Eggs!

It is still cold here, Puxawhatis Phil aside.   This morning, it was frozen.  The poor spring plants, crocus and daffodils were frozen. Again.  Mom said it looked like it had snowed.  The deputies were telling me about a few crash areas that occur, because the road never sees sunlight, and is icy. 

But...

Oh, yes.  There is the fine evidence that the season is getting started.  I have now surpassed my first dozen eggs from the girls.  It is now that I have to be a bit more careful what I feed them, so the flavor doesn't get imparted to the eggs.  (Read: bananas are OUT.)  They are getting out and wandering now, at least when it's warmer during the late part of the day.  I wasn't pleased to see they had dug up a bunch of my daffodil bulbs I had planted, but that is a hazard of chickens... Sigh.

But they are starting off slowly.  I am hoping to get a few more chicks this year, because I am now getting a few folks wanting to buy eggs from me, and so I will need to have a few more hens.  Some of the girls are getting... older, and aren't as productive as they were.  Aren't we all... Cough.

It's fun to watch them go out and wander around the pasture.  One will pull up some lawn, and gobble it down.  Another will walk, then spot a bug, and the chase is on.  Which, quite often, will lead to a couple more chasing the first, to see what she's chasing!  And Marshmallow, he's become quite a handsome rooster.  He insists on crowing at about 5AM, but I think he's far enough away from the neighbors that I won't get anyone upset.  He doesn't seem to crow all that loudly, but then, it doesn't bother me...  I might have another rooster.  Pepper's getting large and lanky, with turned down tail feathers.  Salt, however, is looking like a tiny, plump version of the other hens.  With moxy agogo.   I have to be careful, she is as bold as brass tacks on black silk.  She wants food, she will just up and fly to my arm, or if that isn't handy, hang onto my jacket, and peep loudly at me while flapping wildly and hanging on.  (I say peeping, because she still isn't clucking... Yet.)  I forgot to mark down how old she is, but with the way she's filled out, I wouldn't be surprised that we'd have eggs from her this season...

So, spring, while still in the thinking about it stage, is most definitely making an entrance!

C is for Cows.

This is the time when the neighbor moves his cows to the field in front of our place. 

I love it, it is a sure sign of spring here for me.  The cows, especially with new calves, are a neat thing to watch, from "Breakfast at the Udder Cafe'" to seeing how fast a calf can run.  They graze near the fences, and that attracts our llamas, who finally have figured out they don't have to stand there giving out an alarm call for several hours... Continually... 

The neighbor is finishing off the silage, so my sinuses are waaaay too cleaned out, at the moment... We just hope the next few days the wind is the OTHER direction!

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C is also for Chick?  I can't take credit for this idea, but I did want to share.  This was the centerpiece of my egg tray at Easter.  It's a trifle smudged in the photo, but it was sitting up and surrounded by deviled eggs, and being oohed and aahed on by the attendees.  The actual directions called for olives for the eyes, but I wasn't about to open a can of olives for just the 2 little bits I'd need, so I used capers, instead.  Seemed to work fine, if a bit lighter than a normal baby chick's eye...

And now, may we have a moment of silence for the passing of... My favorite pair of jeans.  I have worked, and nursed, this pair, to the point they were rather thin.  Thinner than I thought, in fact, for as I was vacuuming, I felt a rip in the back.  And by the time I was finished vacuuming, so were my jeans, pretty much.  And, of course, that's when one of Husband's friends came over.  I prided myself on NOT turning my back on him the entire time I was talking to him!  

I have had this pair about 6 years, and the darn manufacturer doesn't make them anymore, that I can find, so this is goodbye. Sniffle...  Husband says I need to make them into short shorts.  I told him HE can wear them, if I do that.  But, they won't go to waste.  I am planning on taking the better part (near the knee areas), and making a shopping bag out of them, along with some other jeans.  

But darn it, they were just getting broken in!  Now they are just broken!!

Garden Fever...

The weather has been terrific here, for the most part. (Sorry East Coasters...)  This is the time of year I get more than a little itchy to go plant and grow things.

I wander through the veggie and flower catalogs, aka "veggie p-rn" at our house.  I am dreaming about my garden, considering what to grow, (which is always in the category of, "Why not?", leading to "Where am I going to PUT this?" later in the season...) 

I have thoughts about making things (the barn quilt block I have been thinking about for some time, and the Tardis garden shed), and things I would like to add to the garden, (a Doctor Who scarecrow, and drip irrigation), and so I have lots of day dreaming that occurs this time of year.

I will have some real things to do, I have to paint the raised bed boxes, to preserve them a bit longer, and check what seeds I have, and need.  Just off the top of my head, I am out of a particular watermelon that I grow for Mom, I can't save seed on that one.  So, will have to buy that.  A seed swap is coming up soon, I will get more goodies to grow. (see above "Why not?" statement...)

Bless him, I told Husband that I was going to try square foot gardening, and that I should probably figure out what I had for space.  He responds, "You have 10 4x8 tanks, so 320 sq. feet to work with."
He did this in his head, while I was still working out, for sure, that one tank was 32 sq. feet...

I said I day dream.  I never said I did math quickly...

Sproing!

Spring is tentatively saying hello.  We didn't have any frost last night.  In fact it's supposed to be mid 80's by Sunday.  So I watered everything today, and took a few pictures.   

Dianthus.  I wanted to use this for my background,

but the file is too large.  So enjoy here, I guess...

Peas.  I need to get these out somewhere soon. 

I half expect to come out and have it invade...

Peas everywhere!

A something that I received from a friend.

She didn't know what it was either.

It likes sun, and has red blossoms when it blooms.

I doubled the blooms on my lilac this year.

The shade tells you why it's not screaming along...

A small sample of my tomatoes...

Not counting the ones from seed.

Peppers, Zukes, and a Crookneck.  

We have new seasonal renters again...

Man, they attack each other, dive bomb, 

and generally make a big old racket.

Then the babies show up, and flying seems to be 

daylight to dusk...