The beginning of 2014 got off to a rough start. The flu made it’s way through our house and my class room, then once we got rid of that, a nasty cold made it’s rounds too. I THINK we are all on the mend now and maybe I can get a little caught up on EVERYTHING.
Along with our health, the weather was a bit off too. We started January with very mild temperatures. Mild enough that we were even able to hire Uncle Tom to come and finish building our fence around the barnyard. Building fence in January is a very rare thing around here. Well, for everyone but Uncle Tom…
The fence is now complete and it looks GREAT!
The weather was so unusually mild I was even finding myself wishing for snow and wondering what happened to winter. (I never wish for snow)
The chickens loved the mild weather; here they are enjoying a nice dust bath.
With the addition of a few hours of artificial light in their coop we are still getting PLENTY of eggs this winter.
Winter did finally come, but not in the way we were hoping for. Instead of some nice fluffy snow, we got a layer of ice in the form of freezing rain then the freezing fog settled in and stayed awhile. Freezing fog is not a stranger around here, but this stuff was NASTY and it seemed it would never go away.
Here is a couple of willow trees laying on our brand new fence. Sure glad Tom finished clipping the wire before all this showed up!
After a few days the trees started snapping, and our drive way turned into an ice skating rink.
After about 2 weeks of this frozen wonderland the fog lifted a bit and we thought the sun was coming……but, not before it dumped another 1/2 inch of freezing rain on us over night. This caused near by power poles to snap and of course many more trees. We lost power and all the local schools were cancelled for the day. I was still recovering from a cold so I took the opportunity to grab a book and curl up under a blanket. After 12 hours of no power, I was reminded of how thankful I am for the little things in life…..like flushing toilets and warm water. The sun did FINALLY come out, and the frost disappeared VERY quickly.
Our poor trees…. 🙁 The image below is of one of the seven tops from our big white fir tree that broke out. Seven tops gives a clue that such heavy hoar frosts have happened before, but we’ve seen nothing like this in the near fifteen years living here. This top drove itself into the somewhat frozen ground well over a foot, and sticks nearly ten feet in the air.
I see a huge bonfire in our near future…..hotdogs anyone?
On a happier note, Digger did some bartering with a good friend of ours and we ended up with a freezer full of grass fed beef! Oh, how we have been enjoying beef, lots of beef! We ended the month by celebrating Little Chefs 11th birthday. What a blessing she is. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by the Red Double Wide!
Oh MY! What nasty weather! I’m glad you are all feeling better, the flu has been really bad this year. Congrats on the new fence and the freezer full of beef and happy, happy birthday to your daughter! 🙂
Thanks Candy!
Just wanted to say that I have recently found your blog, and will be happily following along from now on…Love the content and helpful tips 🙂
Thanks Jennifer, So happy you’re joining us!!
I’m glad you’re all feeling better, it’s been a nasty winter for illness. Those are beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing them!
Thanks for stopping by Jody!
So glad you are all safe and getting to the sound area! You probably saw us here in Atlanta on the news…fortunately, as I live close to the school where I teach, I was not caught in the horrendous traffic jam when every school, business, and government all decided they should have stayed home since there was a snow warning and dismissed at 1:30 p.m. One of our gym teachers who lives a long way away and is use with her first child in two weeks was stranded in her car on the highway which was a parking lot due to accidents for TEN HOURS!!! But, it passed and now it is a balmy 50 degrees. :-). Whenever you show pictures of your chickens and eggs I have a deep glow within desiring to have a bit of land to have my own chickens! (Sigh) Maybe some day when I retire! I know your kids are being taught values and skills that will stick with them their entire lives and beyond to their win children some day. In my humble opinion, y’all are doing it right! Keep up the good life!
Oh my! I did hear about that, so glad you are safe and things are back to normal. It’s amazing what a little snow can do when people are not used to it!! Thanks so much for visiting Robin, and for the nice comment. 🙂
I still can’t get over how much freezing everything you guys had out there. It was so dry in town. Love the pictures of those poor trees. So pretty but so damaging! And the kitty picture is just precious. 🙂
It is weird! We would drive a couple miles down the road and the frost was gone and the roads dry. The fog just likes our house I guess 🙁
Hello! I just followed you over from the Backyard Farming Connection… because I so love read posts about other people’s homesteads! Maybe it’s because I’m nosy 😉 … maybe it’s because I’m a teeny bit jealous. (My homestead is a city lot consisting of about 1/10 of an acre!)
Your pictures are beautiful… but Oh! your poor trees! 🙁
Though, while I would never wish a ice storm on anyone, they do make for some gorgeous pictures!
~ Christine
Hi Christine! Thanks for stopping by. I agree, if it wasn’t for the damaged trees, and being under a fog for weeks, the frost is beautiful! Especially in that moment when the sun comes out and shines on it before it melts. 🙂
I love these pictures- especially the cat one!! This awesome post has been featured on “Tuesdays with a Twist” – if you get a chance – please hop on over and grab a featured button.
Thanks
Angie
http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/
Thanks so much Angie!!
We are getting a heavy snow right now which is supposed to be followed by a wintery mix. Yay….um not. It took me 2 hours and 40 mins to get home from work today. 🙁 Your weather just looks dreadful. I have never heard of freezing fog.
Thanks for sharing with us at The HomeAcre Hop!
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~Ann
Beautiful photos! My two favs are of your cat and the eggs. 🙂
Oh my gosh, those wintery, icy pictures are so beautiful! I hate the damage those storms due, but it’s so amazing at the same time!
I totally agree!