Mon 20 Feb 2012
Our 24 Hour Winter
Posted by Bob under Chickens, Nature
[3] Comments
 
We’ve had a generally mild and snowless winter–until mid-afternoon yesterday. This was our hens’ first experience of snow, and they didn’t take to it. They promptly headed not just into their run, but most of them continued right on into the henhouse. In mid-morning when we open up the outer door to the run, the hens generally come charging out: today one black australorp gingerly took a few steps out, looked back at all the others who were hesitating, and ran back in herself. (Cold by itself they have no problem with. But chickens are…chicken.)
In any case, Monika and I enjoyed the snowy afternoon and evening by our wood stove, and then the beautiful vistas in the sun this morning, here and down by the Tye River.   By afternoon, the four inches of snow were rapidly melting away. And the hens were pecking away at the remaining small clumps of snow.
click here for more pictures of our 24 hour winter
About an hour ago I was mentally whining about the lack of snow this year. And about how unlikely it is now — late Feb — to get any significant snowfall. [Although I then googled around and saw that the “Blizzard of the Century” was here in the DC area on March 12-13, 1993, so I guess there’s hope.]
Your pictures of the mountains are wonderful. I know the mountains of VA, MD, and WV very well, but I would never guess that the bottom right picture was from the Appalachians. Looks more like mountains I’ve seen in Wyoming!
The picture is taken looking up the Tye River Valley just above the bridge on 151–the bridge that was washed away in 1969 when the torrent of water and debris from Hurricane Camille pretty much destroyed everything in its path, including the town of Massies Mill a few miles up the road. So there’s always a lot of unpredictability when it comes to the weather!
Beautiful photos, Dr. Wood! The snow gives this already amazing scenery a magical touch.