*sigh*

INSTALLING SPRING... ■■■■■■■■□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ 44% DONE.


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O The Weather Outside is Frightful

And not a bit delightful....

The rains and the cold have kept my outside seeds from sprouting.

So, this last weekend~Saturday~ the one bright and beautiful SUNNY day we have had in .. gosh, I swear it's been weeks.. I replanted the spinach, lettuces, carrots, and moved the baby kales back in place because the chickens can't stand to leave fresh dirt alone. Yes, the garden is fenced in, but there are a couple of persistent hens in the flock that refuse to be fenced in or out. The Araucana girls are fabulous foragers!

I think the chick tractor also will work as a baby kale tractor....

I need to invest in some of those cute little row hoops.. but since I have a redneck style all my own.. I just used some wood stakes to hold the plastic up and fabric stakes to hold it down temporarily.

I know the inevitable rain will squash it pretty quickly.. in fact, that is happening as I type. So, for long term protection especially after the baby plants have begun to sprout, that plastic will need to be off them. I just want some warmed up soil ~~durn it!

**edited to add: this is actually still holding up pretty well, it hasn't fallen down at all! The other two like this, that don't have a stake in the middle have squashed however..but this one continues to stand against the torrential downpour we have had! :)**

We PNW gardeners have to be creative... ;)

...and stay hopeful that Spring WILL get here EVENTUALLY!

at least if the flowers have a say about it anyway....

From the Washington Feather Fanciers Spring Show in Monroe

washing the sexy feet off... The joy of washing the free rangin' show chickies.. ;)

Total dejection.. how can you be proud and soaking wet at the same time...

a little better...

Ready to head out the door--for one day---this is crazy!!

Miss Sheryl..all cleaned up. Isn't she pretty? She is my little pig-pen hen. Always covered in dirt. I am not kidding, as soon as she got home from the show, she immediately rolled in the dirt.

Talon--much less dejected, and placing Reserve Variety! :)

All in all, it was a very fun time. I love visiting and catching up with my Chicken Friends, meeting new friends and enjoying some friendly razzing and competition from fellow fanciers. If you enjoy chickens at all, attending a show is very worthwhile! :D

Spring Rains bring....

MUCK!

But I know that those rains are also preparing the Earth for beautiful plants to grow.. to make my garden nice and healthy.

So I will stand by and bear it, even though I go stir crazy..and end up going outside in it anyway! Because, look at all the funny pictures I would have missed out on... ;)

Mud is fabulous for the complexion!

Here is a glimpse of why I love to come back home to the funny farm .... our little hideaway from the hectic life outside the yard.

So.. hope you can go out and find some joy in the mud puddles! Have a grand day.

Winter's done,

April's in the skies.

Earth, look up with laughter

in your eyes!

charles g.d. roberts

(1860-1943)

Sometimes the To-Do list is not my own

Sometimes.. someone else decides what must be done RIGHT NOW, no matter how much I would much rather be doing Other Things...

Last Sunday, a freakish gust of wind completely blew the Temporarily Permanent Goat Garage into the other side of the yard, making a huge ruckus and mess along it's merry way. Understand this thing has been in place for TWO years (hence, it's temporary permanence), completely staked into the ground and has survived MUCH worse wind gusts.. just sayin. I had other stuff I wanted to do.

**

Like settling the Strawberries down in their new home

Or putting in the Raspberries...

Or sharing with you pictures of baby tomatoes planted from seeds that my momma saved..

(I am really really excited that these came up!)

Or be amazed at how hugely fast the squash seeds have come up

But.. the goat girls were extremely happy to have their home 'fixed' up.. and no rain on their pretty white goatie fur. (goats melt in the rain you know)

Even though I would much rather have spent the time doing Other Things.

**Thankfully--no animals were harmed in the making of this blog post**

Signs of Spring!

Turning over beds. I love that my garden is small enough that I can do this by hand... If it were much bigger I don't think I would enjoy it as much! lol!

Little baby Maestro shelling peas--I have never grown shelling peas before and I am looking forward to having our own frozen peas.

How can you not smile at these little cuties? Waking up from their long Winter's nap.

The garlics are looking great. Planted these last fall.

parsnips left over from last summer. Was not sure what to do with them ever, and ended up just leaving them in the ground.. and viola--here they are again! ;)

Waking up blueberries

and baby spinaches.. mmmMMmmm I can't wait for fresh greens.

another left over surprise from last summer. Can't ever seem to get ALL the potatoes up, huh?

So.. I am trying something new with my potatoes this year--I am fencing them in! ;) My plan is to keep piling dirt on them .. or 'hilling' them. Last year, the chickens LOVED all the freshly hilled dirt and succeeded in uncovering most of the potatoes. I would just pick up the ones they exposed, but I would really like to try for higher yields....

and of course Spring means Amorousness... and lettuce in the bath water is very romantic.

To Help or Not To Help

That is the billion dollar question ain't it??

It is natural to me to WANT to help, especially when I see something struggling.... And there always seems to be someone in the hatcher who struggles.

Lately I have forced myself to just sit on my hands and WATCH ~ holding my breath and whispering encouragement to the little fuzz ball trying so hard to make it out of the shell. And you know what? Watching has been just as helpful as anything. ;) Nature is finely detail oriented, and if I let her take her own course, She does the job, without me, quite well.

What I have learned in my 'vast' hatchin' experience. (ok, not vast at all, I was just being dramatic) but the more I help, the more unhealthy the chick will be. There has always been a reason for that chick not to hatch on it's own.

So now.. the only time I will step in, is if I notice that white membrane is too dry for the chick to continue zipping.. I will carefully moisten it.

..and watch..