Strangely enough I had less ice in the bunny water bowls today than yesterday. They must have managed to drink more before the dishes froze. I think it helps that I've been using warmer water too. Again, filled waters at the warmest point in the day in hopes of giving them some extra time to drink. Despite being cold enough that I brought the cats in for the night last night, the rabbits are doing just fine. They are so hardy, it really astounds me every winter that they just don't seem to mind the cold at all. They truly are a wonderful farm livestock animal.
It should be above freezing again Saturday and into next week. Still too early for winter sowing, but too late for gardening. The new seed catalogs aren't out yet, the seed stash has been re-checked and inventoried, the one holiday trade I'm participating in this year has already been mailed off. I've got seeds on my mind, but they're not currently in the budget. I am hoping to get some gift certificates to my favorite seed shops for Christmas.
The lake is surface frozen. It's still moving water underneath, but the bogs on the lake are now frozen in place. Fortunately only a couple are near our shoreline, and they both seem to merge into the existing cattails. We should have nice photos all winter. In a few more months when it's frozen solid and safe to walk on, it will be nice to walk to the west side of the lake (which we also own, but cannot access without a boat in the summer). I think a canoe might be a smart investment when we can afford it. Perhaps someone might want to barter for one. I'd trade a rabbit or two or three for a canoe that is ready to use (not in need of repairs) if anyone reading this is interested.
Speaking of barter and rabbits... I have too many rabbits, and our feed bill is starting to be really astronomical. We're still going through 20 pounds of rabbit food every day. I need to downsize (preferably this weekend). If anyone has been reading and thinking about buying, now is the time. Almost all of the for sale bunnies are half price or "make an offer." A bag of food costs me $13, so the fewer mouths I have to feed, the longer a bag will last me. If I can exchange a rabbit for the cost of food, I'm happy. It buys me two days of feed (we buy 40 pound bags).
We had budgeted for having unlimited hay all winter to help keep pellet costs down, but the hay turned out to be contaminated, so now we're also having to buy hay and straw, which is increasing costs, not saving on them.
Today I did a quick live stream on our Facebook page showing the three shelved bunnies. You can watch it here.