Winter weather at Prairie School Farm

Today was a snow day.  One of those snow days where you know in advance that work and school are canceled and there is no need to wake up early and shovel the drive and allow extra drive time.  Everyone had made the call to keep people home, if they could, to avoid the blizzard like conditions and mammoth snowfall expected.

 

We went to bed with no snow.  We woke up and we were surprised to see a little snow.  At one point, the meteorologist said that we could have more than 20 inches of snow.  Where was all of the snow?

  And, then the snow started.  It snowed and then it stopped.  Then, it iced.

Then, it snowed again.

Once the snow stopped, we talked about going outside.  By the time we got bundled up, it was snowing again.  But, we still ventured out to check on the animals and to see if we could dig out the cars.  My husband hadn't been feeling well, so despite my objections, he said he needed the fresh air.

The snow started falling again and it was a really beautiful scene.

The alpacas were nestled in the barn with their coats frosty with snow.  They seemed to be content to enjoy the hay we tossed to them.

Everywhere we looked, the snow made everything look just a little more beautiful.

The garden gate...

The butterfly I forgot to put in storage for winter was still standing guard in the garden.

And, the poor rooster that was left out, too - up to his neck in snow.

Snow on our chicken coop door.

Our containers all looked like they were frosted.

Seriously frosted with a lot of snow.

It is fun to think that in a few weeks, we will have all of these planters filled with flowers.  Spring will be here soon.

Joey was good company.  He loves the snow.

My husband wanted to get the snow blower out.  After he cleared the driveway, he took to the yard.  I think if he was feeling better, he might have cleared the whole yard.  Paths to the alpaca barn and dog kennel would have to be enough for tonight.

As of now, it is still snowing.  I can't wait to see our farm in the morning.

Winter in Kansas

 Our farm still looks like a winter wonderland - well, sort of.

By now, we have trudged over most of the snow and have left footprints.  We have had some melting and a few patches of grass are starting to show through.  It is nowhere near as magical as the first moment when you step out the door and everything is covered in a blanket of pristine snow.  I think it seems so magical because you know that the landscape will never be that perfect again, once you blaze a trail across the yard...at least until the next snow.

Last week, I helped with chores in the morning and was the first to mar up the snowfall.  My husband had sidewalk snow removal duty.

I remembered to tuck my camera into my chore coat pocket and say a silent prayer that the dogs wouldn't knock it out or I wouldn't spill it out bending over to pick up something.

It was cold and quiet and beautiful. The chicken coop door even looked kind of lovely with a little snow resting on the window.

 People often ask how the alpacas handle the cold.  They are much better in the cold than the heat as they have a warm blanket of fiber.  We still take extra care to make sure they have hay and fresh water in the winter.

This year, they didn't like the snow drifts near the barn, so my husband shoveled paths for them from the barn to the hay bunk.  The first morning when the drifts blew high against the fence, the alpacas put on a funny show of first hesitation and then some crazy jumps over and around the drifts.

Just before feeding, we run all of the alpacas out of the barn to set out their food buckets.  They keep watch and jockey for position to be the first through the gate for feeding.  This particular morning, Scout had snow on his face and a lot of hay jammed into his fiber.  What a clown.