Winter has arrived....

From fall to winter in just 24 hours.  That's how we do it up North.  Yesterday I walked in The Woods (our shelter belts) with branches and dry leaves crackling underfoot, and today I plodded through over a foot of snow through the same woods.  I call it a "walk" but it is much more like a slow plod.  It's a tougher walk, but I enjoy it anyway.  Thankfully the snow was soft and fluffy.  I could have worn my snowshoes, but they aren't much good on fluffy snow.  They're better for hard wind-driven snow.

Last night Old Man Winter crawled in with a few flakes gently falling down, and this morning we woke up to his delivery of 12" of snow.  The snow continued falling for most of the day.  We spent all day tractoring-out snow from the around the barns and lots and later snow was moved away from stockades so straw bedding could be laid down for the cattle to sleep on tonight.  Our high temp for the day was 20* and that's going to be as good as it gets for the remainder of the week.  Tonight we're expecting high winds and plummeting temps down below zero.  Harsh.

 Do you see Sue way out in the middle?

 I went out to the chicken coop to check on the hens.  That snow on top is going to insulate the coop about as good as anything could.  Thankfully, Hubs threw some nice, dry straw down on the dirt floor for the girls.  They appreciated it.  I carried out hot water for their drinking bucket and fed them an extra scoop of pellet and wheat this afternoon.

Sweet Buffy (Buff Orpington)

The hens have been laying well this fall.  I'm hopeful they'll continue to produce through the deep freeze we're about to experience.  Cold often puts a damper on egg laying.  I'm sometimes less productive when the cold hits too.  I've got the wood stove burning to keep us warm inside, and for the outside, I dug out my bigger, warmer winter coat from the closet and the woolly pants I wear every winter.  Thankfully, the UPS man brought our Duluth Trading Co. order yesterday.  Our tootsies are nice and toasty now with our new work socks.  Ahhhhh, what a treat. 

How's the weather where you are?  Is the COLD on it's way to you?  Or are you in the midst of it?  Stay safe and warm, friends!