Snowy Surprise

 

Well, chalk one up for weird weather here at the Homestead. We just had a 25 year record low, for this time of year, of 18 degrees. It's a drag to have that kind of cold in Oregon when everything is just gearing up for spring. We are just not used to it. Our pipes are exposed, our troughs freeze up, our landscaping dies. Fruit trees that have already budded up
lose their tender bits. I know my bees are not appreciating the sudden temperature drop. They're in there collectively wiggling their little wings to generate heat to stay alive and keep their brood warm. What a job.

 

It's hard on the wildlife to go from 45 degree weeks to suddenly 18 degrees.

I'm sure everyone can agree it's hard work and slow going on the land when it freezes so unexpectedly. My friends from Minnesota don't have a lot of love for this weather- they came here to get away from it!

The inch or two of snow was the upside for us, since it didn't stay too long and was a very nice sort of scrunchy, sparkley snow that clung to the branches and made everything seem magical.

Lots of frolicking was done by the dogs,

 

less so by the chickens.