Around The Farm

As I indicated yesterday, this has been a rugged winter so far:

This small lilac was showing a few, swelling red buds sticking up above the snow. But that, of course, was before it got buried in four feet of snow:

The little hens are indoors and protected from the worst of winter's sting:

But they have noticed the lengthening days and are beginning to lay eggs, which I have to get indoors as soon as possible lest they freeze and burst:

The pigeons have been pairing off and doing a lot of cooing:

It might be a horrible winter outside, but the pigeons, like the chickens, are tuned in to the lengthening days:

This little lady has hatched two squabs and kept them alive for several weeks despite the cold. I haven't interfered in any way (beyond snapping this photo), hoping she'll be able to raise them in spite of the awful cold. So far, she's done just fine:

This is a typical view from upstairs bathroom window. Sometimes it's so white that not much is visible but snow:

The view to the southwest. That flat field was planted in soybeans last year:

The snowbanks alongside the driveway continue to grow and have now reached as high as eight feet - with lots more snowfall predicted. Our only hope now is to survive winter and pray for an early spring: