New project

Even tho it's in the mid 80s outside I received a delivery today of some beautiful wood. My only heat source in the house is my woodstove so I try to get it all stacked inside before the cold weather hits. Larry and Patty O'Mara have been supplying me with wood for decades and this batch is wonderful, as usual.

It takes about 17 wheelbarrow loads to move the cord into my sunroom. I'll do it tomorrow morning after returning from the vet so it's cool enough to work on the project. I love my woodstove and figure that even tho it takes some labor to fill "the most expensive woodbox in the state", it's worth it.

Funding

As all of you know, Ironside Bird Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit facility. Our funding comes from various foundations who award grants to us so we can continue to help all wild birds. And from individuals who donate money to help defray costs.

Just to show you what it costs to run this place, I've totalled up the expenses for the past seven years. It comes as a shock to me too as this does not include any type of salary. I've never received one since I started IBR 29 years ago and I am a one person work force. I now have five volunteers to help if I'm out of town and with some construction. Otherwise it's just me.

2009: 16,368.01
2010: 13,638.98
2011: 14,645.26
2012: 30,912.00 This includes truck repairs and finally a new truck thanks to an anonymous donor for half the cost of it.
2013: 16,061.84
2014: 14,180.30
2015: 22,675.05 This jump is because I now have to pay for all veterinary care.

I couldn't do what I do without all the support from everyone. Thank you all.

Work day

Three really great friends came by today to help around the place. Nathan and Mike worked on putting up a fence around the yard to keep bunnies from entering. I'm very protective of my rabbits and don't want the dogs catching any of them. I had chicken wire up around the fence but between the dogs jumping on it to greet people and the weather, it began to sag enough the rabbits would just hop over it.

Now there's a sturdy welded wire fence around the lower half that will hopefully keep everyone apart. Of course if the snow gets to be a couple feet deep that may not work.

Julie helped me clean pens, put water in the pool in the eagle barn so I was able to stock it with a fish for JACKSON to "catch". Then we both cleaned up the bunny barn. I had already stacked the two cords of wood so they didn't have to help there.

This coming Spring both Julie and Nathan will be pruning my trees to help them along. I'm not knowledgeable enough to do that work but they are both good at it. Nathan has been after me to prune for a couple years, guess it's about time it was done.

Sara was going to come help on the crew but she got the flu and wasn't able to get here. She was in spirit tho. Thanks to the super people for volunteering for the hard stuff.

Winter is coming

And this year I'm ready. I just got the last two cords of wood stacked in my sunroom, the most expensive woodbox in the state. I now have almost four cords in there, that should last me until Spring.

You'll notice that this leaves me with just a narrow tunnel to walk through to the front door. It sure makes me glad I'm prepared.

Wish fulfilled

I just got something I've wanted for a long time, a farmer's sink. Or it's sometimes called an apron front sink. Thanks to John McGee and the guys from Kincheloe Plumbing, my wish came true.

The first one

As it was only 27 this morning when I got up I started the first fire of the season in my wood stove. Yesterday it was six inches of snow and today it's going to be almost 60 degrees by this afternoon. Living in Wyoming certainly ensures a variety of weather and a large wardrobe.

Flowers

I have very few flowers growing in the ground but right now two of my trees are just beautiful. The top one is a Canada Red Cherry I saved from being destroyed when a new building was under construction. It came from Katie Brown's place and is the only tree saved when the bank went in.

The lower tree is the apple tree just outside my front door. With the horrible start to Spring this year I doubted it would get any blossoms but as you can see, it came through. I never get any of the apples, the magpies or wind knocks them down and then the dogs eat what's left.

Still?????

Yes, there was a 90% chance of about one inch of snow last night, or possibly rain. Well, it was snow and it's still blowing around. There are drifts about a half a foot deep and it's stuck to everything. Not the latest snow on record, that would be in July one year way back when. I think I'll take advantage of this moisture and sprinkle some wildflower seeds on top of it over my small tree garden so they'll get a head start in germination. Of course a lot of my bushes and a couple trees are already putting out buds, don't know what will happen to them. I'll bet, tho, that the weeds will come up like gang busters when this melts.

Not a joke !

This isn't an April Fools Day joke, it's April 2nd and this is what I woke up to today. Yes, that's about six inches of snow! As you can see, it's still coming down so who knows how much we'll end up with. And here I thought, with our upper 50 degree temperatures over the weekend, that Spring really had sprung. NOT! Back to using 4WD to get in and out of my road. And what in the world will all the songbirds, trees and flowers think when they venture out this morning?????

