"There's no frame around your picture, just the view from my back door"

Love this CD! This song seems very Neil Young to me.

I had a chance to sleep in a bit this morning, and G did some of the morning chores. I almost wish I'd been up early with him.  He told me it was a beautiful sunrise, and the subliming snow formed a misty fog over the fields.  This little bit of land we have really is a chameleon.

 

Our first spring here:

 

 

I could have sworn I was in the tropics when I closed my eyes this morning--the grackles and blackbirds out there were so loud--part of their feeding frenzy while chattering and trying to posture for potential mates. 

 

I've got some sort of sinus thing going on that's slowing me down a bit, so I'm inside for a bit before going out to finish up morning chores, do Oakley treatments etc.  I'm deworming Fern, and the chook palace crew, so working out different withdrawal times for different drugs and putting them on the calendar, along with the dates we will have visitors this spring and summer! Can't wait!

 

The Shepherd's Harvest Festival is next month, so I'm hoping to sign up for a few classes. Spinning and high-end wool marketing are the ones I'm most interested in.  Also at some point I'd like to try felting, and making natural dyes.  Felting wood be a good skill to have, since sometimes a fleece may be better for felting than for spinning, and I will certainly not let a year's worth of fibre go to waste!

 

Our first yarn 'harvest'

 

Then HOPEFULLY MAYBE I'll get to go to a workshop in Elk River, MN to learn how to work horses in harness! It's a little pricey, but at the very least maybe I could go as an observer, which is half the price.

 

From Doc Hammill's website:

 

OMG

Daughter of Chaos is breathing better already after a few days of treatment.  She is one crazy feral bird!! Any time I go close to her she puffs up, puts her wings up in a big scary display and hisses.  It's kind of awesome...

 

There has been a red tailed hawk hanging around the last few days, usually around 5pm and a bit later.  I'll be making sure the ducks and chickens are back in their safe runs before that time from now on. Great horned owls are also out before dark.  I heard one last night when I was finishing up in the barn.  I could tell it was close by.  I went back to the house to make sure Pepper and Venga had put themselves to bed, but there was Venga, acting a little uncertain, hanging out under the spruce tree.  I scooped her up and as I was walking over to the coop the hawk I didn't know was there flew away across the neighbour's pasture.  I'm certain that Venga knew she was being watched....

 

 

That's reminds me! Venga and Pepper are now four years old!!

Venga only a few months old.

 

Venga, Pepper, and our first 'accidental' rooster, Nutmeg. April 2010, Saanich, Vancouver Island.
 

Well, time to get out there.  Glenn's working in the greenhouse, and the garden poly tunnels.  Some of the kale plants survived the winter so we should be able to start harvesting from them soon!

 

I really wanted to try growing peanuts this year, but I have a suspicion that I have some sort of sensitivity to peanuts.  So I think I'll focus on a medicinal herb/flower garden instead.  If our hazelnut plants would start to produce...oh my....that would make me happy.  Hazelnut butter on a fresh baked piece of bread, with homemade jam....

 

Our squashes and pumpkins lasted the winter, not for us, but for chook feed.  Since we accidentally let them freeze they were no good for us, but excellent for protein, vitamin A and the ever valuable enrichment for our flocks during the long winter here....We'll definitely be planting all sorts of veg to help supplement them, and keep them healthy and happy next winter. 

From one of our new egg clients:

Subject: These Eggs!

Oh my Glenn, these eggs!

I followed your advice, kept all 3 yokes rather than only whites. 

The color was a golden yellow I have not seen before in eggs (sad to say, I know!) 

AND they stirred into my veggie omelet like velvet …

Thank You and Dani for this new delight!

Please consider us *(omitted surname) Estate Eggs Exceptionale* customers for Life!