The Snowman That Will Not Go Away

We once built a snowman
That was a pretty fun day
But he has started to wear out his welcome
That snowman that will not go away

We giggled after the second snowstorm
Seeing his new skirt and pretending he liked ballet
He was still fun to have around then...
That snowman that will not go away

After the third snowstorm he caught my eye one morning
He seemed to be swimming laps as if to say
Don't worry I'm enjoying myself here
Because I am the snowman that will NOT go away

He even is a little nosey
Peeking in at us though out the day
It seems we have a squatter!
It's that snowman that WILL NOT go away

Now he is nice and cozy
Settled in and seemingly here to stay
Maybe in the spring when we see him again and laugh
At the thought of the snowman, who would NOT go away

(Our yard guest was originally built about 3.5-4' tall, but he keeps getting taller.  The elements are definitely in his favor.)

Snow Clothes, Snow Pics

Snow can be great, it really can.  Getting young kids ready to go out in the snow can be great------ly difficult.  Some people joke it takes more time getting everyone ready than you end up staying out-

<Start Timer>
Before my kids put on their snowsuits they demanded to see which suit was bigger, they did not believe me.  Here they are comparing them to see which is longer.
Total time spent: 8 minutes

 Next little lady demanded that I NOT help her put her suit on.
Total time I spent watching her fuss with the suit: 5 minutes

I heard baby girl crawling into the dishwasher and stopped her before she discovered the lone knife that wanted to be washed again.
Total time spent: 3 minutes

Checking back in on little lady, she was putting the suit on backwards.
Total time spent shaking my head with my hands on my hips: 1 minute

Baby girl slipped and bumped her head.
Total time spent giving hugs and calming her down: 2 minutes

Little lady has succeeded at getting that suit on...

...now to get the 100 other necessary articles on. (We were in luck today and able to located all hats, socks and mittens quickly.  Sometimes this is where the not-so-committed-to-the-snow children give up).
Total time spent getting the endless articles on both kids: 8 minutes

Little man told little lady she looked like Aunt Sponge from James And The Giant Peach story.  She was not happy and I had to mediate.
Total time spent: 2 minutes

Running baby girl upstairs to her bed to nap while we are out in the yard.
Total time spent: 1 minute

And we are out the door ladies and gentlemen.  Total time spent to get there: 30 minutes

It is in the 20s today with little wind and sunshine, so not bad at all.  Some snowballs were thrown, lots of snow eaten...
Side note and opinions welcome-  I still have not made snow cream for my kids, I am a little hesitant to even let them eat snow from our area given the really, really bad air quality of the Providence area.  I'm no expert on the matter and wonder how much air quality affects snow contamination or if it is enough to matter???

 No sledding since our sled was froze to the ground the day before the storm and now buried. :(  Oops.
We filled the bird feeder, checked in on the barn cat, threw more snowballs, little lady said her face was cold and went inside (total time she spent outside, maybe 20 minutes).  Little man hung out with me some longer, but snow was too deep for him to walk in, then he went in.  He made it at least 30 minutes.

I then went around and snapped some pictures.
Good thing we got enough firewood in for a week-

Not so welcoming-

This fence is 4' high, snow is at least halfway up it all around the parameter.  This depth held up even after high winds all day.  The snow is very light because its so cold, so nothing is stuck to the trees.

This is where I fell climbing over the fence, true story-

 Empty chicken coop-

Whipped snow in the shed with mouse tracks-

 Some drifts went over the fence (if you can see to the right of the feeder)-

To deep for me to walk through-

 

Questioning what I am doing in thigh deep snow-

Cat tails from the frozen pond, I'm looking forward to hearing the peeping spring frogs-

Last picture of a partially snow covered fence.

Thankful the storm did not damage our area but praying for those on the islands and Cape Cod that are without power in these frigid temps (single digits most nights).

Just Some Snow Pics

Taking it easy, but I am missing sharing pictures and such.  So here are some random photos from around the homestead during these cold snowy days.

These are the faces they give me when I ask them to look at the camera and smile.... maybe I should start trying reverse psychology?

Oh wait, they looked at the camera-

I have to say, even the cats and rodents make more sensical roadways than the ones here in New England (they are straight, I always love those "S" curves on I-95).  Those twigs are our asparagus plants, looking forward to this coming season harvest of them.

Here is the rat highway to the chicken coop.... they are snatching food from their feeder.... or maybe both enjoy company during these cold winter months.

A note about salmonella (from my understanding)-  Eggs get contaminated with salmonella when a hen eats the feces of an infected rat.  When a hen is infected I hear it is quite obvious, she shows obvious signs of illness.  Then you know not to eat her eggs.

This is obviously where the rats live.  We plan to get rid of all these scrap piles in the spring to hopefully cut down on them.  The cats have really helped in this regard also (not removing scrap piles but killing some of the rats).

Ice sickles on the chicken coop wire.

Hens have been spending lots of time in the coop, very cold most days.  We don't heat their coop, we just try and keep it insulated with straw.  They are hardy girls.

Change of topic.....  Baby comparison pics.
Baby 1.0 at around 1 month old-

Baby 2.0 at around 1 month old-

Baby 3.0 at almost 1 month old-

We think she looks more like baby 1.0 (big brother) but with bigger cheeks and dark hair.... but its hard to tell.

I plan to start writing about real stuff again soon.... such as trying to cure our own hams and some house updates.  Bear with me please. :)

Our Big February Snow 2013

Picture dump of the 24ish inches of snow that were dumped on us.  Enjoy-

Last night was quite nasty, snow blowing from the north east-

Prepared for the power outage that usually happens, but were spared this time-

I never really liked this tree anyway-

Must. Get. To. Chicken coop.

Hard to tell how many inches since most of it is drifted-

Neighbor's SOUTH facing side of house (winds were mainly from the north east)

 Pool chain link fence, solid snow-

Street is plowed

 Hens not interested in leaving their coop today-

Had to dig out the inside alittle-

Success-

My reward-

He likes the snow, has his daddy's upstate NY hardiness.  Been out multiple times today.  Baby girl not so fond of cold.

Favorite picture-

Good stuff-

 Snow fort daddy dug out-

Love her chunky cheeks, the guy is pretty cute too-

Yes, we are that family.  Maybe we will invest in a snowblower one day. (we just bought a bay window remind you :)  and a generator is much higher on the buy list)

 Now for some pretty pictures-

I used to not like the well cover, but it is growing on me.

In conclusion, we need a mud room... and blinds on our windows :)