Winter in Vermont...a little late...

And here I thought Spring was right around the corner... ;)

Not your typical Vermont winter...

Now, I am not complaining - no, not at all - but this is not a typical Vermont winter.

Spike peers out the back screen door and grasps a scent of fresh air.  'Cause it is 38 degrees.  Seriously!!  This time last year, we were stuck in FEET of snow.

Not today.

Sugar is tramping on the strawberry patch.  I just hope the warm weather doesn't take that patch out of winter hibernation too early....

The ladies are enjoying a nice graze in the sun.  Not a normal occurence, which makes it all that much more special.

I can now see the ground that we will be planting in a few short months.  I placed the first seed order yesterday, and am eagerly awaiting the excitement of starting my seedlings.

Spring is truely right around the corner...

Chickens in the winter? Not so much fun.... ;)

Let me first say, I love my chickens.

I know that they are technically livestock, but they have become pets in a sense.  My kids talk with them, we pet them, in the summer months, we can be found gardening with them.  They are curious creatures and surprisingly funny in their antics.

But, serious, in the dead of winter, it can be hard to remember this.

Yesterday, the temps fell below zero, but I still needed to go out, open coop doors, give them food and water, and plug in their heat lamp.  And it was quite the process.

Food and water - no problem, easy-peasy.  We can handle that.

Opening up the coop and turning on the light?

Well, that is another story.

The coop is basically a big cube on stilts that my husband built.  The body of the creation itself is about 3 or 4 ft cubed.  A great amount of space - more than enough room for our feathered ladies.

But it is a difficult space to crack into.  It goes like this.

- Get bundled up, and trudge out into the early morning, very dark back yard. 

- Hope quickly not to surprise any coyotes in the yard.

- Find coop surrounded by snow.

- Shovel said snow.

- Try to open large access door to coop.

- Fail as hinges are frozen.

- Trudge back to the garage, get trusty screwdriver.

- Trudge back outside, use trusty screwdriver to open door.

- Loosen door, but notice that door is swollen and jammed shut.

- Grab edges of door and yank fiercely.

- On sixth yank, door finally opens to a dark coop.

- Chickens squack in annoyance at self and cold air.  Tell chickens to knock it off.

- Fumble in darkness to try and plug in coop light.

- Fail as the coop is dark and I am not tall enough to reach, well, anything of use.

- Trudge back to garage for flashlight.

- Realize that kids took flashlight into the house for use as a night light.

- Trudge back outside and go to hay shed.

- Find step ladder in darkness and set by coop.

- Climb said step ladder and climb into coop.

- Pray that a)Muck Boots do not crush chickens under foot and b) coop does not collapse under the weight of self.

- Realize that I don't normally pray, and that I may be wasting time.

- Reach past chickens and plug in coop light.

- Am blinded, as intense light turns on directly in eyes.

- Stumble back and try not to fall out of coop.

- Shut large coop access door, open small chicken door, and go back inside.

- Look down, realize I did all of this in my pajamas, and feel thankful that a) it was dark out and the neighbors *hopefully* didn't see me and b) I did not ruin my work clothes.

- Get dressed, wake up kids, and start the day.

Fun, right? ;)

'Course...I could circumvent most of the above by being more organized...but we won't go there right yet...;)

Even more cold...

So, we have been having a string of interesting luck....

As you might remember, right before the Solstice and Christmas holiday's, our washing machine went feral and flooded a good part of our first floor and basement.  And while we acted fast and minimiized much of the damage, our kitchen floor does tell the tale of that day.

Now, with the new year hot on our heels, our heating is on the fritz..  We have absolutely no heating on our second floor, and no clue why.  And, being the frugal (cheap?) people that we are, there is no way that we are willing paying emergency rates for the heating company to come outto the homestead this weekend. 

So, it is a bit cold, inside and out, this weekend. 

Of course, physics, or whatnots, is on our side with the whole heat rising thing, and we are able to close off many of the rooms, and we are still able to rely on electric plug in heaters...so this is not an emergency by any means...but I have taken to sleeping in many, many layers (including two pairs of socks and a hat), and I am currently huddled in my bed, under multiple covers, wishing I took some time this weekend to finally make those fingerless gloves I have been eyeing.  And being very curious by my children who seems just fine with the lower than normal temporatures (seriously, how can they attempt to wear t-shirts and shorts in this house?  I don't get it...).

So, I ask, just when is Spring coming? ;)

Cold...

It is cold out.

After weeks of temps in the 30's of so, we have now hit true winter with a current temp of 0 degrees F.  And while I know that this is normal for Vermont, I am not loving this.

Morning found us early, as the husband and I arose at 4:15am (and whole 15 minutes earlier than normal, I realize with chagrin...).  While he went out, greeted the snow plow and started his car, I began his breakfast and lunch prep.  He was leaving early to go pick up a friend to car pool.

Once he was out the door, it was time for me to bundle up and head out into the cold.  First up were the chickens.

After shoveling the chicken yard, their coop door was opened ( the heat light having been turned on previously), and their water bowl was filled.  In peeking into the coop, I saw some of the smallest ladies picking up one leg, and then the other in an attempt to keep warm.  I wondered if those little ones might need a turn inside if temps got much colder.

Once the ladies were all set, it was time to drag the trash and recycling to the curb.  The holidays provided a plentiful amount to be laid out in wait, and I found cause to use my children's sled to drag it out.  The air was fridge, my breath sheilded only by the fleece camo ski mask that is my favored attire outside these days...which in turn fogged my glasses so that I couldn't even see.  Sometimes it is hard to win in these situations...

But, now I am inside.  My cats are beginning to swarm as they contemplate jumping on my laptop, and I am considering either climbing into a hot bath or a warm bed until the kids awaken.

Stay warm, my friends.  It is cold out there.

Welcoming the snow...

Winter has arrived on the homestead...

It is now official...the snow is here and winter has arrived!