Springs Meanderings

Spring is not the best of seasons.

Cold and flu are two good reasons;

wind and rain and other sorrow,

warm today and cold tomorrow.

~Author Unknown

The past month has seen windy….to the point that I was starting to hate my wind chimes!  I have several and they had been going non-stop during the day.  I was surprised they didn’t blow away, like the trash cans or the tarp covering the wood pile.

It has seen rain… to the point that my garden has yet to be tilled.  At first I didn’t till because it was sooo dry and windy I was afraid my topsoil would end up in a neighboring state.  Then it rained.  Before the ground got dry enough to till, it rained again.  And this morning we woke to 34 degrees.

In March when we had such unseasonably warm temperatures I thought Spring would rush in with wild abandonment.  But we had some frost and freeze in April and Spring decided to slowly meandered in as if it was testing the waters.  The apple and quince normally bloom all at once but this year the blooms came in dribs and drabs.  And when plants like the lilac blossom the blooms are here for only a day or two, hardly enough time to enjoy them.

Even the trees are slow to leaf out.  On April 26 the woods near the kitchen door looked like this, with only a thorn apple really showing leaves.

Today we have greened up some but the hickory and black walnuts are still just buds.

It has greened up enough that can no longer watch the animals walk down from the ridge.  You have to wait to they are just on the edge.  Mr. Gobbler is sticking close to the house so a hunter doesn't make a dinner out of him.

The buck is coming down to eat enough to make a large rack so he will look good for the does.

He is a regular along with about 5 does.  Some of them look like they have fawned already.  All of them still have some winter fun to shed.  So long as they stay out of my garden I love having them around.

But regardless of the weather, it has been a busy couple of weeks with Easter, Baby O’s first birthday on the 5^th  and #1 son’s on the 7^th.  Add to that #2 son’s track meets, #2 daughters babysitting, the man taking a trip to Richmond for the Nascar race, sheep shearing, tending all the seedlings and repotting them, canning, fence repair, trying to reclaim old pasture, #2 son getting his permit, work and school and we are ready for a vacation. 


 Another item of distraction was a gift from an old friend...a Case tractor.  We had to go get it and the man has been working on it, something with the generator.  I am so excited.  I had most of the farm implements except a sickle bar mower and now I have the tractor to put them to use.

 So it will be a while before we are able to sit back.  Yesterday my 10 chicks, 2 ducks, 2 geese and 2 turkeys arrived. Tonight we have ten 2 month old poults to go pick up that somebody didn’t want, tomorrow we have to go pick up our piglets, Sunday is Mother’s Day and Thursday is the man’s birthday.

I usually have my garden started by now and I was getting nervous that I would end up with nothing but remembered my mom saying that the old timers said not to plant until after Memorial Day.  If the weather behaves I should be able to meet that date.  Now to go transplant tomatoes in bigger pots.