We will not be Snowed In!

We will not be snow in again like 2 years ago!  We were actually stuck for 3 days then.

Hubby found an 8' snow blower. Bigger than the back end of our truck. 

We had to lift it off the truck with our tractor.

Look how big it is compared to Hubby!

Do you think this snowblower will move snow?

Hubby moved the snowblower with the tractor.

 Will it fit in the shed?

Now hubby tells me it needs  a little work.  It better work!

It better move snow. It's big enough to!

But we would be happy to not see any more snow this winter!

Beautiful Snow Pictures the Morning After

Friday night, the snow started. By Saturday morning, we had 9-12" on the railing.  We had a light misting snow in the morning and some wind.  By evening, some of the roads were drifting.  Our electric went out about 6 pm for 4 hours.  Luckily we had the heat back on before we went to bed.  This morning, the sun was shining bright.  The snow glistened on the tree branches.

The snow hung heavily on the pine trees.

I love how the tree line looked, as the morning sun rose.

I'm amazed that we only had about a half dozen large branches down.

But it sure was a beautiful winter morning.

Winter is Here

Our 6 weeks of winter has started!  We have 9" of snow on the railing. I think we got more, but the snow is wet and heavy. 

I have never seen snow this deep on small tree branches before.

I like this shot. It is not out of focus. 

Either it was misting a light snow or snow was being blown from the trees. 

I'm surprised we don't have more limbs down than we do.

I love snow in the pine trees!

Winter Wonderland this weekend!

We lost electric at 6 tonight.  3 hours later, I am seeing the electric trucks drive by, shining lights up at the lines, trying to see where the problem is.  I have seem them drive by 3 times in the last 15 minutes.  I hope that doesn't mean they don't know where the problem is.

First Snow

Our first snow of the year came yesterday, all day yesterday. First, the precipitation came in the form of 40 degrees and rain. Then temps started dropping and the rain got thicker. For a while, what came down melted. Then it started sticking to the car, then to the roads, and by evening, I think we got at least 5”.

I came home from town and the roads were slushy. With temps just at 32 degrees, the roads were just getting slick. I drove slower, and there sure are a lot of poor drivers out there. They just need to pass, then are only slightly in front of you!

Anyways, I get home and hubby and I head out to do chores.  We only had about an hour before dusk.  We wanted to open up the stud’s area to make it larger and to get him into a lean-to. That meant we had to move his water tank to an area closer to an electrical outlet for the water heater.  Luckily, the water in the tank was low enough to dump.

After it was scrubbed out, we moved it closer to the gate, put the heater into it, and now he has a tank of fresh water.

We left the dogs outside during this time, to play in the snow.  We fork hay back into the round bale feeders, and by doing so it’s amazing how much hay is saved. When hubby went to fork the large lot, he came back to say they needed another round bale. Great, now we are fighting dark.

We switched the bucket on the tractor to the spear, hubby gets a round bale and I opened the gates. I should have known the horses were a little hungry by the way they were running around. But their feeder still had some hay, so I think the cooler air and snow was making all of them feel “like young kids” again.

We actually put out 2 round bales, and we’ve learned to put them end to end. Then we put 2 empty round bale feeders on each of the other ends so that the horses don’t pull out too much hay and stomped it into the snow, mud, whatever. So actually, there are 4 round bale feeders in a row, with the middle 2 feeders with the new round bales in and the end 2 feeders are empty. Then we fork the loose hay into the end feeders. Horses are happier that they are spread out to eat hay and we are happier when there isn’t so much waste.  Even though it’s a little bit of work once or twice a day, our round bales last a little longer.

Luckily, the bigger tractor also has bigger lights, and we finished in the dark.  I’m loving the tractor we got earlier this spring. It made that trip worth it.  What a trip that was, well actually, 2 trips.

I’m sure tomorrow, hubby will see just how easy our snow removal will be. Our driveway can be filled with snow now, but we won’t have to shovel by hand!

March Snow

Can you believe this?

1st Day of Spring was Sunday!

Now, instead of buds, we have snow hanging on the limbs.

The snow sure is pretty!

But 4" is just too much, and temps in the 20's!

The snow just is hanging on the trees this morning. No wind.

And as I was taking these photos, it was very quiet and peaceful outside!

But... snow! I don't even think the robins can you believe this!

Early Spring

(Geese March 2010)

Is it spring already?
50 degree temps,
Snow is melting,
Ice is melting,
And there is plenty of mud.

I saw geese flying north today,
Not just one flock,
But three flocks
during evening chore time,
And I was outside without a coat on.

Is it spring already,
I don’t think so,
Even though the temps are warm this week,
Next week is to be back to the 30’s
And I’ll be back to wearing a winter coat!

Will it snow again?
Will it freeze again?
Will there be more ice?
I think so,
But I hope there isn’t!

Tractor is Loaded

The Case tractor is loaded onto our flatbed trailer. That is the good news.

The bale spear fit under the loader. We put the spare tire up against the spear and neither will move.

Hubby is checking to make sure the chains and straps are tight.

The tractor is chained on, and just fits onto the trailer.

But barely. There is no extra room for the tires on the left.

and only a very tiny gap on the right.

The front tires are a little wider, and the tractor had to be "shimmed with the front end raised to get the tractor on.

The tractor is ready to go.

Hey, wait for me. I'm still taking pictures!

We're on our way to Nebraska. The bad news is that our truck started leaking transmission fluid about 3 hours after picking up the tractor, at 5 in the afternoon. We stopped at a GMC truck dealer and they got the truck into service early the next morning. Parts need to be ordered. We were able to rent a truck at the dealer price, and we were able to come home.

Then we get to make the 11 hour trip to pick up the tractor and truck next week.

Our "New" Tractor

Not a brand new tractor, but new to us. And boy, do we need it! We will keep our other tractor, a John Deere 2010, as it can still move round bales. But I plan on hooking up the arena rotatiller to the JD and leaving it hooked up to work the arena anytime that I need to!

1998 Case International c50. 4 wheel drive. I just love that it is 4 WD! Loader model 1027.


Look at those tires! We shouldn't get stuck! The tractor is 4WD!

This tractor has a wide front end. The bucket appears to be wider than the tractor.

Look at the size of this bucket. That will move manure into large piles easily. And it should be able to push the snow out of our driveway. You know, the snow that the road grader puts there!

We will NEVER be snowed in again. Well, never say never. At least we won't be snowed in if the tractor is running well!

We can easily unhook the bucket and put the bale spear on. We'll be able to lift the bales easily to take them to the round bale feeders.