Snow Yard Dinosaur!

We had a really nice snowstorm today, it's been snowing pretty heavily for about the last 15 hours and is still going. It's too warm for the snow to last, but for now we've got a good coating of nice, crunchy snow--perfect for making a snowman!

Or, since it's our house after all, a snow chicken.

Yeah, we slapped that baby RIGHT out front so the neighbors would know to have their kids walk on the other side of the street when they passed our house.  Avoid the crazy chicken people, little Johnny...Really does a terrific job of devaluing the neighborhood, doesn't it?

We used a couple of wooden bark chips from the garden for her eyes, and one of the kids' pink gloves for a comb. 

Her damned head kept falling off and her eyes falling out, every time I stuck them back on it became more and more misshapen and a first-class genetic horror show.

The kid went out and grabbed a hen for...you know...scientific comparison purposes...yeah, that's it, science.

Strychnine was unimpressed.

Right now it's snowing again, pretty hard.  Mother Nature doing a solid for the neighbors and trying to cover it up, I think. The wild birds do NOT care for it and are sitting in the trees bitching at the thing.

Oh well, it was fun.

What's All This White Stuff And Can I EAT It?

We've had a very mild winter this year--at least when it comes to actual white stuff falling from the sky.  So this was the first day that last year's chicks have been able to experience snow!

Even if it *was* just a dusting.  Groot thought it wise to observe for a bit first...

It took a minute or so of me calling 'Chick-chick-chick' to get even a *couple* of them to venture out.  Finally Strychnine was bolder and led Pele (who thought there might be food in it for her), Kotori and Bowie out.

The girls were not entirely convinced and there was much staring.

Strychnine and Olivia in full 'I dunno, man...' mode.

Eventually the snow was tasted a bit but NOT walked upon, thank you, and they grumped their way back into the coop until it melted.