Shovel-fest ahead!

Yes, I know. Another one.  Yet another shovel-fest looms ahead for Monday.  Ah well, at least the front and back decks were cleared of snow from the last storm.  Though if I didn’t know where I would put the last snow, where I will put this one is an even bigger question.

The dogs will be happy. Baby Dog has always loved the snow, and Skye and Sparrow (yes, there’s another one) take to the snow like little sled dogs. Climbing on snow banks, eating snow, diving right into the middle of a drift.  To them, snow is great.  Of course, in their short lives, they’ve never seen summer or spring or fall, so what do they know?  For them, snow is great and that’s all that matters.

The chickens briefly started to lay again, after virtually shutting down the egg-laying shop in mid-November.  The latest cold snap put an end to that, though they weathered last night’s near-zero temperatures with the ease of long experience with cold temperatures.  Today, despite the snow, the ice and the cold, they all decided they wanted out, and out they went. For weeks, I’ve left the coop door open between fetching fresh (i.e. liquid) water and the day’s food, and they’ve happily refused to cross the snow and stayed inside. Until today.  When I returned with a bucket of feed, they were all out, negotiating the icy snow path. I didn’t feel like rounding them up, so they are out.  Often, I can easily catch the hens, but Doodle the rooster is another matter.  He’s friendly enough, if shy, but nearly impossible to catch and I didn’t want to risk a conflict with his spurs.  They will go back inside on their own at dusk tonight, so if they want to march around the snow and ice today, they are welcome to it.