An Early Spring???

We have had a mild winter thus far.
There was snowfall but it was brief and temperatures were unusually warm again in just a couple of days.
In contrast to this past summer when temperatures soared and the animals suffered and some died due to the heat, this winter of mild temps has been welcomed. Of course, this being Oklahoma, the weather can take a turn for the worst without nary a moment's notice.
But for now, while I'm taxiing kids here, there, and everywhere it's nice that I'm not nervous about icy roads or whether-or-not one of the sweet cherubs has forgotten their coat.
Walking in the woods, back by the lake last week, the children and I spotted many signs of spring creeping in early. Up here at the house, the tulips that I put in last fall are pushing up through the ground as well as the other early-flowering plants.
Before we know it spring will be here in all her glory!





Spring here means tornado weather, in other words scanning the clouds for rotation within wall clouds, cleaning out the cellar, baseball practices and games, and bucket-calves arriving.
It means yelling at the kids to take their shoes off before coming into the house due to the increased trips to the barn to take care of new calves.





The smell of milk replacement permeates the house and the presence of large feeding bottles begging to be washed constantly causes irritation to all those trying to get to the kitchen sink.
This past Sunday I made a trip to town for groceries and stopped by one of the local farm supply stores. They already had their chicks, ducks, and guineas for sale. Wonderfully, I walked around the large tubs lit up bright yellow by their individual heat lamps and peered in at all the sweet, fluffy cuteness.
Peep, peep, peep, peep...as the little fluffy tushes scurried about or huddled sleepily together.
I told myself, "Resist and the devil, will flee," or in my case the temptation to call my husband and plead that we could put just a few in the schoolroom for just a few weeks and then kick them out to the coop.
But who was I kidding, winter is not over, and this is Oklahoma after all.
Besides, the large rubber feeding tub I've used in the past for the small ones was currently out in the calf pen being used by the five bovine behemoth's and their offspring.
There were strikes against me from all sides, I was hemmed in, and there was no getting around it.
No farm supply chicks this late winter/spring!
But I have a plan.



Remember Mr. Incredible...the incredibly mean rooster that my husband killed last summer? Well, the one sole survivor of the chick crop from last summer lives on. That's right, Mr Incredible has a son, and he's the spittin' image of his cantankerous dad. And rather fittingly his name is, Dash.
Dash and his harem will supply me with a fresh crop of chickens, I just know it...or I think so anyway.
We will see, we will see.
Counting my chickens before they hatch,
& looking forward to Spring,
Julie

And About That Snowstorm

It snowed here...a lot.
Twelve plus inches with wonderfully tall snowdrifts.
The university where Tim works is closed, which absolutely never happens.
It has been for three days straight...wonders never cease.
The temperatures have been unbearably cold. Last night it dipped several degrees below zero. Our highs have been in the single digits up until today.
My poor Buff Orpington rooster, Mr. Incredible, suffered frostbite on his comb which means no Grand Champion ribbon at the county fair for him.
I still regret I didn't name him Larry Boy (long sigh).
Rooster names are fun to come up with.
Here are a few photos I would like to share.

This is Sammo's puppy.
She loves the snow.


This is the gate that leads to the pasture.


I think bones are interesting, beautiful subjects for photos, and I keep many of the bones we find out here. I have another cow skull on the porch that the dogs drug up in the pasture.
And last year they brought us a beaver skull. It's in the school room.
I enjoy taking it to Sunday School also, especially when we have a lesson on creation.


When the storm blew in Monday night, the wind gusted up to forty-five mph at times and kept it up throughout the night and through Tuesday evening. We literally had blizzard-like conditions...something usually very alien to us.
Our cellar lies under these drifts.


Much of Central Oklahoma's roads look like this right now.
We haven't seen much traffic.


And here is some wonderfully striated patterning in the snow caused by the wind! I love the contrasts in shadowing and light.


I took this Tuesday evening after the storm.
It's a phenomenon known as a sun pillar.
You can go here to read the explanation for it.


Well, that's a wrap.
Gotta go feed some hungry people, it's my job.
And clean the kitchen...and watch the weather while I'm at it...and hope...and even prayer for an early Spring.
Blessings, Julie