Snow Day in Connecticut!!!

Connecticut was under a blizzard watch. Many rushed to the store, got their milk and bread, gased up snow blowers and generators, getting ready to hunker down for what was said to be an epic storm. There is quite nothing more exciting and nerve racking all at the same time! This is our snow covered road to the left and to the right is the same beautiful winter scene. We live on a very bucolic road with not many neighbors, just trees!

Teddy says "just some hay and shelter is all that makes me happy!"

Sorry it's hard to take pictures of these guys! The ewes are in the store and the middle stall. They are not complaining one bit. They rode out the storm in there just fine!

The chickens had nothing better to do than stay in their coop, under the heat lamp and lay eggs! I was shocked when I saw what they had laid! We haven't gotten more than 2 to 3 eggs a day for a month from 18 chickens. So the storm was not as epic as they had predicted but it was a wonderful day off hanging out, sitting by the wood stove and knitting away.

Head and Ear Warmer Knitting Obsession!

I love when I become obsessed with a particular thing! And lately it has been knitting head and ear warmers! I have been knitting them thick...

with handspun, corespun mohair locks in a thinner ear warmer...

more corespun alpaca, merino blend...

and in a thicker larger one for those with a bigger head. Why do people ask me why I love winter so much? Sitting next to a wood burning stove with a cup of tea knitting, in my opinion, is priceless!

Making homemade suet for the wild birds!

We are under a huge freeze here in Connecticut and today I was looking out the back door, watching the wild birds at the feeders. I then realized that I didn't have any suet. They so need their fats this time of year to keep warm. I then remembered I had a container of vegetable shortening used and poured back into the container from the holidays. That was when I got the idea!

I grabbed my big cookie sheet, spread some of the shortening along the pan.

Opened the cabinet and thought about all the leftover baking supplies from the holidays.

I found a small bag of coconut flakes, not nearly enough to use in any recipe. I found some cranberries, raisins, corn meal, graham cracker crumbs...

I added some birdseed of course. Then some flour, a little sugar and whatever else I could find.

I mixed and spread it all out on the cookie sheet and baked it at 350 degrees for about a half and hour!

I then cut into squares and tomorrow morning I will put it into my suet holders for all the birds to enjoy!

Boy it's cold out there!

Hopefully our animals are cooping well out there. We have done many things to prepare them. One being the new sub floor Tim has installed to get them off the cold floor. Even though we have tons of hay down, it is a help. Frozen water is a problem too. Shelping hot water down to the buckets, keeping the chickens in the greenhouse is a help too! They are toasty in there too!

Happy New Year 2015!

Happy New Year and looking forward to the year ahead. Our farm had the most  prosperous year we have ever had. We changed things up, and were quite successful doing it. However, this new year will be bringing major changes and Tim and I have a different direction we would like to go in. Our first decision is to sell our "Babydoll" sheep herd.

Our 5 generations of ewes enjoying a snack.

We wish all our followers and supporters a prosperous and healthy Happy New Year!