Hints of spring

While we've been busy perusing seed catalogs, watching the auction bills, attending grazing conferences, and doing a bit of home remodeling spring has gently blown in with a spate of sunny and warm days. Witness! the first pussy willow bouquet!

This may not look like much to you, but it is looking to us like rhubarb mousse in weeks to come. Those small curls of rosy red and pale green are the rhubarb just beginning to unfold from beneath its bed of composted manure. This sighting was made on Sunday, March 14th. Garlic and asparagus have not yet shown themselves. The next morning, the 15th, a small flock of Canada geese flew over our farm. As is usual, they were heard first, then sighted. They must be the scouts for larger flocks to come.

Here's the spring view of the cattle yard. It's muddy to say the least, but here the Galloways must stay until the pasture is ready for them. To put them out now would do tremendous damage to our carefully managed pastures until the frost is out and the grass has reached a height of 6 or more inches. You can see what just moving the tractor and hay wagon over the grass does in the foreground.

Of course, like everyone else, we look for reasons to be out in the sunshine...even raking. The snow melt revealed wood chips from loading fire wood into the basement wood room all fall and winter as well as ALOT of gravel from the drive that was pushed into the lawn along with the snow by the snowplow.

Time to move the cold frame into place on the south side of the house. Here seedlings will be nursed along until it is safe to transplant them into the garden. This one was made from scrap wood and recycled windows. So far what's up are onions and leeks.

And, last but not least, we did not wish to waste a breezy and sunny day by not putting a load or two of clothes on the lines. The solar clothes dryer: dry, great smelling clothes for free!!