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!

 

Happy New Year

   A new year is upon us and of course it is a time to reflect on the past year, what we are grateful for and what we aspire to change in our lives. Mostly though it is a time to look forward to the new year with new hopes, dreams, and resolutions. I hope for good health in the coming year for myself and my loved ones, I dream of the perfect little sheep farm, and my resolution is to finish all my unfinished projects. I seem to have the incurable illness of having to buy every piece of antique furniture in need of repairs and restoration. "Oh I can fix this" is said every time I go to a yard sale, auction, or estate sale. I have refurbished many antiques for our home and many for our yearly tag sale, but yet I have an attic filled with undone projects. It wouldn't be so bad if my husband didn't have the exact same affliction. He now has a garage filled with hopefuls. This is the year! We are either going to use these treasures or sell them, so we must complete these tasks and make junque into treasure.
   New Year's Day I plan to finally look at all the seed catalogs that have arrived in the mail. I think planning my spring plantings is a wonderful way to start the year. Last year's cut flower garden was such a success that I am planning to expand it with more varieties of sunflowers and also different species of flowers to be used in my cut flower arrangements. Most of the flowers were blooming in late summer and early fall, so this year I want to plant flowers that will bloom from early summer until frost. My little roadside stand of cut flower arrangements was quite busy and really was a source of great joy for me. I loved providing a little bit of colorful cheerfulness for others. There is nothing like a sunny bouquet to lift one's spirits.
   January is also a good month to catch up on reading. I am looking forward to reading a new book I bought but set aside during the busy holiday season. January and February is the perfect time to do all the relaxing indoor things you feel guilty doing any other time of year. I may even find time for the daily nap I always talk about but never seem to take. From The Farm at Mill Village, Happy New Year!!

Holly, our two year old chocolate lab, does find time for many naps.

She waits at the top of the stairs every night at 8:00 to go to bed. This dog loves to sleep!

The snow continues to pile up in the sheep field.

The sheep waiting to come back in the barn, while I do morning chores.