The Beginning of Spring Cleanup...

Ahhhh...warmth and sunshine!!!  Relief from the dreary winter seems to have finally come, for a moment at least.  I am sure we will get snow again before the spring is officially here (in, fact, it's starting to snow now), but I thought that while I had 60-degree weather and the warmth of the sun I might get started on my cleanup efforts.  With the horrible wind storms that we had throughout the winter, cleanup seems a little daunting this year.  There are toys and trash hiding in my beds, trinkets from neighbors homes, pieces of shingles and siding, all kinds of surprises to make you wonder whose house these items once belonged to.  It's a bit of a guessing game.

This weekend, I attacked the kitchen garden at my house.  It seemed like a reasonable place to start, seeing as it is the first of the gardens to be planted.  I was tickled to see that the lettuces I planted in the cold frame late last fall were alive and thriving.  I should have good sized lettuces for salad in a few weeks.  Also, all of the leaf litter and organic matter that I added to the beds in the fall has broken down nicely.  The chickens have helped with the leaf breakdown, as they scratch through them looking for bugs, they break the leaves into little pieces and help mix it around.  As I walk through the garden, I can almost feel the soil breathing, exhaling from it's long winter, and breathing in the life and light of early spring.  I swear it sighs.  The soil looks ready for spring and it makes me giddy.  It felt so good to sink my hands into it!

Woody herbs like sage and savory got cut back in the garden in anticipation of their spring growth.  Compost piles were turned and cleaned up.  My old friends, the rhubarb plants, are already coming up, peeking out of the dirt at the first signs of spring, same with the chives.  No signs of garlic yet, but I am sure it won't be long.  I can't wait for garlic scapes to add to eggs and stir fry, and I have about 150 hard neck garlic plants to cut scapes from this spring.  Really, I just can't wait to see green.  There is something about the brown of winter that makes you aware of the slightest hints of spring green.

My farmhands spent most of Friday playing in the sun and mud (not so sure the mud was fun for Ian as you can see...) and visiting with their chickens that they have missed through the winter.  I have a request from Will to let one of the girls sit on her eggs, he is wanting to see the chicks hatch from the eggs.  We have a Rhode Island Red at the farm that is starting to get broody, or "clucky" as we like to call it.  We are watching her and hoping that she gets clucky enough to actually sit on a nest.

The hubby spent the weekend working on Cluckingham Palace, our coop.  It's so close to being finished, we just need the ground to thaw to finish the run area.  While he worked on the coop, I walked the horse.  There is a certain greatness about the energy of a horse, I really can't explain it.  We have had Cory (the horse) for just over a year now, and I have to say he is one of my best friends.  He's just as loyal as a dog, and I love it when he "kisses" me.  He has such a way of communicating what he wants.  I am loving having him, plus we just look and feel awesome as we strut past the golf course!  You've got a nine iron???  Well, I've got a mini horse, and he can buck!!!  We have just a bit of attitude!

The outside time did all of our souls some good.  Back to winter for the moment, but I know spring is just around the corner and that offers hope of more green, brighter days, and some much needed "dirt therapy".