Water For Wild Birds In Winter

 

Water For Wild Birds In Winter
Little Utah Farm
Photo by Deborah Moen


Feeding birds is also a form of prayer Pope Pius Xll

Yesterday it was 6:30 am and the outdoor thermometer reads 20 degrees. 

The little birds are hopping on the ice in the bird bath and some are sipping at the edges hoping to get a drink. 

The  night brought 4 " of snow. 

Water for wild birds in winter.
Deborahslittlegems.blogspot.com
Photo by Deborah Moen

I heat up a pan of water on the stove. While the water is heating I put on my shoes and a coat. When the water is warmed I take it outdoors. The birds see me coming and fly away. I pour the warm water over the ice and it begins to melt. I rather enjoy feeling the cold hard ice under the warm water. 

Water for wild birds in winter.
Photo by Deborah Moen
deborahslittlegems.blogspot.com

I can even slip my fingers under the edge and pull up the whole circle of. I have discovered if I break off a piece, I can use the rounded edge to scoop out the old water and debris. I fill it with the remainder of warm water and make my way back inside. 

The birds come back one by one lining up around the edges. It does my heart good to see them sipping and enjoying a nice drink of clean water. 

We give the birds water and they give us such pleasure watching them drink and take baths. We get lots of different birds. 

• house finches
• doves
• house sparrows
• golden finches
• robins
• northern flickers
• starlings

Soon the orioles and hummingbirds, western king birds, and sometimes a red winged blackbird will come by. In spring we get out the feeders and fill them with homemade sugar water. 

Little Utah Farm is a small oasis for wildlife. It is rewarding to provide fresh clean water for our wild birds in the winter. 

11 Birds on a Bird Bath

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Deborah Moen
of Little Utah Farm

Caring for wild birds feels like a prayer.

Is written inside our 11 Birds Sitting On A Bird Bath greeting Card.

You can customize this card to put your own text in. Card comes in different sizes and we recommend using Semi Gloss Paper.  

 

11 Birds On A Bird Bath Greeting Card
by LittleUtahFarm

Amanda Am Adorable Jersey Calf

 

Amanda is a Jersey calf in our Little Utah Farm Store on Zazzle.

Amanda Little Utah Farm Store. Amanda Jersey Calf is our neighbor. She strikes the cutest poses. 

We made some more goodies with her image on them. The product links are in each image description.

                                                    Amanda's Throw Blanket 

                                                                   Jersey Calf Tote Bag White 

Amanda's Throw Pillow 

                                                          Jersey Calf Tote Bag Brown

                                                            Amanda's Greeting Card  

Black Hawk Finds A Home On Little Utah Farm

Black Hawk minutes after we found him,
Alone in the alfalfa field only 4 weeks old. 

"Walker, Kollie !" my husband, Paul, called out to our dogs. "Get over here !" Those two dogs love the tall grass borders along the alfalfa fields and tend to get caught up exploring, sniffing, eating grass, and peeing on all the wild scents. They ran back to us as we made the turn towards our home.  At that moment I heard high pitched sound, like a hawk, which I thought was coming from the bushes along the fence. My husband even asked, "Is that a hawk?" Probably a hawk hunting we assumed and walked on home. 

The next morning we set out on our walk. Paul confided to me that the thought of the hawk kept him awake all night. He told me he wanted to check that area thoroughly in case the hawk was injured. We entered the field. The alfalfa had grown near 8" high and we picked up our feet to step over each clump. We stopped at the spot where we heard the hawk cry out. I leashed the dogs and stayed back while Paul went ahead and searched along the bushes. 

I thought I heard him say kittens and rushed over to see. A tiny black kitten emerged from the bushes wobbling straight for me. My heart pounded in my chest. There was a bed and a bowl of food and water hidden back against the fence that runs along a very busy country road. "What shall we do?" Paul asked. "I am taking him home with us." I answered.  I felt so sad someone would leave such a helpless creature in an alfalfa field exposed to the freezing nights and predators.  

"Mew ! Mew!" the little baby kitty cried and cried. Then it struck us...it was the kitten crying out yesterday, not a hawk. As we continued our walk we decided we'd name him, Black Hawk. I asked Paul for Kollie's pink bandana. He untied it from her neck and I wrapped it around the kitten to keep it warm. I held her close on my chest. 

When we got home we went and bought him some kitten formula and a bottle. More on that later.  

This is the video below of our dear little Black Hawk on his first day home.

 I realized the best thing had happened. We found Black Hawk and he had found a loving home on Little Utah Farm. 

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm.

Until next time,

We will be posting updates on Black Hawk's life with us. 

