Snow Follies and Grand-Friends

It's been snowing.

Tried to get to the hospital for my shift this morning. I did so because I am overly obsessed with my job performance. My co-worker made it. So not to be outdone I showered, dressed and headed out. I have wrecked cars in the ice twice. Clearly I don't learn.

This time I got stuck. I chose to take the Volvo. She is 19 years old this year. Older women know their limits (this is proof that I am not old yet) and she took matters into her own hands. She firmly placed her little rubber feet in the snow and ice and is now stuck facing across the road like a defiant toddler in a tantrum. No going forward and then backward, no promise of toys could move her. If the rugged-woods folk-hunter-gatherers who live behind us decide to go out they will not be happy with me. Never mind. They have a four wheel drive monster truck. They will probably just go over the Volvo.

So here I sit at the computer, looking far better than most days here on the farm. George will be glad of that since he has to look at me all day. The girls are already dressing to go out to enjoy the snow before the sun gets to it. Since we only get snow once a year (when lucky) we don't buy snow clothes. My kids always look like homeless people in New York. They layer several family members clothes for warmth and wear socks for mittens. All we need is a street corner and a metal drum with a fire to complete the picture.

Our strikingly white animals always look filthy and brown next to the snow. I don't know what it is but the animals LOVE snow, even the goats who hate rain. Gus and BoPeep, our Great Pyrenees, rolled and rubbed their bodies in it for hours.

All of the dogs love it. Here is Dina after having eaten a lot of snow balls. She never gets tired of it.

I love this one of the Bluebird's house.

They were here just the other day getting it ready for their first hatch of the year. Papa Bluebird is sporting some iridescent blue finery this year. They were surprised and pleased to see that our Bluebird resort went upscale since they last visited. We now have a bird jacuzzi - it is a little cool right now though. It has a bas relief of vines and grapes on the sides and resembles a Roman bath. Wait til they get this years rent statement.

Nic's cabin is just waiting for a break in the weather to have its siding put on. We can't wait. Here it is with a snow cap on. The roof is normally green metal.

We should have known cold weather was coming. The animals have certainly been putting on their winter coats...or sweaters. Check this out. Nic and I mucked the chicken coop the other day. He got hot and flung his favorite Banana Republic sweater over the fence. This cow found it. I was quite impressed. He actually managed to get one horn perfectly in the sleeve. He is only one year old. My kids didn't manage that until they were two! He is very advanced.

The bunnies (who live loose on the farm) are the best at finding toasty little burroughs to bed down in. How handy when your bed is also food. Here they are in the goat's and sheep's hay feeder.


And here are a couple shots of the snow coming down. It was so soft and quiet.

Our buddy Ben is here with us this week. He is learning to use the potty. Several times per day I hear a tiny voice from the ground saying "Rinke Jo, I need some help." This is the scene. Note the location of his drawers.

He is doing quite well. It is amazing that anyone makes the transition. Considering that one has likely been using diapers for the first three years of life, as in his case. Hovering over an open space full of water with a butt no bigger than a softball is just daredevil. He doesn't seem to mind.

People assume that Ben is a Rinke. He looks like a Rinke boy. He has a little blue vein in his forehead that matches Joseph's, curly hair that matches Ethan's, and a crooked foot that matches Jon's. So far he bears no similarity to Nic. I tell folks that he is my grand-friend. Grand-friends are awesome because there are absolutely no strings attached, no obligations. I'm sure that I will feel the same when actual grandchildren arrive someday. My friend Cindy transformed when hers came. A previously humble individual, she now struggles to conceal the fact that her grandchildren are in fact genius and supernaturally gifted in appearance.

By the way. Ben is a genius and seeing as he looks like a Rinke, well, he is supernaturally gifted in appearance. Just look at him.

Here is Ben with Dinah my grand-dog (she calls me Grammy.)

Here is Ben with Cletus T.


I could go on.