Spring Chirping

   Have you noticed the birds chirping lately? I have a pair of cardinals who nested and raised a family of three in a bush in our yard last year. Well, they seem to be thinking of doing the same this year. Every morning just as the sky begins to lighten up I hear them calling back and forth to each other. I'm not sure what this ritual means, but the bright red male cardinal sits on the very top branch of the highest tree on our property and calls out to the female. I love it! But why does it have to be the tallest tree? I wonder. The gold finches were at my bird feeder yesterday chatting away in the sunshine as well. Although the gold finches have fed at my bird feeders all winter they just seemed to chirp now and then, yesterday was the first I had heard them doing their little giggle and chatty talk that you hear them call in the spring and summer. It is so great to hear the birds announcing that spring is on the way! And now I am seeing robins everywhere.
   It is time to put my "lambing kit" together for Charlotte's lamb delivery next month. All the things you need for the impending birth of a new lamb. Things you will need, and items to assist in the birthing that you hope you will never need! So with the old adage "better to be safe than sorry" it is every shepherd's job to have everything on hand for the  "just in case" scenario. I'm praying I will only need lots of towels to dry off the little lamb and my camera to take lots of pictures. That would be perfect.
   I've finally used up all my carrots from last year's harvest. My frozen basil supply is just about depleted, as are my beets stored in my cellar. I seem to have only frozen green beans left (which I am sick of) and about 1/4 of the onions I stored away. I think the onions and basil were my most "go to crops" this winter, so I will plan accordingly for this year's garden for use next winter. No green beans!
   This past week I have had quite a time keeping the sheep from trying to eat Francesca's duck feed in her duck house. George and Martha are the main offenders, but Charlotte and Francis are more than willing to follow their lead. They think nothing of squeezing into the duck house for a snack. It is really a tight squeeze with a year's worth of wool on, but they manage to do it. We had a Jersey cow who figured out how to open the door to the nesting boxes in the chicken coop to inspect the eggs, then she would slam the door shut again. All day long... bam, bam, bam. I wanted a farm to have the pleasure of raising animals, not to be yelling " get out of the duck house" or "leave the eggs alone." It is funny though and makes life interesting.

George squeezing into the duck house for a snack- yes, he gets all the way in!

Why isn't George in the barn eating hay? He's in the duck house!!

 

My new favorite garden find. A 1940s repro tin can of Nutscene garden twine from Great Britain. I hate to use- it is so cute!