The Christmas decorations are being wrapped up and stowed. It's always a little sad to tuck them into their dark boxes and banish them to the garage. Chris brought me roses and it cheered me up considerably to have them to fill up the spaces where the cheery holiday decorations were.
The wild birds are eating epic amounts of seed. The thermometer is hovering in the low single digits and it must take a lot of fuel to keep them going. This wee red breasted nuthatch didn't mind a bit that I was there, inches away, filling the feeders. He was just waiting for more grub to appear. Oddly, I have a bluebird here. In January. In the bitter cold. He comes to the feeder and looks dissapointed. I have put out fruit and meal worms for him, and hope he finds enough to keep his inner furnace stoked.
I spent a few happy minutes trying to capture water dripping off the ice-cycles that decorate our eves. Out of 70 pictures, I got two. It was a fun challenge.
Of the many thoughtful gifts we received this Christmas, this one is especially terrific. Friends Megan and Scott used an old barn board and stenciled it with this nautical blessing that we love. I am trying it out in a variety of places to find where it belongs. I'll know it when I find it. It looks pretty good here.
Despite the brutal temperatures the animals seem to be doing well. The horse, donkey and goats eat and Eat and EAT some more, At night the goats sleep in a pile, sharing body heat. The ducks wisely keep to their house, instead of patrolling the pasture like they do in better weather. They come out only to drink and splash in the water pan when I fill it three times a day. A few brave chickens come out of the coop to potter about in the snow, but they don't stay out long, They are all on the roost early, ready for a long winters nap. I've been going to bed early, too. I agree with the chickens, long, cold winter nights are best spent sleeping under layers of feathers.
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