Do You See What I See

I see some signs of spring.

It is coming. Slowly here, with lots of rain, but we're seeing all the signs. 

The Lenten Rose in full bloom-

Some warm days for trying out your climbing skills.  

Wait for Pappy please sweet boy.

I imagine he feels pretty powerful up there, finally being the tallest guy around.

Ahhh, and the new arrivals-

Prince William, better known as Billy Goat.

You might remember that the family of one of my students is currently raising Strider.  We're on Spring Break this week and they had a weekend camping trip planned.  Unplanned was the very early arrival of triplet goats.  Two of them were too tiny and didn't make it.  This little fella seems to be managing, but requires very frequent feedings and vigilant care.  Handy Man and I get be the camping caregivers.

He is the tiniest, sweetest little thing.


Seeds came this week. Lettuce goes in the herb box.
Spring is rolling in.

Just Anticipating Over Here

If you recall the children gave Handy Man and I a bee kit for Christmas. Whilst I entertained the idea of bees, along with goats and my cow, I didn't know if it would happen.  Handy Man's been busy as a bee making me two hives.  I think most people buy them, but I have a very handy Man you see.

Doesn't it look magnificent?  All ready for some little fuzzy buzzers.  Most beekeepers have this type of Langstroth hive, but I've read a lot about  a different way to do it, allowing the bees to build from a top bar instead of an inserted frame like the one above.  Naturally, I felt the need to have one of those as well

This is a side view before he painted it.  He made me a window so I can see inside without taking off the lid.

 Bars go across the top and the bees build on the bars.

 We've been to a our first meeting and ordered our bees.  It's kind of risky business.  I'm reading in blogs and hearing from bee keepers about many, many lost hives this winter.  Even though I ordered two boxes of bees, I am going to try to attract a feral hive.  If I'm successful, Handy Man will have to build another hive.  Bees are just fascinating, so we're giving it our best shot. I'll be praying over these bees just like the chicks and eggs.
So, in the coming weeks we will be getting Bantam eggs, boxes of bees and a new puppy.  Oh my!

Dancing Fast As I Can

I've always loved to dance. I'm not great at it, but it is certainly a spirit lifter. 

 Equally, I love when my littles break out in dance.  Throughout the winter we've enjoyed the cd Can You Canoe?  It is a fun, knee slapping collection of tunes to get you dreaming about warmer days.

Thursday, we made Kool-aid playdough.  It is bright and warm and smells wonderful. However, wee folk can only sit for so long when some good music comes on.

I was really surprised at all their moves. Sadly,  I missed Bean break dancing.

Oh, to have that energy pumping at that time of the evening.

Oh, Chickens

Just yesterday I realized I had not written much about my chickens, hence the story of the woodpile and the pictures.  I decided to save a couple of pictures for another post.

I just don't ever get tired of finding this treasure in the coop.

Below is the Ameracauna that lays those beautiful blue eggs.  Hardly any of our eggs are the same color and I just love to look at them.

When Arwen died, I was not only upset at having lost my dog, but also concerned that my girls were no longer safe.  We've been blessed to make it till March without incident.  Sadly, last week when Handy Man went to tuck them in he was surprised by a opossum in the coop.  Today, some neighbors a street down dogs got in the yard. Believe it or not, the only time that has ever happened.  I am standing at the sink and see strangers running through my yard.  I knew there was only one plausible reason that would be happening.  You have  never seen chub move so fast. The chickens were gone, but I knew which chickens they grabbed by the feathers I found. The handsome rooster in yesterday's post tail feathers were all over the chicken yard.  The three who had lost the feathers were no where to be found. Meanwhile, these people are waltzing around telling me, "There's a rooster."  Yes, there is a rooster, but is not THE rooster. I think they were a little incredulous that I knew which rooster and girls were missing.  Then he says, "How many chickens do you have?" and I said, "Twenty seven."  Next a swear word comes flying.  The lady ( I've never laid eyes on these people before) was apologetic and concerned. He, on the other hand, was working on my last nerve.  I have seven acres, what does it matter to you how many chickens I have? You can keep pointing chickens out to me, but it isn't the chicken whose butt got bit by your dogs.  Ugghhhhhhh.  She said, "Well, we just live up there."  "Call us if we need to do something."  Likely the same thing I would have said in the same circumstance, however, it did nothing to make me feel better.  It's stupid I know, but I wanted to say. "Oh, do you have some  rare chickens you've hatched from eggs, worried and fretted over, babied and took care of somewhere to replace them?" " Are they gentle, do they winter well, forage well, lay all different colored eggs?"

