Winter's Last Gasp....

...or is it?    This wicked winter clings on with long boney icy fingers.  I think everyone is tired of it.

Although I admire a good fire, by this time of the year it's getting old. 

Saturday we had the most pleasant of days.  Almost 70 with sunshine.  I worked at preparing garden beds, and the dreaded chore of cleaning out the inside stove pipes again.

Here I sat basking in the sun just the day before....

I let the sheep out on the front for a brief time for their first taste of grass and freedom since last fall.  They look as I feel--dirty, dingy with strings of wool trailing about and overgrown toenails.  Well, maybe not the trailing wool or overgrown toenails for me...   Ready to throw off the ill used trappings of this long season.  For the sheep that will come in mid-April on shearing day.  For me, I'm already thinking about packing away the winter togs, but know it is not reasonable yet.  

These Grackles & Blackbirds (plus a hundred or so Robins) were caught by the nasty turn in the weather

The weather prediction for Sunday was not bright and sunny, so I hauled in extra wood on Saturday 'just in case'.  I fired up the stove again late Saturday afternoon and admired it's clean bright flame....hoping that soon it would not be needed.

The Sheep huddled in their barn avoiding the sleet and high winds

Saturday night a storm came blowing in.  It rained and the wind blew and as morning dawned the rain started to freeze a little around the edges, then the sleet came in blowing sideways.  The wind would knock your breath away and drive the sleet pellets into your face.  It was nasty.  The roads got pretty slick for awhile before the snow came.  The temperatures hovered in the 20s for the day and the snow fell steady until late afternoon.   The night bottomed out with temperatures in the teens and the whole mess of it was literally a slap in the face.

I think Ashley's face says it all regarding her opinion of the weather! 

Since we had such a warm day on Saturday the snow didn't stick to the roads or paths and quickly melted the next day except for a few lingering patches in the shade.

Carly preparing to sass me, the weather and the world

This week promises to be nice---a dip in temperatures for Wednesday but only in the 'normal' range.  The rain that fell has the grass already greening up and trying to grow.  The sheep are anxious for grass  and we'd all be happy if we were done with feeding hay.  

Minty (always) poses pretty for the camera

Spring is upon us.  Isn't it?

Sage says ho..hum...what happened to our warm sunny catio days?

Yes, bud, I feel exactly this way about it too....

Hope the weather is stabilizing wherever you may be!