Our Coldest Weekend Yet

While much of the East Coast was dealing with a powerful blizzard,
we were lucky here on the farm.


It was bitter cold and windy, but the skies were clear and without precipitation.


It was a perfectly lovely weekend.  


We burned through lots of hay, keeping the animals safe and warm...
and none of them complained!


A bit of the weekend was spent in front of the fireplace working on a new knitting project.


That is, whenever a chair was available!


I used the indoor time to be as productive as possible 
and worked on things like turning my blog into books.
I had done this through the years, but fell a little behind in the last couple years.


This company... Blog2Print does a great job of compiling blog posts 
into a full color, hard copy book.
It takes three volumes to capture a single farm year, because I post so many photos.
But right now they are 39% off...so it was a good time to finish this project.
It's nice to occasionally sit down with a hard-copy of the blog
and see where we've been through the years.
And, just in case the internet ever disappears, I still have these volumes as photo albums.

I signed up for MasterClass and began a class on cooking by Gordon Ramsay.


There are also classes on writing by famous authors, a photography course
by Annie Liebowitz, and a conservation course by Jane Goodall.
2018 will be a year of learning for me.
My son (Mack and Easton's daddy) is also taking the cooking classes... 
so we will have fun sharing what we learn with our family!

I also had time to do a little writing.


In order to prevent cabin fever, we went for a hike both days this weekend.


Saturday was 14 degrees and windy... so the windchill was quite low.
Bundled up, we hiked around our farm land to check on all of our critters.


Everyone weathered the cold just fine.

We hiked across the road from our front pasture to get a different view of the farm.
This photo gives you a better idea of how the upper pastures are positioned with regards to the barn
and each other.
(I'll explain the arrow later!)


By Sunday the temps had risen to 21 degrees and the wind had stopped.


Off we went to the hundred acre woods for another hike with the dogs.
It was warm enough with the sun that the dogs didn't seem to need their parkas...
and I actually hiked without gloves.
It's amazing to what you can become accustomed!

It's so silent at this time of year.
Besides the crunching of snowy leaves beneath our feet and the occasional caw of a crow,
the woods are very quiet.


Without the cover of underbrush and leaves, it is possible to see the whole way through the woods...
which makes spotting deer much easier.


In order to give you two different perspectives of the farm, I took a photo of from where I 
had taken Saturday's photo of the farm...and vice versa... marked by arrows for where I stood.


We still have most of the snow that arrived over Christmas.

A little more snow is forecasted for today.
And then things start to warm up...
By Friday it will be in the 40's and I might just stop wearing a coat.

Finally I got a good photo to show you one of the sheep's eyes that everyone worries about.


You see?
They can see just fine.
Such sweet and gentle girls.... and perfectly built for this weather!

The coldest weekend ever on the farm has come and gone.
And besides the frozen pipes in the laundry room,


we survived quite comfortably!

Comments

Frozen pipes are the WORST! Perhaps you need to wrap them in pink insulation using duct tape. That's what my father used to do, lol.
littlemancat said…
How nice to see a week-end post - a treat for we Bee Haven pals! The couch/chair dogs are the picture of so called creature comfort - love them.
Your plans and projects,walks out into the farm and woods are so interesting,Bev. Love having a look at farm life in good ole PA.
Mary
Louise Stopford said…
Enjoyed sharing your weekend activities. Nice cold brisk walks and then settling down by that gorgeous fire place - wonderful!!
Colleen said…
Frozen pipe... not fun! Looks like you made the best out of a frigid weekend. Love the hat pattern. I found a download for it. Going to see what you think of it before I print it off. If all is good I would like to make a few for Christmas presents next year.... I'm starting earlt. What are you using for yarn?
Bee Haven Bev said…
Colleen... this is a slouch hat that I have done several times before. It is Amanda’s favorite hat. I am using a merino wool DK... it’s a super Wash. one that I picked up at the Md. Sheep and Wool Fest.
daisy g said…
Thanks for the information about the book printing. I've been wanting to create books for my Farm School Series. This may be the answer!

I have been surprised how well we have adapted to the colder climate. I can still go walking as long as it's sunny and 40 degrees or warmer. In Florida, I wouldn't go walking if it was under 50 degrees. With the right cold-weather gear, I imagine it makes it that much easier.

Frozen pipes are something we are concerned about, as we're not used to cold weather stick around. Aside from dripping water from the faucets, what else can a body do?

Stay toasty up there and enjoy the warm-up!
Kathy said…
I love being out in this weather. It is all about proper dressing! I'll take this over hot and humid any day! I wanted to ask you if you were still working on your book? You previously mentioned that winter is your time to write. I never heard of Masterclass.Sounds interesting.
Bee Haven Bev said…
I am.... slowly. And I am with you.... I’ll take cold over hot any day
Thank you for my morning smile. When I saw the video of the dogs taking up all the seating, I got a big grin on my face. You are such a kind lady for letting them enjoy their naps.
This N That said…
Sunday was beautiful..The first real walk that Mollie has had lately (long)..Love slouch hats..I had one and somebody complemented me on it and I gave it to her..silly me..Must get another one..They don't seem to flatten my hair as much..I have a big head and they are hard to find..Thanks for the blog book reminder..I didn't do it last year because of the price..I'll check it out..Fun that you and Andy are taking cooking classes..Have a happy week...