Phew!

Help! We need skates!

Following the Bully tracks to the front paddock.

Now THAT was satisfying!

The Guineas kept a close watch while I totally cleaned out their coop.

One entire Bully load!

It was well worth it. Smells so good in there now!

What? What! What? Do these guys have an arrangement that means they all look in different directions? North, south, east … and Miss Charlie is likely looking west from her perch! Funny!

While I was working in the coop Ede was just outside moving the fence line. We sure were tired by lunch time!

Goldfinches enjoying the sunshine

When the jennies were allowed back they couldn’t believe …

… I’d thrown out all that great smelling Guinea bedding! AND the cast away chicken scratch!!

This afternoon’s chore … Tried to show you the six inches of ice I had to chip away. I had to wait because earlier in the day it was still all water. Can’t move the water. Have to wait until it is good and HARD to move as ice!

Beautiful moon rise tonight. Friday night – full moon – comet – and a prenumbral eclipse … (which seems to mean we won’t really be able to tell it is an eclipse at all)

Cat is in the bag

Instead of a tough weather day it was gorgeous! Sunny and mild. Which meant it was a tough work day instead. When I headed out this morning the jennies let me know right away they were not pleased with another skating day!! The freezing rain did not stick to the trees and the road was pretty good by mid-morning. But the paddocks – glare ice again. At least we now have some immediate strategies that work. Putting the barn wood chips and manure on the main pathways was a big help. Running the Bully (jeep) around the paddocks to crack the ice and make crumbled ice chip walkways also helped. Opening the barn to let the jennies finish off the hay chaff – popular choice.

We closed the gates on the front paddock and set to work. Ede wanted to take advantage of the mild weather to finish moving the fence line out of the way of where the Guinea run will be. (Wood is here – fencing is ordered!) She screwed strapping onto the trees she was going to use as supports and figured out a great system of metal loops to secure the fence. By using a t-post and a winch strap she had everything good and tight. A far cry better than what is was … that particular stretch was one of our first attempts at fencing a number of years ago.

While she was at that I dove into the coop. To a raucous cheering squad of Guineas I managed to shovel out three and a half months of accumulated wood chips, chicken scratch and hay. Note to self … our Guineas do not eat chicken scratch. Seems they only ‘bathe’ in it! The coop bedding filled the entire Bully box! It was deeeeeeeelightful to fill that coop with clean, fresh smelling, dry bedding! I made a chicken scratch ‘bath’. Set Miss Charlie up with another deep nest of hay in the corner. And made a good thick layer of wood chips elsewhere. The water is now tucked into the back corner where it won’t get nearly as dirty. (It does present an interesting challenge for filling and cleaning … but one I’ll tackle for now.) I had to keep stopping by the door to look in and enjoy the Guineas all strutting around their clean digs. Thanks Mother Nature for the mid-winter thaw!

This afternoon I set out again to take advantage of the sun. The temperatures dropped enough that the water that tends to flood the hay barn door (in the back paddock) was now ice. I cannot seem to move it away when it is water. It just flows back … But once it is ice I can take the ice axe and have at it. After an hour of whacking away I had both doors freed up. We’re expecting a hay delivery tomorrow or the next day. I needed that door open! I think I’ll be feeling a few muscle aches in the morning!

Good to see that Oz and Teddy are pooped tonight too! Oz is sleeping in my rocking chair … Teddy is sleeping on my desktop. (They both have cozy cat beds in the study too …!) Ede is trying to stay awake long enough to be able to go to bed. We missed a bad weather day of continued freezing rain – but sure filled it with jobs from our lists.  Phew!