Winter finally arrives ….

Well, it took a while, but Winter finally made it’s appearance.  It’s been pretty mild until now, but with January comes the snow.  We’ve had a couple of significant snowfalls over the past month, but this one is the biggest so far, and with the lower temperatures, this one is probably going to be around for a while.  The ATV handles it fine, and the plow it came with has turned out to be a real benefit.  The backhoe will be great when we get a heavy snowfall, but for these smaller ones, the ATV is perfect for clearing the drive quickly and efficiently.   It’s so much more maneuverable, and the angled blade does a much better job of putting the snow where it needs to go.  The dogs love the snow of course, and I always like to wander through the woods and see what sort of animal life has been around.  It just amazes me how many things we have prowling around out there that we’d never know about if it wasn’t for the tracks they leave in the snow.  The spring back by the bridge is really interesting this year … the water coming out is apparently still warm enough to keep some greenery growing, even though the nighttime temperatures have been in the single digits.  Here are some pictures from around the ranch …

There’s even some small tufts of grass growing here ….

The creek and pond are frozen now ….

We picked a great site for the house ….

This creek is still flowing, due to the warm spring water …

Gotta get that barn built!

The bridge is holding up well ….

Good insulation means lots of snow on the roof ….

All sorts of stuff grows in the warm, iron-rich spring water …

Now that’s it’s almost February, it’s a pretty safe bet that this will be a pretty mild Winter compared to the past few.  Another 45 days and we’ll be headed into Spring.  I like Winter up here, but Spring is the best season.  We’re looking forward to it …..

 

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