Hello Friends!
Well, February was sure a show stopper! We got probably about a foot and a half of snow, although not all at once so it had some lovely layers of ice and melt off in between, and we saw some negative temperatures overnight! It was a rough one weather wise.
The girls finally had to be blanketed, when the highs are around nine degrees, well, no one can grow a coat thick enough to be comfy in that. Plus, with all the snow and ice their pasture hasn’t been great for grazing at all, so keeping them warm internally has been a struggle too. I tried putting a little hay out in the pasture so they could hunt and find it, but they had no interest, in fact, I think I inadvertently just fed the deer. So, they got room service, breakfast in bed, if you will.
The deer are a fun story in their own rights. You see, I think I have a herd of deer that have basically domesticated themselves. Early February, before I put hay out or anything, we started having deer come down into the yard more frequently. Not a big deal, they had been watching us work with the girls all fall and winter so I kinda figured they just decided we were a safe enough lodging, and I have a big cozy tree in my yard that, even when it’s pretty gross, is a good weather break. As the month progressed, we had a couple jumpscares and spooky moments because the deer became frequent visitors after dark. It’s gotten to where we can’t bring the dogs out after dark because Joe wants to be friends and doesn’t listen very well, and Watty is spooked of the whole thing and wants nothing to do with the outside after dark (I can’t blame him, while I love that the deer are sticking around, I also don’t love the vaguely lovecraftian shadows that now follow me around while I do the nighttime chores).
Now we are at the phase where they are wary of me, but not really spooked, so I walk through the herd down to feed, and they sorta move on when I come back up, then close ranks again once I am back inside. I’ve tried to get movies and photos, but it’s usually dark or really icy, and my filmography skills aren’t great at the best of times, and definitely not built for inclement weather. But they’ve slowly just moved in, they are hanging out eating my hay (which is not my first choice, since it’s expensive, but like, I get it, they want food and water too), and they love the heated water trough. I don’t really know what to do, because I don’t intentionally feed them, I don’t necessarily want them to feel super comfy around humans, but they’ve basically domesticated themselves and I don’t want to heartlessly kick them out in the cold. Plus they’ve seemingly run off some of the other critters, like the opossums and such. I dunno, I suppose it’s fine. I’m a big believer in being a steward of what you are given, and if God’s given us deer, I suppose it’s just fine that they get to enjoy the finer things while the temps are super low.
Having said that, it’s finally warming up! We are finally seeing temps above freezing, and I’ve started tentatively walking again. Only when it’s safe to do so though, like today, it’s so foggy and rainy, unless something changes, I don’t think we will be going. I don’t like walking in the fog for all the safety and horror movie reasons and will avoid it at all costs. And, of course, everything is getting quite muddy!
Otherwise, not much has moved on the farm. I got some more feed buckets and I am VERY pleased with them. We’ve busted into the second hay bale, I am hoping that lasts through March at least and I can buy hay in drier, warmer weather. The usual mid winter lulls.
What have you guys been up to?
Until we chat again my friends!
The Farmer's Blogger 