Vintage Home and Farm

It was like a comedy of errors as we struggled to fix a burst water pipe during the past few days. We thought the house and all of its systems were capable of weathering the winter storms, but we should’ve checked a little more closely to make sure the foundation vents were insulated enough. Cold air had been seeping through a couple of vents near the outside water taps, and the pipes that run under the house from there froze. Unfortunately, those pipes are cheap copper. The copper pipes then connect in the cellar to galvanized pipes that are much sturdier. A couple of galvanized pipes in that area and over on the other side of the house in the laundry room also froze but did not burst. Can you guess what time it was when we discovered the spraying water under the house? If you guessed the middle of the night, you are correct. Of course these things always happen in the middle of the night. It’s likely because the house is so quiet that anyone awake can hear the dripping of water.

We woke up Saturday morning and discovered the latest storm had dropped another 6 inches of snow. It's been a long time since our area has seen snow like this - not for at least 12 years or more.   I was amazed to see we had 12 inches of snow on the picnic table. It was a beautiful winter wonderland.  Of course, there are a few farm chores to take care of regardless of whether there is snow. The first chore of the morning is always taking care of the chickens.  The chickens seem to be doing okay in the cold weather without much extra effort.  They don't have a heat lamp, which I feel guilty about, but I'm following advice from The Prairie Homestead which says chickens do not need (or even want) the extra heat.  This is the first year I've left them alone. Last year our three original chickens had a plastic heating pad that they could sit on.  We didn't even get the heating pad out for them this year, since it would not be big

It was a mild winter up until last weekend, when snow flurries began to fall. Overnight Sunday the snow piled up to 6 inches of powdery white. While quite beautiful to observe from the warmth of the living room where we have a view of the barn and fields out our windows, it was not so great to drive in Monday morning as I headed to work. After work on Monday, I put on my BOGS work boots and went outside to take a few photos. There are two circa 1940s houses in this photo; in the forefront is our house, which was the farm owner’s home back when this was Haybrook Farms. Further in the distance you can see the ranch manager’s house.  Above is a view of our property along with the community barn, our shop, and a ridge line of trees covered in snow. A number of people and animals have ventured out into the snow to walk along the creek behind our house. This is a community path that we all enjoy. We’ve been watching the birds at the feeder. Time to brush off the snow ag