Skip to main content

Animal Tracks in the Snow ~ Freezing Temps Prep

 

Coyote maybe.


Dog vs. Coyote (photo from Google)


Cat on the left, and possible coyote on the right.



Cat.




Birds. 



                                          Raccoon again.


Although the snow is melting today (the thaw before the freeze), yesterday I was able to get some photos of more animal tracks in the snow.  I was most curious if my thoughts were correct, and that the coyote has made it's way to our property.  I have not seen it on our property yet, but I have seen a very fat raccoon.  To note about that, we have not seen a raccoon here in several years.  I'm guessing they are sensing that there is an extreme cold front coming, and the wild animals are all trying to fatten up.

There is a stray cat we have tried to feed, and have seen it many times since the day after Christmas.  The tracks lead all over the place.  I have a food shelter set up for it, but I do have to remember to bring the food bowl in at night.

Last night I forgot to bring the food bowl inside and low and behold, the big (and very fat) raccoon came up to he house to enjoy some of that cat food, ha ha!  A knock on the door did not even persuade that bugger to bug off. It was sort of funny if you ask me.  I remember when one of the kids used to name raccoons that kept stealing the cat food years ago.

Weekend preparations are being made for the upcoming surge of freezing temperatures.  

The list includes, making sure laundry is done, dishes are done, floors are swept and mopped, chargeable light bulbs charged, batteries charged, wood cut for the wood stove if needed, water in jugs (if needed to flush toilets, water the chickens or water for us - if the power goes out, the water pump to the well does not work), oil lamp oil in stock, and extra wicking, and so forth.  Oh, and extra straw in the coop for the chickens.   Bread and PB and J are always the back up meal plan for a power outage.  Out here we have to prepare for just about anything when the temperatures go to the extreme cold.

Animal Tracks in the Snow ~ Freezing Temps Prep © January 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Labels:

Comments

Betsy said…
Lots of tracks there at your place. It's -4F here this morning and supposed to be even colder the next two days. It sounds as if you're as prepared at possible for the cold blast.
Blessings,
Betsy
January 18, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Sandi said…
Are dog and coyote prints different?
January 18, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
It's 11 degrees here this morning, but we expect it to dip more as we head into the week. Thanks. We like to prepare for power outages during a very cold snap, as it has happened before. Also, more road accidents can cause downed power lines, when the road are icy.
January 19, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Sandi, that is a good question. I am guessing, that the coyote or even possibly fox (we have talked about that), is that their nails could be longer than a stray dog, but I am not sure on that. I can say, that I have seen a coyote in the area, but not a fox.
January 19, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Horsetail Salve ~ A "first" this Year

We purchased some horsetail salve to try last year.  It is said to help with severely dry, cracked skin.  My husband was the first to try it, with very, very dry and cracked hands from work. He loves it!  He joked I could not have it back.   I started the infused, horsetail oil the last part of March. Something I learned:   horsetail is also called shavegrass. I infused horsetail in oil, and strained it.  I then made horsetail salve.  I remembered to label my jar with what oil(s) I used, so I can journal this all in my "Herbal Remedies" journal.  I often forget to write the oil used. Now, the one we bought, has more in it than I put in ours, as far as ingredients (the purchased salve had lanolin, and aloe).  We'll see if ours works just as good.  I added the sage essential oil, and vitamin E oil. A "first" time experience for us this year.    I bought the larger tins at a seed store in an Amish area last year.  They a...
6 comments
Click here to read the entire story »

Chit Chat

  The pickings are slim right now, but we'll take anything we are blessed with.  I made a salad and cleaned the beans.  The rain will give us more for a meal in a day or so.  The green beans are every so slowly coming on this season. I made a batch of homemade granola, and instead of my homemade vanilla extract, I used my homemade Christmas Spice Extract.  It smelled so good in the oven, and while cooling.   I picked some purslane, and am doing an experiment with it this time.  Update soon.   Chit Chat ©  August 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
14 comments
Click here to read the entire story »

New Recipe Tried and other Bits

  I tried a new granola recipe and boy it's good.  First, it's a recipe from Mennonite Girls and Cook, and called "Backpack Snacks" online.  It calls for granola, so I used my homemade granola that we love.  Picture is the dry ingredients. Second, I pressed the final mixture into a 9 x 9, parchment lined baking dish instead of rolling it into balls.  The color of these photos are all different, because of the time of day, and how dark the house was from the thick Canadian smoke that was still outside at the time. These cut very nicely, and were very good, straight from the refrigerator.  It was hard to eat just one of them.  I will be making this again, and switching out the peanuts with walnuts, and switching out the raisins with dates.  Oh my!  The binder is honey and peanut butter. These are perfect for your hiking days, camping, your grandkids, or just for snacks when you want one. The rain arrived thank goodness, and washed the smoke in...
10 comments
Click here to read the entire story »