Still Looking For Snow

January 2011 Pasture, no snow

Happy 2012, Everyone!  Do you know what I keep thinking about?  That this year (this month actually), I will turn 53 years old.  LOL, that's not as bad as it sounds because I kept thinking I already was 53 ((grin)) - I guess I "gained" a year! 

It's January 2nd already and still no snow for us, unless you count the two times snow fell but we got less than an inch. 

We've had a lot of rain and we're thankful for the moisture.  But all of this wet and warm winter weather is truthfully hard on livestock.  Its hard to keep the barns clean and dry, the lanes (pathways the sheep use to go back and forth to pasture) are rutted and muddy and difficult.  I'm lucky that our sheep are able to chose whether they want to be in or out of the barn and you might be surprised to learn that they will stay outdoors on bitterly cold and snowy days, but tend to stay indoors when it's windy and rainy.  I was seriously thinking about going ahead and shearing last month, and I kinda wish I would have gotten that done.  The picture above was taken on January 4th, 2011.  Here is one taken yesterday, January 1, 2012:

Pasture, January 2012

Notice anything similar?  Right, no snow (that and the section of fence boards missing).  Am I the only one who thought we had a lot more snow last year?  Well, we did have but obviously not at the beginning of the year! 

Over the weekend, weather men were predicting a terrible storm for us and we prepared accordingly.  We were under a winter storm advisory.  I spent the morning closing up barn windows, nailing them down (jobs we usually do around the first of November!)  I had some small pieces of equipment in the big barn here that needed to go into "storage" at the Burnham barn, so I took care of that.  I changed some water tanks from the large metal stock tanks that freeze easily to the heavy black ones that are easier to break ice out of.  I bedded all of the animals with fresh straw - the chickens; the horse in his three-sided shed; the boy sheep in their lean-to and of course the ewes (expectant mamas and juevinile yearling girls)  When I finished up night chores I locked the barn doors up tight and came to the house, listening to the wind howling in the top of the pine trees.  In the house, I made sure that both Bill and I were freshly showered and all of the laundry was done up.  I drew extra water and made sure the oil lamps were ready to go.

We got nothing.  But boy, I felt good being all prepared!  There is probably a lesson in that, somewhere.

Still, its a long way till spring and I'm sure we will still see snow.  Just take a look at a few more pictures from 2011, taken in February ~

Very pretty and it sure cleans things up, doesn't it?  But, can I tell you a secret?  Other than the sloppy barnyards, I haven't minded not having to wade through snow that reaches my knees to get to the barn or try to keep the wheelchair ramp and driveway clear of ice and snow so that I can get Bill safely to the van when we need to get out.

Well, no matter where you are at...whether you have snow or winter rains or if it is warm where you are....no matter what, I pray that January 2012 is giving you the chance to look forward from the day and that it will be a good year, come what may!