OMGosh! It actually feels like Spring ~ dare I utter the word! We are still piled high with snow, but it is melting. It truly is. And it is warm. You can walk outside in a light jacket or a vest. It feels so wonderful to sit on the front step, in the sunshine and savour a cup of coffee.
The chickens are giddy and actually beginning to lay a few more eggs lately. They are all clamouring to get outside as soon as we open the coop and actually want to stay out there. They won't even be coaxed to go back into the coop much before 7:30 in the evening, when they want to go in to roost. It is lovely!
I have even been wearing short pants these past few days. After my shower the other morning, I was about to pull my jeans on, when I thought, Nope. I don't want to wear long pants and socks today. Went to the closet and pulled out a pair of capris. It felt so good! It really is the little things, isn't it?
Mr. Wilbur has been enjoying the warmer days, only because he and I are out for walks again. Gramma has been a real wimp this winter. We are both enjoying the fresh air and the good walks. And we're both sleeping much better for it!
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| Out for a stroll on a bright sunny day. |
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| Wilbur is still very happy to have as much snow as he still does to lay in and munch on. I have never seen a dog so thoroughly enjoy winter as much as he does. And the Colder the Better for him! |
Papa has been home for his 2nd full week now, after taking a leave of absence from his work. He will be off for a few months, as he awaits his call in for a surgical procedure, then has his recovery time. He wasn't sure if he could handle being home full time, but I'm thinking he is really liking it. We have been having breakfast together and a couple of coffee breaks throughout the day. He has been puttering and resting when he needs to, then off to putter again. He isn't standing on a cement floor for hours on end which is certainly helping with his condition! He has been out in his workshop and prepping in his greenhouse. He has several hundred plants already started. He is chomping at the bit and ready for spring.
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| Greenhouse cleaned up and ready for the transplants. We keep Tomatoes, Peppers and Cucumbers in the greenhouse all season long. It protects these delicate plants from hail, wind damage, early or late frosts and other unpleasant weather we often experience out here, on the Alberta Prairie. |
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| Just a few of his plant starts for this year. :) |
The other day, when getting potatoes from the pit, he found a cabbage that he thought we should get used up. This cabbage had been down there for over 6 months and was as crisp and as fresh as the day he put it down there. We made coleslaw with part of it and used the rest over the next few nights in a couple of different suppers. It was awesome! Who says you can't keep produce over the winter in Alberta!?
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| Cabbage from the pit after over 6 months of storage. Crisp as the day it was put in there. |
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| The cabbage in a stir fry. Yum! |
We ordered this year's chicks this week. We are hoping to get them in the next week or two. Our current brood are getting on and it is time to replace our laying hens. As we had never had layers before, we opted for a hybrid bird for our first run at it, when we purchased this flock 2 years ago. They have proven to be actually very easy to tend to, but being a hybrid, they will only produce eggs for a couple of years and won't reproduce true. We do get fertilized eggs from them, but there won't be any sort of guarantee as to what the offspring will be and how those birds will produce. Already we are experiencing a downturn in egg production [winter months aside] so sadly, it is time to replace them. They have been bred to produce eggs quickly and don't have a long production time. We knew up front that we would be lucky to get two years out of them. Which, is a perfect length of time to make sure you actually want to continue keeping hens for eggs.
We enjoyed keeping them enough, that we have ordered a heritage breed this time. The breed we chose is the Barred Plymouth Rock, which is a dual purpose bird. The hens, when they begin to lay, will lay for several years more than the hybrid birds, just not as often. We will keep one rooster, harvest the rest of the roosters, when they get big enough and keep the new hens for egg production. By getting a heritage breed, we will be able to collect their eggs for when we are ready to incubate and hatch our own chicks. And, by using a heritage breed, we should be able to become self sufficient with our flock. One more step in our homesteading lifestyle quest.
They have been a wonderful source of meat, eggs and entertainment with their antics. Who knew I would get so much enjoyment from chickens? I never would have called that one, ever!
In the next few weeks, once the snow is gone and we have pasture again, Papa will buy this year's steers. We had Herefords last year. We have tried several breeds over the years and have decided that Herefords are the breed we most like working with. We have never been disappointed with them.
Studio News: I got the Story Time quilt, quilted this week. Now for the label and binding. It is going to my DIL's daycare for the little ones to sit upon during story time. I was surprised to find this panel and coordinating fabric in my stash recently. The coordinating fabric was cut in 1 yard pieces. I can't remember the last time I had been fabric shopping in the US. This fabric was probably 10 years old, at the least! I am happy to say, it has been make into something wonderful and will be enjoyed and happily used at it's final destination.
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| Story Time Quilt on the long arm. I opted for an all over Square meander. I chose to use Fireside Minkee as a backing and a 100% polyester batting. |
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| The Story Time quilt top, piecing done. Ready to be quilted. |
I also washed up a rag time quilt this past week. These quilts are a great way to recycle denim jeans and use up left over scraps from other projects. I make these for picnics and fire pit use. I never add batting or a filler for these scrap buster projects as they tend to get too heavy. Besides, they also tend to get liberated from my house more often than not! Ha ha ha! It is wonderful that they are so popular that everyone seems to want one!
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| Scrappy Rag Quilt ~ recycled denim backing and two different left over flannels for the top. All washed and dried and ready to be used. |
Until next time!
Gremlynn
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