Winter Wonderland

Snowing all weekend.  As spouse says, it would be news if we didn't have snow.  There is not as much accumulation as expected, but enough to require firing up the hrududu (see Watership Down vocabulary) to plow the little farm lane at least twice.  The blade on the old girl only works under a foot of snow.  It's so beautiful around here I am still in awe of it.  Truly a Currier and Ives landscape.  Does anyone have Currier and Ives calendars any more?  Am I dating myself?  The weekend is running away and so much to do.  I don't have as much pressure as most, with a rather remote lifestyle here, just a Weatherization Directors office party the first week in January.  I have not put up a tree yet and am still scouting the roadside for the perfect little sapling for a table top tree.  My land is mostly open, with the piney ridge too crowded to grow little trees.  There may be a suitable evergreen up there but I waited too long and now the snow is too deep.  If AJ and Mia were here they would brave the drifts to find me a tree but they are no where nearby.  I could let myself get weepy about it but there is too much to do.  I got to the Louis Gale Feed Mill yesterday and picked up enough to get me through to Christmas.  On the way back we pulled into Mr. Potter's Used Cars on route 20 to look at a used pick up and whoopsy, the transmission linkage broke.  Couldn't put it into drive, or park, or anything else.  Luckily spouse was able to climb under the truck and fix it temporarily while calling orders to me to move the shifter around here and there.  He avoided us having to wait hours to get towed back to the farm.  I did chores for him last night in gratitude.  He chopped wood and plowed.  The sheep are loving this hay.  That's a big relief as Julia thought it was a bit wet.  No sign of dust or mold....yet.  Some of the round bales come apart easier than others.  It was a bit long when baled so it doesn't fall apart.  We have to tip the big round bales on the side, stab it with the fork, then push around the bale, pulling the folds away and dragging it over to the holes and shoving it down to the feeders below.  I don't know what is easier - cutting the strings on square bales and tossing them through the air, or stabbing, pushing and pulling.  The round bales are cheaper to get baled and easier to store, but heavier to move.  With just the two of us and no equipment, well, you can imagine.  We manage okay.  All this to raise wool and mohair.  It's up to me to get the fiber off the sheep and marketed I don't get a return on all this effort.  I better get started...