A Snowy Farm - Part 2

I was taking a walk around the farm house and barn, snapping photos of the wintry beauty (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). These were seed pods on the huge lilac bush in front of the house:

 And just across the driveway from the lilac was this Eastern White Cedar:

 Another view of the Eastern White Cedar, a tree which seems almost magical to me:

I walked out into the road for a view of the farm house and lilac bush:

 And I had to tromp through knee-high snow to photograph the Mock Orange bush. It's hard to imagine that this will be covered in beautiful white flowers in the spring:

The dogs were wishing they could come with me, but they had to wait in their fenced yard:

 I again trudged through deep snow to get a closeup of these apple branches:

 I had plowing to do, so I put the bucket on the tractor and began moving snow. When I noticed the snowy cattails along the gravel road, I drove to them and climbed down for a closer view. Alas, the snow disguised the deep drainage ditch beside the road and my right foot suddenly sank through the snow and ice, landing in the cold water beneath it all. The ice surrounded and trapped my leg, requiring quite a bit of struggling to extricate myself:

My foot was now soaked and cold, but I photographed this snowy Red Pine before I went back indoors:

And on the way back to the house, I photographed my own cattle on the east side of the barn. I put their bale feeder there in cold weather so the barn will break the chilly west winds:

I parked the tractor inside the barn, but first I snapped one last picture, showing the piles of snow I'd moved with the tractor:

A Snowy Farm - Part 1

It was cold and snowy outside, and I could see through a window that this tree was covered in white. It's a double tree - a wild seeded Golden Delicious apple on the left, and a flowering crab on the right:

So I bundled up and went outside for a closer look at all the wintry beauty. The Golden Delicious in the above photo still had apples clinging to its frozen branches:

I looked across the county road to the northwest and my neighbors' house:

 Then I turned my gaze toward the north field, which was across the gravel town road:

 Due west was my neighbors' barn:

 And to the southwest was the farm field on which alternating crops of soybeans and field corn are grown and harvested:

The cattle and horses were clustered at the bale feeder on the east side of the barn:

 And the trees at the edge of the field to the northeast were beautifully covered in snowy white:

 For a closeup view, I checked out the Rugosa Rose hips, growing right near the farm house back door:

All five dogs were watching me from their fenced yard:

 The Bridalveil Spirea bushes were intricate and lacy, all covered with snow. I continued walking, and will post Part 2 tomorrow:

The Horsey Boys

When my sister visited, she made it a point to stop and say hello to the horses. Blue, as usual, was shy:

But Remy never had a shy day in his life. He's a love sponge:

The two boys are so bonded that I can't imagine them ever being separated:

They spend all day out on the pasture, sometimes staying with the cows, sometimes going off on their own:

Sometimes they separate from each other, but not too far and not for long. They always keep an eye on each other:

The muzzles have by now become routine and I haven't had to go searching for a shucked muzzle in many weeks:

Each night I give them a tiny bit of grain (too much would be bad for them) and then they spend the night in the barn with hay and water. I put the hay down in four spots, separated by bars to keep them from fighting over it:

The vet said they both look extraordinarily healthy except that Blue is still a bit too fat:

On the day I did fence repair, both horses came along to "help" me:

And they make a pretty picture for folks driving by on the county road:

Remy likes the company of his cattle friends. They tolerate him but don't seem to return the affection he feels for them:

One morning I went out to the barn and discovered that they'd opened some gates and raided the hay supply. They keep me on my toes:

Springtime Horses

Blue and Remy still get a half cup of grain each morning in separate stalls to keep them from fighting. That's not enough grain to make them fat but it is enough to keep them coming when called - usually:

 With the grass growing now, they spend most of each day outside, searching for the newest, tenderest grass:

 The cows now join them and on rainy days when the fields are sodden, they know a high spot where they can graze:

 Violet and Remy were hanging out together by the edge of the gravel road, where white birch trees grow in abundance:

 Blue was over by the county road, near the fence gate which is electrified. I hadn't intended it that way, but I put an "Electric Fence" sign on it to warn passersby. I imagine it's even worse when there is a puddle there (I wasn't about to go touch it to find out):

 Remy was looking mighty cute and I thought he needed a portrait shot:

 "Here's a side view for my publicity photo:"

 But mostly their days are spent grazing green grass and sleeping:

 Blue doesn't look so fat since he lost his winter coat. He also doesn't look so black either, but instead more brown:

 One morning I found Blue in the barn, waiting for his breakfast:

 Remy, however, was sprawled on the floor and didn't move a muscle. Was he sick or dead?

 No, he was just sleeping. The sound of the grain bin being opened brought him suddenly to life:

Remy And Blue

Remy and Blue seem exceptionally happy and healthy this spring:

They are both shedding their winter coats, but it is more obvious on Blue because he appears to be turning from black to brown:

Remy has remained the same color, but seems to be losing weight as he sheds excess hair:

Both little horses spend their days, rain or shine, searching the very short grass as is begins to grow. Apparently  they are finding enough to eat, though they also have plenty of hay and daily grain, just in case:

The cattle began following Blue and Remy out into the field, the whole herd searching for edible green grass:

Remy is still as friendly as ever but seems preoccupied lately:

Are you talkin' about me?

They are so focused on greening grass that it's nearly impossible for me to get a photo of them with their heads up:

I have quite a lot of hay left over, but can feed it out next fall:

They haven't seemed to itch all winter long, but they are beginning to scratch their butts on the old fence again. I don't think the biting flies have started yet, but perhaps their shedding coats cause them to want to scratch:

Blue seems to have become even sweeter over the winter. He's still slow and shy, but loves affection:

 

And Remy is still playful and mischievous. I can often spot his desire to cause trouble by the look on his face. This would be an example: