Winter Pics

Hey Peeps!

 Long time, no words written here.... Like, what happened to Feb? Not that I'm complaining---one month less of winter would be fine by me!

Anyhoo, here's a bit of a picture dump, as much to prove that that last month actually did exist as to share with those of you who don't follow 'this family' on facebook.

 Horse back riding still happens in the winter when the conditions are right (no ice on the roads).

This picture reminds me that I have to shear my three little sheep soon (hopefully!) Can't believe how big she's gotten.

This is the time of year when the goats roam freely, as their fences sink to knee high and lower under the snow despite our efforts to shovel moats around them. It's usually okay, since there are no gardens for them to wreck, but feeling annoyed at the defiant principle of it, Mike ran some hot wire around the top of their pen yesterday and they're still inside today. We'll see if that lasts...

 These two girls are Lizzy's life. She spends far more time with them than us. ;)

This winter's most noteworthy difference has been a family pass we got for snowboarding on the Porkie slopes twenty minutes away.

  

It's been a fun afternoon get away to fight the cabin fever.

My little minions and I... we have some good fun together. :-)

We participated in the SnowBurst Fest in Feb, which included called dancing and fireworks.

We had a baby horse born in Feb, too. 

His conception was the result of a broken fence last year--not planned.

 

 Science lesson. :)

 All cleaned up and cute...

 His name is Guster.

 Farm chores are more challenging in the winter... you never know what new obstacles you might have to face. We just had two holey water tanks due to busting out the ice. Seems like there's always something...

Don't have to worry about the hairy Icelandic ponies getting cold.

Donna's learning how to ride.

Carding up some squishy sock yarn for Mom to spin. That fiber has already been made into socks. I'm actually running low just now and looking forward to my new crop of fleece!

A homemade cabbage shredder enabled us to put the rest of our cabbage from the cellar into kraut. 

Being whopped by the 5yr old in chess ;) (no actually, teaching her how to play--but she's gotten good!).

Kitten in the apple tree.

 No denying, this has been a winter of discovery. We've had lots of wonderful family discussions as we struggle to plan for our futures--both this year with the coming spring and future life goals in general--and while no hardcore answers have been solidified, I feel like we're on the brink.

Sort of like spring, you know, you can tell it's getting closer despite the never ending cold and snow. I feel hopeful.

That's it for now. I'll be sure to share as soon as we have all the answers figured out! (*sarcastic laughter*) ;) Actually, next up I wanted to share about Mom's aquaponics system. It's had several bugs, but as of right now, we have eight quickly growing fish in a tank in our windowsill and seedlings started above them. More on that later... maybe.

Happy spring!