Snapshots: Life

Let's start with poor old Samson, shall we? Poor old Samson spent our entire Siberian weather event outside, as he always does, because he has no barn. He has a shed he can go under, which provides a little protection from terrible wind and precipitation, but it's pretty minimal.

Luckily, he carries his own insulation in the form of horse wool.

I did not know horses could grow hair this thick, but he sure does. It's so insulating, he had a layer of rime on it during the worst days that didn't even melt. He looked like an Abominable Snow Horse. It was a good sign, though, because the non-melting layer of rime meant he wasn't losing any body heat through his incredible coat.

Brave horse (minus the rime, because I was not brave enough myself to go out and take a picture of him during the worst of the weather).

The sheep, of course, didn't notice the weather at all. They're wrapped in the equivalent of about a dozen wool sweaters. Nothing can touch them.

Woolly sheep.

The lambs, as we sadly know, had no such natural protection to the cold. But we didn't lose anymore after those first terrible cold, damp days, so we now have four lambs: two girls, two boys.

Awwwwww.

A. gave Cubby and Charlie permission to carve over the wood box, thereby providing an exception to the rule of no knives or wood inside the house. They were thrilled. The chips mostly stay in the woodbox. It keeps them happy inside when they have to be in here, and, as they say, "Look at all the kindling we're making!"

They were actually supposed to be making little boats for their earplug guys (yes, earplugs are definitely still a big deal in our house), but mostly, they produce wood chips.

And perhaps most exciting of all, look what came up right before the nasty weather and waiting patiently through it all under the snow.

Hello, tiny daffodil. I'm so happy to see you.

We planted thirty daffodils in front of the house in the fall, and they're just starting to push up. Daffodil bulbs are toxic, so they should escape the sad fate of the Very Fancy Tulips that were just too tasty for their own good and were devoured by gophers.

And there you have it! My life, snapshotted.