Sunset Before the Snow

There is a hush over Jordan's Croft.

The wind has died, the sun has set and all the animals are in the barn. There is only the faintest glow of red in the west. With the sunset comes the cold - a biting cold with a snap to it. There's more cold coming - the coldest in 30 years they say.

The barn is full of hay, the bins are full of grain. The stalls were fluffed by the chickens, who nipped up every scrap of grain. The short wall of Chicken World is finished. The difference in temperature is notable. The perches quickly fill up with fluffy red-gold hens and the gorgeous roosters.

Even the geese are inside, squatting in straw and pine shavings next to the ducks.

The barn is peaceful - hay-scented and sheltered from the wind, darkening with the sky. The roosters make soft tea-kettle noises as they relax.

The wind will, of course, pick up during the night. The snow is coming, today or tomorrow - but inside the barn - all is ready.