Last year was a mild winter, then we had a cool summer with lots of rain and now a very cold winter. I had never seen single digit temperatures before so was curious to see how 0 degrees F would feel. Well, it's pretty damn cold after about 10 or 15 minutes of having any skin exposed. Trying to water animals in below freezing temperatures is always an interesting undertaking too. The bowls or buckets of water from the previous watering are now solid blocks of ice and the hose is usually frozen despite having it stored in the heated well house. Once water is flowing you will inevitably spray yourself in the face or at least your gloves get wet and then turn to ice. Fun times on the farm.You can see that the sheep have snow on their backs, but they don't seem to mind. It is like a well insulated house that has snow on the roof and a fire inside. If the snow does not melt then it means the house is well insulated. So it goes with the sheep. I'd imagine a wool coat about 4 inches thick would keep you pretty warm. Thor is the same way. In single digit temps he likes to lay outside, in the shade, instead of inside the barn with a nice straw bed.
The hoop house was a big success with lots of lettuce and bok choy, which I recently sold to two customers that were very excited to have organic local produce in January. I still have spinach growing in there and will probably eat it myself. In just a few short weeks it will be time to start seeds for the spring garden. Here we go again.
My buddy Jerry brought his grandson over to catch a couple of trout in the pond. I then went over to his house to help him slaughter a couple of hogs. He in turn helped my slaughter and butcher two lambs. We both have our freezers full of meat and are talking about collaborating on a steer this year. As I write this blog, sausage from this hog is frying up on my stove and will be my supper. It is really good to have a friend and neighbor like that.
The duck is Mr. Peepers. I took a series of photos of him as he hatched and then as he grew. He became quite the celebrity on my facebook page. He is getting big now, living with the big ducks outside and is almost fully feathered. As soon as the cold weather breaks, I'll let him and his clutch mates out to forage and take a swim in the pond.
