Thick Ice
As you know the day before yesterday it was warm and much of the snow began to melt, then in the night the temperatures dropped and a cold Northerly wind came up and by yesterday morning the slushy snowy covering on the ground had been turned to heavy ice. Not a crust of ice. Polished hard packed Ice right to the ground. Do you remember those old cartoon drawings of the wind with the fat cheeks blowing icy air onto someone who then turns rigid and cracks up into a million pieces. Well that is what it was like yesterday. 
Thank goodness for my Swedish snow boots with the sprigs. Yesterday was a day that reminds one that we should not take easy walking for granted.
I spent most of the day carting manure out of the barn cleaning up the cows beds. 
My cows are getting dirty. When it is very cold the manure is frozen solid, a raise in the temperature and they get dirty. I use a deep litter system as you know, just keeping their beds clean is enough for me. 
How this bird stays clean in the barn I do not know. I have discovered why he has broken feathers, when he is down eating, the kittens play with his tail. Poor old Godot. Harassed by kittens. 
I have started counting the hay bales. We have at least two months of feeding-out to go before there will be any grass in the fields. 
Here is a shot of Sheila and Poppy from the loft. Sleeping as usual. 
LuLu seems to be featuring in pictures today. Usually she is far from the camera. Not being much of a people cat. Very self contained girl that she is.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farm
celi
32 Comments on “Thick Ice”
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your pictures are so beautiful..you are multi-talented what with farming, teaching, writing….. Cold here also in Bulgaria , it snowed again last night and temperatures dropped..brrrr
Have a lovely day
After 4 beautiful spring like days we are about to get hit with the frozen stuff too. Luckily we have had no snow so it is just the ground that will freeze. Which is a shame as I can see green shoots coming up in the ground, tempted by the warmth we have had. Even my fish in the pond were active yesterday and I had to tell them to go back to sleep!
BRRRRR! You take care there – we don’t want you slipping and breaking bones before your moment of glory (or ever, come to think of it). I had to laugh at that picture of Godot and your words “harrassed by kittens”.
Love,
ViV
I so love your farm, Celi. And I so hate my new computer at the moment. I don’t think I can write the guest post for you this week with my email down and I am soooo sorry. Plus we have bush fires everywhere and some a bit close – smoke everywhere. Is there any chance you could just grab a post I’ve already written? xxx
No worries at all darling girl. I will put the call out for another Aussie contributor. You keep your eyes on those fires..much more important.. take care.. give my love to the oldies!! c
Lovely shots of the barn…but how ’bout a pic of those hardworking Swedish snow boots? It’s funny how some tools/items of clothing are essential to “getting stuff done!” Great winter post! Cheers, Ben
Morning Ben, i will take a shot for you today, and try to find the label for you. They are well into their second year and still as good as new, and literally life saving around here though hard on the barn ladder.. are you icy where you are? c
I’m in Northern Kentucky near the Ohio River. It’s been fairly mild this winter, especially compared to last. We seem to be getting missed by all the storms sweeping across the country. Stay warm! 😉
We’ve had some of that nasty ice also. More expected today. I’d much rather have snow.
I agree Audrey, at least you get a work out walking through snow, this slow terrifying shuffle with buckets in either hand is pretty mad.. Still we are over half way through the winter now? I think? c
Naughty kitties!!!! Poor Godot! Poppy looks so small next to Sheila…. Our Ms Sheila is one long piggy!
So are we absolutely sure Queenie is not with calf? She her milk bag looks so large next to the other girls. Careful with all that ice!!!!
Wish I could wrap our weather and send it to you in a small box….. 79 yesterday and 77 predicted today. Texas weather – so unpredictable!
Queenie is absolutely not pregnant. Those dutch belted do have tiny bags tho. it will be interesting to see how much milk they produce.. c
Oh dear, Godot, how tantilising your tail feathers must be to kittens.
I was thinking Queenie’s rear looks huge compared to the other girls. I don’t think it is her milk bag we are seeing but her rump roasts. She has definitely become queen sized. Her photo should really be proof to those growers who don’t think you can get weight on cattle without large amounts grain being fed, Good grass and hay can do the job, just not as quickly. Do you think Poppy will be as large as Sheila eventually?
Yes, grass fed does take longer. And with all the walking the tasty fat goes into little pockets in the meat, not those huge yellowish fattened-in-a-hurry slabs of fat. anyway Poppy!? Well she is a different colour and has quite a different face plus more than half her feed is alfalfa, so I don’t think she will get as big, maybe as long though.. we will see I suppose.. c
I should have clarified that I meant as long as Sheila. As I remember Charlotte was a rather long pig too. I like Poppy’s coloring, she is rather vivid and ilooks a lot like Queenie. I like a deep red Hereford cow and evidently that type of Hereford pig too. I think Poppy won’t equal Sheila in total size, especially if she breeds and has piglets. That will pull energy she would put towards size into gestating her babies. I hope she does breed because I like seeing those cute little piggy pictures and not having to care for and/or chase said little piggies.
I hope to breed her the week after I get home from California.. as long as she runs to her schedule
You be real careful Celi, I’m glad you have some Swedish boots to keep you from falling. Sheila and Poppy know what to do on a day like that…..sleep.
Dirty cows! There was I thinking you had a walk through shower, a little like a coin operated car wash, for Daisy, Elsie, Lady Astor et al to waltz through each morning. Please don’t you go waltzing on that ice, you will need your glamour shoes for the bloggy event!
Such lovely photos… your candid shots always have me feeling like I just took a little walk out to help with chores (and you know I would help!!). I wish I could huff and puff some of these 70’s and nearly 80 degree temps to those of you up in the deep freeze. Today is the last day of the warm stuff for us… an Arctic front is headed south again. I’ll be working in the woods today… enjoying what I have of this unexpected winter splendor.
ROFL – poor Godot! Those pigs will need ice skates 😉
You make my day. Reminds me so much of our days on the farm. I would love to send you a photo of our back yard but not sure how to do that.
Have a great day.
Do you spread the manure and deep litter from the cows on the fields in spring? I always wonder at people who use artificial fertilisers on their crops or pasture when they have the real thing at hand. You’re taking virtue out of the soil when you take a harvest off it, whether a crop or grazing, and what it produces should be returned to it in the form of muck from the cows and pigs, and manuring by the chooks ranging on it. OK, I’ll get off my soap box now, because I know I’m preaching to the converted already! Stay safe on your Farmy skating rink today, Miss C, and if you get too cold, just snuggle down between those two piggies, they’ll keep you warm!
Yes one field per year gets a covering (though i do not have a manure spreader so i throw it over the fields the hard way,) but a lot of it goes to the compost piles for the gardens. c
You are always so busy … love the pics Celi.
I suppose from the kitties point of view Godot looks like wonderful cat toy. At least in the chill, there are no flies and you get to stay warm shoveling manure. Regardless of our vocations, there’s always something. Be careful 🙂
I was just thinking of the joy of no flies the other day.. funny how you forget them when they are not there!
Looks like Sheila has a hint of a waistline!
Now just why is my eye always drawn to those developing tummies these days 🙂 ?
Oh my … I had to laugh at the culprit(s) of Godot’s tail-damage!!
No respect!!
Poor Godot! I imagine that tail is quite a draw for energetic kittens.