The Farm in Winter: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

For most people winter is exciting for about a month or so (snuggling up by the fire, Christmas, the first big snow), but after that, it just gets old and cold.  Winter can be especially challenging on a farm.  Here's a glimpse of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to farm life in winter.

The Good
The farm is really pretty at Christmas with all the lights.  (Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a good picture of that.)  It's also pretty when there's a big snow.

The snow-covered farm.

Animals in the snow.

The Bad
Last year, we lost a calf.  The boys wanted a bottle baby for a pet, so we bought a miniature Zebu calf.  He was tiny and adorable!

The boys' bottle baby calf.

His delivery was delayed (and almost didn't happen) because he got "down" for a short spell.  He seemed to recover, but after we got him, he never could maintain a body temperature.  To make a long story short: It was a disaster!  We struggled to keep him alive for two months, even keeping him in our laundry room for a few days.  Eventually, it was clear he wasn't going to make it.

Had he been born in the spring or summer, would he have made it?  Who knows.  But the single-digit temperatures certainly didn't make it easier on the little guy!

A lot of farmers experience loss in the winter, usually with babies.  It's not only an emotional loss but a financial loss as well.

The Ugly
The farm overall is just ugly during the winter months.  The ground is sopping wet, the animals look like wild beasts with all their thick scraggly hair, and everything is brown and gray.  It can be down-right depressing!

Here's an example of the ugly.  (Okay, the hideous really...)

A temporary pig shelter.

Since we moved the pigs to the garden spot to prepare it for spring planting, they were left without access to the barn.  In a pinch, the hubs constructed a temporary shelter for them.  It was super nice looking at first, but within two days, the pigs had knocked some of it down and torn it up.  It was fixed several times, but they kept doing the same thing, so we left them to suffer at their own devices.  (Disclaimer to PETA members: The pigs seem to love it; they're all huddled up in there together enjoying the good life.)

So there it is, a look at farm life in the winter.  I can't wait to post some pretty pictures this spring and summer!

Mom's Magazine

For as long as I can remember, Mom always had a magazine basket in the living room.  Through the years, there were magazines that came and went, but Southern Living was a constant.  As a child and teenager, I couldn't have cared less about the magazine, but as I aged, it became one of those things I just associated with Mom and home.

As a college student, I would see the magazine in the grocery store check out lane, and I would immediately think about the comforts of home.

As a young adult, I would peruse the magazine while visiting at Mom's house just because it was sitting there in the living room and I didn't have much else to occupy my mind or time.  Later, I became more interested in the magazine's subjects, so I would mention a recipe or article or picture out loud to Mom as I flipped through the pages.  Eventually, I got to where I would take the older issues home with me.  Leaving with a handful of magazines after a visit became something I looked forward to, and I'm pretty sure Mom enjoyed having something to give me.

At 34 years of age and being a mom of two, I finally decided I was old enough to have my own Southern Living subscription.  And sure enough, every time an issue comes in the mail, I feel a little happy peace inside because I think of my mom.

In reality, the magazine is just words and pictures on pages, but to me, it's so much more--it's a connection to my mom.  So even though I'm not stealing Mom's magazine any more, it will really always be "Mom's magazine."