Christmas again ????

Seems that way. Here are photos of a couple of my small evergreen trees taken this morning. Just when the 12+" of snow finally melted along came another bunch of the white stuff. It hasn't completely stopped but after over 6" it's slowed significantly. At least I finally got the chicken houses cleaned during the short spell between storms. Melting snow makes part of their yard a muddy mess. Now for the bunny barn clean up......that will have to wait for warmer temps as their droppings tend to freeze into the ground.

UPDATE: It's one day later and we're now up to about 12" of snow. It's still coming down but barely so maybe it'll stop soon. Just when the chicken yards were drying out so they could come stand in the sun...... This is supposed to last for quite a few days, ick, I am so ready for winter to be over.

We're covered

Yesterday, Monday, it was 53 degrees here in Cody, the sun was out most of the day and the sky was blue. That ended in the evening and this is what I woke up to this morning. The temperature at 6 o'clock, before sunrise, was 10 and we're only supposed to be in the mid teens. The wind blew so hard last night that there are drifts not quite to my knees. Amazingly the chickens water buckets weren't frozen, nor is a good deal of Beck Lake.

I also found out late yesterday afternoon that my new truck doesn't have a block heater. It started this morning when I headed out to mail Christmas packages so I stopped by the Ford garage to see what it would take to get one installed. It will take $200, they have to order the part and probably won't be installing it until next week. About the time our predicted -16 at night temperatures go back to above freezing. I believe I have a good battery, at least there hasn't been any hesitation in starting so far.

Beautiful view

Because of the wildfires near this area the sunsets are awesome. This is the view from my yard facing North. Aren't I just the luckiest person to live in such beauty?

Now?????

Yes, this was taken at 6:30pm today in Cody, WY. That's the 25th of May, 2012 and there's a bit of snow on the ground with an outside temperature of 35. Not the latest snow we've received, that happend on July 4th many years ago. And not the most at this time of the year but I do have a fire in my woodstove to take the chill off the house. The top photo was taken just two hours after the middle one.

And to think, just a week ago it was in the 80s. Ahhhhh, living in the beautiful Cody mountains.

Frost has hit again

This morning we had some fog so when the sun came out the hoar frost covered everything. This is my huge Siberian elm and it's a picture postcard for winter. I just had to post a photo of it. It's only nine degrees outside right now but the sun is out, the sky is blue and all's right with my world so far today.

Winter fairyland !

When I was driving up to my house after taking a bird to the vet I saw a beautiful sight. As the temperature is barely into the teens and we've been having a lot of fog, a hoar frost covered everything. Isn't it just a wonderful sight?

Diamonds all over

See them? I have a chicken pen full of diamonds! There are sparkles all over on this latest snowfall. I just love snow and when it comes down this beautiful it's better than ever.

I love trees

And today two more were planted here at my place. I went to Northern Gardens and found two beautiful maple trees on sale and decided I just had to have them. They are now planted outside two of the mews and will eventually provide needed shade in the summer. Of course it won't be for a few years but everyone/thing has to start someplace.

Happy campers

More than a year ago I transplanted some cloned aspen trees to a small section of my side yard. I was pleased that all but one made the transition to their new home so last spring I scattered some wildflower seeds around them. As the seeds had been living in my frig for years I wasn't sure if any would germinate but they did. Not a lot but enough to bring some color to the area.

Updated photo

OMG!, Jan and Lee Hermann came by today to buy some eggs and gave me a few photos he took while out flying his plane. It's outstanding! You can see all the new mews, the red additions to the blue buildings, plus the added chicken house attached to the left of the old one.

Unfortunately weather hasn't been a good friend in the past years so a lot of my original windbreak has died. And this year we had such a long wet Spring that the weeds took over. I had a great fellow, Mike, come over with his tractor and mower to get down the tall stuff near the house and drive but the fields are still waist high. My little lawnmower can only do so much but I keep at it.

Thanks to the Hermanns for taking these photos every so often so I can share with everyone the constantly changing face of IBR.

Yay, Summer !

After about a month of rain and cool temperatures Summer has apparently arrived. My apple tree is in full bloom, I've just cut my lawn for the second time in a week and the high today and tomorrow did and will hit in the 80s. I had to put some shade screens around my newly transplanted tomato plant, it was wilting in the heat!

Now I guess I'll have to start watering everything but that's okay, I love my yard and this year it's looking particularly great. Even all my little transplanted aspen trees are alive. One has no leaves yet but the branches are pliable so I assume it's just going to be a late bloomer.