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Friday, February 22, 2013

Brrrr.....

Yes, Virginia, there IS a summer

Just past daybreak yesterday, I happened by the big windows to see a bald eagle twisting quickly down the river, dodging trees and power lines. I know they've been seeing him hunting down in town, but this is the first sure sighting for me this year, although I thought I might have seen him Sunday.

Been going out every morning trying to get decent pictures for Sunday Stills....sunrises and sunsets are fairly easy, but with a building in the shot? Not so much. Our place is just not laid out to make that possible. So far all I have gotten is cold.

I've decided that besides doing two-season lists of birds I see from the house, house yard, barn, and barnyard, I will also keep a yearlong list of all the birds I personally see anywhere on, or from, the farm. Wish I had the gumption to hike up in the fields and the trust to think that I would find the right time. The snow is plenty hard enough to hold a walker and the boss has been seeing snow buntings.

Cold, hard wind all day, relentless, harsh, scouring and sweeping, biting and burning at exposed flesh.

The boss and I put the cows in at just past one, as soon as they had finished their hay. Too cold for tender udders out in that nasty breeze. They were sure glad to come inside.

One of these days, when everyone is home so I am not needed to lock up stanchions I am going to take a video of them coming in. The boss opens the door and then races to get in the manger before he gets trampled by Lakota and the cows behind her...the same ones are always first and in the biggest hurry. Yesterday he almost fell over Chainsaw, who thought it was a good time to linger by the milk house door. Never a dull moment.

An unexpected present from that man of mine. A carton of strawberries from the market, red as rubies and luscious as summer. I had a bowl with a dusting of sugar and a splash of milk....just before bedtime. Sweet dreams and thank you.

He brought me home a tomato too. We don't often do tomatoes in the winter. I hate to buy imported produce and that is often all they have. This one was American born and bred, expensive as all get out and that much more of a gift because of it. I am thinking salad...maybe tonight. The indoor lettuce is about past its prime though. Time to cut it all and plant more. I am trying radishes indoors this year. They have sprouted nicely and look pretty good so far. Got to get them out of the kitchen and into the bright east windows in the living room.

Amazing how much of a garden you can grow on bright windowsills. This year I have two pots of lettuce, a large rosemary, parsley, several pots of top onions, which supply enough onion greens for all my cooking, and the radishes. I have done carrots in the past and they thrived in a deep bucket. You can't beat fresh vegetables in the winter.

There was a ring around the moon at nighttime when we came in, an icy, dark rainbow brighting out the stars. It spoke of the cold with its frozen beauty and I didn't look long I'll tell you.

Brrrr......at least the wind is lighter today and it looks as if we'll see some sun.

8 comments:

Cathy said...

Eagles, snow buntings and tender udders . . what a life.

It's ice-pelleting here this AM.

Sunshine. Please.

Shirley said...

I've never tried to grow an indoor garden, but it sure sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure that we get enough light in here to do it though, we live in a mobile home that runs north/south so the big window that I would have to use faces north.

Linda said...

What a sweet man. We have local greenhouses that produce vine ripened tomatoes and some of the best cuc's I've ever tasted. CHEAP too. Of course they aren't the same quality as summer, home grown ones but still better than store bought from Mexico.

Terry and Linda said...

Nasty here and supposed to be here until Monday. I sick of winter and the wind. Harsh wind and nothing good about it. I can forgive the wind in the spring as all the plants need the wind to start getting the sap up from the roots, but what needs wind in the winter!


Linda
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Anonymous said...

Fresh veggies..... I wish I had thought of it soon enough. I tried tomato's in the past and they are so slow! Might have to try some radishes!

R.Powers said...

It may hit 80 here today. Started basil, squash, and datils this week.

ellie k said...

The tomato crops here in Florida are just being planted,this is the second crop. This week I saw a cook on tv make roasted radishes and carrots, she said they get very sweet when roasted. I plan to try them. Stay warm and think and think spring, it is on the way. Ellie

threecollie said...

Cathy, we were supposed to get a storm, but a dusting of pelleted snow is all we got, which is fine with me.

Shirley, you might not be able to do some plants, but leaf lettuce is amazingly forgiving. You can grow it right in a flower pot and it isn't terribly demanding for light.

linda, there is a guy around here who does hydroponic veggies in winter, but I have never seen his stuff for sale, alas....

Linda B, not me, that's for sure. lol It has been a real windy winter too!

Robert, you should try some stuff. Lettuce is quick and easy and really tasty...leaf lettuce that it. I grow a mix and hardly any ever makes it into salad because everybody grazes when they walk by. lol

FC, 80! The last time I saw 80 was in somebody's car with a good heater. lol

Ellie, thanks, I am going to look that recipe up if I can. Seems we can't get enough vegetables this winter, always wanting something green or orange and it is so hard to find USA grown in the stores.