Winter 2016 Has Arrived

Finally, winter has arrived.  Our high today was 33 degrees and last night it got down to 13 or 17 degrees depending on which side of the house you took the reading.  It feels good to be in winter again.

  This has been a season of unusual blossoming.  There is a yellow jasmine blooming all over town that has been brighter than I have ever seen it at its normal time, which is in March, I think.  There are roses and cherry trees blossoming and dandelions are still going.  There are big stands of spring bamboo.  And look at the new grass in the barnyard.

This was the morning sky one morning, not long ago.

 Another thing, I forgot to mention in the previous blog, is that I decided I want to paint more.  This would be a good picture to paint.

This one is taken through our bedroom screen.  

The only problem with cold temperatures is the animals' water in buckets freezes.  I got a new heater for the sheep trough but it doesn't seem to be working.  Fortunately, we have two blue plug- in buckets (one in the goose/chicken run, and tonight, one in the barn).  The goose tub and the puddle pond are both, iced over.  

When it was muddy, it was hard to getting from point A to B without tacking or traversing.  Good thing I spent the time I did, sailing and skiing, in earlier years.  Who knew the experience would come in handy getting around barnyards and pastures.  But now the mud has turned to frozen, uneven cement like rubble, Yuck.  Tomorrow, we shall take an excursion to the cabin yard and I will hang out in my greenhouse van and perhaps paint a few sheep or continue my knitting.  

Plenty to do in all seasons and temperatures.