A Winter Wonderland

                HeartSong Farm barn and pastures covered in snow.

On Friday, Deep East Texas woke up to a brief Winter Wonderland and temps in the 20's again!  We were expecting it and it was a glorious sight, if only for a few hours.  The 1" deep carpet of white covered everything on HeartSong Farm, and although it began to melt by noon, remnants in the shady areas lasted through Saturday afternoon.  

The hoop greenhouses under a blanket of snow.

My winter garden stayed protected from the white stuff and chilly temperatures under the portable hoop houses quite nicely.  Those baby turnips are growing and will soon be ready to pull.  I know they appreciated the protection of the plastic that kept the snow off of their heads.

Texanna in Wonderland with snow on her back

The llamas with their thick coats did not mind the freezing cold temperatures and slept out in the pastures in the open as the snow fell overnight.  Texanna still wore a light "robe" of snow across her backside when I went out to take some photos.  Her only concern at the time was whether or not I had brought the feed bucket with me. Jagger had never seen snow before and I am sure he was mystified by the sight of the white cold stuff covering the ground around him.  He, too, wondered where I was hiding the feed bucket.

Jagger 's first snowfall, January 2014

The bird feeder was bustling with activity from the moment the sun rose.  I counted at least 10 different varieties there all at the same time, and the seed supply was dwindling at a rapid pace.  I must say that they all behaved themselves quite well under the circumstances. Food means warmth to our feathered friends, of course, and I made sure to replenish the seeds at mid morning and again late afternoon.

Male cardinal in tree near the feeder on a snowy day, January 2014.

Besides the cardinals, there were pine siskins, purple finches, gold finches, chipping sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, cowbirds, chickadees, titmice, house wrens, mourning doves, and Inca doves in the mix. There was also a larger sparrow type that I haven't yet identified.

A pair of blue birds landed on the fence mid-morning near the barn when my camera was not handy. The bluebirds came back to HeartSong Farm on January 14th. They will decide on a house by February 15th, and begin nest-building and egg-laying soon thereafter. It is always a welcome sight to see them. Over the years, several pair have built nests in the gourds or houses I have on my back porch. I could sit in my porch swing and watch them come and go only slightly cautious of my being there. I hope they choose a home on or close to the porch again this year. My daddy built several houses for me and they are scattered on fence posts around the farm.

Bluebirds nested in this gourd on the back porch last year and had a bit of fun with decorating!

There were robins flocking in my front yard on January 2 this year, which is about two weeks early for them. I am not sure where they winter, but apparently they had had enough of the weather there and decided to come early to East Texas this year. They never stay long here; only a week or two and then they are off again. Personally, I wish they would take these cowbirds, starlings and blackbirds with them when they go! I'm just saying..... 

The weather has certainly made the headlines this winter, hasn't it? It has been bad in the southern hemisphere, also, where it is summer to our winter. I wonder if it has been enough to change the minds of some of the non-believers when it comes to Global Warming, or at least make them consider the possibility of a climate change? I would like to think so, but I am not holding my breath on that one.

The climate has certainly been interesting this week here on HeartSong Farm!