Bang, bang, bang.

Bang, bang, bang.

That's what is going on right outside on our front porch. Guys are here and they're putting up the framework to then install big windows to enclose our front porch for my dad. I think he'll love it! He stares out the front windows all the time now and now he'll be able to do that in a room with views in three different directions.

Oh and by "guys", I don't mean construction guys ... no just a bunch of family/friends.

And on another note, we only have 12 hens and yet we're getting like 20 some eggs every 24 hrs. Are these ladies unaware that it's barely been above freezing lately and that in the last month we've had like 3 feet of snow fall??? I'm thinking we might have to turn their heat lamp off for periods during the day. These egg numbers are ridiculous!

Sheepies

With the temperatures rising and the snow & ice melting, huge blocks of icy snow chunks have been sliding off the roofs of the barns and were creating actual walls of ice all around the buildings. For the poor little sheep, this is not good. So, shovels in hand, we went out determined to move this heavy combination of snow chunks (solid from turning into ice). It was quite a task! However, we were concerned that baby sheep might be on the way because about this time last year, we were waiting for Penny and Patty to be born.

Here's a photo of Olivia with Penny, her baby from last year, and Patty, Mellie's baby from last year. After tackling the task of removing the walls of snow (they were literally so big there was no way for the baby sheep to get out of their inside enclosures), we tackled something else - Penny! Do you see her eyes in that photo?! No!! That was exactly the problem. She couldn't see - not even to look for cookies when I tossed them at her because she was too nervous to approach me (since she couldn't see me either). So mom wrangled up Penny (not the easiest task) and then I cleaned the wool out and away from her eyes. Poor girl is seeing much better now.

Remember how I said Mellie was really unique? Well, it's true! Here she is again proving it...

Can you say extreme close up??? I snapped this photo of her while I guess she was trying to decide what's more important: cookies or the limelight. Silly girl!

I think the cookies won. :) After the things poor Penny had to endure to clean up her eyes, I thought lots of cookies (animal crackers) were in necessary. Not to mention, Penny and Patty we are trying to socialize a bit more - cookies definitely help with that. Though I just mentioned it was Penny (and Patty) that the cookies were really for, this photo is of Olivia and Mellie - the cookie monsters! Mellie absolutely embodies that nickname. At one point, she even tried to stick her nose into the big plastic container of animal crackers. Brat! Between tossing cookies to Penny and Patty (when Olivia and Mellie wouldn't get out of their way), Mellie seeming to have a bottomless pit and tossing handfuls of cookies every so often to Arthur (big daddy), I think we went through half a container of cookies/animal crackers that afternoon.

Ugh, the work that just went into the sheep that day! We dug away the slabs of icy snow that had fallen from the barn roofs, we cleared a path to the barn with the little "post delivery" box, we cleaned up Penny's eyes and then we spoiled them with lots of cookies. Wow! Ok, the last part was pretty fun, but still! I was pretty beat after all that.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch on the porch, the boys are sleeping soundly. No worries from them apparently...

Photos

I've been taking photos recently and plan on selling some when my mom opens her farm stand.


My aunt said this one takes the cake so far. Hooray!

Like it??? I'll be selling framed prints :)

Snow, snow, snow!

When they said we were getting hit with a lot of snow, I honestly didn't know just how serious they were. Sadly (or maybe thankfully?) I wasn't home for it - I was house sitting ... however, I was able to steal some photos from my mom, aunts who live near by and there's a few shots from where I'm house sitting too...

Farm







Aunts'


Housesitting



Rumor has it, more snow is on the way too in less than a week! February: the month of snow?