January Thaw

It got up to over 40 degrees today!   It's been warm for a couple days now.  After the 30 below zero days, we are SO enjoying the warm weather!  We have been able to get out and do things outside, Harold has been able to cut and stack more firewood, and even the farm cats are enjoying the warmth.   Today I caught them sunning on the front step:

Seven of my farm cats were enjoying the warm sun this afternoon.  One kitty decided to see what I was doing with that camera thing!

When the others realized that I was on the other side of the door, they posed real pretty for a picture:

A few minutes later, the other cats decided that the front step was a nice warm place, and 13 of my farm cats posed for a rare picture!

Have you ever tried to photograph 13 cats at once?  Try it some time and see how that goes!  Two other cats were out somewhere else sunning or hunting.  We have 15 cats now.   We lost one the other day to an owl.  I always feel bad when that happens, but that is the way of nature and outdoor cats.  I still have plenty of beautiful cats, don't you think?  They all look very healthy, and have done well to survive the winter so far. 

Here are a few other photos I took this afternoon:

Harold takes the tractor out to the woods to haul in another tree to cut up.

The woodpile looks better now.   Harold is unchaining a big log he brought in.  The water was just dripping like crazy off the eaves in front of the window.

The greenhouse has survived the winter, too, without any damage other than the black plastic over the ventilation fan area which got somewhat shredded by blizzard winds.  The snow is off the roof, and it was 50 degrees in there today!  Hopefully the garlic that's growing under the hay bales in there is coming along nicely.  Everything is iced in and sealed up well now, so I don't want to open up the door.