HAPPY NEW YEAR’S
Some Interesting Tracks
Seeing animal tracks around this neck of the valley is not unusual. Identifying them is another matter. Not really being big game hunters, we can only guess by the animals we know we have out here.
We know we have Pronghorn antelope, Whitetails, and Mulies. But never having seen all those tracks together and seeing the animals that made them, it’s difficult for city gals to tell the difference.
About all I can say is, I usually can tell the antelope because they are small and sorta dainty looking. Below are a couple of the better pictures I got this morning.
They were at all the hay stacks, and really make a mess out of the straw bales as you can see in the photos. These bales were all “baled” and stacked neatly with strings still attached.
I know since the tracks are in the snow, they look larger than they really are, but they are still decent size.
If there are any “big game” hunters reading this, can you give me your ideas on the owner of these tracks? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The only other thought we had is one of the neighboring cows decided to go on a “walk about”.
Thanks
Cindy
Temps. are Nice Right Now
We lost some more snow today. Had to cut ice out of water buckets this morning, but there was none this evening.
The two pictures are sorta our snow depth gauge for the front yard.
Things are starting to get a little muddy and soggy after today, almost time for muck boots. Forecasts are for good weather for the next few days. Sounds like it’s gonna get a little more soggy before it starts to dry some.
Cindy
Ice Fog?
This seems to be a fairly common occurrence out here. We watched as the fog engulfed the house across the field and about 1/2 way to us. It didn’t seem like we were in it though. It was wierd.
Then the sun peeked thru and it started to go away. After it was gone, we could see a little “frost” on the side of the pine tree that faces the direction the fog was coming from. It hadn’t been there earlier, we had been watching for it.
As mentioned numerous time before, weather and temps. vary greatly here. A mile down the road to the west, a friend lost her entire garden to a heavy frost almost 2 weeks before we did.
This picture is of a piece of tail hair from one of the horses. It was hanging on a board that made up the front rails of the stall.
Cindy
Minor Wind Damage
In the wind 2 nights ago, we developed a “window” in the barn that wasn’t supposed to be there. Between the rain, wind and cold, a 2 x 8 panel blew out on the back of barn. The horses had more than adequate ventilation that night believe me.
The panels were out of OBS so they swelled up some from the wet and freezing didn’t and didn’t want to go back where they belonged. We re nailed with longer nails till they dry out and find the proper levels. Then we will reinforce them with a 2 x 4 along the seams to make them more secure for future winds that we always get in the spring.
Everything else seemed to weather the wind in fine shape. It was nice to see the animals using their shelters the way they were intended. Maybe they aren’t as dumb as we thought.
I’m trying to get a different/new photo gallery set up. I have so many neat photo’s that don’t get into regular posts, but would like to share them with everyone. Guess will see what happens.
Later
Look at the Birds
These pictures aren’t really rare, but very unusual to see them in this manner. As I have mentioned before, Bald Eagles winter in our valley. They can be seen in trees, fields, or sitting on poles and fence posts daily just a mile down the road. Occasionally we see them soaring on wind currents around the house, but not often.
These pictures were taken out our back door when we noticed a ruckus going on in the field.
There are Bald Eagles, and the ones without the white heads are Golden Eagles. Golden’s are a lot bigger than a Bald Eagle. It’s extra size comes from their wing span, not necessarily body size.
In these pictures, someone found a deceased rabbit. The discussion over supper occurred between the Balds, Goldens, and our ever plentiful Ravens.
Enjoy
Cindy
Weather Calmed Down
Looks like the weather finally calmed down for us. Up north really got hammered. The mountain we can see out our kitchen window, Brian Head, got 2′ of new snow with a base of 53″. Here are a few pictures of the 2 storms that didn’t miss us.
Our wood pile and tree line just north of the driveway. Also shown is our “new” old 73 ford pickup. This truck has taken a lot of weight off the Avalanche, literally. We had 23 bales of straw on it earlier this fall. It was a full load, no doubt about it, but the ole truck handled it well.
2 measurements taken from our front walk in 2 different places. These pics were taken after the second snow in 2 days.
No, that’s not mountains you see on the top of wall. That is the effects of the wind on the snow that ended up there. A unique pattern of snow, sorta looks like scallops.
Will post some more pics tomorrow, it time for bed right now.
Cindy
Let’s Try This Now
Made a couple of changes to some files, lets see if this works.
Yippee, its a picture again. Sweet. This is a picture of our mama cow, SweetiePie. (I know, what a name for a cow)
And this is her baby.
Almost all Good
I guess I spoke too soon. It seems there was a minor hitch in the moving to a new host. It won’t let me post pictures. It tells me it can’t do it. Would be nice if it would tell me why. It worked fine prior to move. So I guess we go rummaging around in the code and forums’ trying to find a reason and solution.
You will be able to tell when I get it fixed.
Cindy
New Hosting
Well, we have moved to a new host. What an ordeal. Been working on it for about a week now, trying to get all the setting correct on new server. Boy did I learn a lot, whew. It was really more than I needed or wanted to know. Glad this doesn’t happen very often. I guess as moving to a new host goes, it really went pretty well. Doesn’t seem like we lost anything, and only a few changes to log in information had to be made.
Hopefully I can get back to posting without problems I was experencing before.
Stay tuned
Cindy
As It Has Been Said…..
“Be Careful What You Wish For” The weather underground was calling for 3 inches of snow for us last night. That would have been enough to fill foot prints 1/2 full from last snowfall. WELL…..Guess what? It filled up the last footprints, and then added 1/2 again as much. Its only 8:15 am here and haven’t been out yet to get pics, or dig animals out.
