The wind died down yesterday.
I don’t care how it died frankly, as long as it was gone.
We all crept up out from behind our shelters, sniffing the air. The snow gently falling, in no hurry to go anywhere.
Did you see Mama, she seldom comes out into the field nowadays. Preferring to stick closer to the barn.
Sheila on the other hand was everywhere yesterday. Her nose in everything, following me about. Her ears are so annoying that to see something clearly, she has to raise her head up high, and shake, peering between her ears with each shake of her head.
A day without howling wind and driving snow felt like a gift from the gods.
Kupas feather has been attached to this fence for months now. It is one of my little memories of him.The snow was drifty, almost friendly.
This morning I awoke to silent freezing rain coating the windows like stipply opaque 1950’s backdoor glass. If you wear glasses take them off and look out your window, that is what we can see. Through the ice there is shimmering, fuzzy snow falling thickly onto the fresh frozen ice that is now laid like a vast sheet on the old frozen ice.
Good morning. My icebug boots will be earning their keep this morning. The cleats on the gumboots I keep for dirty work. And popping to and fro for firewood. ( The icebug boots have such sharp spikes on the bottom that they leave marks on the wooden verandah floor). But today I am bringing out the big guns, it is going to be exceptionally slick out there.
But it is warm (just below freezing) and there is no wind.
I have been in touch with Bob, whose kunekune mama has gone into the delivery room as her piglets are due. He will email us pictures as soon as all their little feet are on the ground. It is her first time, so she is not expected to have too many but I hope that we can have one of these, and I hope we can collect our new pig before I start to milk Daisy. The timing will be pretty tight. But as usual I am getting ahead of myself. But as I have said before getting ahead of yourself is better than having to pull out and pass yourself!
No point in getting in your own way.
There is no dawn yet but the day looks so interesting that I think I will start early and see what is going on in the barn.
I hope you all find a little loveliness in your day. Don’t forget to look for it. Even if it is a funny pig lifting her head and flapping her ears so she can see you clearly.
Your friend on the farmy
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
61 responses to “The snow stood still in the air.. thinking its little think”
Cecilia, who is that peeking in on the last picture with Sheila? It looks like Boo but maybe it’s BigDog.
I’m glad you have lovely mementos of Kupa. The death of such beauty is very hard to accept.
Could you wrap Sheila’s ears in an Aunt Jemima scarf the way we do after washing our hair–so she can see better?
And I’m not sure if I saw Mama. There are 4 sheep, right? Meadow, Mama, Minty and Tilly.
That is Boo Bum popping his head through wondering if I can see the stick he dropped through the door. Yes there are four, Mama is all the way in the back of that first shot, standing outside the barn door. She is a tired old lady this winter.. c
Good to hear the bug boots are getting tested.
I always think sheep are white until I see them against the snow
I have been wearing them daily, we have a lot of ice, but i do like my old comfy NZ gmboots.. c
ah, its good to see Sheila back into the fold where she belongs..you can tell by the look on her little face that she is happy again…the sheep look contented so all is right with the world.
Maybe Sheila needs a ribbon to tie her ears back so that she can see…..only a thought!
I am sure Sheila would love a ribbon.. c
I was going to say she needs a headband! heh heh
Really good to see Mama again. That is one happy pig, that Sheila! I hope that she and the baby kunekune get along famously.
That last photo…PERFECT for the post card series!!!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
I know how Shelia feels, I act the same way every time I come home after a trip- without the problematic ears of course! I feel for you all up in the frozen tundra, we have had a cold winter for us but cold in Texas is just not the same.
So you have to contend with the stick obstacle course too……….first the frozen pose catches my eye….dog on point, gaze fixed firmly ….then I see the stick or ball. If I’m not quick enough dog races in and hurls it at me again. Very funny. Morning Celi.
Good morning Nanette, that is exactly what Boo does too, throws it to me. i have to catch it in midair.. c
We’re bring dumped on as I write this comment. We’ve been out shovelling already once and I suspect there will be another! It’s heavy too. There is not much space to put this extra snow. I’m already having to lift it up more than a metre! I’m done with winter.
You are having a terrible time, where does all this snow come from?.. c
Just had a great wander about the farm, Celi. I’ve been sporadic about blog visits and always love to catch up. Confession: I’m glad I wasn’t aware of Sheila’s experience while it was happening. Reading about her was possible knowing she was back home and rooting about. So sorry about Kupa. Sigh.
I just called a fellow-Aquarian friend to wish him happy birthday. Turns out he’s as soft as me about animal stories. He never did get through Bambi. Couldn’t watch Lassie. They were torturous in parts for me, as well. We laughed at ourselves and empathised harmoniously.
As a kid, I read Black Beauty and My Friend Flicka once mom told me we’d have a good talk about them when I was finished each book.
So I will ever have the picture of you lying beside Sheila in her fresh straw with your head resting lovingly on her. Yep, I’ve heard pigs sigh!
I do hope she can have babies because she is such a good piggie and has such a pragmatic forgiving nature.. Though today she is wandering too and fro in the snow barking at me.. and searching my hands for treats.. but no more sweet treats, she is on a diet! Apples only between meals from now on.. c
You know when I was a kid, I never read black Beauty, though there was a beautiful copy in my Dads library. Someone told me that it had a sad ending and I just could not bear it.. what a thing. c
That head on picture of Sheila doesn’t show any bulging belly or rolls of fat. She looks svelte to me. How about some low cal lettuce or other veggies for treats? More walks with Mom Celi? Too bad there is no such thing as a piggy treadmill,…..is there?
Ha ha , piggy tread mill, .. she was been wandering all over the show today.. the snow is too deep for a proper walk .. soon though.. c
I love your pictures!! They are just beautiful!!
Loved reading about another winter day on the farm, a nicer day before another onslaught. Is the new little piggy you are going to get like Ginger and Mary Ann over at Bee Haven Acres? I’ve never seen that breed in Kansas, but then I don’t know many people with pigs.
I shall pop over to Bee haven Acres and see.. Thank you joyce.. c
Kupa’s memorial feather… I know you have others but that one in the fence is particularly touching… possibly because I have similar simple little memento’s and in absentia of their owners they have a lot of emotional significance… 🙂
Very cool pig portrait….she’s one funny pig, that Sheila.
I love the Kupa feather. Miss A and I were just talking about him yesterday (she was looking at the pictures in our photo album from the farmy) and said how happy we were to have a little piece of him in our home as well. It makes us happy every time we look at the feathers – definitely a bit of loveliness to our days. 🙂