After the Season's First Snowstorm
Temperatures are expected to rise to the mid 30s over the next few days - a welcome change here in Bedford, New York after nearly a week of frigid weather in the 20s and below.
There is still lots of snow on the ground following the recent storm. It dropped 10 inches of white powder in the area with snow drifts as high as two feet. Winds were high and visibility was low, but thankfully the farm didn’t suffer any damage. And by the afternoon, the sun was shining bright.
Here are more photos, enjoy.
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- Once again, the farm is covered with glistening snow – everything looks so pretty. The snow stopped just after noon. Here, one can see the sun trying to shine through the clouds. This view between the paddocks shows an allee of lindens with my carport in the distance.
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- Looking in the other direction, a peek at blue skies, and a nice view down the length of the paddocks with tall white pines on the right. This path between the paddocks extends down to the chicken coops.
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- This day’s temperatures remained in the low 20s, but my young Chow Chow Emperor Han, with his dense double coat, didn’t seem to mind at all.
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- All the carriage roads are covered in gravel, so when we plow, we keep the equipment just barely touching the top of the snow, leaving about an inch of white cover. It still looks pretty, and the crowns of the roads are left undisturbed.
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- The antique fencing that surrounds my horse paddocks casts wonderful shadows. This side borders my grove of American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia.
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- By 2:30 in the afternoon, the skies were a beautiful shade of blue. The winds had also died down, making the below-freezing temperatures much more tolerable for everyone.
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- My Friesians always enjoy their time outdoors. In fact, they much prefer this weather to the hot humid days of summer. Here, Rinze and Bond stop and look at the camera after a brief run.
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- The horses have a very large paddock in which to stretch their legs, but here, they only used half, leaving the far end completely untouched.
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- Across the pasture, a single evergreen covered in snow stands among the taller deciduous trees, now bare of all their leaves.
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- Whenever it snows, I am always grateful for the stakes we put up delineating the carriage roads. We paint the tips of those stakes that mark the catch basins, so if needed, the side openings can be cleared.
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- Thankfully, all the drains and catch basins were in working order all around the farm.
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- This is one of two lower hayfields glistening with pristine snow – I love the shadows made by the nearby trees.
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- Here’s a gurgling stream barely peeking through the blanket of white. The woodland streams are full – they look so dark against the snow.
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- In this sliver of moving water, one can see the reflection of the tree limbs above.
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- The tree in the middle is one of the majestic old sycamores on my farm. The mighty sycamore is the symbol of Cantitoe Corners.
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- Here is the carriage road behind my chicken coops bordered on each side by the tall dawn redwoods, Metasequoia, with their straight trunks.
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- Here is a closeup of a dawn redwood with one of four chicken coops in the distance.
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- These are footprints made during the storm – about a foot deep.
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- These are three of my five donkeys – Clive, Billie and Rufus – waiting patiently for lunch. They love this weather and have naturally thick coats that protect them in the cold.
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- And here are my Pomeranian guard geese enjoying their cracked corn. Warmer weather is on its way. We’re expected to hit 33 degrees Fahrenheit today here at my farm. Stay warm and safe everyone.
Martha Pins
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