For the past two days, the chickens, kids and I have roamed the homestead during the day. The weather has been, if not warm, mild enough to start getting warmed up for Spring.
Boots and Echo, excited to finally have playmates, have been coming out to run, jump, pounce and spazz out. Boots, feeling brave, even tried saying ‘hi’ to the hens.
Then had second thoughts once up close.
Even Charlie is getting caught up in this Spring Fever. I’m pretty sure the girls think he’s a chicken.
While the boys and girls played, I walked around the house and was a little surprised to see that the strawberries have already started growing. The frigid weather was not that long ago.
I at first thought this was last year’s growth.
It’s not.
It’s new growth…and it’s rampant.
Under the crunchy leafy layer we mulched with last year, the entire strawberry bed is alive and green.
I’m a little worried that this early growth will be struck down by the next bitterly cold snap, but I’m also curious to see how this year’s strawberry crop will turn out.
Maybe, just maybe they are getting an early start and have come up with a strategy to combat that horrid bindweed that relentlessly attacks my roses and threatens to take over the whole bed.
Only time and close observation will tell.
Next, I went out to see what was happening in the swale, as quite a bit of snow had recently melted very quickly. I was pleased to see that the swales were all full of an icy slush that would otherwise have made our yard into a small lake.
We stayed out for as long as we could…all reluctant to go back inside.
Cold, fresh and crisp air
An invigorating break
From the stale indoors
a pinch of homestead 