Winter Go Away!

Does anyone know where Spring has gone? 

Friday night, this was about all the snow that was left, except for a few piles on 

the north side of the shop and a few other, scattered around the yard.  Those are the piles left from my shoveling the gate out last week. 

Sunday morning. (notice the four squirrels) 

We didn't get a lot of snow, but what we got was bone-cutting cold. 

It never got above four degrees all day. 

All the birds were kept in, and yes, I caught the 

ducks (horrid, as I expected) and carried them into the 

old henhouse. 

They do not like me. 

Right now it is 16 degrees above, and the feels like is 

3.  IF we get above 20 by noon, I'll let everyone out for a while. 

The thing that worries me, is that I found the ducks actually shivering on 

Sunday morning, which is why they got put into the henhouse.  It is supposed to 

go to nine tonight, and then gradually warm the rest of the week, with highs on the 

weekend in the 40's.  For all of you duck keepers... I have never actually caught 

my ducks shivering... and I have kept them for a long time. 

We do have a bright, sunny day. 

Singleton and his girls are NOT happy about their new roomates. 

This is the oldest hen house, our original.... was adapted for hens. 

Starlings used to get into it ... the walls are still marked... and 

the birds generally go out in front, instead of into the old henyard, which is through 

the popholes you see. 

All of the hen houses need cleaning, but I am NOT doing it in the cold. 

I don't know how well you can tell, but light refracted through the 

communications tower in the wild area across from me the last two days, and 

made a rainbow in the snow in my side yard. 

My girl Lil tries to stay with me as I do chores, but more and more, she 

must lay down or sit down and rest, and just wait for me.  

Our time grows ever shorter. 

Little Cookie (granddaughter Paiton said he looks like 

Cookies and Cream ice cream) is growing strong, 

and Mama Flicka is taking good care of him. 

He and Lilly are very curious about each other. 

It's comforting to me to look out and see the lights on in the 

little barn at night.  The sheep do sleep inside, but are mostly 

outside during the day, despite the cold. 

I notice Cookie nestles close to his Aunt Fluffy and Mama 

on the coldest days. 

Those lights will be turned off this weekend. 

As my friend Vickie said, 

"That's a happy, healthy lamb!" 

Many of you who have read this blog for the last ten years 

know that I am a huge circus fan. 

I rarely get to go any more, and I post this knowing that some people are 

going to be angry that I admit to this love for an old tradition.  I had the pleasure of 

knowing some long time circus workers, and several performers in the "old days"... and belonged to Circus Fans of America for years. 

Saturday, despite the cold, I took Paiton and Jax to Garden Brothers Circus. 

There are no longer any elephants on the show, or big cats. 

They did have a pony sweep, very small ponies for very small kids, and 

one camel.  I looked, all animals were in great shape.  The only animals 

in the performance were four trick horses ridden by the Cossack riders, 

and one dog, in a clown skit.  The horses were led around at intermission 

for the larger kids to ride.  

The performers were young, in great shape, and put on a great show. 

If you have a chance to see them... they often do Shrine Circus shows...

then take advantage of it. 

We were in the front row. 

We ate a lot and had a great time. 

Paiton has continued all winter with her riding lessons, 

and I get to take her on Friday afternoon.  I'll try to get 

some good pictures to show where she is now, after nearly a year 

of lessons.  I'm so proud of her, she rode on some really cold weekends, 

and had to go out in the field and catch Appy, her regular mount.  

They did cancel lessons this weekend, in the sub-zero weather, thank 

heavens. 

We are headed for fifties, and they can't come soon enough!

Jester might even be able to come out of hibernation! 

Welcome to 2018

I just want to say, to start off with, that I am so glad I am around to learn new things. 

I wondered why I have not seen any raccoons and few possums on my 

game cams the last two weeks... and thought to myself 

that they may hibernate, and I had never noticed it before.  

Well, guess what, I thought to ask Friend Jill, who is a vet 

tech and a naturalist, herself.... and she told me that they 

do go into a sort of hibernation in the extreme cold, 

denning with other raccoons, and maintaining just enough 

body function to keep on living.  Since we are in this bitter cold 

spell along with seemingly the REST of the nation... no wonder. 

