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.