Walking in the Cold

I'm happy to report that the our little farmstead came through the single digit temperatures of the past few days without a hitch.  We didn't even get frozen water pipes in the kitchen, which I think we owe to the straw bales that we placed around the foundation of the house.  Our to-do list includes chinking the stone foundation to block the breeze under this old house, but since we didn't get to that item on the list last summer, we accepted the expense and hill-billy ambiance of nearly twenty straw bales lining the east and west sides of the house.  Come spring, we can spread the wet straw in the garden.  

When we have a package delivered, we usually find it resting atop the straw bale by the door.  Sometimes we find the packages in the seat of whatever vehicle is unlocked and near the house.  Sometimes on the wood pile, and sometimes on yard furniture or in the barn.  Thankfully, Wendigo has passed the chewing phase and most packages are found unmolested by giant canine teeth.  

Do you remember the climbing tree?  It's a giant live eastern red cedar tree that lays horizontal over the small creek in our tiny forest.  It's fun to walk across, and not to far to the ground if you slip. 

Brandon and I stopped to admire our snags on our walk in the cold.  Our little woods run in a thin line along the eastern boundary of our property, and were once dominated by mature green ash trees.  The invasion of the emerald ash borer killed most of them, so the forest is full of dead standing trees.  

These snags are good wildlife habitat, and the snags with loose bark might even shelter bats.  When they fall, they become our firewood.  We estimate that we have enough dead ash trees to keep us heated for at least ten years.  The under-story of small maples, hackberry, and cedar trees is getting taller every year, so even when the dead ash trees have all been burned in our stove, the forest will not be bare.   

We measured the length of the trail we walk around the farm, and I think it's seven tenths of a mile.  The trail goes round all the pastures and hay fields, so we get to greet the animals and see the prints of wildlife in the snow. 

One of our favorite spots on the trail is the northeast corner, where we placed a couple of chairs.  I like the waving amber stalks of the broomsedge along the trail near the chairs.   

Wendigo knows to be near for this part of our walk, because there's a good chance we will sit for a puppy cuddle while we let the sun shine on our faces. 

As I walked out of the house this morning to do my chores, Wendigo came up for a good morning hug and I quickly found out that she must have had a close encounter with a skunk last night!  She is so stinky and rubbed herself all over my barn coat.  It's too cold for a doggy bath, I think, so I guess she will just have to wear off the smell.  I hope she doesn't rub it all on me!