Deborah Moen
Little Utah Farm

Bunny-The Peace That Surpasses Understanding

Our Wayward Rabbit "Bunny" on Little Utah Farm

When a new face comes to Little Utah Farm, I and my husband have a special practice to instill peace among our animals . For example, when we bring home a few new hens, we place the hens in a large safe kennel and place it in the shade under the apple tree, and sit around it with the resident hens and ducks and the dogs. There is a lot of sniffing and gawking, and then everyone relaxes and begins to enjoy the space together. This practice has worked for us.

Bunny on the other hand has not had the benefit of the family get together in the safety of the kennel. He is getting to know the family in his natural way. One day I saw him in the backyard munching on sweet green grass blades and chomping down chicken scratch. I was concerned what would happen if the dogs rushed out of the back door into the yard. Would they chase him ?

Maven and May go to investigate what Bunny is eating.

Yesterday I let the dogs out and then noticed Bunny in the middle of the yard. Over the next few seconds my mind raced with worry and then I took a breath and regained my peace remembering that peace begins with me. I walked away from the door and allowed things "out there" to unfold.

The Peace that surpasses understanding.
Walker and Bunny are getting along very nicely.

I returned in a few minutes to empty the trash and I saw Bunny communing with the hens, ducks, and the dogs. It was a beautiful pastoral scene with wild birds and warm sun. The dry brown grass had begun to flourish like spring from the recent rains. All looked so peaceful and content.  I was filled with gratitude and a sense of relief. So explains my title for this post, "The Peace That Surpasses Understanding"

Thank you so much for visiting Little Utah Farm,
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Until next time,
I wish us all peace and contentment.

Deborah Moen of
Little Utah Farm 

Are you on Facebook ? We have a Facebook page called Little Utah Farm. Join us daily for more farm life pictures and videos.

And did you hear ? Little Utah Farm has a store on Zazzle. We put our photographs and art on coffee mugs, pillows, blankets, t-shirts, ornaments, greeting cards and more. Here is one of our Collections of Holiday Season Farm Animals. We have goats, llamas, hens, ducks on greeting cards, wrapping paper, ornaments, gifts, and more. We also have a Holiday Season Horse Collection, Vintage Tractors Collection.

Holiday Season Farm Animals
by Deborah Moen

Holiday Season Horses
by Deborah Moen

Vintage Tractors
by Deborah Moen

A Field Of Rainbow Sparkles

A field of Rainbow Sparkles. Notice behind the fence in the long
golden wheat stalks are covered with rainbow sparkles. 

It was a bit below freezing this morning. As I went out to feed the animals, I noticed the field of golden wheat out back was white with frost and sparkled like diamonds.

I took Venus, my hen, out of her indoor kennel set her down in the sun room with water, lot's of scratch and feed, a bit of meal worms, and oatmeal. I give her a head start on breakfast then let out the the rest of the hens and ducks.

I was drawn to the sparkles on the long golden wheat stalks and how the whole field was dotted with rainbow colored sparkles of frost.  The field was entirely lit up like the fairy realm was greeting me. I ran to get my camera to capture it.

See the rainbow sparkles? Looks like jewels.

The screen on my camera is dark and I was unable to see the sparkles but I focused in that area, kept my finger holding the focus while I shifted to the right then back again. Click* I once read that would pick up the sparkles better and I have had some luck with that.

I held my camera and pressed the shutter half way to hold the focus, shifted to the right then back again
 to pick up the sparkle. 

I stood there taking in the scenery so magical and so pretty ! I had seen rainbow drops hanging from the corral bars in the morning sun, and in patches of the pasture like glitter, but today, I was looking at a whole field of rainbow sparkly jewels.  As the world turns, moments like these are short lived. So I snap a photo, for a long lasting memento,  Photographs also provide me with testimony. Would you believe me if I told you I saw a field of rainbow sparkles ?

These look like tiny Christmas lights.

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm !
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Until next time,

Deborah Moen
of Little Utah Farm 

Little Utah Farm Store has a special Holiday Collection of Holiday Farm Animals with blankets, wrapping paper, cards, t-shirts, pillows and if you like the design you can transfer to other products.

Holiday Season Farm Animals
by Deborah Moen

We also have a beautiful Collection of Gnomes, Fairies, Angels, Unicorns and more for gift giving to yourself or your dear ones.

Christmas Gnomes Faeries & Angels
by Deborah Moen

The Zen Of Winter On Little Utah Farm

Winter on Little Utah Farm photo by Deborah Moen

WHOOSH!

 It was the second week of December. As the door opens a blast of vaporous swirls came licking into the kitchen. Paul, my husband, was leaving for work. the temperature was -20 degree temperatures. He hunched his shoulders ducking his head deeper into his jacket then reached back to close the door.

There was a moment of silence that followed. His truck lights hit the front windows then disappeared. I could hear the crunching of ice fade as he rounded the corner and drove towards the main road.

I remembered back when we were first dating. I used to watch his tail lights going down the road when he left. That memory always uplifts me.



