Winter’s Last Blast? And More Slow-Motion Birds at the end…

One can hope this is the last blast. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am certainly ready for Spring!

We took a drive and that little dusting of snow we were supposed to get suddenly turned into blowing, nasty, drifting snow. But alas, we kept driving…

I thought these two babies were perfect.
 

One of my very favorite barns in the area.. or at least all we can see of it from the road.

As we continued down the road, it began to look worse.. but we kept on moving to our destination.

you might guess where…

Tougher women than I – in these frigid temps and blowing snow…

Quickly, after passing through more snow drifts, we ran in one Amish store for oat flour, quinoa, wheat bulgur, black strap molasses, the best super sharp cheddar cheese, and a few assorted other items which cannot be purchased in our “regular” grocery stores. 

Bless this fella.. spreading manure in the snow and cold.

Then it was a slow trip home through the drifts. Once home, Mr. W plowed the driveways out (yet again..), and I couldn’t resist making another slow-mo bird video in our blowing snow (yes, I finally figured out what I was doing.. ha!).
Be sure to watch at about 1:20 for the Male Northern Cardinals fighting. You’ll also see a grumpy red-bellied woodpecker (he’s also very persnickety and wasteful with the seeds… hmmmpph!). Also a few other assorted birds. I love watching these videos in slow motion because in normal speed, they are too quick for my eyes and I miss the really cool stuff!

Blizzard and Birds, Take II

Hope this is winter’s last hoorah.. how about you? Are you ready for Spring yet?! Be safe and warm!

Road Trip ~ Re-routed

This wasn’t the trip we originally planned for today, but we always enjoy a trip up the road to Amish Country.

Bantams.. need some bantams…

 

It’s official – I really want some guineas too! Beautiful feathers, interesting faces…

Lots of fun and games at recess. Seems it was recess at each of the schools we passed. Such a cold day, but they didn’t seem to mind.

Scenic views on the way home…

 

All in all, a very good day, enjoying peace and quiet.
Sending all of you lots of peaceful, quiet, uninterrupted moments. Priceless!

Honeybees, the Amish, and a Goldfinch

We have a new swarm - another captured swarm. We think the newbies may be Carniolans (aka Carnies). Pictures to come soon of the NewBees :p
Here’s a pictorial update of Hive #1 – frame-checking, adding a Super to Hive #1.


Adding the Super to Hive #1~

Mr. W and I now have our own protective Bee Suits. They are awesome. We’ll have to do a self-portrait soon :) I must say.. in this heat – suiting up for the bees is a very good way to lose weight!
Speaking of heat, we made a quick trip to Amish Country last week. The heat index was about 110 degrees. I no longer feel like complaining about the heat after seeing this---

Making Wheat Shocks

And finally, a male Goldfinch giving me the Stink Eye at the window feeder.

If you’re among the many suffering with this extended heat…
Stay hydrated and well!!

Afternoon in Amish Country

It had been entirely too long since we ventured out to our nearby Amish settlement. Today was the day. Besides the usual shopping and visiting, we enjoyed these sights and scenes.

Whistle-pig (aka Groundhog) ~

beautiful baby & mama ~

 

A long-eared Friend ~

Sweet William in the pasture ~

Hopefully, I was able to send some Amish simplicity and peacefulness your way. Have a great remainder of the week!

Hodge Podge

It’s been awhile! Again! Where doth the time go? This may be a hodge podge of a post. Today, The Blacksmith and I wandered off to a “draft horse and related items” auction. We saw many antiques and beautiful buggies, and more!

I did not take my ‘real’ camera, but instead used the camera on my phone. I’m slipping!! But, truthfully, these turned out better than I thought they would.

Here -- there are many items shown: an antique v-belt pulley (turquoise) that for some reason I fell in love with, White Vis-à-vis (carriage), original spring wagon, antique seed cleaner, antique incubator (I SO wanted this for a coffee table!!), brightly painted horse drawn mower, numerous old wheels… and so much more. Also, please note the Amish boy riding the “trike”… I really liked his mode of transportation.

We truly enjoyed our time at the auction, although we didn’t purchase any of the vintage treasures today. There were a few vendors in attendance. My Blacksmith bought me some lucky horseshoe earrings which I love. And I bought this hoodie. If you’re looking for some cool donkey & mule designs (isn’t everyone??)… then I must recommend these nice people. Their company name is Aardvark Graffix and the phone number is 219-267-4799 or toll free 1-888-582-3513. Website coming soon, so they tell me. They also have some beautiful horse designs.

After the auction, we shopped till we dropped in two different towns. My Maytag gas range has died (for the second time in 5 years or less), so the shopping began for a replacement for that. Then it was home to chores.  And butterflies. They are so elusive!

How has your week been so far? Missed all of you!!

A Darn Near Perfect Day

After a morning of checking cattle, cleaning the little chicken coop, and other such chores, the Blacksmith and I headed to Amish Country for a nice peaceful afternoon. I’ve often said this outing is one of the best stress-relievers I’ve ever found (that is, besides my renewed hobby of baby chick cuddling or the always-calming little donkey hugs).

Headed down the road to one of the new Amish stores, our first relaxing sight…

The Macedonia School…

We bought lumber for the next project (bigger chicken coop) at the Amish lumberyard. This is what was going on outside the yard…

Along the way, we stopped at one of the Blacksmith’s Amish friend’s home. He is an older gentleman who has been ill for quite awhile, but happily is doing better now. He was helping his wife piece a quilt. Yes, it’s true, an Amish man was quilting. Much to my delight, his wife invited me in also, and we visited inside and outside for awhile. They are both treasures! I had bought some bread in her bakery and then she gave me three nice starts of Rose of Sharon. She also showed me how she makes a wren house out of a worn out straw hat.

On the way home we stopped by our “English” friends who have the blueberry patch. They truly have a history-rich home which I hope to share more of in a future blog post (if it’s agreeable with both of them).  We sampled organic cherries and blueberries… yum!

Ah yes, what a nice, non-stressful afternoon. Just what we both needed. But then, there was more baby chick cuddling in store when we returned home. They have grown soooo much! Can you tell?

After a little run is made to go with the little portable coop, we’ll begin on the bigger permanent coop. All 17 chicks are doing well so far (I miscounted in the beginning – they sent me an extra baby). Thanks, Cackle!

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

Our Local Amish ~ Sadness & Tragedy

Yesterday, one of our local Amish men, age 29 and father to five, was tragically hit and killed on the highway while traveling by buggy. His horse was traumatically injured and was euthanized by a veterinarian at the accident scene. Our hearts & prayers go out to his family and the entire local Amish community. As well, our thoughts & prayers are with the driver of the car and his family.

Many questions remain unanswered, however this has been a grim reminder to all that we need to keep our mind and eyes on the road constantly.

I’ll leave you with a prayer request for all of the above, and a photo that I took last Summer in Amish Country.  Some of the hardworking, beautiful, strong horses…