OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS AT THE LOG CABIN

 

Well, the guys at the Feed Mill were right.  The snow did stop, the sun came out and the snow melted.  The ground was still too warm for the snow to last.  And so, it became a slushy, muddy mess. There is more snow expected and the temperatures are due to drop according to the latest weather forecast.  It is now late December, and we are pretty far north, so winter weather is to be expected.  But being by the Bay (Green Bay) the weather seems to be milder than even south of us.  

 The Thanksgiving Holiday came and went for us this year, as we were in the middle of our move. We decided that we would take special moments to celebrate our first Christmas at our new home.

I am a big crafter.  I am always picking up and collecting 'stuff' and thinking about what I can do with my finds to make creative, decorative items.  Before there was snow on the ground, I spotted many beautiful pinecones under a large pine tree next to the cabin.  I would pick up a few each time I would walk that way and soon I had a basket full of these beautiful possibilities.  I will use them in wreaths, arrangements and also as a treat for our outdoor bird friends.  I remember seeing a fellow bird lover, coat the pinecone with peanut butter, attach a string and hang it outside for the birds.  So, we decided that would be our Christmas present to our visiting birds (and probably the deer also).  When we finished spreading the peanut butter and sprinkling on the bird seed, we hung them from a tree near the door so that we could watch the birds fly in and enjoy a taste of this Holiday treat.   

At first our daily visitors to our feeders did not go near the pinecone treat, but then one Chickadee landed on a nearby branch, hopped over and took a taste and that's all it took.  Word spread quickly.  By the next morning all of the decorated pinecones were picked clean.  A good number of them were on the ground the next morning.  I picture our daily visitor deer group coming in after dark and licking the remaining peanut butter and seeds off of the pinecones. Merry Christmas to our dear bird and deer friends. 

Our animals all received extra treats too.  I made a casserole of dried eggshells, marigold seeds, chopped up apples and lettuce for our chickens.  I sprinkled dried meal worms on top - for some crunch. We feed them a layer pellet, corn and sunflower seeds everyday - also a dish of oyster shell for them to peck at. 

The Sheep/llamas got their regular food with extra corn and oats, a new bale of hay and lots of pats and rubs.  

The Peacocks got some eggshell, meal worms and their regular sunflower seed, feed mixture.  

 We were out working in the machine shed on Christmas, so the peacocks got to hear Christmas songs all day.  Not sure how they felt about that.  

We worked in the machine shed for much of the day on the cabinets that would become our bathroom vanity and also our kitchen cabinets.  Our Christmas gift to each other.  Will be so nice to have some organization in those two areas.  

It's a beautiful day.  Not that we aren't grateful for all of the blessings of this year, but, we are kind of glad this year is coming to a close.  Getting our big house and hobby farm ready for sale in WI was exhausting.  Fortunately, it sold quickly - and the person that purchased it did not need to move in for a while.  So, it gave us the needed time to get all of our stuff moved to the UP Michigan property. We are finally starting to feel a little bit settled.  We are looking forward to working on the inside of the log cabin this winter & also sitting down over hot cocoa and drawing up the plans for our large vegetable garden and our large cut flower garden. We have many plans for how we are going to be able to support ourselves on this property - but that's for a future blog.  We are getting really excited about finally being able to implement each idea and hopefully be able to watch it all bloom and blossom. So, we are happily welcoming in a new year - a year of all of the ideas that have been swirling around in our heads for years - becoming a reality.   Meanwhile, we are absolutely loving the peace and serenity of living in the Northwoods.  And we are so grateful and blessed to live in and amongst all of this beauty.