still fresh in feb

So here it is, the last day of February, and this is a whopping bowl full of freshly picked greens. Freshly as in literally five minutes ago. From my garden. Outside. In Pennsylvania. Did I mention that it's February? Quite obviously, I'm still tickled by my little salvaged-windows cold frame!

silent watcher

'I spy with my little eye.....something something...up in the sky' etc... can you find the hidden image? no worries, it's in the next picture. grabbed these shots the other evening out walking in the snow, for some reason happened to look up at the right spot at just the right time. funny to think of all the creatures carefully watching as you happily traipse by, unaware. To be perfectly honest, just want to brag a little about the new camera, which I'm loving; you can see from the first picture just how far away I was standing, and that powerful zoom really does the trick, even in very low light without a tripod. (clicking on the picture will really show how clear the images are). now if I can just get better at having it on hand when things are really cracking...

ol' phil wasn't lying...

that six more weeks of winter? we got the snow to prove it, punctuated before and after by days with temperatures in the 40s. the weather the past few months has been all over the map, a kind of strange winter/spring mash-up that, for a life so attuned to the seasons, gives you the feeling of being continually a bit off balance. these impromptu february squalls serve as a biting reminder that winter still has plenty of cards to play before we're out of the woods...

Downy Woodpeckers, come on down...

cause dinner's on the table. well, on the tree. I've actually remembered to fill the bird feeders that hang on the tree just outside the kitchen window, which is happily where MY table sits (though it is sadly lacking dinner at this particular moment). Obviously the appearance of this jaunty little guy was a reward for my good deed, and I was lucky enough to grab a few shots; more importantly, I now have photographic evidence proving that, contrary to a much-voiced complaint, the cats' clear preference for this particular tree for lounging, grooming, and socializing has in no way discouraged the native bird population...

Sir Alisdair MacNibbles

twilight in the back pasture

survival of the warmest?

moonwalk

Merry Christmas From Luckpenny Farm!

Sir Alisdair MacNibbles

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays from all at Luckpenny Farm!

Blizzard 2010

Well, that predicted 7 inches for the weekend ended up being 2 feet all over the mid-atlantic, and once again, the dogs (and us younger people) are the only ones delighted by the abundance of perfect powder. Preferring to hunker down, no driveways or porches were shoveled today, and the only track visible in the yard is the pathway to the barn and back to the house. Cows and sheep were clearly relieved (and thus immediately strident) at the appearance of relief, eventually mollified by grain and fresh hay. Unfortunately, the depth of the snow prevented the use of the tractor to move hay bales into the feeder, which necessitated a good hour of forking hay by hand for a pretty unruly crowd. Though an onerous prospect, it's actually rather satisfying and rhythmic work, pitching the mounds of hay, releasing the scent of summer into the crisp winter air. Today the barnyard is a small microcosm of life punctuated by steamy breaths and contented animal sounds in a world rendered silent and empty by the heavy blanket of snow.

Unexpected snowfall last night, only a few inches, but apparently a precursor for the 7 to 10 inches we're expected to get this weekend. The dogs are unsurprisingly the only animals which are delighted by this development; flock and herd spend the day hanging out by the barn, loudly announcing their displeasure, much to the delight of the neighbors. Days like this, the circus turns into a symphony with a three part chorus of hungry voices.