Tag: snow

Father Winter’s Visit

Sheeps & Peeps5 Comments

Father Winter hunkered down for a visit over the holidays bringing all his friends – freezing fog, ice, wind and snow.

While making it difficult to get through daily chores, they have created a winter wonderland that is beautiful to behold.

Every surface is covered with ice.  Every tree is covered with frost.  Many times the same twig has hard rime on one side and soft rime on the other.  Blue skies have been rarely seen, but occasionally the sun would force its way through creating a world full of sparkle.

The sheep, along with the dogs, have packed down snowy paths and feeding areas.  They all really prefer to spend most of the time out in the midst of it all, seeming to only sheek shelter during the windiest of the storms.  Well equipped, by Mother Nature, they are constantly showing off all that wonderful, wooly insulation.

Sunday Muse

Sheeps & Peeps4 Comments
Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost 

After Sandy

Sheeps & Peeps13 Comments

A quick post to let you know that, yes, we are all ok.  Sandy hit our mountains with over 2 feet snow and drifts even higher.  Like much of the rest of our state we are without electricity.  We have a wood stove, and that is providing warmth.
Yesterday, feeding was done with snowshoes, and the tractor got hay to the top of the hill and the sheep in the back pasture.  Monday, we stockpiled hay in buildings closer to the some of the sheep.  A lesson learned from past snowstorms. 
As sometimes happens with big snowstorms, the animals have begun to rearrange themselves because they can walk over the temporary fencing dividing the pasture.  Bella, for the first time ever, has actually sought shelter and has hunkered down with two ewes in their small shed.  Although you can’t see their fencing at all, so far the rams have stayed in their small paddock.   Just in case they decide to wander, the corral gate was shoveled out and closed.  And those lambs that were shorn on Saturday, well don’t worry about them.  They are tucked away snug in the barn. 
Thank you, everyone, for all your thoughts and prayers.   The blizzard warning has been lifted, but we’re under a winter storm warning today for three to five more inches.  Roads are getting re-opened, so hopefully the lights will come back on soon.  We’re praying for all those who were hit much harder and are so much less fortunate than us.  We’ll keep you updated as we can. 

solstice to solstice :: white

Sheeps & Peeps3 Comments
white

The sun rose on fields
snow blown and misted
ghostly swirls and dervishes.
No fog this–––
for fog simply lies.
No–––this was living
as it arched and twisted,
fingering out to the road
and reaching for me
like the shade of a beloved friend.
There was white inside,
trying to seep out of pores,
I felt it strain
trying to mesh and meld
with this sentient wraith
fingers touching
joining
and suddenly
I am the morning mist
dancing in the crystal air.

‘Reaching for White’ by Lisa Shields

response to week 10 of the solstice to solstice project
with urban.prairie.forest
please check out all the wonderful contributions in the flickr pool

Weekend Snowstorm

Sheeps & Peeps3 Comments

After a very, very mild January, we finally had a much anticipated snowstorm over the weekend.  Despite the windchills of -10, the sheep were quite happy with the weather.  For the most part, they were content to remain out in the snow, and rarely sought the shelter of the barn.

Getting where you wanted to go was a bit of a challenge, as our road was not plowed until the storm was over, but we made it out and then down the old barn lane and back with a Ranger load of hay.  And of course that made everyone happy.

The only place that coming and going proved to be a real problem was in the barnyard.  The traffic snarl was a common occurance as no one wanted to veer off the beaten path.

Calendar Girl

Sheeps & Peeps11 Comments

At the urging of several friends and readers, we are considering producing a calendar for 2013.  Can you help us with some input.  Of the three photos in this post, which one would you prefer seeing in a Sheeps and Peeps Farm calendar? 
Number 1 – Aurora looking at you?
Number 2 – Aurora looking at you but with more mountain scenery in the background?
Number 3 – Aurora’s profile with mountain scenery?
Please post your input in the comments.  Thank you!

Sugar Frosted Mountains

Sheeps & Peeps6 Comments

Above the big turn at Bellview, you could begin to see a strange phenomenom this weekend.  It was not the sugar-frosted trees on top of the hills that we usually see, but pockets of sugar-frosting on the side of the hills; producing an eerie, ghostly, almost fog-like feeling in the mountains.

Closer to home, in our backyard, the strange sugar-frosting continued in the hills to the south and southwest.  It was almost as if something (the wind perhaps) had brushed the snow from the trees on the top of the hills leaving an outline; showing off their fancy curves.

We could also see this beautiful frosty coating looking from the barn, through the pasture.  Some of the trees on the side of the hill above Wolf Creek had a heavy coating of frosty snow that lasted through the weekend.  Could it have been caused by moisture coming up the hollow during the storm?  Whatever the cause, the storm left us with a lovely winter wonderland and contemplating the many artistic talents of Father Winter.