Baby It's Cold Outside

A cold snap brought temperatures plummeting into the single digits, freezing everything and every body. The animals were kept snug and happy with plenty of hay and fresh water as often as possible, and the wonderful fireplace kept the main parts of the old farmhouse cozy.

Little W was fascinated by the dusting of snow we got. He can't wait to get more!

Christmas decorations make the house seem warmer.

The animals look forward to getting their ice broke throughout the day.

The cold provided the perfect excuse to relax with some Christmas movies.

Last Snow, Hopefully

We've enjoyed a pretty mild winter, but these last few days have reminded us that it is, indeed, winter. I am so ready for spring!

Winter Chilling

The snow is all gone now, but here are a few pictures of the critters taken last week.

The chickens never did learn to like the snow, and would spend nearly all their time in the barn.

 

The rabbits weren't affected by the snow, though I gave them plenty of extra hay to burrow into while we had single digit temperatures.

 

Giant, with his thick coat of fur, loved the snow and cold and had no problems running, playing and rolling in it. He's so funny!

 

The goats, like the chickens, preferred to stay in the barn. They refused to even walk down to their water, so I had to bring some water to them in buckets.

 

The First Snow

The first snow was pretty impressive, leaving our farm blanketed with 5 to 10 inches of snow on top of a pretty thick layer of ice/sleet.

 

The horses love the snow!

 

The chickens hate it! And I don't blame them one bit!

 

  

Preparing for Cold

To prepare for a  winter storm that is expected to come into our area in the next couple days, we did a bit of work around the house to be ready for the possibility of a power outage. We got a load of wood in and stacked it on the porch; got the fireplace all cleaned up and ready for use; covered most of the windows with foam board and plastic sheeting to keep out the cold; and have plenty of canned foods and water to outlast the storm.

The boys did a great job helping load, unload and stack the firewood.

 

The cats enjoy their temporary new sleeping perch.

 

Handy Husband built a little wall to keep Baby W away from the fireplace.

 

Lighting our first fire of the year.