Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Apple blossoms and compost.

Finally we are warming up enough for things to bloom. I just love this time of year. New growth, new life...new beginnings. The apple trees are in bloom and looking wonderful! Just thinking of sweet apples makes my mouth water some.
I walked around looking at all of the new growth.... Grapes...
Thorn less blackberries....
Oh, and lets not forget the little chicks! So cute!
Before we know it planting season will be upon us...today I worked at mulching the garden. 2 truck loads and I am about 1/3 of the way there. I need to get all of the mulch in the gardens soon. Hoping this beautiful weather holds out! So, get out there, get some dirt under your nails....sun on your face....and the wind in your hair.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Finally a little dirt under the nails.

*sigh* Finally... I was able to get to the garden yesterday and get a little dirt under the nails. We cleaned up the spring garden, and planted 3 rows of potato's! I know, it doesn't seem like much, however it was exactly what my soul needed. It was so warm, I ended up in a tank top. Then we worked on the blackberries. Last year they had sent out runners and were taking off into the garden. So we dug them up and moved them back to their own area and secured them to their fence. I am looking forward to big juicy blackberries this year. While we was in the garden I noticed the call ducks had gotten out again. *sigh* little boogers! They had worked the mud along the bottom of their fence enough to get under it. So, we corralled them back to their pen, and secured the fence line... I hope. We retired to the front porch to rest from our few hours in the garden. We had become so complacent over the winter that 3 hours work in the garden was enough for one day. It sure did feel great tho smelling the fresh turned dirt. Well, until we spread the "stuff" on the potato's. Wowsa. I know it will be great for the garden but steamy rotting mulch of rabbit poo REALLY stinks! Talk about "stirring poop to get a smell" Glad this little garden is down wind of the house. While doing the evening barn chores while I was in the barn grabbing hay, I turned around to see one of the new girls had somehow made her way into the barn. So, I stopped what I was doing and grabbed her and moved her back to her pen. Getting back to work, my husband called my cell phone to tell me he watched the little goat take a running start and catapult OVER the 4 1/2 FT gate! The little stinker! Hoping she doesn't become an escape artist. After the evening chores were done, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner out. China Buffet here we come! We both love Chinese food. Full tummies, worn out from a good workout in the garden...we retired with a fire in the woodstove, coffee, and good TV. Today we are supposed to get rain and storms so I will be working in the house, cleaning and boxing up the things we no longer need/want and get it all ready for a HUGH sale I have planned this summer. It is time to unload the extra weight around here. So Spring has sprung....summer is walking up the dirt road towards us and I am excited to be close to the growing season again. Our winter rest is over...time to get back in the swing of things.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Spring has sprung....a leak!

Here we are into spring....ahhhh, the gentle rains...our sleepy world waking up and turning green. Yes....Spring has come. However, right now, it has returned with loads and loads of rain. 4 inches in 2 days. I am thinking I might need to build an Ark! I have a pretty good start on the critters I would need to fill it. My hands are itching to get started on planting. I have the seedling started inside, for the garden..... as soon as the water drains off and the night temps stay warm, I will be able to get them in the garden. Oh I can't wait to smell the fresh turned dirt. With Spring comes new life. Not in the way you might be thinking. Since we do rescue, we never know what "new life" will happen here. It started last week with 2 ducks. I was asked to take them in from a lady that had them in town, in her house. ( oh boy, people never stop making me shake my head in disgust)
They are in good health, however they didn't know what to do with the duck food, since they were raised on dog food. They are now in with my other ducks, after a few days of isolation, and learning how to be ducks. They are still not sure how to clean themselves. Then a few days ago, I get a call about a few goats. The woman tells me " They are not what we were wanting, they are too big" She told me she recently bought 2 Pygmy's and that these two girls are "giants" compared to them. She described them to me and I was able to tell her she had a La Mancha and a Nubian. So, she made arrangements to bring them to us....I worked on fencing off part of the pasture to keep them separate from my girls. The day comes...and so do the "giant" goats. I tried hard to not giggle when I saw them in the back of her truck. Her "giant" goats are in reality... mini's. So, when she saw my full size Alpines...needless to say she realized these two were not "giants" Here are the girls.
They are pretty little girls, yearlings. Friendly and SUPER vocal. Oh boy can they scream!! Every time I step outside, they see me and start in screaming. Not the little Baaah of a goat, but screaming like they are being eaten alive! I hope for my neighbors sake, they settle in quickly, since they are closer to her home than mine. So today... I will put on my rain gear...and try to make sure everyone out there is dry and fed...then I will hide inside most of the day away from the storms. They are calling for possible tornado's, severe lightening, and rain... lots and lots of rain. Flood warnings for rivers and creeks. At least it is not snow!!! Soon, the trees will leaf out, the grasses will grow, and my feed bill will shrink. THAT in itself is a reason to be happy for spring... and summer. Happy Soggy Thursday everyone! Be safe if you are in the line of storms.