Snow Day

This past week we have been riding a weather rollercoaster. It started out chilly then turned very cold! With the cold came the snow. In fact, it was the most snow the farm has seen in a very long time. The snow left us as quickly as it came. Now, we are already having weather in the 70's!

Despite the wild weather, work on the farm must go on. On this day, most of the work revolved around loading a trailer with cattle and the troubles that come with slick surfaces and tractor trailers.  Here are some snapshots of us enduring the unusual wintery elements.

 

Dig, Dig, Dig

Back in December, we began work on our newest project... an irrigation pond. A crew of local dirt movers and Jesse worked day and night (with giant work lights) to build a levy and prepare the land for a 30 acre pond. There was a sense of urgency due to the impending winter rains known to the south. The pond needed to be completed so the rain could fill it up in time for planting and if the rain came early their window of opportunity would close due to muddy conditions.
Here are some photos from the first day of dirt work.

Due to the hard work and long hours put in by everyone, the pond was finished by the end of January. Now, we are patiently waiting for the weather to do it's job and fill-er-up!

the levy

another view of the levy

View from the top

There's a little bit of water in there

the men are pumping the runoff water from the ditch into the pond 

Of course this job is not as easy as it sounds. Day and night the pumps demanded attention.

Buddy takes in the new view

Success! The water is flowing!

the kids discussed their plans for this summer with their new swimming pool