It's Just Part of the Journey

Morning farm chores were pretty miserable this morning.  The mild and sunny weather that graced us for the Christmas weekend has now allowed a large rain system to move into northwestern Pennsylvania.  They are calling for it's change into snow by evening, but for now it's just a lot of wet.  All this rain we've had recently has really turned this farm into a mucky mess!  Needless to say, the chickens have been 'cooped' up since Saturday, so they didn't much care what was going on outside, they just wanted out.  I can't blame them.  I propped  open the rabbits just a bit to let some air flow in, but that's the best that I could do.  I've always been told that "a wet angora, is a dead angora."  Sounds kind of harsh, but it's true.  All that fiber is great for keeping them warm in the winter, but it would be like trying to sled ride in a soaking wet snow suit.

It's supposed to rain all week...

While my farm chores only took all of 20 minutes, I feel worse for my husband, who is out working at the alpaca farm the next three days.  At least he'll get to spend most of his time in the barns.  All I could think as I was sloshing a fresh bucket of water down to the coop (half of which some how ended up in my boot) was how nice it would be to just have a barn to work in today.  One of these days.

On a 'sunnier' note, we were blessed by a friend who at the last minute offered to stop out and take care of the animals for a couple of days so we could go home for Christmas.  I was extremely thankful for her help.  We may only be three hours from home, but it's still too far to just swing back to the farm to close up the animals after that filling Christmas dinner.  I think sometimes it upsets my mom that I can't come home as much.  It upsets me too.  But becoming a "farmer" is a choice that I am serious about.   It's not just a ephemeral hobby.  I am a determined woman.  I know she understands that, and even looks forward to a day when she can participate in the whole process.

Christmas brought pretty much our whole family together; even those a half a country away.  We had 36 people at my grandparent's house on Sunday!  We chatted, played some music, and ate lots of food.  It was I good time.  But we are home now (as of yesterday evening).  It's sad to see the holiday's end.  If we were home, we'd spend most of the next week's days with family.  Sharing meals.  Chatting about old memories.  I do so look forward to the day when we will be homeward bound.  But for now, I will make the best of my life here.  After all, this is where many of my dreams have begun to come true.  I will never forget that.  Life is a journey.  We glean from our travels.  For me, this is a big part of it.  I have learned skills that I will have for a lifetime.

For now, I will take these (literally) soggy bottoms, soak in a nice hot bath, and reflect on the journey.

Long Day

Well I didn't expect to wake up to what I did this morning...Snow! I'm not sure why it surprised me. It is after all winter. I guess the couple sunny days we had tricked my brain into thinking that spring was really on its way. Thoughts of where to put my garden, what to plant, and whether or not to use raised beds or just plow the ground have have been hard on the brain lately. It was barely morning when I headed out to feed the critters. Oh how I long for those longer days, when the sun comes up early and hangs out until after nine at night. Good thing about feeding early...the chickens aren't up yet! That may seem trivial, but they've been stampeding out of the coop most mornings as of lately (for as much as chickens stampede). That door opens and there's no stopping them; wings flapping and all. You'd do well to just get out of the way on mornings like those.

The pup could care less about being out in the snow as you can see. I think he's the only one that truly loves the snow, even with his short haircut. With that last thaw we had, it was getting too hard to keep this Old English Sheepdog clean! So out came the clippers and away went the hair. This may sound silly, but I keep his hair in hopes to spin it one day. I can just see it now:

Nice lady at the market: "My that's a lovely sweater you're wearing!"
Me: "Thank you ma'am."
Nice lady: "Did you make it?"
Me: "Yes ma'am. Spun and knitted it myself."
Nice lady: "Such talent! But some poor sheep must be cold right now."
Me: "No ma'am. I'm wearing my dog."

I might be considered......heaven forbid......"weird". I prefer...."unique". =)

Invisible Ice

It's been pretty cold this past week. Not the "freeze your nose hairs" kind of cold, but close! I don't mind the winter so much, it's a time that reminds us to rest, just as nature rests. I do wish, however, that if it has to be cold, there needs to be snow to accompany it. Perhaps it's just me, but it seems colder without the snow; like the snow acts like a little (or sometimes not so little) blanket of insulation. Not to mention it's just darn pretty! Here's another reason why I like snow: Snow you can see.....ice is invisible! This I so ungracefully found as I stepped out my door this morning with a 2 1/2 gallon bucket of water (for the chickens) and BAM! I didn't even realize what was happening until I was flying through the air, feet out in front of me! OUCH! Like I said folks, ice is invisible! Snow you can see!

Soaking wet, but refusing to go back inside to change, I refilled the bucket from the well and headed out to the coop. As always, my 12 chickens were not-so-patiently waiting for me to arrive and give them their freedom. These birds never cease to amaze me! It doesn't matter how cold wet or windy it is, they want out!

The new hens have finally settled in nicely. I was worried about my little black silkie for awhile. When I got her she acted like she had no idea how to be a chicken. Everyone picked on her something fierce and she wouldn't leave the coop. Sometimes I would even find her hiding in a the corner between the feed and water buckets. Poor little girl. Today is a new day though, and she comes popping out of that coop just as confident as any chicken could be, heading out to pasture to forage with the rest of them. Above is a picture of my new little Delilah.