Quite Possibly the Cutest Commercial Ever

Alright, folks! Here we go again and just in time for the Super Bowl-- it's another heartwarming commercial from the Budweiser Clydesdales.


Charlie's gonna need a puppy someday, right? Right?

So Much Snow!

I moved to Michigan about 4 1/2 years ago. I arrived at the beginning of summer, where I discovered how nice it is to live somewhere where it doesn't get scorching hot and you can actually enjoy the season outside. The first three winters here were relatively mild-- not so cold that you couldn't enjoy the great outdoors. And then came the winter of 2013-14 with its polar vortexes, frigid temperatures, and SNOW. We have never seen this much snow in a Michigan winter before, which makes plowing the driveway with the Little Mean Green Machine quite challenging for a novice tractor driver.

In all honestly, if I had experienced a winter like this one when I first moved to Michigan, I probably would have packed my bags and headed South. But, the last three "mild" winters helped prepare me for the current weather.

Last Friday we had a winter storm blow through with high winds and a fair bit of snow. I awoke Saturday morning to find the farm taken over by snow drifts...

There are actual stairs leading up to the driveway under the snow... It took me awhile to dig myself out so it was safer to walk back and forth to the barn.

The snow drifted halfway up the sides of the barn.

Fortunately the snow was really light so the tractor had no problem backing out. (And yes, that's a picture of the tractor in the foreground! Maybe one day I'll post a picture of the whole thing...)

Charlie didn't have any problems getting around in the snow. Especially if moving meant getting more hay to eat.

Rest in Peace, Kobe

It is with heavy hearts that we had to say good bye to one of our dearest friends on Sunday. Kobe is no longer with us. He was running, collapsed, took a couple of breaths and passed on. His best human friend was by his side. If he had to go, he went out the best way possible.

Here are a few a lot of pictures of Kobe. He didn't get as much coverage as some of the other critters on this blog, but he didn't mind letting them take the spotlight. He was one of the best dogs ever.

Kobe came to us from a farm in South Carolina. His mom was a Golden Retriever and his dad was an Alaskan Malamute. He was such a good dog-- he came to us at 7 weeks already housebroken, and the only thing he ever chewed was a cookbook (okay, cookbooks)... and a newspaper... and there was that time he grabbed my corn muffin off the table (but he dropped it right away!).

While in his lighter days when he only weighed about 40 lbs, he used to drag us around the neighborhood on walks. (We finally  got a Gentle Leader which worked wonders). He only barked when necessary and got along well with everyone. He was a champ during our two-day drive from Georgia to Michigan, and LOVED living in the cooler weather, pouncing through the snow, and running through the hayfield.

We miss you, Kobe!

The day after we brought Kobe to our home in South Carolina.

 

 

Long legs and big paws

He LOVED to run!

Kobe wasn't too sure about his new dog bed, but after a couple of weeks it became is #1 hangout in the house.

Flossing? Or rope bone destruction?

Out for a walk at Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina.

Hiking at Kings Mountain in North Carolina.

When we moved to Michigan, his inner Malamute shined through as evidenced by his love to run and roll in the snow.

Out on farm patrol.

My favorite picture!

Rogue Chicken

One of the chickens has gone rogue. She's been out of the coop for almost a month and refuses to go back in. I've managed to capture her and return her to the flock twice, but she always leaves the coop with the intention never to return.

In the meantime, she scavenges the barn looking for any spilled feed, and cleans up any oats the horses don't eat. She gets her water from the cat's bowl and roosts in the stall right next to the coop.

Rogue chicken's roost.

She's laying eggs (probably about 3-4 a week), but it took me a while to find her nesting spot in the hay bales.
 

Rogue's egg-laying hay bale. As you can see by the darker brown egg, she's wasn't the only chicken laying outside of the nest boxes.

My fear is that the other chickens will follow her example and not go into the coop at night. The coop itself is very secure, while the rest of the barn is not. And, we have had our share of possum encounters.

Rogue may be destined for the stew pot sooner rather than later.

Frozen Egg

Q. Ever wonder what happens to an egg when the mercury dips below freezing? (Okay, probably not. I never did until I started keeping chickens).

A. The inside of the egg will expand, and can crack the egg. If it freezes enough, the white of the egg can ooze out of the egg.

The cracked eggs make their way into the garbage can. It's seems like a waste, but I don't want to take any chances if the shell has been cracked.

Surviving the Polar Vortex

I'm happy to report that everyone survived Day 1 of the 2014 Polar Vortex, and our prospects look good for Day 2. The horses eagerly came out of their shed to get their morning ration of hay, Sassy meowed incessantly until she was fed, and the chickens hopped off their roost and started their day with water and Flock Raiser, and had laid two eggs before I left for work this morning.

This photo was taken last week. It's too cold for humans or dogs to be roaming around the open fields with a wind chill below -20 degrees.

Honestly, getting the outdoor chores finished has not been pleasant. The cold cuts through five layers of clothing, two layers of socks and insulated boots, and chills you to the core. Wearing my trusty gator from Duluth Trading has really helped keep my face out of the weather, but for the first time in my life I felt my eyelids get cold (or maybe it was my eyeballs, too). I had NO IDEA that your eyelids could feel cold.

Outdoor excursions have been limited to no more than 30 minutes. Fortunately most of the chores require moving around, which keeps the warm blood pumping.

Jenna at Cold Antler Farm has a really great blog post today about staying warm, and how our society is used to on-demand, instant comfort. She offers a nice perspective on being "cold" and working for warmth at http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/2014/01/warm.html.

Snowy Ponies

Charlie and Jubi show off their winter blankets.

We are in the midst of a winter storm, and the coldest weather I have ever experienced with wind chills below -20 degrees!. The horses will stay outside (they do have access to a shelter to get out of the wind), and I'm sure Jubilee has weathered storms like this before. The chickens are snug in the coop and Sassy is huddled in her box in the barn. And Kobe is enjoying the good life indoors!