A winter storm raged all through the night bringing high winds and leaving behind a new covering on snow. This morning drifts of snow covered the driveway, steps, doorways, and paths. We literally shoveled our way out of the house to find our way to the barn. There were several surprises along the way. The boys, Bob and Cairo were snowed in their little shelter. Only their heads were visible above the snow. As soon as they discovered us, Bob began calling for his breakfast butting Cairo as if he were tired of their close quarters. I had to go back to the house for snowshoes before I could make my way to their shelter to take them their hay.

Another surprise waited for me at the barn. The girls had taken up protection from the winds by the llama shelter for the night. By morning, they found they were snowed in with a wall of snow preventing them from coming to the barn for hay and water. Ina called incessantly quite irritated by the snow bank in front of her and impatient for her hay. It took quite a while to shovel a new path for them.

My last surprise was found in the chicken coup. As I opened the door to take the grain to the chickens I spied an egg in a nesting box! This is the first egg we have had since the fall! Our hens, being 2 years old, have taken the winter off from laying despite our efforts to try to fool them with artificial lighting. I carefully cradled the egg in my pocket to take it back to the house.

Tonight only an occasional snowflake finds its way to the ground. There is a steady wind but it is not howling as it was last night. I have tucked all of the animals in for the night being sure they all have plenty of hay and giving them molasses in their water for added energy. I wonder if there will be more surprises in the morning.