Easter Sunday

I collected Pussy Willows for a woman in the church choir and she made crosses of them to hang in the church. She also made one for me, and it is hanging on my kitchen wall. I put it up high, hoping to keep the two kittens from attacking it. I saw Caspar walk beneath it, stop and look up - but then he continued on his way, leaving it alone. These are my own, home grown Pussy Willows:

Remy is enjoying springtime. It's not too hot, not too cold, no bothersome flies, and he doesn't have to walk far to get a drink of water:

We've had a few surprise snowstorms, but they melt quickly at this time of year:

Blue has taken to sleeping in the barn and sometimes doesn't want to wake up when I enter. He has a soft bed of hay and the warming morning sun coming through the east windows:

But he also likes to go outside, especially now that his hooves have been trimmed again:

Sammy has been shy and skittish since he arrived, but he's really made himself at home now:

I don't know why this photo is so yellow, but it may be the color of the paint on the walls because other pictures in this room have turned out yellow also. Nonetheless, I liked it because it showed Clover, Fergus, Seamus, Daphne and Daisy keeping me company:

And their other favorite spot is the kitchen corner. This collection included Daphne, Fergus, Clover, Jack, Caspar and Seamus:

And little Jack follows me wherever I go:

Seamus, Daphne and Bugsy:

The Red Poll girls are fat and happy. Rosella is due about May 13, so I am hoping for a purebred calf very soon:

The hay supply is very low, and I'm concerned about whether we'll make it until they can live on green grass. We'll know very soon:

Spring Chores

Our weather is finally improving although we just had snow again yesterday. The little hens are laying eggs again:

 The Barred Rock bantams are getting too old to lay very many eggs and there are only three Easter Egger bantams left, so I'm not getting the flood of eggs I used to get, at least not yet:

 I stopped in at the neighbor's sheep farm and watched as they put out a new hay bale for this group. The old ewe is blind, so they separate her when she first lambs to help her bond with and identify her lamb:

 A woman at church wanted Pussy Willows, so I went down to where I knew I had some growing, and indeed they were just beginning to open:

 They looked like they're going to have a good year:

 A closeup:

 I vacuumed up all the dead cluster flies and Asian beetles in the back room, then filled my 144 seed cups with potting soil. It's still too early to plant seeds, but I'm ready:

 The Rugosa Roses had grown so tall and spindly that I decided they needed to be cut back severely:

 I sharpened my chainsaw and began cutting. Alas, the canes had so many small, sharp spines that they were painful to even get near:

 The small spines stuck in any exposed skin and even pushed through thick, lined gloves:

 But I got the job almost done and was planning to tackle another chainsaw job when the chain accidentally hit the steel wire fence and was ruined. That ended everything for the day:

 But I had a big pile of thorny rose canes to dispose of. I carefully put baling twine around them and then dragged them off to the side, for disposal later in the year. I don't know if I helped or hurt the Rugosa Roses, but I believe they will burst forth with much new growth this spring:

Around The Farm

Our much delayed springtime has now burst upon us with dramatic force. The fantail pigeons are scrambling for nesting material:

Males are pairing up with females and fighting with other males:

A pair of white doves (pigeons) is indeed a peaceful scene:

The pigeons haven't shown much interest in going outdoors but I still wanted to open the window for fresh air. I worried, however, about foxes and hawks getting in so I now prop a baby gate in the window. As for the smaller, lower chicken gate, I have blocked that with a nailed board to keep out predators:

I bought this at Walmart because I wanted to grow an Oriental Poppy like my mother used to have. Alas, when I opened the package, I found two tiny, dried out sticks no bigger than a wooden kitchen match. I planted them but have little hope of them growing. I'll check our local nursery for already started plants:

In March, a woman at church asked if I could find her some Pussy Willows. I couldn't identify them then, but they are looking pretty obvious now. Furthermore, they're right along the road on my own property. Well, next year I'll know where to find them:

Blue and two cows searched the south field for edible greenery:

The little hens still want to go outdoors, but I don't dare let them because of our bold and numerous foxes:

"Foxes? I ain't afraid of no fox."   ---   Indeed, that is the problem:

The Easter Egger bantams are laying nicely this spring:

And two of them seem inclined to be broody, wanting to sit on their eggs:

A couple of the Barred Rock bantams hatched eggs but panicked when the eggs hatched and tried to kill the chicks. I rescued about five of the chicks and some of these hens are probably from that time: