A Gray Day

We woke up this morning to solid skies, and dripping rain. 

Unfortunately, it started well before waking time, and has turned everything into a sheet of ice. 

Needless to say, I was VERY careful doing chores. 

I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but there was a solid sheet of ice on the henyard this morning. 

Two intrepid chickens came out... how crazy were they?  It was still dripping.  

I managed to get fresh water in the fortexes, but the ducks were in the pasture already. 

 As I filled another bucket at the yard hydrant, I noticed the ducks were each bathing in the fortex I had put just inside the gate, where there was no ice for them to slip on as they drank and bathed. 

And when I went to dump this one and put some fresh water in it, I found a present just next to it! 

I used it in the cookies I made this morning!

Then I heard them... score upon score of geese flying low overhead against leaden skies.... they came in waves...

Some going southwest, some going northeast..

I think I had rain on my camera lens! 

The sound was exhilirating!

Same two Elvi. (All three Porcelain roosters are named Elvis!) 
Have NO idea what is going on with them. 
They were standing there, frozen, touching each other.  Not fighting. 
Just.... touching. 
Strange. 

Can't separate them, they all try to get Butch, who is on the other side of the wire. 

Here's my intrepid Helper, Abby Lynn, waiting for me on the porch. 
She is on Day Three of the Hills Metabolic Diet.  I am happy to say that she LIKES the food, it is in canned and dry style, and she gets a mixture.  
This is the first time I have been able to keep her on a diet. 
Our goal is to get at least 5 pounds off her, though she needs to get ten pounds off... we are being realistic.  
We'll go from five. 

She is being encouraged to come out and do chores morning and evening, except today, when everything was iced up. 

We are in the middle of a winter storm advisory, but, despite the icy conditions this morning... it is 38 degrees and thawing right now.  I have let the goats into the pasture... so the ducks are in the goat yard, where they are happy.... and the goats are rambling into and out of their pen. The goats think they should be in the yard, and are making that clear from time to time, coming to the fence with puppy dog eyes and crying to me if I come out on the porch.  I have gone out to do duck water several times now, but am in the middle of baking and decorating. 

The goats need to get used to the pasture! 

I hope you all have your baking, present wrapping and shopping well on the way! 

I wanted to share something funny with you from Facebook yesterday...

I don't know where it came from, but I know JUST how he feels... is it Robert Redford? 

I know a lot of you know how it feels too...