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Ice Sculptures

This is what’s hanging off the gutters on the front side of our house. We’re hoping the gutters hold up. It really is pretty awesome and beautiful. I think I better get out there and knock it off before it does some damage to the house….what do you think?

It bowed in an arch from what I suppose were those blizzard winds. Then froze. Cool.

It created a 1 ft canopy off the gutter.

Ready or NOT mores on the way tomorrow and Wednesday. Then again on Friday. I’m done…please God, send it to Idaho and Alaska! They really need some snow!

I got the center of the corral dug out (by hand) so the cows would have more room to frolic and frolic they did. Joy was kicking her heels up she was so happy.  But there is a mountain of snow in the gateway to the pasture…..I think they’re wondering if they’ll ever get out. I can see Josie standing there contemplating whether to try and then she backs down. I dug more out for the hens too, but they are snow weenies like me!

Ok….I’m ready but I’d rather NOT!

The Blizzard Part 2

I’m not going to say much….I know….FAT chance of that happening.

Lady does love running in the mazes! Although I think she’s totally confused because she has no bearings.

Chicken coops nearly disappeared….especially the old dog house where Henny, Jenny, and Annie are.

By the time I’d gotten here I was so worn out I just trudged through. When I’m in there and I start to fall….no problem…can’t go either way.

Henny, Jenny & Annie. One good thing about cooping them up is that they have turned all the manure and straw a million times and they’ve done some very nice house keeping!

As I stood at the coop last night…which by the way my ground is 1 ft higher….I looked up! All I could say was, “if that falls on top of my head….it stinks to be me!”

Beauty does abound!

Look. A snow nest of eggs.

Forgot an eggbox!

Chickens like to eat snow!

The long journey. I’m so glad we built a walkout basement. Instead of having to dig through some of the deepest snow to get down the hill, Honey just went out the basement!

And with the deck over the entrance to the basement, there was a lot less snow to move to get out. Only trouble is, that we have to go through the house to get to the top!

“Hey, where have you been? Don’t you know what time it is?”

Bossy, MoJo!

“Oh finally, the good stuff.” I give the bovine girls black oiled sunflower seeds and organic oats with a dash of molasses sugar. They didn’t get any yesterday and were a bit put out!
Especially this one!!!

The circle. It’s good that I’ve taught them the command….”back Up!” They’re doing a lot of backing up these days.

The pasture.

Lady’s guarding tonights alfalfa cubes.

I blocked off the route to the feed rooms so they don’t get stuck back there.

The circle the nice lady dug.

Thank God for a heated water bucket. Although it only holds 16 gallons that’s been just enough for one day. We refill it daily and I use my little red wagon loaded with gallon jugs during times like this! Perfect!

My pretty JOY!

CrispSeptember Photography (aka Sweet Girl) has told me how hard it is to shoot snow….I’m learning. There is a lot of editing to get them presentable…I still haven’t got it. But I’m learning.

“Would you get that thing out of my face?!!!”

Now to cut through the pile made by the snow plows.

I do love having the old farm across the street.

Back door guests are best!

“Whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”

“Tho your sins be as scarlet, they shall be whiter than snow!”

What a beautiful analogy.

What did you do this weekend?

The Blizzard of 2010

For posterity sake, I’m making record of what has been an ordeal for us weenies in Maryland so that my grandchildren can see what we lived through…..I know….but like I said, we’re snow weenies! I don’t have any grandchildren YET, BUT I do have a dog and this is what she did yesterday.

She was watching Charlotte’s Web. She has become a TV addict! CRAZY!

As I laid in bed this morning I realized that it’s not been this quiet since September 11, 2001. We are within a stones throw of the Nations Capital and after 9/11 when all aircraft were grounded you could hear a pin drop. The eeriest thing was it got soooooo quiet overhead that when the Presidents helicopters were coming back from Camp David, the F16 fighter plane escorts nearly knocked us out of our coma.

This morning, the sound is the same…..eery quiet. No planes flying into BWI, Dulles, Reagan National or anywhere nearby. No Medivac Helicopters flying to car accident victims. They fly directly over our house on route from Maryland Shock Trauma to the crazy interstates & roads surrounding DC.  But with everyone grounded at “home” there will be more people living this weekend.

That’s a nice thought….someone didn’t die because of the blizzard.

Here is the “unofficial” number: 28″! We have snow drifts that are at least 3-4 ft high…..looks like I won the gentlemen’s bet!

Anyway, as usual I digress.

Here’s what Sweet Girl was able to capture from the warming comfort of our home.

But first…..In case you are wondering about the barnyard…..

It took us 4 hours to dig our way to the barnyard. We dug at the rate of 100 ft and hour! I finally dug out the last bit to rescue the chickens. They were complaining like it was my fault. They managed to bless me with 7 eggs though. God bless their little feathers! They kept saying, “we don’t like being cooped up!” NOTE TO SELF: NEVER NEVER NEVER BUILD A GATE THAT OPENS IN!

The cows now have a circle that I dug out so they can get a little exercise as they get dizzy doing laps in the corral around 3-4 ft mounds of snow. I’m glad they get along because it’s going to be a very long time before they wonder out in the pasture.

I hope to get out with a camera today since it’s stopped snowing and I don’t have a shovel in my hand….poor Honey he’s still digging just to try and find our cars.

