Yay! We’ve made it to January and we’re starting to notice the difference of longer days. See ya darkness!
Winter can be a bit of a quieter time on the farm, but looking back through my pictures I noted there’s been several updates. One of my biggest joys right now is that we’re no longer in the -30 Celcius weather and it’s eased up quite nicely to just below freezing. But…with -30 you can do some interesting things….
One big change I was super excited about is that my chickens are no longer free-loaders! We’ve got some full grown hens that have left behind their pullet (teenager) months and are now laying some eggs. I was soooooooooooooooo excited going into the coop one day and finding a green egg!
They are this really pretty sage/olive colored egg (photos don’t do them justice). It also meant that my single Ameracauna that we (my chicken mentor and I) thought was a rooster was in fact a hen! She listened! I’ve been trying to convince her she’s a hen since she hatched. Thanks Egger!
At the beginning of December I let Rammy Lamby in with the sheep. It was time for him to quit slacking and get to work!
Come May I should start enjoying my first batch of bouncing baby lambs. In the meantime, these ones seemed to catch a bit of spring fever and decided to put on a hilarious little show for me.
Bear, the husky/lab/collie mix featured on the cover photo has made a decision to begin marathons this month. Since his husky runs deep he has to be kept in a pen when I’m not outside with him, otherwise he runs away. For the last several weeks though, even with me out and keeping an eagle eye on him he is still managing to bolt and run rampant through the few mile loop he seems to do. He’s never been quite this ornery about it before and I’m not sure how to get him to stop. You cannot discipline this dog….I’ve nicknamed him Happy Happy. So, for now, unsure what else to do, we enjoy each others company while he’s forced to stick by me on a leash.
And of course! Christmas!!! My favorite week of the year! I say week because I’m not much about the “before” stuff. We usually get a tree up….but getting it up on the 23rd is not uncommon. I have one tote that holds a bunch of unused lights, my tree decorations and a few other festive nick nacks. Neil and I enjoy shopping for Christmas presents together. It’s fun getting the girls a surprise or something unexpected. I like to think that I’m a grateful person throughout the year, but at Christmas I just feel such a peace and contentment that spreads to every part of my being.
We have a good little family routine each year. On Christmas Eve Neil’s side of the family puts on a massive meal with all sorts of home-made Ukrainian bests like perogies and cabbage rolls. We gorge ourselves, several times, it’s a day long event, and hang out and visit and play games. This year we rented a small hall. Neil’s immediate family, his mother and siblings, have grown and there was 42 ish of us this year gathered! Brother Brad wasn’t sure how many points this hand of crib was worth. Don’t worry, we razzed him.
All four daughters come out, bringing their spouses, partners and some years friends and they all spend the night. The house looks like a giant camp-out with air mattresses and people everywhere. I cannot tell you how much I cherish this!!!! I know as they continue to get older and someday have their own children this routine will likely change. Every year I just thank goodness they still come on out. Christmas morning is the waking up and present opening with “the girls” (they’re mid-20s to 30s lol). Then back to the hall for some breakfast and then off to my parents’ place. My side is a much smaller affair, which is equally cherished after the bigness of the day before. My mom, dad, Neil, sister and nephew are constants and then there’s usually a few extras from various places added in. This year Neil and I brought Adolf, who moved in with us mid-November. Adolf spent the majority of his life as a farm hand, travelling where he wanted and where there was work. His feet were getting restless at the supportive living lodge where he was living (where I used to work) and we thought he may enjoy living with us and having the opportunity to putter on the farm.
That is our winter hightlights, so far! See you again in February
