Snowpocalypse 2009

It snowed. More than anyone was expecting. Now, on the verge of 2010, snow still lies on the ground. i'm thinking it'll stick around for the beginning of the year.

Merry Christmas

Thanks to our Oregonian neighbors and friends who have "Hanai-ed" those of us from FOB:YF. Even with no gift exchange this year, Christmas was still Christmas. No snow though, i'm waiting...

Snow, and the Lack Thereof...

As you can tell by the title of this post, i am perplexed by the lack of icy cold goodness falling out of the sky. While we have seen our few days of single digit temperatures, snow is ever elusive.

The forecast for the Christmas weekend is partly sunny. Partly sunny. Did i mention partly sunny?

It is now time for all of us on the Internet to collectively channel Bing Crosby and the Irving Berlin song.

i'll wait...

The Deluge

i was about to write about the single digit temperatures here at FOB:YF, but it was just too cold. Imagine, if you will, constantly thinking about keeping warm or maintaining warmth, or something do with warm, warmth, heat and/or hot. Sort of like that. Oddly enough, no snow. Color me surprised. Cheated perhaps?

Winter is just getting started, let's see.

Surprise! Now it's raining. Where is the leak in the barn? Why are the impact resistant insulators suddenly not impact resistant any longer? Why ? Why Why?

Suddenly, the venting stopped... and the blog post was concluded.

Not Warm...

The exterior thermometer read 24 Degrees F as i headed out for chores phase 1.

It's very dark at 6 am. The flashlight beam lights up the ice crystals that cover the grass, dog feet crunching on top of them. The scene, with clouds of exhaled C02 in the air, strikes me a something out of the "X Files"- only we're on a farm, there are no UFOs and no FBI agents. Otherwise, it is exactly the same.

Funny how quickly one loses feeling in their hands at that temperature.

In Memory of

Usually, the blog posts are light fare. Snarky or sarcastic- thin attempts at humor or maybe brief foray into the philosophical. i won't be doing any of that today.

The BKODs had for a month or so, allowed another feral cat into their domain. He enjoyed his time so much here he was given a name, Ainmire. It is Gaelic for "Great Lord"

Thus Ainmire was welcomed into the FOB:YF family, he would gleefully charge after the dogs at full speed, attempting to leap onto the dogs backs, or perhaps hang from their necks. Ainmire earned his keep as well; hunting to protect the barn from rodents.

Feeding time is always at the same time twice a day. One saturday, last saturday, he failed to come to feeding. On sunday, our worse fears were confirmed by a neighbor down the road.

He had died.

How ? i don't know. Some things, i think, we just aren't allowed to know the why or how.

It just is.

It saddens me that we lost him. The dogs know, the BKODs seem to know as well. Our little family is diminished.

Goodbye Ainmire, you came home after all.

11/14/09

Ainmire.