Crispy Winter Morning on the Farm

Every morning on KimRidge Farm begins with the same routine. The fireplace needs to be fed new firewood to warm up the house after the long night of slow cooling.

I step out on the porch to grab the driest wood and take it to the house.

After reviving the fire, I begin making our morning coffee right there, on the fireplace.

In the meantime, I step outside to let the birds out of their coops. First, I go to let the ducks out. As I walk up the hill, I enjoy the beauty of the frost-covered trees reflecting the first touch by the morning sunrays.

The beauful contrasts of the tree branches and the snow, the golden sunshine and the blue sky, the frosted air and cheerful singing of the wild birds bring an enormous feeling of joy. I continue walking to the old barn that houses the ducks.

As I open the door, the ducks start coming out of the building immediately.

They follow their cheerfull leader up the hill.

But, they realize very quickly how cold it is and turn around. The leader is following the flock back into the warm safety of the barn.

My next stop is downhil from here. I continue enjoying the golden glow of the winter trees as I go toward the chicken coop this morning.

The chickens hear me approaching the building and start making noise in excitement. Little do they know how cold it is outside.

They start coming out of the building bewildered by the snow. They hesitate to step on the snow.

Finally, they decide to back up into their building. The roosters didn’t even bother to come out. Being protective of their large combs, they are avoiding a frostbite.

I am watching the chimney smoke as I approach the house.

The coffee is ready. I am having a light breakfast of homemade yogurt and wild blackberries preserved last summer.

I think, I’ll stay inside and bake some bread this morning. After that, I’ll go to the Wooly Barn and spin Rambouillet fleece.