Last weekend i was at Greenwood.
It was cold. No, make that cold.
air temperatures were in the teens
and 40-50 mph wind gusts.
The wind will get you every time
nips at your fingers the instant you take gloves off
and penetrates all but the best winter gear...unless
you need to herd swans.
Greenwood covers 28 acres of garden and tended woodland.
There's also a fun bunch of goats, geese, ducks, chickens, and
a pair of swans living there.
The garden and its animals are surrounded by 2000 +acres of woodlands
where lots of other critters--some being predators--live.
In the past, our old swans new to come up to the barn
and pens for food and water when the ponds freeze over
but those grand old birds are gone, and new ones were
adopted this past spring.
i was nervous for these new birds
who love the ponds, even when frozen
(this photos was taken when i was at Greenwood in
November, when the ponds were still open)
so i thought i'd round them up and walk them back up to the barn.
Only one problem: the swans thought otherwise
and swans have wings.
They humored me
and slowly walked about 20 yards up the path
then, with no effort at all
took flight and glided back down the hill.
After performing this exercise twice
i was very warm inside my hooded coat
insulated wellies, and waterproof gloves.
By the time i gave up, the sun had gone down
and i was reminded:
even on a moonless night
a snowy landscape never gets dark
and on that ice and snow covered pond
the swans would see any coyote that may come their way.
And, they have wings.
Those young swans can take flight with remarkable ease
no long, running start the way our grand old birds used to do.
We've enjoyed a winter of beautiful snowfall.
Only one snow-rain-into-ice event, so far.
And after a light snow, this sweet little dogwood
could double as an apple tree in bloom:
It was cold. No, make that cold.
air temperatures were in the teens
and 40-50 mph wind gusts.
The wind will get you every time
nips at your fingers the instant you take gloves off
and penetrates all but the best winter gear...unless
you need to herd swans.
Greenwood covers 28 acres of garden and tended woodland.
There's also a fun bunch of goats, geese, ducks, chickens, and
a pair of swans living there.
The garden and its animals are surrounded by 2000 +acres of woodlands
where lots of other critters--some being predators--live.
In the past, our old swans new to come up to the barn
and pens for food and water when the ponds freeze over
but those grand old birds are gone, and new ones were
adopted this past spring.
i was nervous for these new birds
who love the ponds, even when frozen
(this photos was taken when i was at Greenwood in
November, when the ponds were still open)
so i thought i'd round them up and walk them back up to the barn.
Only one problem: the swans thought otherwise
and swans have wings.
They humored me
and slowly walked about 20 yards up the path
then, with no effort at all
took flight and glided back down the hill.
After performing this exercise twice
i was very warm inside my hooded coat
insulated wellies, and waterproof gloves.
By the time i gave up, the sun had gone down
and i was reminded:
even on a moonless night
a snowy landscape never gets dark
and on that ice and snow covered pond
the swans would see any coyote that may come their way.
And, they have wings.
Those young swans can take flight with remarkable ease
no long, running start the way our grand old birds used to do.
We've enjoyed a winter of beautiful snowfall.
Only one snow-rain-into-ice event, so far.
And after a light snow, this sweet little dogwood
could double as an apple tree in bloom:
