Spring has Sprung...Well, Sorta!

I think it might almost, kinda, sorta be moving toward Spring!! I know, I am scared to even say the word, especially since this week is supposed to slam us again with freezy temperatures! But, yesterday I got a little pick me upper that at least made me believe that Spring might be more than the fluff of fairy tales!
It started when Pud'nin and I were going to town for the millionth load of feed for the animals. I swear, that seems like the unending chore! But, I digress, lol There a couple of things that Pud'nin does that makes him a keeper, well, actually a million things but today I will share one of them. Whenever we go to town, especially in late winter/early spring he stops at the end of a certain road where every spring we hear the first Peepers. What you ask are Peepers? They are the little frogs that mark the arrival of Spring in my book! I absolutely LOVE hearing them. They are warm weather, end of freezing, and I can almost plant seeds all wrapped into one shrill little package! So, this time, when Pud'nin stopped for me to listen, I HEARD THEM!! I was so excited! Sometimes, it really is the little things. I actually recorded the sound, because everyone should be able to hear how awesome and Springlike these guys sound!

See! Isn't that just the sweetest sound ever?!? I know that we are not out of the deep-freeze yet, but it sure was nice to get a glimpse of spring.
I will also share the other stopping spot that we drive by when we go visit Josh. On the way to his house you cross an old country bridge, and the view down the creek is just breathtaking. No matter the season, it is just wonderful to stop and take a few minutes to enjoy the view. I always feel a little less stressed after watching the water and listening to the birds while we relax, if only for a second.Sometimes you even get to see a huge waterbird trying to catch his dinner!

Just look at that view! I bet if you use your imagination, you can almost hear the water flowing over the rocks. See, that is why I love my Pud'nin. He always makes sure I get the time to do the things that make me happy. He never fails to stop and let me enjoy these two places because he knows how much I love them.  Even if it is only for a minute.

It Is SUNday!!!

After all of the icy, snowy, freezy weather it is great to see the SUN! Everything on the farm is practically jumping for joy! It is easy to forget how nice it is to be alive, but the animals can help you remember that  sometimes you just have to kick up your heels, no matter how silly you may look to anyone else! I mean seriously,  look at Flossie! That is pure happiness!

After all, a day like to day is something to crow about, lol

 Then, put on your biggest smile!

Because,  there is nothing like standing and feeling the sun on your face. Sometimes you just have to stand still and breathe in the beauty of the morning. The birds were singing and the air is just so fresh out here in the country. We are healthy, happy and blessed. I just had to take a moment to soak it all in, even if it made the chores take a bit longer!

 Not the best picture, but hey, I am old,and not a dress up or make up wearing kinda person. During the winter it is hard for me to stay out of a funk, the darkness, the cold and short days make me an unhappy camper! But give me a bright and shiny day and it does wonders for my mood! It is a wonder my family does not ship sunshine in just to get me to lose the frown!


But I will say, my choice of footwear was a bit off...Maybe I should have worn my boots! Maybe I was just a bit too optimistic.
 

But I will take mud over ice! Any day! Even Eleanor is happy as can be today. She gets to get out of the barn and RUN!  She is learning to lead, and is doing great, it just takes a bit of patience. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day! Here she is waiting by the gate while I am milking Flossie, she knows that is her time to get rubs and scratches. It is also her lead time, and she is getting much better! See how pretty she is standing! Her and Pud'nin are doing great in their training, lol

 See, they are both walking so pretty! Then when she gets to her destination, Eleanor lets it all hang out! Believe me that little girl can RUN! Here she is in the home stretch! Look at that tail!!

But, like all children, Mom sometimes has to get out the Hoof Of Justice.  Here is Flossie letting Elly know that she needs to calm down!  After all, she is a lady!

But, between you and me, I don't think Eleanor is going to listen, she is just too darn happy to be outside! Can you blame her?

Highs and Lows

Woke up yesterday to still more ice, I was sort of hoping that I would get out of bed and it was all a bad dream. Warmer temperatures would have been here, and the ice would be nothing but a foggy memory. Didn't happen, lol  But, it was beautiful! All sparkly and bright!

Today brought snow, lol On top of the ice! More beauty! Although,the snow can lull you into thinking the ice is gone, which is not true! Pud'nin figured that our when he tried to walk down the hill by the barn. He flailed for 5 minutes trying to get up he said, but unfortunately I was in the barn and missed the whole thing, grrr! I meant to take a picture of the aftermath, but I forgot, darn!! I did get a few pictures of the snow though, which always makes things look so neat. You can't see all the poop/mud or tons of stuff that needs putting away. It all looks all fluffy and white.

Ciskgo even had to get a nose full of the fluffiness!

The birdies were also very busy. I LOVE the way their tracks look in snow. :)

 Flossie and Eleanor are still doing great, but I know that are ready to get outside! I cannot wait for better weather, this is kinda getting old. Eleanor is about to start halter training, but don't tell her! She is not a happy girl when she cannot fun freely and jump on your feet!

Not to mention I am so sick of stall cleaning, this is the not so pleasant part of farmy stuff!

ICK!!! Poo Straw!!

Last night we celebrated Daisy's 2nd birthday at Mr. Gattis. It is hard to believe she is already two! She had a blast opening her gifts and all the grandbabies played games until we adults were ready to drag them away, lol Well, except for Jamie and Lee, those two would play games forever! It was like a flashback to when WE were the parents trying to get the kiddos to leave the games.

