Embracing Weather

To date, 2017 has been quite a dreary year!
I cannot complain...we had a very dry year in 2016 and need to replenish the water table.


I'm told that today we shall see the sun, however.
Farm living has taught me to embrace the weather... whatever it might be.
The key to a long and happy relationship with winter is "gear."


I own a good Cabela's rain suit and have found that as long as the temperature is 30 degrees (F)
or above, I am comfortable in this with a an UnderArmor sweatshirt underneath.
This rain suit is utterly impervious to water... so I stay warm and dry.

It's hard to stay clean in this weather!
Muck boots keep my feet warm and dry as well.
When the temperatures plummet, and head into the teens, I put on a pair of quilted work pants and
a quilted Wolverine work jacket.
I may not be stylish, but I am always warm! (But not too warm...that in itself is a problem.)

I'm not sure who is dirtier... the horses or me!



A view of our home from the road....yup....hidden behind the woods.
Yesterday morning, after I had finished morning chores, I took a walk in the rain.
There is a certain austere beauty in a grey, foggy, rainy day. 


Some prefer to remain indoors in this weather...


relying upon room service for their meals.
You'd think after being pampered, they would have the decency to do their business outside.
But, no.... they poop inside and then dance in it.
 (From the way it ends up looking I can only assume
that they do a jig on their manure... scattering it to all four corners!)


Others have much work to do and are not held back by a little rain.


And yet others seem not to even notice.


Everyone has a dry shelter.


Only a few choose to stay in it!


When not outside with the animals,
I worked on my post-holiday re-arranging.


I've always been a little mantle-decor-challenged.
This one is a work in progress.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


(Annie V.... those are the antlers you sent to me...thank you again!)

Every afternoon trip to the barn isn't complete until I have cut out another wooden ornament.
One or two a day... and I will be finished in about a month.


PS:  Ethel has laid an egg now for four days in a row.  Go Ethel!!

Also, the wooden eggs seem to have helped.
We were getting at least 5 cannibalized eggs daily.
Yesterday there was only one.
It's not fun pecking a wooden egg!
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this works!

Comments

Dawn said…
yes I agree you need the right gear for the appropriate weather, I look out the window and choose accordingly :-)
Tracy said…
Seeing you in your rain proof clothes with bits of mud and muck made me smile. I look like that permanently at home and do wonder what people must think on the odd occasion I have to venture out mid day in it (when not at work for me). Great post - do you have 1 shelter per sheep, it's hard to tell if only 1 would fit in the shelter from the photos. Thank you :)
daisy g said…
I was just asking a fellow blogger about cold weather gear this week, as we've moved up to NC last Friday. I will look into your suggestions as well. It seems we have had the same weather, but it looks like the sun is shining this morning. Grateful!

Enjoy the rain knowing that your garden will be the better for it in spring.
I assume the Wolverine work jacket does NOT come with adamantine claws?
Bee Haven Bev said…
HAHAH, Debra....no claws!!! And Tracy, we have one of those shelters for each of our sheep and goats, however they often prefer to stuff as many into one as they can. Tight quarters!
Tracy said…
Haha that sounds about right. Thank you.
GeorgiaHoneyBee said…
I have an IDEA!!! I am not a decorator by any means... but the thought popped into my mind that for your mantel, you could make larger woodland animal cutouts - or farm animal cutouts (especially sheep, horses, donkeys, goats), and stain them or whitewash them, and then seasonally decorate them. Like greenery for winter or winter berries, and then spring flowers, and on and on... You could change it out as needed. Just a thought. Hope you have an awesome day! Love the picture of your sheep in the doghouse!
Junebug said…
I'm going to get me some wooden eggs! It's been a couple weeks since I've gotten a whole egg. I wonder if a white plastic will work. This is the first year that I haven't put a light on a timer in their coop. I was wondering if this had something to do with no eggs or just fragment of eggs. They are staying closed in their coop today with weather in the twenties and strong winds, burrrr!
Anonymous said…
I love the magazine Country Living, here are some ideas from their website-http://www.countryliving.com/home-design/decorating-ideas/advice/g677/fireplace-designs-2008/?slide=10

Take care!
This N That said…
Love your first picture..I love walking in the rain with Mollie..SHe doesn't seem to mind..My garage often looks like a Chinese laundry with both of our wet clothes hanging from the door
molding.Sometimes I don't have enough dry clothes..Mollie has plenty..I love the eeriness of the fog. As for your mantel, It always looks great..Maybe a bigger lantern..Antique candle stick?? Bittersweet or Winterberry?? xoxo
sandra said…
Hi :]
Mantle looks great but maybe just turn that frame long ways to give it all some height???
Love walks in all weather too. ;]
jaz@octoberfarm said…
it is very windy and getting cold fast here! i might need one of those scroll saws!
Love the moose on the mantle. Reminds me of the tv show Northern Exposure which is my favorite show ever.
An American in Tokyo said…
Do you find you have to treat your rain gear with waterproofing quite often? How often do you do it, if you do? Once a year?

I'm just wondering because I always seem to find great waterproof jackets and such, but after awhile they need to be waterproofed again.