It’s by no means the biggest snowstorm we’ve had, but it’s the biggest one this season. So far, we have about eight inches of snow, much higher in drifts. The cars were buried, and we spent the morning shoveling out paths and snow blowing and brushing off cars and making paths for the animals.

Then we came in to thaw, and I made some hot oatmeal.

Zinnia loves the snow; she rolls in it, tries to bite the snow shovel, and keeps a close watch on me. Aria took the photo. So does Maria, she’s like a little kid around snow, she is a shoveling fiend.

We fed the sheep and donkeys in the Pole Barn, so they don’t have to stand out in the snow. They get along and adapt. I went out with a sledgehammer last night to free the feeders that were frozen in the snow.

The donkeys eat in their corner of the barn; we brought the feeders inside to eat out of the feeder and not off of the ground.

We had to lay out some chicken wire as our bored animals start eating the barn when they can’t graze. The Pole Barn is sturdy and gives the animals a chance to stay dry and out of the wind.

Our little snowblower is brutal and efficient; we wore out the battery and recharged. It gets the job done, and this snow is high.

We make paths around the cards, down to the pasture, and around the chicken roost and the bird feeders. Maria makes sure the birds have easy access to their feeders, which are full of good seeds, and we also clear the snow beneath the feeders so the birds can get to the seeds that drop.

The chickens love them also.

Maria snow blowing around her studio and the bird feeder, which is very busy this time of year and in a storm.

We’re both going to work this afternoon and go out and do more shoveling. The snow seems to be stopping, it’s not too bad, but we have a lot of learning up to do. I don’t think we’re going to use our generator for this storm either, it might have to wait until the summer.

The thunderstorms usually knock out the power once or twice. I’m making a turkey tofu vegetable stir fry for dinner tonight. I didn’t overdo things, I think, but my legs are sore. I might need a nap by a roaring fire, listening to music.