We FINALLY have some snow on the ground, real snow, measured in inches!

Considering that it’s a week until February and probably about 6 weeks till we start getting a little nicer weather, I think it’s about time.

I was getting weary of the soppy, muddy, yucky torn up grass and such in our middle yard. The hooved stock have been making it a little bit of a quagmire in some areas. It would have been so much better if it had been just colder, or snowy, something, but these weirdly unseasonable warm days we’ve had quite often are really making for a mess!
Maggie has been waiting to try out this cute little old snow plow that I got at a garage sale last summer for like $5 or $10 dollars. Can’t remember which. I know it was under $10 though. I though it was such a cool deal!

It’s old, and we weren’t sure if it would be very effective, but I am happy to report that it is! Now, it’s not great at digging all the way down to the concrete, but it makes SHORT order of clearing 75% of the snow for you. It makes GREAT paths through the yard, back to the barn and pony shed, stuff like that. And it’s easy, you just push and the snow slides away in neat little furrows, just like a plow cutting through the stuff.

In less than an hour, she had plowed all our courtyard paths, out to the barn and little coop and pony barn and all around our car and the driveway and up to the house. Pretty cool. And she wasn’t even winded. In fact, if it hadn’t been so darn cold, I think she would have been plowing all over the place, nature walks and sheep trails and all that.

Now, we only got about 3 or 4 inches, but still, it was pretty effective. I think it might be even more so if she were to give it a little coat of car wax, on the blade. Just to make it a little more slippery.

The sheepies all approved. They watched in great interest at the curious effort of Farmer Girl. Noel and Holly were very intrigued. I suppose watching Farmer TV is one of the highlights of their day. I wish I could be out there a little more, but the cold is really kicking my butt. Actually, it’s the feet. I don’t have the best circulation in my feet, long story, but this bitter cold just really makes them very unhappy. So when it’s down in the teens and more, it’s really better for me to stay inside more. Even with the lovely toe warmers that my mother in law gave us for Christmas, (AWESOME GIFT let me tell you!) this bitter cold makes me a popsicle in not time! Thank goodness that around here, super cold temperatures are not that frequent, nor do they tend to stay around. I can handle it down into the 20s or so, but much past that and I just need to stay out of the bitter cold.

The sheep seem to be handling the cold fairly well, but then walking around with a big wool coat on, that surely helps. Cody Pony is fairing pretty well, too. He was out trotting around the yard and just being silly frisky today. Being from hardy Shetland stock, both horse and sheep seem to be handling this little cold snap with ease. Haven’t seen the chickens out much, and I don’t blame them! They venture out just to the sheep paddock which we loaded up with nice fluffy straw, so the ewes have something warmer than snow to lay down on in the morning sunshine. I think that the hens like that, as they will hang out with the sheep in the morning, soaking in some vitamin D and staying off the cold snow on a nice bed of straw. But other than that brief time in the morning, they have been staying in the warm barns and just laying lots of eggs! Haha… funny… cold is supposed to slow production, but I guess they don’t have anything else to do!

Bunnies are fine, they huddle together or spend the nights in their warm boxes. Jack has been reluctantly coming inside for most of the evening, but he’s ready to get let out as soon as the sun rises. I fixed him up a box of straw and an old afghan and he will park his little kitty butt in there and stay pretty warm, out on the screen porch. The kittens and Luna are apparently not as loyal to the outside, as they have been inside most the day and night! They know were it is good! Of course, the dogs are happy to go out and run around some, but equally happy to come back in and snoooooze for hours on end.

I’m beginning to see that rural living is more seasonal, then by the months. Winter is a time for just basic chores of neccessity. It’s not a time to build and restore and do a lot of extra effort, it’s a time to relax, take naps, enjoy a little down time. Read, craft, watch TV. Everything in nature is taking it easy and slow, dormant and waiting. I believe it does a body good to have a little downtime. Thinking and planning time. I’ve already gone through a hundred different to do lists in my head for the spring, can’t wait to get started. But the waiting is good, because it makes me examine and reexamine each plan and make it better and stronger, it is just a good lesson in patience.

Just 6 more weeks… in 6 more weeks, the weather should start to turn, with more good nice days then bad. Just can’t wait!!! Can you?