I did some reading about it, and it is fascinating.  This alone (along 

with all the other nature-watching I am doing) has made it worth moving

back to Calamity Acres. 

However, there have been some visitations to the deck, and two 

have made me happy. 

Whoops!  That's not a raccoon!

That's Jester yesterday morning, pausing on the deck for a 

second.  

This made me happy.... darn the long extension that 

I cannot get to lay down, it powers the bird water basin on the deck...but 

that shadowy cat behind it is the grey tabby feral that I have not 

seen in months.  My neighbors at the bottom of the pasture feed ferals, 

and also, my neighbors across the road.  I am glad to know he is still alive. 

There is Spooky, he has grown into a beautiful cat... remember, the 

Feral Four were already vetted and neutered when I got them. 

You will have to double-click and enlargen the picture to see this one. 

That's Harlequin, who has been missing from the henhouse for the past week. 

See the white under the neck?  I saw her the night before on the cam, 

very fleetingly. 

At least I know she is alive in this bitter cold.  I have straw 

in all the outbuildings.... hopefully she has bedded down somewhere. 

Ferdinand and his ladies like the heated dog bowl on the deck, too. 

We have all been doing a lot of this. 

Yesterday, I saw this at the foot of the pasture as I was getting ready to 

leave to get some milk. 

Here is a closer-up picture, taken with my long lens.  

I suspect the larger of the two is the female, on the right. 

They look like red-shouldered hawks, from a distance. 

So far, they have left the hens alone. 

The beautiful Wolf Moon... and I need to 

seriously start using my cameras again and LEARNING about them. 

Here is something I never thought I would see again.  Lilly Ann, 

just now laying on the big bed, I did not think she could still get up 

there, so I know she is feeling good today!  She can watch out the windows towards the gate, and see who is going up and down the road.  It made my heart happy for her. 

Stay warm, everyone, we still have a few more days of coping with this 

stuff. 

WINTER IS SO FUN. 

Even The Buffalo Are Cold

Four degrees here this morning, but windy, VERY windy. 

Your blogger is struggling with an infection in her jaw, and 

about at the end of her wits.  After a visit to the dentist, and 

then across the street to Walmart for the antibiotics and 

pain medication... I ran to the old place to fill the water 

bowls on the porch. 

On my way back, I  decided to go a longer way, but 

a way that avoided gravel roads so I wouldn't jounce 

that jaw around even more. 

When we moved into our home ten years ago, we 

discovered there was a herd of buffalo on an uninhabited farm 

across the highway, very close to us.  The property has been 

for sale, except for the (supposed) ten acres where the burned out 

house, and several VERY nice barns sit. 

And a herd of buffalo!  

I became so concerned about this herd during our terrible winters that 

I checked up on them.  The owner passed away, and his 

daughter inherited the place.  She became somewhat of 

an animal hoarder, and was finally "busted" by the authorities. 

The buffalo had been her dad's.  However, after this lady 

was forced to give up her animals... she left and moved to California, where 

she has stayed.  The sheriff has assumed nominal responsibility for the herd,

but when I called to express my concern... I was (condescended to) told that 

"those buffalo know how to take care of themselves, little lady".  Okay, he didn't actually say "little lady", but his voice meant it. 

So I have worried about them through two terrible summers and two terrible winters. 

Rarely did we see them up in the "front' along 24/40 highway. 

Imagine my surprise today, to see them literally two pastures down from where 

we believed them to be penned. 

They were in a low area, sheltering from the terrible winds. 

And the other group was even lower...

I would have given anything to have the big camera with me.  

I counted 19.  I think they surely must have broken out of their small pasture 

"just as the sheriff's deputy said they would".  

Hallelujah!  

There were two REALLY big bulls. 

My guess is that at some point, there's gonna be a buffalo roundup, because they now have access to a pasture and pond where cattle have roamed these last few years, and where men fish. 

I was glad to see they were in good flesh. 

I know Keith is going to clock me for stopping to get these pictures.