Miles Christmas Photo

Miles hopes you had a Merry Christmas!

Mountain Sunday * 27 December 2015

27 December 2015
South of the barn. 

27 December 2015
East over the barn.

27 December 2015
North of the barn.

Merry Christmas 2015

Every year we participate in the Alpine Living Nativity. It's a wonderful time for us to share with others our belief in the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

As the last visitors come through the little town of Bethlehem all the shopkeepers close up shop and follow them along the path to find the babe lying in a manger.

We have the privilege of watching as the wise men present their gifts to the Babe.

I don't know how I managed to get such a beautiful photo with my cell phone. I count it as a gift from Heavenly Father this year.

Yet I know that the greatest gift is the baby lying in the manger, His life, His sacrifice, His love for us all.

Mountain Sunday * 20 December 2015

20 December 2015
South of the barn.

20 December 2015
East over the barn.

20 December 2015
North of the barn.

Mountain Sunday * 13 December 2015

South of the barn.
13 December 2015

East over the barn.
13 December 2015

North of the barn.
13 December 2015

New Cow Shelter

Welcome back!

Wow! That was a big wind storm we had last night! I hope everything is okay at your house and school. We didn't have any problems here because we have already prepared for winter.

This is the new cow shelter!
It faces south because during the winter the wind blows snow and cold from the north.
The door faces south so that wind and snow don't blow inside their shelter.
We're so excited that Echo has a nice place to have her baby in March.

*     *     *     *     *     *

Last week I promised to show you how we keep the water from freezing so the animals can drink it all winter.

We use electric water heaters and electric buckets for the water.

Do you see the round piece of metal at the bottom of the bucket?
That is a heater that keeps the water warm enough that it doesn't freeze.
The animals are a little sloppy and they've dropped hay into their water.

This bucket has an electrical chord that plugs in.
The bucket has a heater inside the bottom, you can't see it
because it's enclosed inside the plastic.

This is a special hose.
The hose has a heater in it!
It keeps the water from freezing inside the hose.
That's important because if there is ice in the hose we can't use it.
If we can't use the hose then we have to carry buckets of water to fill all the barrels.
That's a lot of work! We would have to carry 14 or more buckets of water every day
to fill up all the barrels. 

Water is important for healthy animals. If they have enough clean food and water they can stay warm and healthy during the winter, even when they live in a barn with no heaters.

There is also a heater in the water that the chickens drink, but the chickens don't mind eating snow if they aren't in the pen. The cows, sheep, and goats don't like to eat snow or peck at ice to get their water so we make sure they always have water, not ice, in their barrels and buckets.

Heating water takes a lot of electricity so this year we put solar panels on
the roof of the barn. That should help keep our costs down.
We have a great place for the solar panels.
Not everyone has as nice a place for the solar panels as we do!

*     *     *     *     *     *

Look how the chicks are growing! They are only a little
bit smaller than their mama hens.

*     *     *     *     *     *

Many of you have asked if we have horses. No, we don't have horses. The neighbors have horses, and I thought you would like some pictures of them.

Here is a photo of a horse that lives next door to us.

Here is a photo of the other horse that lives next door to us.

*     *     *     *     *     *

Last week someone asked your teacher for another video.
I hope this one is fun to watch. It's the cows eating their breakfast.
Who else is eating with the cows?

I know that you are going to have a fun party next week so you won't have Farm Friday at school. I'll post something anyway so if you want to see the farm while you are having Christmas Break you can show your parents.

I'll show you some of the other things I do when I'm not out working with the animals.

Have a wonderful Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate the next few weeks!

Mountain Sunday * 6 December 2015

South of the barn.
6 December 2015

East over the barn.
6 December 2015

North of the barn.
6 December 2015