The Coldest Day Of Winter On My Farm

February 2, 2010

I had a very pleasant and productive time at home last Saturday. I cleaned out and organized many closets, which I find to be a relaxing task. On the weekends, my housekeeper, Lily, comes to stay. Lily is of Chinese descent and she happens to be an excellent cook of her native cuisine. She arrives with authentic ingredients from New York City's Chinatown and is happy to cook for me. Lily is rather famous for her chicken soup and my friend, Memrie, came to enjoy a steaming bowl of that wonderful elixir. The weather outside was rather brutal. My farm is situated in a natural wind tunnel, and considering the wind chill, the temperatures were subzero. Despite that fact, after a delicious lunch, Memrie and I felt fortified and went for a walk around the grounds, accompanied by the new puppy, G.K. and Francesca. Sharkey opted to stay curled up in her nice warm bed.

: Here I am with G.K. in the stable visiting the donkeys. Rufus, Clive, and Billie really love seeing the new puppy.

: Greetings and salutations!

: Rufus, the brown donkey, especially likes G.K. Unfortunately, Rufus has a sore hoof. He chipped it somehow and it is now packed and wrapped. If it’s not one thing it’s another.

: Look at silly Rufus pushing his way into the photo!

: My big boys, the Friesians, all went outside at about 3PM for the night. They spend the cold evenings frolicking in the run-in field. The run-in is a wonderful structure with lots of fresh hay, situated in a giant field where they love to run.

: Memrie decided that she wanted to try walking one of the boys.

: Dolma and Memrie posing with Meindert and Rinze

: Memrie trying to lead Rinze – she was wearing slippery leather boots and an Austrian cape/coat and kept dropping the lead rope. She needed help.

: Here’s Memrie making friends with Meindert and Rinze.

: This is Betsy all bundled up – she knows how to dress for the cold. Ramon and Rutger are looking nicely at the camera.

: Dolma, a groom, loves the boys. Frannie is keeping her distance.

: Betsy rarely wears colors and I love her new red parka!

: The horses are wearing their warm snow blankets. These heavy turnouts are made by Rambo – horseware made in Ireland.

: I was wearing my Icelandic hand knit hat, my Uggs, and my Hermes jacket, which is very, very warm. Genghis needs nothing other than his own thick fur coat. At ten weeks of age, this puppy is fabulous!

: The boxwoods, wrapped snugly in their burlap, are hopefully weathering the winds and cold. For extra protection, their foliage was sprayed with anti-desiccant before being tailored in their winter shrouds.

: The old apples have just been pruned by the expert tree men from SavAtree. www.savatree.com/ They have taken care of all my trees for many years. These gnarled espaliers are very old and very beautiful apple producers.

: This is the most beautiful of the old trees in this row.

: The parterre gardens in front of the house have also been wrapped well for the cold.

: So are the boxwoods on other parts of the property. The wrapping keeps heavy snow and ice from breaking the branches, which become brittle in the cold. It also protects the evergreen leaves from the punishing winds.