Winter in Minnesota

12-3-10

This marks the first day of successive daytime highs of below freezing (32 degrees *F).

That makes 48 days. Below freezing.

I also found out that our area of the state/country has less than 100 days of sunshine. The rest of the days are clouded or overcast. Typically up this way if the sun is out in the winter its because its close to 32 degrees and it feels really warm and the snow starts to melt on the south sides of buildings.

Maybe the overcast days helps to keep the snow that we need to cover the ground?

Regardless the sheep and dogs and cattle take it in stride. I'm just getting sick of the cold. Lambs to start coming March 9th or there abouts. It will be here before I'm ready I'm sure :)

9:20 AM and -18 degrees without windchill

Its cold enough that when you walk outside the corner of the eyelids start to freeze up!

And although there is an 'urban legend' going around Oregon that because they are "so cold" there that their fleeces become double coated and longer than 7".

That silly myth surely was proved erroneous here in Minnesota these past few weeks! Our frost is nearly down 6 FEET already, with the limited snow we've had. The Shetlands, Cattle and dogs are not growing longer wool/hair or going double coated on me in any stretch of the imagination. The last photos I saw of a friend's blog they had green grass in Oregon right now....surely not as cold as Minnesota's deep freeze that we've had the past month or so.

Nope. I'm pretty sure the longer fleeces are genetic. For the better or the worse, its genetic and not due to the weather.

I'm not slamming that 'type' of fleece, just merely debunking that silly myth.

Preparing for Lambing

Well this year the first date for lambs is March 1st. That is six weeks earlier than last year. We'll see if any of the ewes cycled that early.

To be on the safe side and prepared, I will trim hooves this coming week (after the puppies leave), check eyelids for anemia, check ewes for condition. Its harder to see their condition under all that wool (and in every ewe...how do you check them all daily? Its impossible with this number).

I'm happy to say that all ewes and ewe lambs (yearlings now I guess) are in wonderful condition. Probably over condition. I'm actually having to feed them LESS this year, as the food is higher quality. Heck everybody looks fat, and just off of good grass hay! I'm really happy with the girls.

Everyone looks alert, happy, sassy and full of spunk. Today it was -4 for a high (without windchill) and the girls were jumping and popcorning all over the winter paddock. They are in such good spirits for being so cold outside! I know that dense, warm fleece is keeping them warm!

Since I'm lambing March 1st, I have decided to shear that first weekend in March. This will give me a better visual idea of who is close to lambing, if I am not certain by dates ewes were with the rams. My shearer who is amazing, told me I should either wait until June to shear, or before the ewes go through the rise. I had ewes IN the rise while shearing last year, and they had to be hand clipped later. Something I may have to deal with this year, but still worth trying it early, as he IS the one who knows what he is doing, having done tens of thousands (and many many Shetlands btw!)

I am hoping to have a shearing party this year for several of the local spinning guilds. Last year, without advertising my fleeces, I sold over half of my fleeces. Most of my single coated fleeces are sold, leaving me with the longer intermediate fleeces left to make into roving. I'm not sure how to proceed with them. I've washed them, but haven't seperated the wool coats. Should I?

Word of mouth has spread about my fleeces and those that have spun and knit my fleeces, love them. I have some fleeces already reserved for this year. I've gotten helpful hints from these spinners/knitters about where and how to market the fleeces. Now its just a matter of finding the time to get it all together! I'm hoping most of the fleeces sell at shearing day, but time will tell! If they don't I'll be heading out to fiber festivals that are in surrounding states to sell my goods. Maybe I"ll see ya there?

edited snow forecast

they are now saying a definite 14-18 inches for us. We'll see if it pans out......

Right now its lightly snowing and I have all the snow equipment ready, the vehicles in the garage, the wood pile covered with a tarp, the agility jumps and weaves in the house thawing (I know its a bit late to be bringing them in) the cows and sheep have a new deep bedding of straw and hay bales are down and stacked and ready to feed when there is little time to do more than throw them into the feeders in the next few days.

If I don't get a chance to say it....

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of my BLOGGER FAMILY!

Bring it on!!

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
410 AM CST WED DEC 23 2009

...POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM TO AFFECT THE REGION INTO THE CHRISTMAS
WEEKEND...

