First Snow

[katharinad]

It's cheap to live here. It is high elevation so the weather is unpredictable. We can get frost snaps in the middle of summer, so you need a greenhouse for those crazy days. 50 degree temperature swings in one day are not unheard of up here. There is a small house in town for sale on a quarter acre lot for 40k. Quite affordable. 200k gets you a house with lots of land (around 20 acre) and a barn or shop on top of it. I love the open spaces out here.

 

[Broodica]

I can see the snow on the top of the mountains, but all we're getting down here in the Snoqualmie Valley is rain, rain, rain. Just yesterday we had 1.87" and it hasn't stopped! The ducks have discovered slugs, though and they are in heaven! Their house is staying cozy and dry....this was the first real test of bad weather and they're sheltered from the wind in the run. While I am still worrying about them (we just put them out a week ago when it was in the 60's and sunny), and I am running out every hour to make sure they are OK, they seem to not be bothered in the least by all this wet stuff. By bedtime for the last couple of nights, I think they've had it being wet, and they head right into their house as soon as I walk in the gate.

 

[katharinad]

We had lots of rain for the past two days. The snow is already gone, but was nice to see. It is now drying up. My ducks loved the rain and were mudding the past 2 days. They did not even want any greens when they came back for bed. We don't have slugs up here (its just to dry), but tons of very big night-crawlers etc. They ate so much of it that they looked like each one had a ball hanging under the shin. No surprise that they didn't care for any treats. I don't worry to much about weather, since they a feathered out. At night they are in the duck house where it is nice and warm, and a dry bed for each waiting.

 

[Olive Hill]

It's so pretty... when it's at someone else's house.

They're saying we're going to get early snow this year, too. And lots of it. 3 feet is not lots for us, though.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

WONDERFUL pics OP! You live in a really pretty place.

We got lots of rain north of you in Olympia. I need to do something like you did for my ducks food but fear they will hate the change.

Two weeks ago, I put two horse stall mats in their run in the muddy spots and they refused to walk on them for 2 whole weeks.

They would fly over them to avoid touching them.

 

[katharinad]

My ducks are just nosy. They avoid for half of a day, walking by plenty of times with a serious chat about it. Eventually they give up and check it out. Plus they were hungry for the crumbles in the afternoon. They scarfed it down in 5 minutes. I've build a wind catch inside of the duck house. Took them 30 minutes to use it. I still have to build another one outside to complete the obstacle course into the duck house. That will be fun.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

What is a wind catch?

 

[katharinad]

Many department stores have or had it. It is a set of 2 doors to prevent the wind from blowing in. You kind of walk into a tiny room until you hit the next door. My ducks will eventually have to walk a U shaped tunnel to get into the duck house. This will do the same thing and keep somewhat the heat in the duck house. It does definitely prevent the wind from blowing straight into the duck house. We get pretty good winds up here in the mountains.