  Please take your dogs and get out of my yard.

All of them came wondering home.  No lame ducks, no blood. You can't tell though if they have  some internal damage.  Our new pooch won't be coming for a few more weeks.  Well, I guess I have to consider we've had no problems for three years.  My first batch of chickens are still laying and I will get a dog soon. Hope he has some chickens to guard when he gets here.

A Warm Up

At the first hint of a warm day, with nothing more pressing to do, I have delusions of the all the grand things I will accomplish outside.  

This morning I started by cleaning out the herb bed.  I ordered seeds this week, so now the bed is ready.  However that warm up hadn't quite arrived when I went out this morning.  After twenty minutes my fingers and toes were frozen,  so I figured I'd best move to something a little more physical, or I was going to be moving my chubby self somewhere warm, like the couch maybe, with another cup of coffee, a good book- snap out of it!

Here is  the wood pile.  This is a pile of all the trees that fall around the place throughout the year.  Handy Man uses it for the wood stove in the wood shop.

Every spring and every fall I move it, yes I do.  Why?  Well, it will warm you up fairly quickly that's for sure, but not the real reason.   I have no desire to provide a cozy home for mice, snakes, skunks or opossums.  In addition, it turns the wood, so it dries a bit better for the fire. 

 There is a still another real positive to this activity. 

I see a pile of dead debris and leaves.  My girls see that someone finally turned on the neon "Now Serving Breakfast" sign over  removed wood pile.  

They are deliriously happy snatching up protein left and right.

At the end of summer we found a sitting hen.   A bit unusual in late August.  Before whatever she was sitting on was done, she was booted off the nest by mama hen number two- weird.  Well, mama two hatched one little chicken.  Yellow Chick Awesome clearly believed those girls inferior and tossed them off the nest and took over mothering the new baby.  The baby grew, and showing no signs of rooster behavior, we were happy to have another hen.

A few weeks, I was turning over brown gold in the coop and noticed something. A new rooster.  Umm, where would we get a new rooster?  Strangely, the hen matured much later than I am accustomed to and is in fact one gorgeous rooster.  Those auburn feathers on his back make me wish I could paint and capture that color somehow.

Isn't he fine?

If you live around these parts, I'd like to tell you about our visit to a restaurant in Corydon.  The Green Door is fine dining in downtown Corydon.  It is only open on Friday and Saturday and has, oh maybe twelve items on the menu.  A sweet friend treated Handy Man and I to dinner there.  Between us we tried  about 8 different dishes, all amazing.  I hope they make it.  Isn't it a thrill to be treated to a delicious dinner and good company?  I love it.

At the Starlight Shire

So we went back to visit our boy Strider again. God love this family who smiled as we all traipsed around in the cold and wet and mud and puppies and goats and alpacas.  The kids were thrilled.

"Mama, look in here at these guys."

Oh my, that must be the big Papa.

 Look at  the baby goat.

                                             

What could be more fun on a cold winter's day than a shed full of warm puppies.

What Has it Gots in Its Pocketses?

In the last couple of weeks, I've dressed the kiddos as favored storybook characters.  Bean wanted to be Bilbo-be still my heart.  How I love that he is loving the story and characters. 

 For the first dress-up Bugg wanted to  be Fancy Nancy.

 Then she had a change of heart and preferred being the princess of The Princess and the Pop Star.

Bean looked ever so much more hobbitish before his haircut, but I was glad to have time to put together the little vest with wooden buttons and a pocket for the coveted ring.

As I was herding them out the door this morning, I experienced a bit of melancholy.  They are growing at warp speed. We have done so much reading, playing and crafting during this year .  I don't know how much longer things I do with them will be what they enjoy. Bean will be nine this summer.  We certainly have made many great memories.