It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...
Winter?
The last few days have had me scrambling around like two eggs in a glass, so when I awoke this morning with a blissful no-leaving-my-toasty-abode agenda before me, I stretched out my toes and emitted a contented purr.
Sometimes I like to do nice things for my offspring (Shocking I know!). Every day they have to get up and feed the animals both in the morning and evening. Once in awhile I will get up and wander out to do the morning chores, especially on Sundays. It gives my kids a little chore reprieve treat and I get to make sure that they are dispensing the feed and water to the animals in a matter that is semi-solid. Also, I love to walk out in the morning and give animals breakfast. Nothing warms the cockles of one's heart like a breakfast anticipatory moo or neigh.
Clad in my flannel pajamas, winter coat and cowboy boots, I am reasonably sure that I was quite a sight. Nothing about my ensembles are color coordinated, and I am pretty sure that the barn cats let me know that my orchid colored winter beanie, sky blue coat, pink and brown harlequin patterned flannel pants, and tan and turquoise boots offended their monochromatic sensibilities greatly. Not that I cared, I was too busy staring at this:
Holy crap ton of snow! We had some snow yesterday, but like a Saxon Math addition problem, we ended up with some more. I just looked at the forecast and it looks like I will end up with about six more inches on top of what snow we have already received. Hmm....even though its official start day is over a month away, I guess winter is getting a head start this year.
Not that I am too concerned about my winter readiness status. All of my firewood is in, hay in packed into the barn, tank heaters are deployed in the stock tanks, snow tires are on, winter food supply is in, and the list goes on. What I am more focused on has to do with the invasion. Our town has exploded with new arrivals, many of them from the southern part of California (Snow is definitely not a thing there). Last night we followed someone home and they were driving a blistering 10 miles per hour on our freshly plowed highway that wasn't slick in any way, shape, or form. My husband and I had a good pity laugh and went around Mr. Creeping McSnow Scare at a blistering twenty-five miles per hour. I am pretty sure my car laughed too. In reality it's the over confident "I have four wheel drive I can fly" drivers that worry me the most. We tend to pull a lot of them out of the ditch. This year should be something special!
So it was with all of the potential new-comer actions of first winter in North Idaho excitement percolating in my cranium that I stepped out into the frozen water fluff that is blanketing my farm. I honestly didn't make it very far, for my parent's dog lost her bloody marbles and I had to kick tons of snow up for the foolish canine to backflip and try to catch. What a tree fruit!
Zibbah and I finally made it to the horse's pen, and they decided to get all excitable too. My daughter's horse, Gemma, thought she would do a war horse pawing the ground re-enactment. Her dressage moves went really well until she got her front hoof caught in the electric temp fence we have up separating the ponies from the new rail fence that my husband and the kids just built. Before I could say Alvin York the temp fence and poly wire was tossed high in the air and wrapped around the power line. The white and gray air became tinged with blue as I expelled many creative yet frustrated bits of profanity. Thankfully Gemma the dancing nag had the for-thought to disconnect the line as she ripped it out, for that would have been quite exciting, two live lines touching!
After I stomped over and unplugged the fence charger, just in case, and put the fence back together, I found that my first snowfall zen had returned. It threatened to flee as Zibbah would run up and back flip trying to steal my snow gloves, but I got revenge by tapping a snow filled branch with a temp fence post and burying her alive! HA!
The most sedate animal we have is my daughter's 4H steer, Elroy. I call him little Moo Bear, cause he is just so cute. He got extra grain for not causing me grief:
As I type this I am sitting next to our wood stove drinking caramel hot cocoa and thinking about how cozy and content I am. Our winter sticking snow may be a couple weeks early this year, but in all honesty, I think I am ready to be stuck inside a bit!
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We had some fresh snow here this morning, too... although nowhere near as beautiful and wintry as where you are. Even so, it seems winter is coming early this year... the highway passes across the Cascades normally start their snow reports in November; this year they fired up (out of necessity) in October.
Beautiful photos!
Awe, Thank you!
It sure is putting it down outside right now, almost a white out! My husband and I were talking about how this year had almost instant transitions between the seasons, one day spring, then Bam! Summer! Now we went from fall to winter in one day, lol! We are overdue for one of our six to eight month snow-filled winters, I wonder if this is going to be it!
Hope you are having a lovely Sunday!
Oh, yes. The first-snow-of-winter reactions of many drivers is both amusing and disturbing.
I got stuck behind a clover who wouldn't exceed 75% of the posted speed limit yesterday despite clear roads. It's as if Clover thought the snow berms left by the plow on either side of the road were planning to pounce if he startled them by driving normally, or the slight wetness left by ice-melting chemicals would turn to black ice any moment without warning.
But then there's also the idiot who wants to drive his 4x4 pickup at 10MPH over the speed limit in the dark during a snow storm.
Clover! Lol!
I know what you mean though, it's like we're are on the perpetual lookout for the Goldilocks of winter drivers. Instead we have the "maybe you should consider becoming a snowbird" group and the "ditch god shall claim you and all four wheels of your differential" speeding clan. My laughs per mile increase this time of year though, so there's that!
Wow, you got lots of snow. It looks pretty, but I realize it can get old after awhile. Used to live in Cheyenne years ago. I want a couple of cows, could watch them for hours. Really great read. Sitting by the wood stove in flannel pjs sipping on cocoa with fuzzy slippers on🐓
Ooh! Cheyenne! Then you definitely have experienced extended snow!
I do like it in actual winter time, but by March I want to be out playing in the dirt, and once in awhile we'll get a winter with snow til May! Argh!
I'm so glad you enjoyed reading whilst ensconced in your cozy scene, that makes me 😊 I love bovines too, my grandpa had 100 cows and I loved watching them. Of course there were times when I wasn't too fond of them, like when they stomp all 1000+ pounds of stubbornness onto your foot, but a scratch behind one's ear puts the bruised foot far from one's thoughts, lol!
Everything looks so beautiful when it is covered with a fresh blanket of snow. Even more so when it is somebody else's backyard! ;) Enjoy the rest of your day.
Even though I'll probably be grumbling about it by late January, I have to admit I love fresh snow😊 I spent the evening eating chicken and rice soup and grilled chees sandwiches next to a cozy wood stove, all while enjoying the view of the icy world just outside my living room window. It was a perfect, restful Sunday and I hope yours rocked too!
Where are you ? It's getting really cold here in New York City
Ooh, I bet with that Atlantic chill blowing in all the time! I'm in the northern part of Idaho, a place that is notorious for piles and piles of snow. Hope you had a lovely day and that you are staying warm😊
I must confess to a bit of schadenfreude! For once its not here...yet lol. Im glad you are
enjoyingcontent with it. It is very beautiful, but never fun to drive far in. Stay warm.Oh don't worry OGP, your time of frozen woe shall eventually arrive, lol! I'm not overly fond of driving in "it" either, but as I'm never in too big of a hurry it usually works out okay!