The past 2 days have brought with them:
Great foods, a book I won in the mail and my favorite farm catalog.
Its time to order ear tags for the new calves that will start being born next month. The toughest decision this morning was--what color?
The sunlight has been different, longer and at a different angle. It feels good to me as well as the birds who hopscotch across the tops of silos at old family farms.
Of course the new sunlight light feels good for the eagles and hawks who inhabit this rural area...and dine on silo-hopping pigeons...
The snow has melted so much in the past 2 days that I can actually SEE windows in the barns. The heavy snowfalls buried all the windows on the area barns since December.
40 new cows are moving into this barn with their new owners as soon as the snow melts and the road is accessable for the livestock hauler and their movers. They will love all the windows! A new farmer is coming to town and she is bringing her entire herd~! I can hardly wait to meet the whole crew!
Stone foundations from 1735 have been revealed as the snow melts and small patches of grass are exposed. I can smell the soil.
There is just enough wood to make it thru April. 5 cords gone already.
Our tiny village town meeting was this week.
Held in a garage shared with "Petunia" the antique fire engine.
16 Villagers came to vote and discuss important items.
Democracy is alive and well in Vermont.
The cows are no longer standing on 7 foot snowbanks.
We can look each other in the eye now.
The fences popped out of the snow this morning, nice and tight.
Its amazing what that zip fencing does.
As the snow recedes it also reveals the ugliness of the winter.
The remains of a burned barn. The remains of a collapsed barn.
Two very scary things I had to do this week:
Park my truck under a thousand pooping pigeons
and walk into this building alone
Good thing I saw these happy birds on my way home.
They give me hope.
Its Maple Weekend and all the maple sugaring shacks are open all over Vermont and New Hampshire. Go visit your local sugar makers!
I would imagine that you are quite glad that the spring thaw is under way. We had so little snow here on the Colorado plains that it is awfully dry. The mountains had record amounts. I have enjoyed reading your adventures and misadventures all winter; I do look forward to reading about spring arriving in Vermont and await your stories of the new babies on their way. Hope you are well. cheers. ann
ReplyDeleteI'm sitting here looking at your boiled dinner thinking that is just what I should make tomorrow,so yummy!
ReplyDeleteWe have some true signs of spring here,hope it hurry's and gets to you and your cows.
My thoughts will be with you,hoping all is well.
My thoughts are with you and hoping that all goes well.
ReplyDeleteI also saw the corned beef and cabbage. I have several briskets here I'd planned to thaw one and corn it, but time just gets away from me.
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesday 1/2 of the middle pasture was snow free, so I frost seeded it, figuring sometime next week the other half would be clear.
Last night, after mid 60's all day, the entire pasture was clear, except for a snowbank in one corner. So I guess I know what I'm doing this afternoon.
Yesterday I started 275 more seedlings: parsley, rosemary, sage, hollyhocks, lobelia, swiss chard, spinach, peppers, snapdragons, marjoram.
But on the north side of the barn, the fence posts are under 4' of snow still. LOTS of fence repair needed on the perimeter fence due to snow.
Our barn windows are 9' high, so I hope they never get covered with snow.
You must be as thrilled as I am that spring is here!I was once again looking on Craigslist for a place in VT. Don't know the area that well so it makes it hard. Love the robin, our geese and ducks are starting to fly in. We kept hearing them early in the night. I just love it. Hope all is well and keep in touch.
ReplyDeleteI hope all goes well with you. I love when I can smell spring. It does bring hope with it. I have thought and thought about your porcupine falling out of the tree. I do hope that your cows will be up to their belly's in May.
ReplyDeleteYour cows as always are beautiful.
I dont know if you have Price Chopper supermarkets in VT , but here in NY they sell their brand of Cinnamon Graham crackers.
ReplyDeleteHope you are doing well and that spring is finally here (although it is snowing here as i type :(
Donna