Outside the farm house

I'm especially fond of barn swallows and had worried a bit that I hadn't seen any nests in my barn. I'd hate to live without them. They've lived in my previous barns and I've marveled at their intelligence and devotion to family. When I was in college, on a bus headed to an ornithology field trip, I saw a barn swallow hopping around what I assume was its mate, dead in the road. It appeared genuinely distressed and perhaps with an understanding one rarely ascribes to mammals, much less birds. I'm glad that on this past trip up to the farm I learned that I do indeed have barn swallows. I cleaned the trash out of the milk room and closed the door to keep out whatever has been ripping open the garbage bags. This swallow was quite worried and I heard babies screeching within, so I left the door open. There's to be no barn swallow angst on my farm!!!
Well, here is Wren the sausage dog, exhausted from her walk to Sunset Brook even though I carried her much of the way.
Right in front of the house: An big old fashioned lilac.
This is one of two flowering crabs outside the bathroom and livingroom windows.
One lone clump of old fashioned narcissi. Right next to it I thought was a clump of columbine but I'll have to wait for it to bloom to be sure. I know columbine thrives in cold climates and that the former owner left me a cup of columbine seeds she'd collected.
The flowering crab. A very nice thing to see from the bathroom window.
One bleeding heart plant, just like my mother used to have.
And of course, apple blossoms. Any New England farm needs apple blossoms.
These are the apple trees, one of which produced the flowers in the previous photo. The pear tree is to the right of this photo.

Wren and Winky on our walk across the north hayfield to Sunset Brook.
Wally and Seamus on their way up the hill from Sunset Brook. The north hayfield is just above the rise and we'll traipse across it to return to the farm house.
This is proof that Sasquatch lives! No, actually, next to those giant paws you may notice wild strawberry blossoms. I'll have lots of strawberries soon.
Seamus, Casey and Wally crossing the hayfield. Fergus, naturally, is running ahead. Wally and Winky are, just as naturally, lagging behind, undoubtedly hoping I'll give in and carry them.
Wally and Casey enjoying the hayfield. It won't be long before the grass is taller than they are. A neighbor will hay the south field, but everyone's afraid to cut the north field because of all the junk left there by the previous owners. I'll have to wait until I have animals grazing there to find and remove it all.

And a couple of the dogs bouncing through the fields. You may notice that Wally feels the need to pee just to show me he's in no hurry. Fergus, however, has been running in big circles and arrives in the last part of the video clip. Of course there's always the sound of wind up there. Oh for the money to build a windmill farm!