Gliders return

I didnt expect them back so early, especially given
the mornings snowstorm, but there she was, sailing low
over the shop at 7:30 AM. With her six foot wingspan
and seemingly infinite soaring capability, the Turkey
Vulture is my favorite flyer. Ive watched as many as a
dozen at a time plying the troposphere, following
thermals with subtle banking movements. Though their
naked heads don't afford them the beauty of the Hawks
and Eagles, in the summer sky they posess a majesty
all their own.

Cold snap

It's been getting down into the low twenties for the last few nights, warming up to around forty at midday. The dogs seem to enjoy the chill, and the frost is pretty, but it's hard to water the chickens and clean up the dogs post romp when the hoses are frozen solid. This weather doesn't usually last long around here or I'd probably come up with some kind of defrosting system to keep the water flowing outside. Might look into that.

Cannibalism

So this morning, as I was wheeling the first load of stove pellets up from the shop, my wheelbarrow ground to a halt with a whoosh of escaping air. I fetched the tire pump and began an upper body workout, but to no avail. The tire was still in perfect shape, but it had seemingly become too large to fit the rim (I suspect this was caused by underinflation and frequent use with 120 lb. loads). After cursing the manufacturer and visualizing a trip to the hardware store, I remembered the worn out barrow left behind the shop by the previous inhabitants. Sure enough, the wheel was sun-cracked but servicable. After a few turns of the wrench I had restored my beast of burden and loaded fifteen bags of Golden Fire pellets into the storage room, ensuring another five days of balmy indoor weather.