Yesterday also brought sad news to the farm. We checked on Charlotte, our new piggie, and she had lost her babies. I am not sure what happened, but it probably had something to do with the brutal weather. I always hate when we have a loss on the farm, but such is the life. I knew she was acting like it was soon, but also knew it was too early. She had blood on her booty when I fed last night and when I looked in her shelter there was a half eaten baby. This morning we found 3 more in a similar condition. As icky as it sounds, that is how animals dispose of things like this, and it also serves as nourishment for Charlotte after birth. Nature takes no prisoners, and does not give a hoot about political correctness, lol It makes me sad, but like I say, farm life is not all fuzzy bunnies and fluffy chicks. Reality will find you quickly, and rub your nose in the real facts of life. But we all know that where there is livestock, there is deadstock. Harsh, but just part of the circle of life. Hopefully we can find her a mate and start over. If not...Well, I am going to think about that later, not today.

Let There Be Ice!

What happened?! This has been the craziest winter! One day it is like 55, the next day it is in the negatives and the wind will blow you away! I personally think winter can be cool. I like snow, like the last huge one, where we all played outside and had a blast. But I like it to be here a day, then when I wake up I need it to be gone...totally. Snow-Play-Gone. Done! It seems that Mother Nature is not on the same page, not only have I NOT gotten my Minute Snow, I have gotten instead a thick coating of ICE! I do NOT like ice. Older, shall we say fluffier people do not like ice. It makes us pull muscles we had forgotten we had, and flail around like we are trying to signal a rescue plane just walking to the mailbox. It hurts me to walk on ice...I am so tense, I even clench my teeth. Falling also hurts more when you are old and crickly! How do I know this...Just ask the frozen waterhose...Also known as the deadliest thing in the barnlot..

Just look at it! Laying there all innocent! Well let me tell you, step on that puppy and you will side down it like a teenager on a half pipe. Only way less gracefully, and you will not look nearly as cool...Plus, will not land as smoothly either. It took about a nanosecond for me to be laying on the ground, looking up at the sky, wondering what happened. Of course my Pud'nin, who witnessed my swanlike fall to the icy ground, was quick to point out that he was sure that hose would never be the same, it was crushed beyond repair. Gee honey, thanks alot! LOL!
The ice always makes me think of a story my MeMaw used to tell about winter. Seems she was going outside with a bucket, in the snow, and as always, in a dress. She falls, sits IN the bucket, and slides all the way down the hill riding a very cold, and by now snow coated bucket. She lands at the bottom of the hill, picks herself up, and looks back to see her kids laughing at her from the safety of the house I am sure! I am almost positive that her mood was probably as icy as her hiney for the rest of the day!! This is the first story that made me realize that I indeed had MeMaws gift of grace. Or lack of, lol
Even though I really do not like ice, it can be pretty. In a totally freezy, look out for falling branches, "Whoa that's slicker than snot!!" kinda way. The ice kinda adds a shimmer on everything making the whole world sparkle. It looks clean and fresh. Which is a little deceptive. One step outside and then getting nailed with a icicle falling at warp speed, quickly skews your view from clean and fresh, to a world filled with icy daggers just waiting to fall on you at every step! So yea, do not like ice, no matter how pretty!

So, I will be counting the days until Spring, hoping that somewhere there is a light at the end of this icy tunnel!

Busy Busy Busy!!

Things have been so busy! Getting back into the routine of school, and also having to milk Flossie twice a day as well. Sometimes I think I meet my self coming and going! Plus, ok, I admit it, I have been playing a cool game called Hayday!  Yea, a farming game. I think I am going to have to have an intervention! But it is just so much fun, being able to farm, when in reality is is colder than heck outside in the "real world!"
Flossie and Eleanor are doing great. It has been way too cold for them to be outside much. Which is sad. If we had Twister in another pen I am sure they would do great in the pasture, but since he is such a turd...Not a possibility. He bullies everyone in the pasture and I am not going to let him smush my Eleanor!
I do have some video of Eleanors first day outside!! The sound is awful, sounds like I am in a hurricane! Here you go! Click the link and it will take you to a video!

Eleanor's first day out!

We also have a new addition to the farm, a Large Black sow named Charlotte. She is adjusting very well and hopefully will give us some baby piggies before too long. I am really excited. Here is a picture of her exploring the pen. Her ears are so huge that she can't see you, so we lift them and talk to her so she knows it is us! She makes the cutest little piggy noises.

The other piggies have went to Freezer Camp, which makes me very sad. I have a really hard time with that part of the farm life. I usually stay inside when they are loaded, and while they are taken off to camp. But this time it was not possible for me to keep my head in the sand. Josh came and helped load, and thank goodness because as much as Katrina and I were willing, these girls quickly made it obvious that they were much tougher than we were going to be at any point! I also had to go with Roger to drop them off, where I sat in the truck, hands over my ears, and cried. Yea, 46 years old and bawling in the truck like a baby..*sigh* But, this is how it is, and in reality, staying here with my blinders on is not fair. If I am going to live this life, then I need to experience the hard parts too. It is easy to put away nice neat little packages of meat in the freezer..But to respect the sacrifice that is made, I need to get a spine and not leave the hard parts to someone else.
 We also lost two of our ducks, probably an Opossum! Katrina and Roger had a spree with one last week and we figure he was what has been lunching on our feathered friends...We are pretty opposed to them visiting since the disease that Ciskgo is recovering from is spread by Opossums.(hehe, Opposed to the Opossum) Needless to say, the welcome mat is pulled up when they come calling!
Other than that, it has been pretty much "same ole same ole" here on the farm. One crazy day follows another! :)