Farm Friend Friday: After the Freeze

Amy over at Verde Farm is starting Farm Friend Friday. I became acquainted with her when we both participated in National Hug a Sheep Day hosted by my friend Sara over at Punkin's Patch at Equinox Farm. I've been looking for something like this to feature our small farm.

She says "Farm Friend Friday will be about: house, cooking, crafting, animals, gardening, photography and more. It will be a great way to meet new farm friends and see lots of different views and perspectives on farm life." How cool is that?

If you've been watching the strange weather (which I call Wonky World Weather) you'll know that Texas has been briefly plunged  back into the Ice Age. Even down here in the semi-arid desert Southwest, an hour as the crow (or, in our case, the Cara Cara) flies from Mexico, we had three days solidly frozen at 12 degrees.

 Ribbons of sap being extruded from our Frostweed (Verbesina virginica)

I'm sure to many of you this doesn't sound so terrible as you deal with this every Winter. However, we live three months of the year over 100 degrees, even attaining 117 degrees one day last summer. Truth be told, in our diurnal climate Winter consists of freezing temperatures most nights, and 60 plus degrees each day. You could say Winter only comes at night--the rest of the time we are running around in t-shirts!

The things we call coats most people would probably consider windbreakers. We have been wearing three at a time just to stay warm in this old farmhouse. Built over 70 years ago--before air conditioning was the mode--our house has little insulation and is 50% single pane glass operable windows for catching those breezes.

 This Fall photo gives you an idea how much glass we are talking about.

Fortunately we have a fireplace, because Wednesday our electricity (and thus our heat) went out for the arctic day! Living remotely as we do we are in an electric co-op. Mostly we experience outages from electrical storms that come in more temperate seasons and those don't generally last more than a couple hours, if that.

Farmer Rick took the tractor down to the creek to load kindling, but the icy hill proved too steep for traction and the wood had to be carried armload by armload. While he was laying in firewood, I made the decision to move all the seedlings from the rapidly cooling greenhouse into the living room.

Living room scene on a 12 degree day with no heat.

So, snuggled around the fire with us were four dogs, four cats, one rooster (Junior's been recuperating) and 439 plants! I feel bad that I was unable to bring in the remaining 49 chickens who usually stay warm with heat lamps, but that would have been total chaos. Unfortunately several of our roosters in Coop Two appear to have suffered some frostbite. (This morning it's looking a little better--fingers crossed).

Marco Marans showing some frostbite on the tips of his comb.

Finley the sheep is lame in a foreleg. I suspect he's been watching me break his trough ice with the sledgehammer and has perhaps tried this himself.

But I don't like snow cones!

Amazingly our lettuce which had been covered with clear plastic withstood the ordeal.

Butterhead lettuce makes it through!

I'm sure there were some losses among our honeybees, but the good news is today it's warmed above 50 degrees and the girls are coming and going from both hives and doing housekeeping.

Workers carrying out the dead after three days of freezing temperatures.

What is this object you say? Why it's a frozen cylinder of coffee grounds! No, no, we don't drink that much. We are fortunate enough to have connected with a local coffee shop and are able to compost all their grounds!

Cafe glace!

It's time to take advantage of the sun and get outside to cut back the asparagus. The first spears were already peeking through this time last year. (I hope they held off). We'll be looking forward to eating it soon!

For more farm fun visit Farm Friend Friday. (Say that ten times!)

Sunday Stills: Circles

(Click to biggify!)

Here are the most interesting circles I could come up with for the challenge this week. This is a large, hand painted wooden collector's button from Russia on top of the over-sprayed metal lid to our hay bin. I do wish I knew the story it tells.

The imagery depicts a crying fish--perhaps because he's been turned into an island?--a woman carrying water over her shoulders to her home, and a beautiful wooden church in the architectural style characteristic from where my ancestors came.

Church in Turza, Poland 

(courtesy the wikicommons)

I love all the circles in this architecture. Maybe this is why I designed our chicken coop with curving walls?

 

Also, yesterday I randomly discovered an online filter that will turn photos into bead art. Using it I altered a photo of a Phoenician Mullein growing in my greenhouse.

For more images of circles, visit Sunday Stills.

Fog on the Divide

The mornings have been cold and foggy creating an ethereal landscape. I took these up on the watershed divide last week. (click to biggify).

Sunday Stills: The Color Green

Ed challenged us with green because many participating photographers are currently snowed in! But here in southwest Texas the Live Oaks and Junipers keep us surrounded in green during the Winter. So I decided to challenge myself in other ways of photographing green.

Those of you that follow my blog know it's a rare day you'll see a photo of me on it. So I thought I would try some self-portraits: a green-eyed lady in green glasses and green coat in front of a green mirrored sculpture on the side of our house. I've used some digital manipulation to cut the glare on the mirror and create a dream-like effect.

Perhaps I should have cleaned the mirrors first! On this last one I decided to collage in an old cotton doily. Do you like it?

For more images of green, visit Sunday Stills!

Sunday Stills: Macro

Ed suggested we shoot inside, but the sun finally came out and the landscape begged to be explored after several days of rain and cold. And with great luck, I came across a family of Earth Stars. I just love these little things.

Earth Stars are a relative of the Puffball, and belong to a group of fungi known as Gasteromycetes which means 'stomach fungi'. They have a little 'stomach' filled with spores.

Unlike any other fungus, an Earth Star can move!

When it rains the outer layer splits into many rays, looking like a star. The rays of the star act like legs to raise the stomach above and release the spores.

For more up close photos visit Sunday Stills!

Sunday Stills: The letter W

I am the white wolf, Fransciso, and I'm working on a new performance art piece I'd like to share with you.

Most of my conceptualizations involve the breaking down of barriers, namely white doors. This is my sixth installation showing my mature style. Once I realized this was a steel door, I began concentrating on the wooden frame. I'm still hopeful I can add making it through metal to my artist statement.

This white door has a lot of character. It used to belong on the back door of my former house. It was my first project when I was still a pup. Momma still remembers being on vacation and getting a call from the pet sitter who told her I was half in the house and half outside! He he. You can still see the old boards he used to cover the hole. She's saved it all these years she likes it so much. (I was kind of hoping she might hang it over the sofa).

The white lavatory used to belong in the bathroom of our current house. It's from about the same period as the door. Mom is so style conscious! Both are being repurposed for use in Chicken Coop Two at the moment. It is almost entirely built out of recycled materials.

Those lucky chickens!

Here's Kryzsztof, the white Buff Lace Poland rooster getting groomed by one of his gals. And neat photos of water on plastic in the garden from last night's rain, and water droplets.

For more images of the letter W, visit Sunday Stills!

Sunday Stills: Best Shot of 2010

Happy New Year friends! One of the best shots of the year was recently taken by my husband of me holding our first grandchild, Lily. I love how angelic she looks!

Here are some of the best shots I took in 2010. I'll leave it up to you to choose the best one!

Thanks Ed for hosting this fun challenge, I'll try to participate more this year. For more Best Shots of 2010 visit Sunday Stills. Wishing everyone a fabulous 2011!