverse and delectable garden. Some of the seeds are rare and difficult to find, having been handed down in isolated geographic locations for many years (in the case of the Crapaudine Beet, a thousand years); some varieties were, at one time or other, on the verge of extinction.

Of course, everything is Heirloom/open pollinating/non-GMO.

We have an old plow that can be attached to a tractor; our neighbor offered to come over and hook it up to his Oliver so it can be used to turn the soil, after which the soil will receive amendments in the form of beautifully composted manure before it is tilled to receive seeds/transplanted seedlings.

Other projects in the works: Possibly incubating some Guinea fowl and Silkie eggs for live births. Guinea fowl are wonderfully adept at keeping pests under control. Because we have had a relatively warm winter, we have already seen ticks in the area; starting soon, it will be both chickens and Guinea fowl to the rescue!

I am praying for a robust and bountiful harvest; enough to keep us in vegetables all winter long, with plenty left over to share with others.

Tomatoes:
Cherokee Purple
Southern Night
Cour Di Bue
Rose
Brandywine
Jersey Giant
MamaLeone
Pantano Romanesco
The Dutchman

Gourds (might as well give it a try):
Gakhaa Gourds
Bushel Basket Gourds
Other Saved Seed Gourds

Rhubarb:
Victoria Rhubarb

Eggplant:
Diamond Eggplant
Arumugam's Eggplant

Cauliflower/Broccoli:
Cauliflower (Purple Sicily)
Broccoli (Waltham)
Broccoli (Romanesco Italia)

Corn:
Country Gentleman Shoepeg Corn

Carrots:
Parisienne Carrot
Cosmic Purple Carrot
Atomic Red Carrot

Beets:
Mangel Yellow Beets
Crapaudine Beets
Detroit Dark Red Beets

Zucchini:
Lungo Bianco Zucchini
Black Beauty Zucchini

Parsnips:
Guernsey Parsnip

Peppers:
Ozark Giant Pepper
Quadrato d’Asti Rosso
Golden Marconi
Purple Beauty

Beans:
Dragon Tongue Beans

Spinach
Gigante d’Inverno Spinach

Sunflowers:
Tiger Eye Sunflowers
Lemon Queen Sunflowers

Herbs:
Broad Leaf Sage
Common Thyme
Oregano
Echinacea Purpurea
Fine Verde Basil
Cilantro
Rosemary

I Miss My (Injured) Thumb

It hasn't actually gone missing, or anything like that, at least not permanently. I had the absent-minded misfortune to slam the chicken coop door on it yesterday, and because the temperature was very cold outdoors, I was quite unaware that I had done any real damage until I came in some time later, and all the interesting blue and purple colors common to an offended digit began to develop.

DH thinks I broke it; I'm not sure if I did, but it does hurt like the dickens, and I can't bend it, or do much of anything with it. Even typing this entry is awkward.

Necessity being what she is, I found a soft piece of wood and DH has just gone to the barn to fashion it into a splint, because I have much to do and I have no intention of sitting the day out. Nor do I have any intention of going to an ER to be charged a small king's ransom for the docs to do exactly what I am doing - putting a padded splint on my thumb. They won't do anything else; I've broken my fingers, toes, etc., before. A splint it is and out you go.

I'll spare you any images of a black - and - blue thumb; who wants to look at that?

Ah, DH is back with the splint.

More later.

Getting Underway...Finally

I must preface this post by stating that I tried, repeatedly, and failed as many times as I tried, to upload a moderately-sized image file this evening. The results may be seen above, and since the photo in question appears as though it has partially been 'through the looking-glass,' I suppose anyone with any interest will have to peer at it in order to make out what it is about. Annoying.

This is because either Blogger is slow or Windstream, my ISP, is slow (and Windstream is very slow), however, it would seem that one of the two (or both) is boasting upload speeds that rival two-neutrino double-beta decay. Hah. Look that one up.

Anyway, I'll try to fix the image, but it's late and I'm tired. So this is it for now.

2/8 - Trying again:

Could it be? It worked?

Getting back to the REASON I decided to update this blog:

The subject of tonight's brief post is...newspaper pots. They are an inexpensive way to start your seeds, and very earth-friendly into the bargain, as newsprint degrades easily (use newspaper printed with soy-based inks wherever possible). When the time comes to transplant your seedlings, simply open up the bottom of the newspaper pot so that the roots of your plants have access to freshly tilled (and amended) garden soil, and plant the entire parcel. A snap!

I included my seed packets in the photo because I'm quite over the moon about the wide variety of non-GMO/Heirloom vegetables, herbs and flowers still available to gardeners. I have created a database to track the performance of each variety of tomato, carrot, eggplant, etc., from seed sowing to harvest, a project that contains within it a host of lessons in nurturing and husbandry yet unlearned. I am looking forward to not only evaluating outcomes, but to discoveries, delights and even frustrations as the footpath through a new experience is revealed (or reveals itself). As I think I have mentioned, I have always gardened, but this will be my first year to do so on such a large scale. I hope I am attentive.

