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February was a month of snow and ice and unrelenting cold. The sky stayed overcast most of the time and for a while I despaired of ever seeing the sun again. Phil and I spent a lot of time huddled near the wood stove, particularly during the week we came down sick. We did our best to maintain our morning walks with Finn and Sputnik, but there were some days when it was just too icy. One day the ice rolled in just late enough for us to get our walk in first. By the time we got home the pine needles had gone from green to white and Sputnik's beard was full of frost. (And for some reason I LOVE this photo of him!)
Finn's eye whiskers also froze over.
Cupcake was proud of her snowy eye makeup!
The goats spent most of February destroying our stack of firewood. Every time we put it back up they tore it right down, the little monsters!
Hi Skeeter! She looks so much like her mom...
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Posts: 4,593
Threads: 333
Joined: Dec 2013
The ice settled back in after Phil's birthday and formed some amazing crystallizations on our porch!
I love how it came up through the cracks
Our bannister grew some very impressive whiskers.
The tin goats got a little extra decoration for their horns.
The real goats got no such adornment. "When is this weather going to end? And where is our breakfast??"
A few days later a fine mist rolled down from the mountain and coated everything it touched in a layer of solid ice. It looked like someone had driven a zamboni around our yard! It was so slick I could not walk from the hay barn to the goat pen. After slipping a few times on level ground, I went right back inside and dug out my snowshoes with the metal claws on the bottom. The goats stayed in their sheds. They could barely walk on the frozen surface. The horses fared better. They were heavy enough for their hooves to punch down through the ice and give them some traction.
I heard a lot of stories afterward from friends and neighbors who had tried driving out in that weather and ended up in ditches. Our mail lady had to crack open our subdivision's shared mailbox with a sledgehammer. Then she fell and slid underneath her car and couldn't get out. Her husband tried to rescue her and ended up falling three times. She was eventually able to pull herself out by grabbing the running board and climbing up the side of the vehicle. Thankfully everyone was unscathed. I stayed home and only ventured outside to feed animals and bring in firewood.
Near the end of the second day, snow began to fall and by evening Phil and I were able to go sledding down the hill behind our house. The hill is long and it looks steep, but it's not actually very good for sledding and we've rarely been able to get up much speed. This time was different! With the hill coated in solid ice with two inches of new snow on top we got some exhilarating rides! Next morning the temperature rose and the ice melted. No more good sledding, but it sure was fun for the one night it lasted!
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February ended on a high note with a 1980's theme party hosted by my veterinarian friend. It was only for the ladies so unfortunately Phil couldn't attend, but I have to say I was mighty proud of my costume! I went as David Bowie's Goblin King from the movie
Labyrinth. I think I'll recycle this one for the State Fair in September and dress a baby goat in a red and white striped onesie.
The original:
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Holy moly, thats a very good cosplay idea! Its one of those classic movies that will never age, like never ending story etc. You cant go wrong with that kind of idea. And you got it spot-on. I'm impressed.
I don't drink beer, but if I did, I'd prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends!
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Glad you like my costume! I'm rather proud of it myself. We've had the wig for ages (can't remember where we got it) and of course since I ride English the boots, breeches, and whip were no problem. I have a husband who collects marbles so I had my choice of spheres. The blouse and vest were the hard part. I had to look through a lot of stinky shirts at the thrift store before I found two that worked--one had the frilly collar, the other had the billowy sleeves, and I was able to sew them together. I looked at a lot of overpriced second hand leather vests, most of which were dogeared and none of which had the right fit with the low scoop in front and no collar. Finally I found this little fabric vest which was the perfect cut and was nice and cheap to boot! I love it when a costume comes together!
Of course, I go to the '80's party and I'm the only one dressed as any type of character. Everyone else just wore "what they wore in the '80's" which was jeans and t-shirts. I think one lady had holes in her jeans but they weren't acid washed. No one even wore leg warmers, frizzed hair, crazy eyeshadow, or side ponytails! And get this--only a couple of them had even SEEN Labyrinth so I think my costume was a little lost on that crowd. Nevermind. I had a really good time and felt a little smug about being the only one there who was truly in the spirit of the thing. It'll definitely turn heads at State Fair this fall!
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I'm doing it! This is the year I finally get to debut my Jareth costume for real! I got a red and white striped dog onesie for Maya to wear. I was going to make one but then I found one on Amazon for $20 and decided that was the better deal. I tried it on her yesterday and she was too cute for words! I'll have to wear something under the frilly blouse so I don't freeze to death, but I think I have a flesh toned silk shirt that might do the trick. I've been practicing my, "You remind me of the babe..." I just hope I can find a few '80's adults who know the right way to respond. I need to work on my "Magic Dance" moves. (That will be the tricky part – I'm a dreadful dancer!)
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