Goodbye 2012

As in the past I make a list of things I want done in the coming year. My original list for this farm has only ONE thing crossed off on it. I will continue to make the list so I have documented the fact that anything I plan is not done, but we certainly did get lots done this year.

The MAJOR ITEM was we got a PUPPY! I needed that like a hole in the head, but coincidentally on his first birthday, December 1, he seems to have straightened himself out. I might not have needed him, but he needed us. One of these days he's going to be a fantastic dog, it is just not today.

We did manage to FINALLY get Irene spayed. Her personality has not changed one single bit, even though she was going on two years old when it was done. She didn't hold it against us or act mad in any way. She's a great cat, a Tiger.

The BIG TICKET item this year was the future pasture rehabilitation. Coming back from corn is a huge undertaking. Corn is brutal on its environment. We used 6 and a half TONS of Lime, bags and bags of fertilizer, bought an antique spreader, and had the Orchard Grass Mix drilled into the field. It looks good, even with snow on it. In my fantasies that pasture is fenced in. Next year that will be the big ticket item. I am estimating that will cost about $10,000 to fence. And that is with us doing all the labor. Ouch.

When that is fenced in, and the fencing is tied into the dry pasture, everything will come together. We can 'rest' the pasture the boys now are in, grow some decent Orchard Grass there, and rotate between the two. And cut back on hay consumption.

I also want to get new glasses.

We'll see how many of the things I want done and things that come up actually get done instead in 2013.

Happy New Year!

Again with the Snow!

Every three days it seems to snow! Argh!

When the snow was done, the wind picked up and turned the slushy snow into black ice. The boys spent the night inside, again.

Last Full Moon For 2012

Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, 5:21 a.m. EST. The full moon of December is called the Oak Moon. Other names are Frost Moon, Winter Moon, Long Night’s Moon, and Moon Before Yule.

The full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, the only night in the month when the moon is in the sky all night long. The rest of the month, the moon spends at least some time in the daytime sky.

Snow, Again

Today was first day back at work, supposedly. The time between graining the barn kids and taking a shower it began to snow.

I was giving him instructions about what to do when it started raining, and it was snowing!

White Christmas

Unexpectedly we had a white Christmas. I think lots of people wanted one, so lots were pleased. Here we got about two inches overnight. The roads were slick, it got foggy after the snow stopped. Made travel plans interesting.

Fog cleared off, and Christmas day was nice.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Wind chill or 'real feel' is a mathematical equation. Chicago was experiencing some wintry weather and it was headed straight for our place. The snow part was not arriving but the gusting winds were promised.

On Saturday we celebrated with family. Driving up to Gettysburg he had to keep both hands on the wheel, the wind gusts across the roadways were trying to yank the wheel out of his hands. I would hate to be pulling a trailer on such a day.

It remained clear and sunny, but the 40 to 60 mph wind was horrible.

The waxing moon was lovely, but the wind persisted. Consequently the boys stayed in three nights in a row.

The weather front blew in with snow and sleet. O boy.

Sunday Before Christmas

I've been lucky enough to have some days off from work, however, the weather hasn't really cooperated for riding.

We took the best day of the holiday to ride at the Agricultural Farm History Park in Derwood. We used to board off that park, are familiar with the trails and developed some of them.

The Park has been working on bridge installations and planting 110,000 saplings. When I first heard of the tree plantings I believed it was a misprint. There really are that many trees planted in those meadows. In five or ten years it will be an incredible sight.

Most all the snow was gone, and it was in the mid 40s.