Winter Wonderland

***Please note that there are a few graphic photos at the end of this blog entry showing the butchering of our cow and I just want to let you know in case you would rather not view them. ~ Rosina***

I am absolutely smitten with the beauty of winter :)
The snowy weather has continued here all week. While it hasn't amounted to much more than 5 or 6 inches it has tried awful hard and the temperatures dipped as low as -14 freezing our back door permanently shut for 4 days!! Thankfully we have another door so we didn't have to try to hard to get it unthawed *grin*.

I had been holding off heading into the city for groceries and errands since the highway has been covered with slush and hard packed snow but the fridge was mighty bare and hubby has been home from work due to all the wind up this way so we bundled up and ventured out with the truck.

Normally the trip takes us just under an hour but it was over an hour this time before we got into town as we slowly made our way over the mountain, through the fog and sometimes rather slippery conditions.

The trees covered in snow and the silence that it brings made the trip so enjoyable though that I could have gazed out the window for much longer. You just can't beat a the winter wonderland that snow brings :)

The cold weather has also brought with it the perfect temperature for killing our beef cow. We raised him from a little calf on our own pasture and it will be so nice to have yummy homegrown beef in the freezer again since I never buy any from the supermarket.

We didn't have a cow for butchering last winter so we were behind. We always try to have one cow ready every second winter so that we don't run out of meat but it didn't quite work out that way this time.

With the hide removed Hubby and my dad worked on taking out the gut and all of the organs so that they could cover the meat and raise it up high where it will hang for 2 weeks before we do the big job of finishing the butchering and all of the wrapping.

My daughter was really interested in watching the men work and was not squeamish about it at all which was great and we got to have a really good look at the heart, lungs, kidneys and liver.

I should have thought of it sooner but it would have been really cool to have done a biology block for our homeschool courses so I'm going to have to think ahead next time and get a bunch of materials ready so that we can do a full dissection class. Every moment can be a learning moment *grin*.

Hugs,
Rosina

Snow & Winter Storms

Wind storms, power outages and snow are back as winter creeps closer :)

On our way into the city for swimming lessons this morning I creeped along through slush and a mini blizzard for nearly an hour before it finally turned to rain again. Thank goodness we were behind the snow plow for part of the way so that we had a somewhat clear lane. I am so envious of those of you who have squeaky dry snow for traveling on. It seriously makes such a big difference *grin*. If hubby could run his tugboats on the prairie I think I'd head eastwards LOL.

As we traveled further south the snow and slush disappeared and the white gave way to dark gray clouds, wild wind and waves.

We stopped at one of the rest stops and joined in with some other storm watchers to snap a few photos but we weren't brave enough to actually exit the car to catch the perfect shot of the waves though. We barely managed to keep the window down as the rain blew in sideways and soaked us immediately LOL.

It was beautiful to watch the waves crash against the beach spraying water and sea foam into the air and we managed to miss the power outage that was going on at home to :)

Hugs,
Rosina

Snow & Snakes

Am I the only one that is surprised the we're nearly at the end of February? We're gearing up for our last winter birthday this sunday and all of a sudden it hit me that there are less than two weeks before we hit March. Holy batman!

We got dusted with a little more snow over the last couple of days and it's my little guys birthday wish to have enough snow when he turns 5 on Sunday to go sledding on *grin*

I'm not sure if I can guarantee that the snow will last as it seems to come and go so quickly these days but I'm working on knitting up an adorable little snake that eats felted mice! I found the pattern on ravelry and fell in love with it instantly. I know he is going to get the biggest kick out of it and I'm going to use some of the new felt rovings I got to make a colorful assortment of mice for his new snake to gobble up inside its knitted body *grin*.

I was trying to sneakily work on it in the truck today when we went into the city to pick up birthday supplies and run errands with Hubby but had to stop when I got to the head so that no one would guess what I was knitting. I had them going that I was making very skinny socks for a doll but that wasn't going to work for long LOL.

Hugs,
Rosina

right now, I AM

....longing for the snow to return.

How is it that only 15 minutes north of us this is the beautiful winter scenery that awaits me yet here at my home we are completely green again?!

I want to go back... or at least for it to return to me :)

Hugs,
Rosina

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right now, I AM

...thankful to be home with my backseat full of precious kid cargo.
236 kilometers (roughly 146 miles) later we have made a round trip to the city through heavy morning fog and icy conditions this evening. Everything is glistening outside tonight and we are sure to awake to a carpet of prickly white in the morning. What a pretty sight it will be :)

Hugs,
Rosina

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