Winter Update

Winter is taking its sweet time settling in.  The ground is not yet frozen, and we've had as many nights above freezing as not.  Things that ought to be dormant are still active -- pastures are still faintly green, mole heaps dot the landscape.  On the positive side of the ledger, the hens are producing at about 30%, impressive (to us, at least) for two-and-a-half year old birds with no artificial light or heat.  Bulbs are breaking dormancy, and I can't mulch them because the ground hasn't frozen.  Interesting start to the year, and it will be interesting to see how it goes on. Noteworthy:  this warm weather has been sufficiently above freezing that we only emptied our IBC's (like the one behind the barn in the picture) and shut down our rain barrel/gravity feed watering systems yesterday (normally this is done in late November/early December).  The springs, on the other hand, will, thank goodness, run all winter.