Newspaper pots:

Fold newspaper or newsprint in half lengthwise, and lay a medium-sized can along the edge. Ignore my camera; it likes to blur everything, regardless of setting.

Roll up the newspaper using the can as a guide.

Press newspaper against the bottom of the can along the seam.

Continue to press the newspaper against the bottom of the can until the newspaper pot also has a bottom. Optional: I use a small piece of scotch tape (which I will remove before planting) to join the seams and for additional strength on the bottom of the newspaper pot. Tip: I also turn the can right side up and press down into the newspaper pot to flatten the inside bottom before I remove the can.

See how easy that is? You can place them in flats (I use box lids lined with plastic, shallow boxes, all kinds of things), fill 1/2 to 2/3 of the way with soil, and start your seeds. Place in a spot where there is plenty of natural light, and watch life take hold in the good earth.

Joanna the Chicken Watches TV

First, let's dispel some myths. Chickens are not filthy animals, no dirtier than any other creature, unless they are forced to live in filthy conditions, that is. Our chickens live in a clean (meaning regularly maintained) environment. They don't harbor mites, lice or any other such pests, because we dust for them, and we use food-grade DE in their coop to keep pests at bay (or at a minimum).

Yes, they poo, but Joanna sat on a bunch of paper towels while she roosted on my lap, and was therefore not walking around the house poo-ing at will on any and all surfaces. I'm pro-cleanliness, so that is a no-no in my book.

So Joanna is no worse in terms of her overall hygiene than a cat, dog or other large bird such as a parrot (aside from the fact that she is not house-trained). She is also on the low end of the pecking order in the coop. As I was feeding yesterday, I observed how she stands alone on her part of the roost and how easily the others are able to make her move off. Joanna is an unusually sweet, quiet and gentle chicken who, from babyhood, has always sought human interaction. She will squat, spread her wings and make a soft trilling sound when either I or DH lightly rub her back.

Having always had a bit of a soft spot for the underdog (or, in this case, chicken) I decided to bring her in, play with her for a while and let her have some time away from the hierarchy of the coop.

Joanna spent about an hour inside, contentedly snuggled up on my lap on her paper towel barrier, eating and watching TV. We watched a BBC period drama set in Victorian England, and she seemed especially fascinated when she heard birds chirping in the background.

Evening fell, and once again it was time for Joanna to return to her flock. I made sure the other chickens were not able to peck at her as she re-entered the coop, then placed her on the roost, wished the girls sweet dreams, and turned out the light.

Everyone needs a break once in awhile.

A Short Recent History Of Baking (and DH)

As I was curled up contentedly on the sofa this evening under my requisite two comforters - as though some great drafty breeze were about to carry me off - a voice was heard to issue from a figure reclining in the deep and shadowy recesses of the armchair, next to the fireplace in the living room, where hitherto all had been silent, except for the dialogue of a peculiarly underdeveloped indie movie said figure had been watching:

"Don't we have any cookies or anything?" asked DH (a bit plaintively).

No, I replied, but I can make something, as I happen to have in my possession precisely those ingredients necessary to just such an endeavor.

"Okay."

A few moments passed while I perused several recipes, and then, having decided upon one in particular, I descended the steps to the kitchen. I made a lovely batch of chocolate cupcakes (from scratch - no horrible box cakes allowed!), and, in an attempt to keep DH's blood sugar from careening madly about like a car in a 70's cop show chase scene, I used organic spelt flour and relatively innocuous sweeteners (no refined white sugar). The final product was fluffy, light, sweet enough but not cloying. Placing several little cakes on a plate, I reversed course and ascended the stairs, fully expecting to find DH positioned pretty much where I had left him, but his chair was, alas, sadly empty.

(Oh noes!)

"DH?" I called. "DH?"

"DH, are you in the office..." No DH there.

I peeked into the bedroom, where the tale could clearly be read - DH had gone sailing with Wynken, Blynken and Nod. His primordial urge, that which has driven men from hearth and home since time immemorial, the potent desire for goodies which had assailed him earlier in the evening had inexplicably evaporated. He was asleep.

I whispered, "I baked."

DH murmured drowsily, "I didn't know where you were."

I replied, "I was abducted by aliens. But I'm back now. With cupcakes."

DH: (Unintelligible)

So, there you have it. Waxing philosophical, I'd have to say that while men, indeed all humankind, often find themselves at the mercy of conflicting urges (cupcakes? slumber? my goodness, how to choose?), no gift given in hope and grace is ever truly wasted (especially if you wrap it well or put it in Tupperware).

So, I raise a cupcake - to DH, life, love, chocolate and midnight baking adventures.

And with that random thought, I bid you good night.

First Egg!

