The weatherman had been calling for snow and temperatures below 20, but I thought they were crazy. Well, I'm eating crow... served cold. We awoke to snow blanketing the ground and more falling and lots more to come. We built a big fire in the fireplace and watched the post card - like scenes outside the french doors.
Belle was camouflaged against the snow. She absolutely loved the stuff, running around, rolling in it, eating it... It was funny just watching her. She's right next to one of our palm trees and you can see the tangerine tree covered with the heat lamp on it. We'll see if we were successful in saving it.
My grandfather who grew up in South Dakota often told the stories of winters where they would tie a rope from their house to the barn so they wouldn't get lost in the blizzard on the way to feed the animals. We didn't need that, but as we trudged out to milk, the snow began to come down. It became very quiet with the noises muffled by the snow.
We got LuLu in the barn for milking and Elsie and Rosie poked their heads in the window for their morning sweet feed and hay. They had snow and ice on their backs, but they have their thick winter coats on and don't appear to be bothered by the cold weather.
The chickens were acting strangely. They did NOT want to walk on the snow. They stayed under the drop shed and eyed the white stuff suspiciously. I broke ice in the water troughs so they would have water to drink
We had the whole herd of goats in one stall. They aren't fond of walking on snow. They made the biggest mess in the barn. We had fresh water for them in a bucket and of course, they immediately pooped in the water. Not good manners at all.
Tricia, the milkmaid got LuLu all situated in the milking stall and began milking.
When we began walking back to the house, the snow was really falling. We just couldn't believe what was going on!
Looking back at the barn, you can see the snow. You can also see Belle running and having the best time ever!
Rosie and Elsie were covered in snow. Nicky, the bull, is in the background, staying out of the snow.
I measured the snowfall once it had stopped and we got right at 10 inches of snow. Incredible! I looked it up on the internet to learn that 10 inches of snow = 1 inch of rain.
The snow was deep and it covered everything. It's weight caused the live oak tree limbs to droop and touch the ground. Snow blanketed the ground. Little birds were confused and banged into our windows on the back patio. Red cardinals contrasted against the white snow.
Look at all the snow on the roof. People began saying to check in your attic. Some people were reporting that the north wind was blowing snow through their ridge vents and into the attic. I got the ladder and went into the attic to see if I would need to shovel snow out of the attic. Fortunately, no snow in the attic.
In the afternoon, the sun came out. It would get 6 degrees overnight! What a day! It set all sorts of records. It was a beautiful sight to see. So far, we've kept power the whole time and all our water is still running. We won't forget the January 21st snow day anytime soon!
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