My thoughts turned to baking cookies. It was baking day ! Paul and my grandson love my homemade chocolate chip cookies and the oven would keep the kitchen nice and warm. I began getting out the flour and the brown sugar, the 3 Pyrex measuring cups, the wooden spoons and mixing bowls. I turned on the oven.

Soon I would be going out into the freezing winter temps and onto the icy paths to feed the llamas and the hens. How they handle these conditions was not for me to know. I laid awake at nights before falling asleep feeling guilty for my nice warm bed. But I got to thinking, Nature has that figured out. For all I know they enjoy it rather than the heat of summer.


We have built the llamas a 3 sided shelter and provided heaters in the water trough and infrared heating lamps for the ducks and hens in the coop. The llama corral is filled with gravel and sand to keep it dry.

I made Arapaho's winter blanket.

In our first year here, Arapaho, our Suri coat llama, (shown above) shivered in the cold. His fiber was thinner than the others and hung down in loose twisted ropes or twine like Rasta braids. Shivering warms a body they tell me but I ended up making him a blanket anyway.

I also made Little Luna a coat for winter. 

The llamas have adjusted to the weather. Not a one of them shivers.. Even Luna Llena (pronouned yena) our surprise Harvest Moon baby ( 1 year and 5 months of age) does fine in the cold. Her first winter we made her a coat also.

In my day dreams I imagine an adjoining barn where I could peek through the kitchen window and see the llamas all lazing about inside earthing ( soaking up the goodness of the earth) on the dirt floor or munching in a big standing bin of premium hay. My hens are roosting on tops of the stalls or pecking though fresh straw for some scratch I laid the night before like the tooth fairy.


B-E-E-P ! The oven was preheated at 375 degrees. It was time to mix the brown and white sugar, crack the eggs and put in the vanilla. I love mushing that all that together. I take down the flour add some baking soda and salt. Mixing in those dry ingredients is not as easy and then comes the chocolate chips. The heavy wooden spoon does the job real good. I scrape it all into a container and snap down the lid for chilling in the fridge while I go out to feed the llamas and hens.


I put the mixing bowl into the sink and turn on the hot water to soak. I promised to only lick the zucchini bread batter and leave all the others alone, well, maybe sometimes I lick the brownie batter bowl also. It is fun for me and tastes so good.



On goes my shirt, my sweater, my coat, my shoes, my scarf  to cover my face. Thank goodness for gloves, the warm insulated kind. Once I am out the door and begin walking towards the shed, I am acclimated. I keep a swift gate and a happy face and smile at my loved ones who live outdoors. They really seem well and good in this cold. I feel satisfied watching them eat. Early in winter, after the first snows, I shovel a snowy labyrinth ( linking paths) in the pasture. I shovel and scrape open connecting feed stations and lay the hay in each one. It is still thrilling for me to open the gate and see them run through the white glistening snow along all the connecting paths and find their hay.

I figured out the best thing to say as I leave the freezing cold and go back into my warm home is... I live in the country, my dream has come true.



I realize, winter is a time to chill out, I mean, to slow down, relax, get more rest, organize recipes and photographs, bake cookies and breads, watch some funny movies, write more stories and letters, meditate and hibernate, like the roots of the grasses and trees.


 Winter may seem like a never ending cycle but really it is the perfect length of time. Winter is just long enough to miss and appreciate the green grass and the balmy breezes and the sounds of crickets in the night.


Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm ( 18,516 page views)

Deborah Moen
of Little Utah Farm

Read my story about my gloves : A Farmgirl's Gloves

Here is our Vintage Tractor Collection which comes on mugs, pillows, cards, magnets, throw blankets, and more.We have Farmall, John Deere, Allis Chalmers, Ferguson, Ford Vintage Tractors.

Vintage Tractor Collection from Little Utah Farm Store

Eggplant As Bread Sandwich

Cut 2 slices of eggplant 3/4" thick. Brush with oil and grill in skillet.

This sandwich I made with mozarella, fresh red pepper, and baby spinach. I slathered on some mayo and eggplant dip too. Next time I will put a bit of eggplant dip on the side instead. Get ready to lick your fingers after each bite. This is messy but oh so good !

Deborah Moen
Little Utah Farm

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Until next time, check out Little Utah Farm Store

Calf Moon and Stars Square Pillows
by LittleUtahFarm

1947 Case S Vintage Tractor Lumbar Pillow
by LittleUtahFarm

Right out of Little Utah Farm's Garden

Yellow and Red Pear Tomatoes Kitchen Towel
by LittleUtahFarm

Delicious Keto Hamburger Buns

Delicious keto burger buns recipe

Just made these and they are so good !

All you need is Mozarella cheese, cream cheese, eggs, almond flour, baking powder, salt, and optional sesame seeds and parsly. Use parchment paper or a silicone mat for baking. Oh and melted butter to brush on the top.

