A bit of a surprise

We northwestern Oregonians got a big surprise yesterday when it started to snow. Portland has only seen snow before Thanksgiving twice in the past 25 years, in 1985 and 2003. Big, wet, gloppy flakes started to fall a little past noon. Chester and Beau, my donkeys, quickly found a spot under the thickest trees to wait it out:

This would've been a great plan, except the snow didn't stop:

Because the ground temperature is still so warm, we didn't get a lot of accumulation, but it still looked very pretty this morning:

The air is so crisp and clean. It felt refreshing and festive on my morning walk to the barn:

On my way, I noticed nature's version of a raspberry slushy:

Chester and Beau were pleased that, despite the white stuff, breakfast was still on schedule:

Morning, Chet!

Kai llama, still covered with hay and straw from what was clearly a cozy night spent in her stall, came out for a curious peek:

Regardless of the weather, Chester made it very clear to me that he still wished to partake in his morning walk, so off we went:

I think he looks very handsome against a white backdrop, don't you?:

Beau anxiously awaited Chester's return:

When I was finished up at the barn, it was time to get the goats. Pete and Reggie, always up for an adventure, joined me on a walk around the property:

The raspberries, though cold, were still a tasty treat:

Kai met us at the fence line and politely asked to join us on our exploration:

So now there were four of us traipsing around in the slushy snow:

We popped in on the chickens to say good morning and feed them their breakfast:

Pete and Reggie didn't understand why they couldn't come into the chicken run with me:

On the way back, Pete and Reggie set a brisk pace. It had started to snow harder and, for goats, being wet totally takes the fun out of being adventurous:

"Are you coming, mom?":

"Can we go in now?":

Kai, Reggie and Pete were able to find a dry spot under a big Douglas Fir. Here is Kai being very accommodating by letting Reggie eat the hay that has been stuck to her fur all morning:

See? He got a pretty good mouthful off her belly:

Such a patient llama:

Ok, everybody, time to go in:

The snow is supposed to stop after tonight but a colder front is moving in that will supposedly drop our lows down to 13 degrees, which is very cold for us. I am incredibly thankful for warm and dry barns, coops and houses for everyone on Critter Farm!