THEN…. to add insult to injury, they have under a “Winter Storm Warning” for mid morning. Am I complaining,,,,,,,,,,,,HECK no! Out of coming up to 4 Christmas’ here in the desert SW, we have only had one white Christmas. I’m ready for it.
Coming from an area that has seen this kind of weather, we are fully prepared for being snowed in. WE BE READY!!!!!!!!
In St. George, a town in extreme Southern Utah, where they have pansies year round, schools are closed today. Poor pansies. Las Vegas airport had to divert planes to Salt Lake because they don’t get snow and have NO snow removal equipment.
If you are wondering about the Weather Underground I keep mentioning, click here to see it. It is a pretty complete weather site.
Cindy
Couple Pics from Snow Last Night
They are calling for more snow tonight and tomorrow, should be interesting. Here are a couple pictures from this morning, in the sunlight, and -10 degrees.
It was really frosty out there. The horses had frost on their muzzles, whiskers and back. Both water containers had almost 2 inches of ice on them. The water was freezing as fast as I broke the ice and scooped it out. No auto fill today, the float was frozen. Oh well, never had the auto filler on this late in season anyway, back to filling with hose 2x a day, no biggie. Will break it out again in the spring.
The water container for cows cracked from the ice. That is a little ironic because the second container that I took out to horses had been turned upside down by the chicken coop since spring, not being used for anything. Guess will just have to let it get emptied and bring it up for cows. The horses do just fine with one bucket since it will be filled 2x a day now.
I have the animal pics loaded on my puter now, and will get them posted tomorrow.
Cindy
Later in Afternoon on Saturday
The wind picked up a little more. It was making noises that I had not heard before. Through the trees, around the green house, and around the buildings across the road at Bruno’s house.
At 2:45 PM we decided we better go feed as the snow was 7 miles to the north of us and it was a mean looking sky when we got outside. I got an extra water bucket for the horses and filled that so they had 2 full ones due to having to disconnect the auto fill this early. By that time the tumbleweed was piled up all the way to the top of the fence that was only 1/2 way that morning. Wind still blowing SW. Not to worry though, when the wind shifted to the N-NW it would all blow off the fence again.
All the animals got fed in their shelters so they knew it was there and it would draw them in when the snow started. We felt some snow or rain while we were out feeding, but couldn’t see it, just feel it.
About 3:30 PM it started to snow like it meant business. 6 hours later and about 5-6 ‘ later, it stopped.
I had to unbury a place to feed the birds. They didn’t even mind that I was standing there.
Cindy
And Snow It Did YIPPEE
Yes indeedie doo it did. We had been monitoring the weather underground for about a week and knew what “should” have been coming our way. As I have said before, weather out here is weird. Not sure if we are in the mountains, or the valleys at 5300′+. So its a little hard to decide if weather reports include us or not.
We prepared anyway like I said in the last post. The predicted wind did happen just about the time they said it would. I looked out about 8:30am yesterday and decided I better get the wood tarped that was outside the kitchen door for easy access. In the time it took me to get my jacket, hat and gloves on, the wind started to howl. The tarp on the sheep hay stacks was whipping and really in sad shape as far as on the way to coming off from the wind.
That was the first stop, to secure enough to hold it till I got done feeding. By then, about 15 mins later, there was tumbleweed piled against the horse fence about 1/2 way up. OK, get them fed and watered fast, then on to the cow, and sheep.
There were a couple gusts of wind that almost knocked me over. I had to grab the tarp to keep my balance. Estimated about 40 mph on the wind, and sand blowing all over the place making it sorta hard to keep eyes open.
It took me almost an hour to get the tarp secured by myself, Bev and Shari were getting hair cuts, and weren’t home yet. Their timing was impecable, just as I finished the last tie down, they pulled in the driveway.
Then on to the cow shelter and tied down that tarp a little better that was over their “home”. With all the hard work done, it was time to feed the chickens. No problem there.
At least it wasn’t all that cold, about 50 and a SW wind. Then inside we went to let it blow itself silly.
Will pick this post up in the next one that happened later on in the afternoon.
Cindy
Winter May Have Arrived
Today we did some final winter prep work outside with the animals. We finished cleaning the cow/calf pen, put fresh straw in their shelter, made a pile in middle of pen for them to get on when it snows, and put a peice of plywood up on the north side for a wind break, that makes their shelter a little less windy and scrubbed out the water containers for them and the sheep.
We also put up the side panel on the lamb shelter. It is large enough for all the sheep to get into, but small enough to generate good warmth from body heat.
Since the weather report is for 40-50% chance of snow for the next 4-5 days, fire wood also was brought up under the roof next to garage door along with a couple barrels of kindling. Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, we are ready for it.
Construction continues in the basement on shelving, and quarters for Shari. She is getting tired of sleeping on the hide-a-bed in the living room. We are also making an office that will house her computer and other things that offices are used for.
The shelving is an attempt to get stuff organized and pantry items. We have a virtual grocery store down there right now and it needs organizing badly. Next will be an inventory of food items. That may help with the grocery bills a little.
Will get some more pictures posted tomorrow. We have some new ones of the calf. She is growing so fast and cute as a button.
Till tomorrow, take care
Cindy
Just a post
Been having issues with my hosting and not had access to my sites, but here again and will resume posting on a regular basis.
The picture below is the youngster of the group. She is almost 3 now and the ride was the first time with a saddle on and first ride. She did super as you can see.
YES, Good Girls
We had done all the ground prep work previous to this picture and she was soooo laid back, thought she was gonna go to sleep. She still has her fly mask on. Flies were real bad this summer. In years past, we put masks on all 3 horses during the day and off at night. This year they were on all the time. Flies get around their eyes and really bother the horses and cause health problems if real bad.
Cindy
