Coldest Day of the Year

I don't know if it really is the coldest day of the year but it was -17 this morning and that is pretty dang cold for here. For the second time in the 13 years I have lived here, you can skate on Kal Lake and that is exactly what we did yesterday morning with some friends of ours.

But this morning, I opened the 'incubator' to check the humidity levels as were were hoping for hatching sometime tonight and tomorrow morning. Instead, right there by the edge of the pan, was this wee little spark of life. I can't help it. Birth amazes me. And to think this came from an egg we could have just as easily eaten for breakfast or baked into a cake or made into mayo. But instead here it is. And we were delighted to realize that this is one of the 4 eggs that were 'fertilized' by Edgar the rooster we hatched and raised who is looking after Mary Sue's hens right now. She has 2 Ameraucana hens so here we have another Ameraucana chick. Really hoping that it is a hen. I want some blue eggs!

I am holding her (I'm hopeful!) here in front of the bitterly cold landscape. All of nature sleeps but here it is starting to wake up!




And then there were 2. And this one is from Lacy. We are excited and it is sweet to hear the dulcet sound of their wee peeps again on the kitchen counter.

Some warm excitement for a cold, cold day!