Early winter

It was 12 degrees F on our thermometer Saturday morning. My friend Kate would call this “balls cold,” which is one of those expressions that conveys meaning while not really bearing up to close etymological scrutiny. The whole world was covered with frost.



Frosty morning Saturday--the sparkly grass, sadly, does not show up in the photo

The water bowl in the chicken run was encrusted with ice. I took it in and put it in the laundry sink to defrost so I could clean it up for winter storage.

Frozen water bowl from the chicken run

It was a little warmer in the afternoon. I ventured out to the garden to harvest the last of the cabbages and Brussels sprouts. I left the Brussels sprouts in the garage and brought the cabbage into the kitchen. I left them at room temperature overnight so I could assess possible frost damage. I put them on a tray in case they turned to swill as they thawed. This morning I started peeling off leaves. After several layers, I cut one in half. Frozen and ruined to the core. It wasn’t a crisis. We’re not short of cabbage. I’m glad to have done the experiment. Cabbage can tolerate upper 20’s but not low teens. Now we know.

The Brussels sprouts, if ruined, would be a tragic loss, as we were counting on them for Thanksgiving. Hilda reported that they looked fine. I suggested she cook some up, just to be sure. She brought me one to try, and we agreed that they had not been damaged. Now we know that too

We woke Sunday morning to about an inch and a half of snow with more coming down. It was one of those beautiful fluffy snows with little wind. It looked like it was snowing in slow motion.

 

First measurable snow on the gauge

The fifth oak in the snow

 

I like to put our jack-o-lanterns out where I can see them. They are getting old and wrinkled, like all of us, but they still look cheerful.



Jack-o-lanterns in the snow

It was Hilda’s day for chicken chores. She was the lucky one to see the hens’ first experience with snow. They didn’t like it. She reported that they sat on top of the windbreak and would not come down even for their scratch grain treats. They had gotten bolder by 10:00 when I put on my boots and gave them some Delicata squash seeds and the carrot peelings from my lunch preparations.

We’re pretty sure everyone is laying now. Last week we had a day with two white eggs, confirming that both Gracie and Nadia are producing. We had three green eggs Sunday, which means that all the Araucana are laying. They certainly took their time!
And if Saturday was balls cold, today was double balls cold. It was 6 degrees when I got up and had only gotten to 7.2 degrees when I went out to do the chicken chores. Gracie was huddled in a nest box. I'm a little worried about her. She's so tiny. Time will tell if she will be able to take the cold.