Cold but Beautiful

I'm cold; my toes are cold, my typing fingers are cold, my nose has a cold drip...you didn't want to know that did you?
My two layers of pants, 3 shirts and wool socks are not making me feel warm and toasty. But honestly, I can't complain. Its just too beautiful. Too beautiful.

This is one of 100+ photos I took out in the cold. The frost coating the world was too spectacular for me to express with words, so I just snapped photo after photo. I took pictures until my fingers couldn't depress the photo button any longer.
I'm only sharing one today, I'll dole them out slowly so that we all remember that winter is not just about being cold(continuously cold), but also about enjoying the striking beauty.

Unexpected Guest

The other day Jason called me on my cell,
"C'mer, you've got to see this."
"What? What's happening?"
"Just come to the animal barn...and bring your camera."
"But I'm in the middle of something."
"No, just hurry or you'll miss it."

Well, whatever it was I knew I didn't want to miss out on a fun photo, so I ran from the restaurant up to the house and then down to the animal barn (with no coat on!) wondering what silly antics Jason's goats were up to that I just had to see.

I bounced in through the front door and Jason just said, "Look up."
Which I did, and he asked, "Have you ever seen one so close before?"

I have never seen a Red Tailed Hawk in such close quarters before and he was both beautiful and terrifying...and trapped. We don't know which stall he used to fly into the animal barn, but he didn't seem to remember how to get out of the small doors. We could see that he had an injured foot and was agitated, but we really had no idea how to help him. all we could do was(after a few photos) open all the doors wide and wait.
Well I got cold waiting (without my coat!) So with one backwards glance at our regal hawk-friend (and his amazing talons) I trotted back to the restaurant hopping he would find his way out on his own. Jason told me that he flew away about 20minutes later, but not before grabbing a nearby pigeon to take with him. Funny, some days the circle of life is close like that.

An appealing bunny

Ever wonder what happens to all the apple peels from all the apples that we peel to make applesauce, pies and dumplin's? Well, all of our little friends out in the animal barn love snacking on apple peels! Its a tasty and nutritious treat for our four-legged friends...even the chickens and turkeys gobble up the peels and cores. Here's one of our favorite little bunnies enjoying his share of peels.