Triple Creek Farm, March 16, 2013

When the first flower blooms you know Spring cannot be far behind.  After the snow of last week and the spring days of this week, I am so ready.  I was out in the cold tunnel working on my plants and inside working with the seedlings, my garden cannot come quick enough for me.  I did get excited Monday afternoon when I found these crocus blooming.  I have been watching birds come into the flower beds, bluebirds, cardinals, bluejays and some I am not sure who they are, collecting the overwintered grasses to work their nest with.  I must start cleaning the beds but maybe I will wait for a few days and let birds harvest more of the plants.

IN THE KITCHEN

This week I have not done a lot of cooking,  baked a loaf of oatmeal, whole wheat bread and it was delicious.  In my effort to empty the pantry I made a pesto, Dried Tomato Pesto which Mr. Bootsie said was a very good dish, loaded with flavors.  He does not eat much pasta but he had 2 helpings of this pasta and was putting the pesto on a pepperoni pizza.  I was told do not loose this recipe.

ON THE FARM

The goat barn is coming along.  The pasture door is finished, a window had been put in up high to let some light in and a little drop door has been installed to the outside so we can look in without bothering the girls.  The outside door has been in place and the girls are using it daily, I hope this will make the change easy for them.  Roof has been finished, we have started using the barn but not for the girls you know about.  We have been blessed with two wonderful new girls.  They are mini mixed Nubian and Alpine.  Belle and Lacie came to live here on Tuesday.  Things have been interesting.  There is a pecking order in the goat pasture this week.  At nighttime, they are bedded down in different barns.  During the day they are
in the same pasture.  They are doing better everyday.  The barn is being changed a little each day to make it a more usable.  A roof vent has been installed, protected with rat wire and a trap door on pulleys to have air movement in the barn and I know the girls are safe at night.  We found out we need to be able enter the barn through all of the doors and latches are being put on them.  We will in time get this working for us.  The girls have been helping with clean up from the storm, they await another load of pine limbs to nibble through.  Our roads which we use to get around have all been opened and the drives are all opened again.  We have lots of pine to do something with.

IN THE COOP

Everything is good in the coop, there is no one wanting to become a mother hen at this time.  I am thinking I will be getting some baby chicks when things settle down in the goat pasture.  They just keep on laying, I keep gathering and this week I gathered 45 eggs.

In the duck run, they are busy hunting in the ground, Deedle is always dirty, Her face needs to be washed every time I go to the run.  She is one happy duck and just keeps on laying 7 eggs every week. I never knew a duck would lay that many eggs.

IN THE GARDEN

The onions and garlic are growing.  Lettuce in the cold tunnel is wonderful.  I planted broccoli in the tunnel this week along with some snow peas I had sprouted and started in peat cups.  Those things never work very good for me.  I had a few peat cups left and just needed to use them up.  Bedding plants are growing.  I can see my work is getting ready to start.

IN CLOSING

On my walk, this morning (Saturday),  I found more flowers blooming.  I love the mini iris and daffodils and they are blooming.  Mr. Bootsie is busy working on water running, everywhere we need it.  By the end of the day,  the hoses will be connected and no more gallon jugs of water to carry everywhere.  For me that is as good as a night out on the town.  I can water the tunnel and get it as moist as it needs to be without having to make lots of trips to my water source.  The plants can come out and go into the cold frame and the temperatures every night this coming week will be above freezing.  Wednesday Spring begins, WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME how I have waited for you to come.  I knew it was coming the flowers alerted me.