.A VERY LARGE AND SLOW MOVING STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL SPREAD SNOW ACROSS EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA THE NEXT FEW DAYS. LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING
IN OKLAHOMA WILL SLOWLY MOVE INTO IOWA BY CHRISTMAS MORNING THEN
BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THIS
LOW...ABUNDANT MOISTURE WILL MOVE NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF OF
MEXICO INTO THE COLD AIR OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. SNOW IS
FORECAST TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN VALLEY REGION TONIGHT THEN
SPREAD NORTH...WITH SNOW CONTINUING INTO SATURDAY. THIS COULD
BRING STORM TOTALS OF 8 TO 14 INCHES OVER MANY LOCATIONS. HIGHER
AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER AND WEST CENTRAL
MINNESOTA LAKES COUNTRY (THAT"S ME GUYS!!). NORTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE ON FRIDAY
TO 15 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THIS WOULD RESULT IN POOR
VISIBILITY.

TRAVEL FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY WILL LIKELY BE
HAZARDOUS AND ANYONE WITH TRAVEL PLANS SHOULD STAY TUNED FOR
FORECAST UPDATES AS THE TRACK OF THE STORM AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS
CAN CHANGE.

MNZ003-030-031-040-NDZ029-039-261015-
/O.UPG.KFGF.WS.A.0011.091224T0000Z-091226T0800Z/
/O.NEW.KFGF.WS.W.0011.091224T0600Z-091226T1200Z/
CLAY-WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-GRANT-STEELE-CASS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOORHEAD...FERGUS FALLS...
NEW YORK MILLS...ELBOW LAKE...FINLEY...FARGO
410 AM CST WED DEC 23 2009

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM
CST SATURDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT TO 6 AM CST SATURDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER
IN EFFECT.

* SNOW WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT AND THEN CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY.

* SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 10 TO 15 INCHES COULD OCCUR WITH THIS
SYSTEM WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS ALONG THE SOUTH DAKOTA
BORDER.

* THE WIND TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY WILL NOT BE A SIGNIFICANT
FACTOR...TURNING NORTH AND INCREASING TO 20 TO 30 MPH THURSDAY
NIGHT AND FRIDAY CAUSING REDUCED VISIBILITY. EAST OF THE RED
RIVER VALLEY WINDS WILL BE 10 TO 25 MPH. THESE WINDS WILL CAUSE
REDUCED VISIBILITY IN BLOWING SNOW.

* ANYONE WITH TRAVEL PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY
SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS FOR UPDATES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW
ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN
EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

And then the weather happened....

This photo was taken yesterday (Friday) from my phone around 2pm. We didn't have frost, it FROZE. It was 21 degrees when I woke up. In the 30 minutes it took me to clean up the leaves from this person's neighbors home, most of these GREEN leaves from these Ash trees had fallen onto the street. They were still green. We hadn't even really had a hard frost so most of the leaves are still green. Oh and it was about 50 degrees out too.

The photos below were taken today, around noon, with a temperature of 28 degrees. Notice how they are still GREEN with SNOW all around. This is a Hops vine at the greenhouse I work at.

This is a MAPLE tree with all GREEN LEAVES. They are typically a lovely orangish/reddish color in the fall.
Mums still trying to bloom under the snow. And the worst part is we are forecasted for another 4-6 inches Sunday night. Ugh. I'm still not done with fall clean ups, fertilizing or pruning! Next week its supposed to be in the 50's.
We are at our record low, or made new record lows for the past 36 hours. I know from our books at the greenhouse that we did not close up shop until we had a HARD FREEZING night temps of low 20's. It was the day before Thanksgiving. That's 7 weeks or so LATER than this year! UGH. Stupid. I love the snow, but hate the cold. But if its going to be this cold it might as well snow. BRING IT!

Why I don't like to lamb in March

I live just about at the very right tip of the dark blue area. We had four inches of snow a few days ago but today its 40 out and the lambs are out doing races. Looks like they will be back in the barn for a few days until the snow melts again. yipee skippy.

Snow, snow, snow or "Silent Sunday"

All in stride

Mac and Ell running rampant down by the old dairy barn.

How many Cardis can you count?! They are all racing to Grandma's House.

" well JEEZ Dad hurry up!"

Mac and Oliver with our English Shepherd farm dog, Buddy (whose 10 years old this week!)

Oliver and Mac running and jumping......soooo happy!

Zoe eating the fresh clean snow

I MISSED Sadie rolling in the snow...with the camera anyway. Here is just getting up.

The babies just love the snow. Ell and Sadie were out rolling around in it. They dogs were moving so fast I couldn't keep up with them to take photos.

They absoultely LOVE the snow......or water.........or mud............or leaves blowing around. I wish I could get so excited about the simple pleasures in life. Before I did snow removal I actually LIKED the white stuff....it'd be a good movie day or a day to take a nap or go outside and take photos of the landscape in snow. I don't particularly like it anymore...especially in April :)