I stayed up far too late last night watching a movie, so I had to kind of drag myself out to the barn this morning to feed and water the animals. As I was sleepwalking through my duties, not expecting any deviation from the daily routine, I stepped into the chicken coop and found this:

One of our girls had broken the ice and given us an egg! Our first! I woke up immediately, banished the rooster to the run and looked around the coop for any others that may have been left in odd spots (this one had been left right under the roost where they sleep). I didn't find any, but I praised the girls for a job well done - such good girls they are! To have given an egg, and not even twenty weeks old yet!

It just goes to show you, as I held the rather good sized egg in my hands and hurried to the house, that small moments can also make sweet memories. It is a delight to have labored over these birds, to have raised them from hatchlings, and to now see my care for them beginning to bear fruit. The satisfaction of having been (and continuing to be) connected to the process is undeniable. It is needful in some way, and too many human beings (or should I say Westerners?) have been missing moments like this one for far too long.

I thanked the Lord for the bounty of this one egg, and for the encouragement that I derived from this moment; life is not stagnant, events are unfolding, even though we cannot see what is happening behind the scenes.

It's very pretty, too, kind of a medium cream color (DH is holding it. Really, I don't have man hands).

Nice size, nice hard shell. I have no idea which one of the girls gave us the egg, but everyone gets a special treat (warm oatmeal mixed with applesauce, and yes, they love it) today!

Edited to add photos of the girls (and Stonewall) enjoying their warm oatmeal/applesauce treat this afternoon. Yum!

Well, I managed to add ONE photo. Why posting photos to this blog is so extraordinarily difficult is a mystery. I'll try to add the rest later.

Trying again:

Success! Yes, warm oatmeal certainly hits the spot.

Let's try another, shall we?

Wow. Two in a row.

And finally:

Delcie the Delaware expressing curiosity about DH's shredded work gloves. He has other sets, but seems inordinately attached to this pair.

I Hesitate To Post This...

...I mean, this one really is not very far along. The image of the cat is only a placeholder at this point; the head is barely sketched in, the body is indicated with a couple of pencil strokes and I've paid no attention to what it actually looks like - yet. The boy's clothing has no detail - right now it merely looks lumpy. The face is forming, but much is left to do.

The problem with posting (or showing anyone at all) incomplete work is that people have a tendency to look at it, see the areas that will be corrected as the drawing progresses and say "hmm, well, isn't that nice."

But it isn't finished!

This one will be, and relatively soon, so I can complete other work pending (a portrait of a German Shepherd, a mandala, and a mosaic), so if you check back in a couple of weeks, I promise it will look very different than it does today.

I should add that, like most people, I tend to be blind to some (or many) of my own shortcomings. I am, however, cognizant of the fact that I am abysmally inadequate when it comes to photographing art.

Not that anyone needed me to point that out.

So there's that.

One view.

A detail view. (By the way, it just took me nearly a half hour to upload this photo. Can you say annoying?)

Almost Finished!

While I was busy appreciating winter this morning, I managed to squeeze in a couple of shots of one of the gourds I have been working/experimenting on. It's nearing completion, which is a good thing, since I'm becoming bored with it.

I'd like to see it go to a good home.

I sort of love the snowy backdrop, despite the fact that I ordinarily detest snow. When I haven't been appreciating it, that is.

Slightly different view.

It's sitting on a piece of fabric on top of a woodpile. How's that for rustic improvisation?

Parts still under construction. I worked on this last night so it's still wet from dyes and solvents.

More updates to come.

Snow

It was -4∘F this morning when I went out to the barn to feed and water the animals. A bit chilly, you might say, but since the sun is out and the sky is blue, I thought I might shelve my uncharitable attitude toward winter, if only temporarily, and make an honest attempt to appreciate the glories of a snowy day. So - I trudged around the farm until I could no longer feel my toes, marveled at frozen stuff and snapped a bunch of photos, which I now share with you (provided my ISP & Blogger cooperate):

The ladies want no part of whatever that white stuff is lying on the ground, as evidenced by the empty run this morning.

Deer tracks! Nice to see they're about.

Ice crystals along the pond.

Snow covered log near the pond, near the woods.

Snow-covered branch, lying on the ground.

And finally, the barn in winter.

That was fun! And so is this:

Which is where I retire to regain feeling in my extremities. And no, I don't like white walls, but who has time to paint?

Long live winter! (As long as it doesn't live too long.)

EDIT: I see that I failed to mention a very intriguing experience I had the other evening as I was walking out to the barn to check on the animals (we do this before we go to sleep, it's kind of become our custom). I heard an owl! I checked with my son, who had worked with wildlife at a rehabilitation center for nearly two years, and apparently the "hoo-hoo-hoo" call I heard is characteristic of a Great Horned Owl.
So! Score two points (there is one, or more likely a pair of them in the area, and I got to hear one calling).

I had taken this photo a couple of months prior, but decided to post it here, because I like it.