Tough life on the Farm

I took today off.  I needed it to mentally recover from pushing myself too hard and not dealing with myself. I’m so glad I did!

I started with cleaning, then some more kitchen demo, then cleaning the yard.  Nothing worse than five months of dog crap on bare lawn after the snow melts.

Right now I’m taking a break from raking, enjoying the nearly 60° weather and admiring the view.  It’s days like today when I remember how truly blessed I am. Spring came at exactly the moment I needed it.  Here are a few pics of the tough life on the farm. Enjoy!



Now errands run, car cleaned and celebrating with my favorite beverage. Beer is better in the backyard anyways!



My favorite scent: Lilacs

Monday carried over to Tuesday so on my lunch hour, I went for a long walk. I really wanted to keep walking, never to return to work, but after 20 minutes I turned around.

I have walked down this path many times before. It is along the river in this great city and thankfully walking distance from the office. During the day it is scarcely populated and today was no different. The most people I saw were on lawn mowers.

I usually sit and watch the water fowl but today I needed some exercise. I needed to beathe some fresh air. I needed to stop and smell the lilacs.

Oh how I love lilac trees, bushes, candles, perfume. Yum, yum, yum. The smell is just heavenly and I would bathe in it if I could.

I pulled off a little bunch of flowers and tucked it in my hair. I had three hours left of work and though nothing can make time go by faster, at least I had something good to smell.

While I was walking back on the path, I just happened to look down and nearly stepped on…

Yup, SNAKE!!! These things give me the hee-bee-gee-bees. YUCK! I don’t hate much but snakes are definitely one of them.

I resisted the urge to poke it with a stick. I wanted to, but I was a long ways from work and knowing me the bastard thing would probably bite me.

By the time I returned to my desk and the endless customers who needed my help, I had forgot about the snake but remembered the beautiful lilacs. I could smell them still.

As the work day ended and the evening at home started, I noticed the several lilac tree clustered in my year will begin to bloom by the end of the week. We have a white, dark purple and the standard purple for colors. I also bought three small lilac bushes this Spring that are re-blooming. I am slightly doubtful of this but will wait and see.

Any one else have a favorite flower smell? Roses? Gardenias? I would love to hear your comments.

Garden update

So, this is my first year planting seeds indoors.

I know I need to thin some out, but haven’t done so yet.

I am pretty excited about all the new growth.

I just wish the snow was melting.

I am not sure if all these seedlings will actually but as strong and hardy as the Bonnie plants I usually buy from the garden center. But a lot of gardening, and life in general, is trial and error.

Will keep you posted on this adventure!

Winter Forever

I was ok with all the snow that Central Wisconsin has had this winter, but with the Spring Equinox right around the corner, I am done!

I have 6 flats of 38 starter plants each awaiting for the two foot plus snow pack to melt, ground to thaw, warm up and be tilled up, to be planted.

We are scheduled to get another 3-5 inches tomorrow and I just cannot TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! Six months of cold, snowy weather is enough!

ENOUGH!

Gaaa!!!! I hope this long, snowy winter finally gives way to a decent warm, sunny, but not to dry summer.

Any big plans?

Daylight Savings Delay

This past Sunday was Spring Ahead, Day Light Savings Time, when we roll the clocks forward an hour, giving up 60 precious minutes of time. This concept was always hard for me to grasp as I child, why would we want to move the clocks? Where does that time go? If there is 24 hours in a day, how can there suddenly only be 23?

All very valid questions… And my parents usual response, “because that is just the way it is!” And for my working mom, that was a good enough reason, but for my curious mind, I needed answers.

I remember in junior high and high school, my best guy friend’s birthday was near the Spring Forward, which was always near the end of March. In 2007, the dates were changed: three weeks earlier in Spring and one week later in Fall.

The whole idea with DLST is to increase the daylight in the evenings to reduce the energy consumption. Our household uses mostly CFL bulbs and energy efficient appliances, but last night when eating dinner, at 7pm, I was impressed that no lights were on in our home.

But DLST can also mess with the body’s natural rhythm. On Sunday, we allowed ourselves to sleep in and when we finally got up it was 8 o’clock! EIGHT O’CLOCK! Due to springing the clocks an hour ahead the previous night, we slept until 8, which would have only been 7.

Since I had the day off, I didn’t notice much of a difference, except it was rainy, yucky, and overall just a poopy day. Since the rain changed over to sleet around 8 pm and by Monday morning, we had three inches of heavy, wet snow. Monday was back to work and I didn’t notice much but I was tired earlier in the evening.

I found this strange since we sprung forward, but by Tuesday I was all out of sorts. Was this DLST affecting me like it has been said to affect millions of Americans? Or just me losing my mind? Either way, I like the “longer” days and hoping my chickens will appreciate the extra light as well! Now if only we can have more sun, less snow and warmer weather!

March On

In case you live under a rock, and if you did you wouldn’t be reading this, just to inform you, it is March. And March means madness. Fifteen years ago March madness would have been basketball but now it involves getting ready for more chicks, preparing seeds for germination indoors and preparing the chicken run for the spring thaw.

We have plywood to hang, snow to melt, ground to thaw, posts to bury in the holes we will dig, fence to hang on those posts, mulch to spread on the run that will eventually get muddy because of the melting snow, seeds to sprout, garden to till, garden to plant, coop to clean and lots of bedding to mulch. I am sure I missed something, but it will get done along the way.

I try not to rush time but I am just so excited to have March here. April will soon follow. The days will get longer. The weather will eventually get warmer. Hopefully my bum will get smaller. The dogs are hoping for the leashes to be used while walks are taking place.

The only thing I am not looking forward to is allergies. Last year was my first year experiencing them and hoping it was a one year wonder.

What things are you looking forward to with spring coming?

Sunshine

Today is Sunday. Tomorrow I have to go back to work. I should feel relaxed from three and a half days off. I should. But I don’t.

I miss the sun. I miss the grass. I miss leaves on the trees and cold beverages on a hot day. This is my Sunday.

Rain. 25 degrees and rain! Sideways rain. West windows are frozen icicle covered.

Chickens haven’t left the barn in weeks. When I checked on them at noon, they were dust bathing on the coop floor.

Yesterday we spent the days with friends, homemade pizza and cute babies. The boys played with tractors. And I dreamed of spring.

Baby chicks are coming in ten weeks. Houseplants are taking over our kitchen because my green thumb is itching. But overall, the lack of sun is getting to me. I know that winter is long, dark, long time in Central Wisconsin, but being in am office with no windows probably has enhanced my overall blue feeling.

So I am dreaming of sunshine, cold drinks, warm weather. I look forward to the garden. I look forward to new chickens. I look forward to less clothes, longer hair, cleaner car, windows open, smaller heat bill.

Yup, winter has finally lost it’s appeal, bring on the spring.