Some of our winter visiters

I finally got a picture of this female pileated woodpecker. I have seen them flying around our farm, but haven't been able to catch until this day.

Also caught these two in same tree. A male cardinal is in the upper branches. A downy woodpecker is lower on the branch.

We always seem to have at least one pair of cardinals around our feeders as spring approaches. I did not catch the female today, just the male.

This guy comes to our bird feeder every winter. He is a red-bellied woodpecker. I know, I always thought that he was a red headed woodpecker, but according to this site he isn't.

http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Birds/Winter/Red-Bellied-Woodpecker

Snow again.........grrrrr

Now doesn't he look like he is having fun?!? Out blowing snow yet again.

Figure that we got at least 8 inches of snow, but we also did receive some freezing rain and rain pellets yesterday too. This does not look good as far as spring flooding in the state.

Lots of snow to blow to clear out the driveway.

The sheep in February, 2011

The girls had to be moved out of the barn and barn yard areas as it was way too muddy for them. I am not sure that they are happy with being in snow again. They also didn't want me following them around with my camera.

This is one of the lambs from the spring of 2010. She is a Katahdin ewe even tho she is marked like a Barbado. We have been calling her Barb. No offense to my sister.

This is another 2010 lamb. She is a tri-color and we haven't come up with a name for her yet. I keep thinking that with her nose marked like that she reminds me of Jimmy Durante, but can I call a girl Jimmy?

Here she is up close with that nose marking. Jimmy?

A close up shot of Barb. I just love her markings.

Flooding, February 17, 2011

Proof that there still is grass under all of that snow. We have had a week of very unseasonably warm temperatures. Which has decreased the amount of snow cover dramatically. But with the good comes the bad. We also have a barn yard of mud and some flooding going on.

This is where all of the water is coming into the barn and running thru it.

Looking thru the barn.

This is looking thru the barn from the north side, looking south.

This is looking thru the barn from the south to the north.

Here is the wash out in the barn. It is at the south entrance.

A closer look at the wash out.

This is the water running down the west side of our driveway.

Water along the west side of the driveway.

The water running thru our front field by the road.

This is the neighbor's field which is on the west side of our property. All of that water will eventually run thru our field by the road.

Another view of the neighbor's field.

New Travel Trailer

Well, we went and did it. Spent the day at the Minneapolis Convention Center at the RV and Travel show. And we bought a new travel trailer. We went with one that is a little shorter than what we have been traveling with. We bought this one: http://aero-rv.com/index.php?p=floorplans&model=195QB We didn't need the 24 foot one any more since we haul the dogs in the suburban now. So, we went with one that weighs less so it will tow easier. It has some things that we didn't have before such as an oven, a flat screen TV, shower with door instead of just a shower curtain, and a bed that we can walk around. The big thing is that is much lighter than one that we have been pulling and it is a fiberglass one, so more sturdy. It will make it much easier to make longer trips and maybe even into Colorado. We should hopefully be able to pick it up in March or April.

Edited to add: Here is the web site that shows our actual trailer. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2011-Aerolite-195QB-Travel-Trailer-RV-Formally-19FL-/360347268692