Signs of Spring

Despite the cool, windy weather of March-as-lion, we can see glimmers of life as we wander the farm.  ("Wander" sounds so much more relaxing than "trudge" or "work" about the farm, but don't let that fool you.)  Here are a few of the ways in which we know it's the season known as Spring.

     Two tractors in the field.

 Jason planting onion sets in the rows he's just hilled.

Peas are planted and just peeking out of the soil although you can't really see them in the picture.

 Layers are laying eggs galore.

 The incubator is FULL of eggs!  Stay tuned--in a few weeks we'll have pictures of really cute chicks.

Raised Beds

Raised beds

Last year, we built three raised beds in the early spring beside one of our garden plots. They are constructed with large timbers, originally milled locally to become a floor, a very sturdy floor.

Edge of a raised bed

We transplanted some of our perennial herbs into one of the beds and added the seeds of an old-fashioned vining petunia.

Herbs in one of the raised beds

And then we direct seeded sunflowers, cosmos, lettuce and zinnias into another bed.  We enjoyed everything that grew!  This year, we have perennial onions in the middle of the three beds.  The two outer beds await whatever is to be planted this year and will soon be looking like the picture below.

Seeds starting to come up 

Sofie and the Snapper

It is soon becoming the time when snapping turtles lumber out of their hibernation in our bottom land and meander across the lower pasture to the large pond.  A year ago this time, Sofie met her first snapper, up a bit too close and personal.  The "snap" of the turtle left a scratch on her nose but she was otherwise unscathed and we moved her to another area while the turtle continued her walk to the pond.  

This is not the snapper that got Sofie; it is a photo from a few days afterward showing how curious she still is about these large creatures appearing in what she considers her territory.

As we continue to have freezing nights, the turtles may not be up and about for a while but when they appear, Sofie will probably bark again at these large creatures in the space she is assigned to protect.  

Sophie resting after meeting the snapping turtle.