In front of a fireplace, looking out at the window, is the perfect place see the winter wonderland. Except I don’t have a fireplace and it was -19 this morning.
Another Chilly Morning
Picture of the Day for January 21, 2013
Waking up to a wee bit nippy morning with air temps at -17 degrees Fahrenheit and a wind chill of -45, I think my face frosted up like these trees when I went out to fill the bird feeders. But is it a sunny day – a very deceiving sunny day!
Frosty Chilly Morning
Picture of the Day for January 20, 2013
A very nippy cold front moved in last night and the sun can deceive a person making it look warmer outside than it is. And since it isn’t warm out, I don’t think will be hiking across any fields for a few days for pictures plus I think ‘cold’ will be this week’s theme.
Nippy Farm Scene
Picture of the Day for January 19, 2013
I had a picture request from someone ‘Down Under’ for star constellation pictures from the Northern Hemisphere so I ventured out into the darkness last two nights. During the winter night trips to the lambing barn, Orion was the constellation which stood out on the chilly nights. But since Orion is visible in the Southern Hemisphere, just sort of upside down, I figured the North Star and the Big and Little Dippers would be a more appropriate picture for the request.
The North Star has historically been used for navigation both to find the direction of north and to determine latitude and early pioneers would point the wagon tongue to the North Star at night to determine direction when morning came and then they could set landmarks for the day’s travel.
The North Star
Picture of the Day for January 18, 2013
The winter skies can produce sundogs when ice crystals are present in the air in very cold weather and there is a chance that some might be visible in the next few days but sometimes the sun can reflect on the winter clouds to give off different colors like green and in this case a pink color.
It seems rather eerie when the sun is masked by the clouds and makes it appear more like the moon than the sun.
Eerie Sun
Picture of the Day for January 17, 2013
Winter skies have a slightly different look than summer skies, from the crisper air to the snow reflecting a bit of color hue. And the starkness of the tree seems to standout more against the winter colorful sky.
Winter Starkness
Picture of the Day for January 16, 2013
After seeing my pond froze over for a month, it is nice to see flowing water in the winter time. But then you can’t go ice skating on a creek that never freezes over.
I wonder how many daring kids tried crossing the creek across the log.
Wintertime Creek
Picture of the Day for January 15, 2013
To close out critter week, I figured we needed a picture of one more farm animal and since lambing season has started for some farmers, these playful lambs are a good subject. Lambs sure love to play king on the hill and race around chasing each other.
These lambs are a breed called Targhee, a relatively new breed that is less than a hundred years old as U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho, began in the fall of 1926 to lay the foundation for the Targhee sheep breed consisting of a cross of Rambouillet, Lincoln, and Corriedale breeds.
The new breed was named Targhee after the Targhee National Forest where the animals grazed during the summer. The forest was named for a chief of the Bannock Indians who had lived in the area in the 1860’s.
Playful Lambs
Picture of the Day for January 14, 2013
Not wanting to miss anything, this pig decided to stand on the fence rails to get a better look at want was happening around him.
Curious Pig
Picture of the Day for January 13, 2013
Baby critters are always cute and when they are small to start with, that makes them even more precious.
The earliest history of miniature horses was in the 1650 AD records of the Palace at Versailles where King Louis XIV kept a vast Zoo, replete with unusual animals, including tiny horses.
Miniature horses were used in England & Northern Europe as far back as the 1700’s to pull ore carts in the coal mines. They were also bred by European royalty as pets for the royal children. In the 19th century, some miniatures were brought to the United States to be used in the mines in Ohio and West Virginia. Many early breeders imported horses from Europe, especially England and Holland, which helped to create the miniature breed, as it is known today. Some miniatures trace back to the Falabella Ranches in Buenos Aries, Argentina, South America, which was founded in the mid 1840’s.
Following in Mom’s Steps