I got the original recipe here

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19712917/keto-burger-buns-recipe/

This went together really fast. While melting the cheeses I was leary. I wondered how mixture was going to turn into bread.

Turn ove on at 400 degrees F

Melt until gooey

• 2 c. 

  shredded mozzarella

• 4 oz. 

  cream cheese

• Add in and combine
• 3 

  large eggs

• 3 c. 

  almond flour

• 2 tsp. 

  baking powder

• 1 tsp. 

  kosher salt

• Knead the dough a few times
• Then divide into 6 
• Place on parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• Brush tops with
• 4 Tbsp. 

  butter, melted

• Bake for 10-12 minutes

• Add 2 minutes for a golden brown finish.

• Optional

• Sprinkle on 

• Sesame seeds 

• Dried parsley

Keto burger bun recipe dough is 

Once the eggs and almond flour was added I scooped up 6 handfuls and plopped them down on the pan. The butter is for brushing on the top before baking

Bake 10-12 minutes adding 2 minutes for a golden brown finish. Your times will vary.

Here is what I got.

Baked to a golden brown.
Keto Burger Buns.

These buns smelled like cheese bread

and tasted like cheese bread. The texture was perfect. They held together under the big strong hands of my husband. He really loved his hamburger.

These buns were light and fluffy
yet sturdyenough to hold together.

Original Recipe link here:

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19712917/keto-burger-buns-recipe/

Deborah Moen
Little Utah Farm

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Check out Little Utah Farm Store on Zazzle

I'm Too Sexy For My Tractor-Men T-Shirt

 Are you too sexy for your shirt? Easy to customize. Put your own image and text on this T Shirt. More styles available

I'm Too Sexy For My Tractor-Men T-Shirt
by LittleUtahFarm

A Farm Girl's Gloves

My box of gloves. 

A farm girl's gloves are her best friend throughout the year.


There is a glove for every chore and activity. I didn't realize how much I use gloves until I misplaced the box clearly marked "GLOVES" with a permanent ink pen. I have been making do by borrowing from my husband and buying new pairs now and then. This morning while cleaning the hallway closet, I found the box on a shelf at knee height. What a joy to be reunited with my box of gloves !

Meet my gloves :

My Cold Winter Gloves

I own a rugged pair of gloves built for a cowhand with rough leather lined with softness to protect your fingers and hands in the freezing cold. When I look down at my hands on a corral gate I feel like a rancher or cowgirl from the old west. These were my first winter gloves in Utah. They are great for wiping away snow from the backs of llamas and hay stacks. Unlocking gates and dialing a phone can be near impossible so I take a glove off to unlock the latches and put the glove back on.

Thse gloves are good for watering
 or any wet chores.

These warm sweater knit type gloves with the rubberized palms and finger tips keep your fingertips dry and they are great when watering your herd and flock. There is nothing that is good about getting your gloved fingers wet on a cold, single digit morning.

Use gloves with Thinsulate reflects the
 heat right back
 into your hands and fingers.

Thinsulate is best for keeping your hands from freezing. It reflects the heat back into your fingers. Once my hands were painfilled with bitter cold, not even the barn heater gave me comfort. My fingers were numb. But put a pair of working gloves with thinsulate and the hands warm up very quickly. I do have a a slight size issue with these as the fingertips are an 1" longer than my own.

Driving and Parade Gloves

I have a sort of fancy work glove that is a creamy sort of leather for driving the tractor and the four-wheel buggy, we call it. They have a bit of smudged dirt on the underparts from running my hands on the wheel. I do have a clean pair that are good gloves for the parades.

One of my favorite pair of gloves
with the purple trim.

My mid-weight gloves are flexible and serve to warm my hands when weather first turns cold. These also make good weeding gloves. I have 4 of these. Some with splits on the inside of my fingers from grasping tumbleweed or mallow stems and worn spots on the finger tips from pulling the earth this way and that to plant. Here are two of the pairs below.

Hail to the all-purpose glove for gardening, weeding,
feeding, and most any chore.

This mid to lightweight glove also serves as protection from the sharp dry alfalfa stems, baling string, and the equipment when we take the bales off the trailer and onto it's place on the pallets. These are good for feeding hay to the llamas.



I do love my gloves. When I do not wear them my hands are rough as unpolished wood and I cannot feel any soft or silken surfaces without feeling my skin pick at the fabric like a hundred cactus needles.  

I am so glad I found my box of gloves. All is well in my world.

Deborah Moen
Little Utah Farm

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm,
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Until next time,

“Finn fell asleep draped in Kittens and dreamed that the corn walked the earth on skinny white roots, liked to joke with the crows, and wasn't afraid of anything.” 
― Laura Ruby, Bone Gap

Vinatge Child Feeding Hen and Chicks Kitchen Towel
by LittleUtahFarm