Days around here are pretty hectic it seems. When I do sit down I'm just reminded of everything I still have to do, and what I've already put off from days previous. With the days lengthening and the sunrise coming just a bit earlier every day, Captain Jack has started to crow earlier as well, so this has been helping me get out of bed to start the day and try to organize my thoughts.
As always, weather first. Temperatures we above freezing for a few days, we had sun, birdsong, and we instantly felt like it was April and almost time to get plants in the ground. I got all of the bantams outside in tractors and everyone else was free ranging. Until the snow melted and all that was left in spots were giant ice sheets. It was really really treacherous. I cancelled Oakley's driving lesson on Friday because I could barely make it from the front door to my truck, the horses were afraid to move in the paddock despite the traction spikes on their shoes, and even my backyard hens were slipping and falling down! It was slightly comical. I finally put my ice cleats on my farm boots and have been much safer since.
This is the time of year when we start to resolve ourselves to the fact that we didn't get some projects done that we'd planned for the winter, and now we are out of time. Preparation for spring has to start now, and those other projects will just have to wait. Again.
Some other updates:
As of last week both hives were still alive.
Zane has been doing pretty well with the two hens I have in the house who are recovering from surgery. (Cornish had crop surgery and Aubi had exploratory surgery and has cancer)
G bought us some really amazing grow lights and built the shelving for them last weekend. Hopefully the neighbours won't see the glow from the basement and think we're growing pot. We still haven't put in our seed orders.
G bought me these books:
Some great inspiration in these! I had decided that I wasn't going to plan as much for the garden this year, but a few new plants won't hurt, right?
I've been making some great progress on some felting projects. This one is for Mom and Albert. It's my first wet felt project from scratch, and I've been needle felting some relief in there. Unfortunately I just broke my only needle so I will have to wait to finish it.
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| All the hens fall down for dust baths when it's hot. Last week is got up to 39 degrees C in the palace greenhouse (here). The hens were too hot and were taking shelter inside the coop. I had to put the fan on and took down all of the plastic on the people door to try and get some air flow. |
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| Feb. 23, right after a mini blizzard. Looking east, from the western boundary of the property. |
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Poor Shadow....Every day since I moved him from the palace to the backyard coop he makes the trek back out to the palace to see his former ladies. This day was -15C, and I didn't let the girls out. So by the time Shadow got out there, he was really cold, and decided to take shelter in the barn and just look sad.
Luckily he's pretty easy to catch so I brought him back to the warm coop before his feet and comb could freeze.
That's my number one job some days I think. Protect the creatures from themselves!
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| Little Solo, our only hatched chook from this year. She's laying now--tiny little brown eggs. |
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| Soapy and Button, Old English Game bantams. Soapy is about 8-9 inches tall. |
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| Late winter melt! |
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