This is my favorite…Sweet Girl has a wonderful eye.

I wouldn’t want you to think Sweet Girl shot this one….I’m a photographer in training.

She kept saying “you need a tripod”…although I don’t have one, she does…but the sun was setting behind the farmhouse and I wanted it.

The Ranger didn’t get moved to the front end of the driveway…too late now!

All the pics that Sweet Girl shot are linked to her website….and please do have a look.

She has amazing macro on her Flickr. We would of had some great snowflake shots, but her macro lens is broken.

She has pics from the latest wedding she shot at Christmas time.

CRISPSEPTEMBER PHOTOGRAPHY.COM

The Long Winter

I’m convinced IF I believed in a former life….this was me. Caroline Ingalls. She was an incredible woman of faith, honor, patience and endurance. She had a quiet strength that defined her. When I home-schooled my kids many moons ago, this was my all time favorite. I read the Little House Series out loud and taught using a unit study. Reading out loud to my kids is my most favorite and treasured memory. I remember well The Long Winter.

We are in the midst of a blizzard in the Mid-Atlantic Region and it fondly reminds me of The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. If I wanted 2-3 ft of snow overnight…..well, I’d be living in Maine. BUT I don’t and I don’t.  No matter, we will be having white out blizzard conditions overnight and into Saturday.

I just shoveled my way to the barn Wednesday when the forecast of 1-3″ turned into 6″. Nothing new there. We live right on the edge of zone 6 & 7 and I’m not sure if that’s why we always end up with over the forecasted estimates.

Photo Credit: Elmer and Tenney

Tonights forecast is somewhere between 18-24″. We’ve taken some gentlemen bets in our house and Honey is betting 18-24″. I’m betting 24-30″. Sweet Girl’s been sick and could care less, just so she can get out by 4PM and get to work on Saturday…good luck Sweet Girl! The Tender Hearted Warrior is in the mountains where he is at college and he’s hunkered down with a flashlight and TP! He warms my heart. I made sure that he had plenty of food in his frig, so that’s taken care of. In fact, he’ll probably pull out our traditional snow day meal….Chili!

I’m not sure why, but when it snows I make Chili. So, Wednesday was a double batch of Chili which we used as a bribe for our widower neighbor who plows us out! Friday night I fixed honey baked chicken and blackberry cobbler to keep us fed for the weekend….JUST in case the power goes out and besides, comforting food helps calm the nerves. This snow is very heavy and has me a bit nervous…that’s just me. The generator is ready and we’ve got plenty of gas to keep things going until they get the electric back on. The oil lamps are always ready, because you never know when you might need them. We’ve got our wind-up radio and plenty of knitting and books.

I put up  a load of hay on Thursday because we’re expecting more snow for several days in the coming week, moved a bag of oats to the barn and piled the hay in the barn for midnight snacking!

I coaxed the chickens into their coop for a long couple days and they complained the entire way.

I plan to tie a rope to my waste in the morning as I make my way down the hill to the barnyard. In case I don’t come back, Honey can pull in the rope!

And I’ve purchased a luge so I can start practicing for the Olympics!!!!!!

Photo Credit: DIETMAR REKER

Might as well make the most of all this snow!

UPDATED INFO ON THE BLIZZARD OF 2010. OVERNIGHT WE HAD 2-3″ PER HOUR OF SNOW. OUR AVERAGE SNOWFALL FOR THIS AREA OF THE MID-ATLANTIC IS 18.2 FT. TO DATE WE’VE HAD 35.6 THIS SEASON AND THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THIS STORM. AS OF 7:45AM BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON AIRPORT IS REPORTING 21″. WE HAVE ANOTHER 12 HOURS OF SNOW LEFT IN THIS STORM……….I SHOULD OF LEFT MORE HAY OUT FOR THE COWS…..I MIGHT NOT GET THERE UNTIL MONDAY!

PICS FROM EARLY SATURDAY MORNING

We’ve got to get the roofs cleared first. The shed has at least 2-3 ft of drifted snow on the roof.

The deck has to be cleared so it doesn’t collapse.

And the animals are 250′ from the house….under 2-3 ft of snow….I hope everyone is doing ok. My chickie girls are complaining I’m sure. Joy & Josie are wondering why I haven’t come to give them some yummies. They stare up at the house all morning…especially at 8AM. I’m telling you they bought a Timex somewhere.

Honey and I have been up since 4AM and he just couldn’t wait any longer. My man is the hardest working man I’ve ever known…well, next to his 88 yr old dad!

That’s usually where our cars are parked….but Honey moved them closer to the street JUST in case we can’t get the driveway cleared. Honey never misses a day of work and snow is no exception. Thank God today is Saturday or he’d be shoveling the street…..which by the way probably won’t be cleared until Sunday at the earliest. There is a State Of Emergency, so no one is suppose to be on the streets (fat chance anyway) unless it’s an emergency.

As I laid in bed at about 3:30AM, it was the eeriest feeling. It’s like living in a ghost town.

More new pics……Lady girl finally got out and was so relieved….now to convince Honey to take it easy. They call this heart attack snow…heavy and deep.

“Mom did you see all this stuff? How are we goin to get to the chickies and cowgirls???”

What’s a girl to do? I gotta pee….

Hey, how about some privacy!

Now let’s go see if I can help Dad.

Hey Dad, where are you? This is so cool…tunnels everywhere.

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