How cold is it? Feb 2016

I was amazed.  By the end of 2015 we had had just a scant bit of snow, leaving Winter to look like a bust.  Since then the temps have been all over the map.  Up into the 40s and 50s, then plummeting into the teens and less.

 I counted our blessings when we only got about 18" last week, barely missing the bulk of a storm that dropped over three feet of snow just 20 minutes east of us.  Once the wind laid, DH was able to get out and clear a small area for the goat girls to play in (no fun to drag pregnant tummies in the deep snow).  I wish I had my camera as they bounced and froliced around him, so happy to see him, so happy to get outside to play!

The weather changed abruptly.  Bitter temps and high winds caused dangerous conditions for all the beings on the farm.  Extra hay was added to all the coops and stalls, providing protection and a nice warm bed to snuggle down into with friends and family.
How cold is it?  Air temps averaged 3F yesterday.  This morning, the thermometer indicated that it was -11F. So how cold is it?  It was cold enough to take a warm egg out from under a hen, and, by the time it took to walk with it back to the house, it had froze and cracked. 

Holy CATS!  That's cold.
I think it may be a good day to find warm things to do inside the house.

Just a little snow

It looks like the snow has finally stopped.  Before letting the girls out for the day, we cleared a trail leading to the hay crib (goat girls) and scratch (chickies).  To see if they would voluntarily walk in the snow, a right angled path was cut.  Sure enough, rather than getting their feet mussed, the little goat girls carefully picked their way down the trail.  It should be said that the snow in the pasture is not much more than a few inches deep.

Stay on the path Jellybean!  Snow monsters might be hiding in those drifts!

Wadya mean Back Up?  You Back UP!

Guess this is why we call them Princesses.

Windy days and rearranging the furniture

Winter has finally arrived in the Northeast.  Although we had a wee bit of snow around Thanksgiving, the storms have been steadily sifting for the last few days.  Just before the drifts arrived, high winds  pushed the warm weather, trees, and other things away.

One of the items, much to our surprise, was the 250 lb calf hut that was strapped down in the pasture.  During the night, winds were clocked in excess of 45 mph.  Apparently this was accompanied by swirling air currents which were just enough to lift the hut like an over sized box kite and send it sailing into the pasture 30 feet away.  I was grateful that the goaties were are tucked into their snug little beds inside the barn.  I was also grateful that I didn't have to go searching for it in the wood or in the next county!
I think I'm beginning to understand why the goatie-girls aren't all that keen about the wind!