Delightful January Blossoms! (in the farmhouse, of course)
The worst of the deep cold is passing and what a relief that is! Yesterday was a busy day. We had lows nearly 20 degrees below zero for again a couple of days. After so many stretches of cold like that, even animals that can handle it become stressed. We were on careful alert for anyone showing signs that the cold was becoming too much for them. We ended up having to tend three animals to get them warmed up and ok again. Frequent checks were the order of the day!! It is such a relief that today is warming up, with warmer air due to arrive by tomorrow.
The sheep are doing fine, but are definitely getting bored with this weather! Nothing would please them more than a nice day outside. The geese have had no trouble with the cold. They simply sit down on their feet and wait for a warm up. They happily live in the coldest part of the barn but go outside on nice days...a kind of day we haven't had in......three months! lol
This winter has given us several nights of fear. When it gets so cold, we worry that someone will be lost. You go into winter with the best stock you can, as healthy as you can get them, but the rest is up to fate. You shelter them, tend them, protect them, but there is only so much you can do. The cold we've had this winter is unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and I did not think it was possible we could have a winter like this, of ceaseless cold. I'm very grateful we have Shetland sheep! Their fuzzy, wooly bodies protect them in extraordinary ways which give them the ability to get through the cold as long as there is little or no wind. Bringing them in to the barn works great!
Today the sun is shining brightly and the air is beginning to warm. The flock is getting more playful. We all surely hope we've seen the last of the deep cold! Relief feels so good! Perhaps we can go back to enjoying a normal winter day, with bright light and spring tweets in the trees from our resident wild birds!
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