These snaps are all a bit dim in tone,
but welcome to morning chores!
Yes, it would be nice if the temp would rise above 22F (-5C), but
aren't we glad the snow has stopped?
This is the lengthy interlude between a very grey dawn
and the moment when welcome rays of sunlight
come a-dazzling through the trees.
We hope.
Since this was the babies' Very First Snowfall,
I brought a pocketful of celebratory carrots.
Carrots are a welcome treat, anytime, night or day.
Every one of my goats thinks carrot pennies are the best treat ever.
"I loooove carrots!"
"As Herd Matriarch, I should have the Most Carrots.
Obviously!"
"Did someone mention carrots?"
We got a couple-or-three inches of light, fluffy snow,
but under even the leafless trees there was less.
Under the hemlocks, there was almost no snow at all.
I didn't take a picture of that absent snow, but here's a tip for you:
next time you are caught in the woods during a snowstorm,
find a hemlock.
Hemlocks are our Friends.
~~~
Dara:"Look at this great pile of hay, Vinca!
Vinca:"Yum! Let's share it, 50-50, okay?"
Vinca:"New plan! Let's eat it up as fast as we can,
before Mama gets here and maybe knocks us sideways!
~~~
Fingers crossed it will warm up enough this week
that I can move some of these intrepid survivors to a safer place,
before the Return of the Snowplow.
Gardening has really been back-burnered since the porch project began.
But if I see one chance for transplanting this week,
I will gladly make it a priority.
~~~
Meanwhile...about those carrots...
Tsuga knows exactly which pocket to check.
Mostly because last year she very gradually, day by day,
quietly managed to chew a big hole in the other pocket.
Now anything I absent-mindedly stuff into that pocket just falls right through.
Which may be why I now have three single work gloves.
Or maybe not.
I do tend to leave gloves all over the place.
Tsuga is the one doe I hope to breed this year.
I have two potential bucks in mind, but there are tactical issues with both.
Stay tuned.
Oh Tsuga, little hemlock girl.
I am so looking forward to seeing your first kid.
~~~~~
Snow already, it's very pretty, I'm guessing there will be a lot more before the winter is out. I'm intrigued about the tactical issues with the goats, but I'm not sure I dare ask about the details, it might be more information than I bargained for!
ReplyDeleteTsuga is a beauty queen! I can't wait to see her kids either. I love the goat dialogs, since their facial expressions are just. so. right.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm a bit slow today. There's Tsuga standing under her eponymous tree and I was thinking about snow instead of about the tree's name...
ReplyDeleteNice photos. Do the goats wear fleece jackets in the winter like horse blankets or would them eat them?
ReplyDeletefabulous goats, such fascinating characters - lovely pics
ReplyDeleteI am so looking forward to Tsuga's first kid too!
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine how hard your chores are when it's so cold. I sometimes take care of my friends' horses, and I end up in tears because my fingers hurt so much after handling pails and other metal stuff in the cold. (It's much harder than biking in cold weather!).
I think you might have lots of fun with a trail cam. I started exactly the way that you are thinking - just wondering what was going on around my house while I slept (and sometimes while I was awake).
Lovely, lovely fluffy creatures - they're all adorable! But I'm full of admiration for your being so cheerful about going out in the snow. Not sure I would be :-)
ReplyDeleteTsuga is beautiful - they all are, but she's exceptionally beautiful! ;-) I have a dog that loves carrots!
ReplyDelete