Sunrise to Sunset

Opening the door at 7am to let the dogs out was hurry, move it so I can shut the door.  For some reason the deeper we get in to winter the colder the single digits feel.  O with real feel -14, every step is crunch and squeak in the snow.  Plus breathing makes the nose feel weird!  Happy to be a nose breather and not mouth on days like this.  The horses and chickens need a little extra lov'n on these bitter days.  Extra grain and hay provides fuel for the horses that keeps them warm.  The chickens get extra bread and table scraps along with their daily grains.  Yes, table scraps for chickens.....they love them.  Whipped potatoes are their favorite!  The horse and chicken water supply is on a heat timer so they always have fresh warm water to drink.  You would think they would consume more water in the hot days of summer but not so.  In the summer they eat no hay, little to no grain but lavish and gorge on spring green grass and summer grass.  Horses are grazers and that is their meal of choice, green grass.  The grass is high in moisture unlike hay that has been cut, dried and baled.  There's the reason for more consumption of water in the winter, no moisture in the hay.  That's a very good thing ( Martha Stewarts fav. saying).  If hay is not sun dried before baled and put in with too much moisture it will get dusty and mildew, plus generate heat, enough to cause a barn fire.  So a well seasoned farmer knows when to start cutting his fields, too early and the hay will not dry properly.  Usually around July 4th is what we call hay days.  Little night time dew and long sunny, hot with low humidity days.  There is a fine time line for hay days.  Then of course as hard working farmers know, Mother Nature can throw a curve ball at any time.  The word lucky then is the thought, if we are lucky enough to get the crops in.  Bless the farm families.  Every garden year I say,  thank God our lively hood does not depend on our garden like the farmer and his crops.

Yesterday we took a little trip to Hornell via 11 Mile, Wellsville and Alfred.  One of my favorite rides for the reason I can get Jamaican Me Crazy Coffee in Wellsville or Alfred.  Usually.......Wellsville, carafe empty.  No problem, I can hold out for the Terra Cotta in Alfred.  Ha! No!  Their carafe was empty too.  Wouldn't ya think with the popular demand of coffee of my choice they would X out a flavor and make two carafes of JMC?  Well the cute little 60ish style chick convinced me Roasted Pecan is a big favorite.  She was adorable right down to her clothes, jewelry, hairstyle and lack of make-up.  Close to imagining her strumming a guitar in a field of daisies.  Talk about memories this gal had me back in 1965-67 in a blink.  Perfect would have been let me hand embroidery some flowers, peace signs and rainbows on your denim jacket.  That's what I did way back when......especially on the guys denim, hip hugging bell bottoms.   Those were some amazing years to be a teen.

That Pecan coffee, just didn't have the punch but the  ride home made up for it.  Coming back down the 11 Mile the sun was putting on quite the show changing with every mile.  If I thought the morning sunrise was spectacular the sunset was in great competition.  Sunrise offered fluffy pink to purple clouds with even the snow taking on the colors.  Enjoying the sunset the sun was huge hanging low in the sky .  It was setting with gold and blue hues shining through the bare trees on the hill tops.  Again the snow was showing the same gold and blue colors.   We also noticed the moon was out all day.  Of course the hub told me it is suppose to be a good day to hunt when the moon is out in the afternoon.  That could be why the coyotes were barking and howling last night at 7 pm, out for a good hunt!   What a day for the sun and moon to put on a show. ♡

Going up 11 Mile we followed a very slow 18 Wheeler.  Dick said, he acts like he must be lost......considering he is on 11 Mile with a big rig.  Sure enough he stopped in front of us, we pulled up beside him and he yelled down if we knew where Healy Road was.    We  had never heard of Healy Rd. Let's make this a little easier so we asked him the name of the place he was looking for.  Hoffman's Farm......why yes we know.  Lesson learned, where Healy Rd is, if ya didn't know, now ya do.

Sunrise at Cook'n by the Creek, 1/28/2015,  7:10 am.

                             Take a little trip down the 11 Mile and enjoy the view.
                                    Pictures taken Wednesday, 1/28/2015 @ 5 pm.

Crystal Church