Snow, Finally

 After a LONG stint with no snow or rain, we finally got both in droves--and all in the last two days. So when after two solid days of constant rain that left the chicken yard a treacherous, muddy mess--not that chickens sliding about in mud isn't hilarious--today we have a good four inches of snow. Raining when I went to bed last night, snowed in when I got up this morning. Climate change is fun!

The apple tree in the front yard...

And the crepe myrtle in the back yard.

The view of the chicken coop from the back porch. Yeah, I ain't goin' out there.

The kid got this amazing shot of a frosty feather...

I love the colors and changes of light in this shot.

Also, Nyx, the Midnight Marans hen we hatched this spring, has come into lay, gifting us with dark brown eggs.

But of course, since it's us, Nyx isn't quite your normal Midnight Marans--she sports both soft vulture hocks and some white wing feathers and brown head feathers here and there--none of which she is supposed to have. So I've been calling our little oddity a Midnight Marauder Marans. Hey, why not? In truth, I've been kind of holding my breath to see what color eggs she'd pop off with.

Luckily for the chickens, I'd held back a great big pumpkin in reserve, since I knew this snowstorm was coming. I'd planned to set it out with the webcam inside to broadcast Chickam, but our freezing temps canceled that. Instead, today it'll get cut up and placed in the run, since the chickens refuse to come out--chicken foot must never touch snow, after all.

But they are not pleased. Kana from three days ago, in happier, snow-free days.

In the  background is Spork, who waded into the water dish to play with the ice chunks we'd broken loose that morning. The little feathered weirdos will stand in freezing water to play with ice, but adamantly refuse to walk in snow.

Go figure.