What's outside of your picture window today?

What a great story! I love the “city girl marries the farmer’s son”! And what a wonderful life you’ve had with him. I’m a city girl but spent every summer living on my grandma’s farm. It taught me to value the land and the world around me…made me more connected. It’s obviously worked the same charm on you.

You’ve also worked ‘your dang fool head off’ (haha, my grandmother)! All those years of raising sheep, the cattle and your impressive shelves of preserves! That’s a lost art, isn’t it? My mom used to feed us all winter on her jars of goodies from the basement, along with crocks of kraut, carrots, etc. Oh your poor garden with the cattle eating 142 sets of onion tops! Glad they weren’t milk cows, or were they? 😂

It had to be a very melancholy time for you when you sold your flock of sheep. That was a long time to dedicate so much time, energy, worry and love. You’re a really great mom to have kept that 4H & FFA project going for so many years. I’m guessing many, many years after your daughter or daughters were out of the house! LOL. (I know the feeling on a smaller scale with pets that couldn’t trail after her to college.)

One of my close friends for the past 40+ years had to sell his milk herd a couple of years ago because of a health issue. He was crushed, and didn’t really want to do it, but they went to a good friend of his. In retrospect he feels it was the best thing that happened and he should have done it a long time ago. Now he grows thousand of pumpkins, squash and ornamental corn besides the best sweet corn I’ve ever had and he’s having a blast. So I can imagine it’s with a sense of relief you don’t have the worry of winter lambing and keeping them warm and healthy.
You still have a healthy dose of country living with your daily chores, gardening and cows. Thank you for the dedication, I know farming isn’t an easy job but a labor of love.

Here’s a couple of pictures of my friend, Farmer Joe’s pumpkins.

This morning it is 30 degrees with dense fog. We do not expect any moisture until Thursday or Friday. I may get out to clean the driveway of windblown tree twigs, just to warm up! Or, pull little weed shoots coming up along the walk from front door to driveway. But, later in the day. Hubby left yesterday for 3 weeks away, and I am not good at starting/keeping the fire going in our fireplace insert. So, me and the cat cuddle up and keep the house at 67.
Ginger

Today it is really windy but the sun is shining after days of overcast and some rain. But keeping the house at 67 is way too cold for me. We keep it at 72 and comfortable for the half but I have on four layers of clothes to keep warm. Sometimes if I am just sitting I have mittens on. I have been cold all my life.
Where do you live to have little green weed shoots? All I see out my window are bare trees, dead brown weeds in the fence lines, and cattle across the road that belong to the neighbor. My little magnolia tree is the only green that I see.
Three weeks gone is a long time. And to keep the home fire burning. I was never good at that either. It would always die down and be hard to restart. At least you have a cat to cuddle with. Stay safe and warm. KLH

@kilh We live in a small town in rural Oregon [less than 500 people in town, less than 800 in the valley]. No stoplights. Yep, little green shoots, and a few bulbs are starting to raise their heads, too! This little valley has a weird weather pattern.

Hubby worked for 40 years at the same defense manufacturing company, and is the only one around with knowledge on certain products, besides building them and keep them running. He has gone back down to do contract work several times since retiring from there May 2020, and got the call last Thurs afternoon they needed him on short notice for time-critical issues. Fortunately, we could rush and make it work this time.
Ginger

It sounds awesome. The view must be great. Our weather has been weird this winter, days in the '50s and down to 12 at night. We have been setting new winter temperature records. And so far no ice, our bad weather usually comes in late Feb. and March. Living in a valley what are your temperature ranges this time of year. I have never been to Oregon only as far a the Big Horn Mountains for vacation when I was growing up. I wish we would travel some but you can not go when you have cattle to take care of. Farming ties you down. Soon it will be spring calving then putting up hay, weaning, and last fall calving then back around again. Sometimes just too tired to go anywhere.

@kilh We do have awesome views. Our house gets the sunrise into the kitchen, and sunset in the livingroom! We are surrounded in this valley by timber, so I never have to buy "pine scented" spray, just walk outside! An added plus is the trees on our property are some old pine trees, as well as ones on the adjoining empty lots.

At 6a.m. this morning we were 30 degrees, and dry. It did not get into the 40s until 11a.m. and then only mid-40s as the day's high. As soon as the sun starts to descend it cools down considerably. At times it seems we have a singular system, in that getting weather reports south of us 30 miles doesn't match, and neither do the reports from north. Our town is kind of situation on a north slope of a range; our property seems to be open to more sun as we are on north edge of town.
Ginger

Brr I bet it’s a bit nippy in Bimidji this morning! I’ve been there and you certainly are in Northern Minnesota! That might even be too much winter for me. 😉
I freely admit, even though I love winter, there are days I don’t feel safe walking outside. I have big cleats for my boots that really grip the ice but it’s not worth the fall at this age. So I do the same thing you do, walk
through the house like a gerbil or in my case a hamster! 😂
Our floor plan works pretty well with a loop through all the rooms and for added effort I’ll toss in a flight of stairs every few laps. I set the timer on my fit-bitch, grab a book or my ipad and away I go.
I think anything that keeps us moving is important.
Stay warm! Post pics anytime!

In reply to @loribmt … yes, there is no escaping winter up here😂😂 I have to keep a keen eye when I “gerbil” walk as I have residual effects from fusion surgery on my foot; osteoporosis; and DDD. I also have ice cleats for walks outside and got to walk outside yesterday when it was above zero! That’s my “winter loving dog out for a stroll.