Harbinger of Spring

Ah, I know Spring has sprung when I hear Mr. Cardinal singing his song. He doesn't nest around here that I know of but every spring he takes his place in several of the trees and sings his heart out for his beloved. I thought perhaps having a sunflower seed feeder helped draw him in this year but then thought again...he always shows up in Spring.

I took my bike for its first ride of the year. Not far, just to the end of the road and back since the roads are soft, the tires need air and my butt needs to adjust once again to the seat. Now that it is lighter perhaps I'll start riding it to church rather than go to my usual church 1/2 hour away. We will see how the weather holds. It can be quite fickle until mid-June.

Afterwards the dogs and I took a walk through the southeast pasture. It is hilly from glacier deposits eons ago. We live right on the edge of where the glaciers stopped and along the edge of the statewide Ice Age Trail. I love traipsing the hills because it reminds me of home.. It is otherwise so flat and open here. It took me awhile to get used to it, especially when storms came.

This is our road looking towards our driveway by the row of pines. That is my older dog, Tex waiting for me. The younger one is in the lower left hand corner of the photo. He thinks he needs to walk behind me all the time.

Come On In

Don't worry about the mud on your shoes. We are used to it. Or perhaps I should say I have been forced to become used to it, being the only female in the household with three men. I had to choose between putting up with it or going mad. Took me 19 years but I chose to ignore it.

Mud season is trying to arrive in earnest, fighting with Old Man Winter who refuses yet to let loose his grip. Tomorrow we plummet below zero again. Such is life in north central Wisconsin. The garden catalogs had arrived along with the Christmas Cards and are long recycled because clutter is another problem I am trying to beat. Garden catalogs should come NOW when the long winter is wearing us all thin, we have cabin fever and we are looking forward to some color and fresh veggies off the plant.

I see the pretty seed packets in the store but do not stop to look. I cannot start seeds in my house as it is too dark and until I come up with some sort of lighting system and a place to do so there is no sense in looking.

My husband has been laid off for five months and finances are getting tighter every week. For the first time yesterday I realized I didn't have any money to get groceries. The last three unemployment checks went out to pay farm insurance, our few bills and school needs for our youngest. He is a senior in high school and so things like yearbooks and a lock-in have come up that need paying for.

We have aprox. 30 acres that need planting this year. Another 70 or so are on their last season for hay before they need to be replaced. But we worry about that next year. It is this year we need to plan for. We try to do one large project a year here. Last year it was a new well. Our little hand dug collapsed and we went all last winter without running water in the house. That was when I decided fighting dirty floors was a waste of my time.

The year before it was a new roof.

So far this year I have gotten my hallway insulated and drywalled. Husband finally had enough of laying around and did it. I told him he's much better looking when he's doing something! Ha ha. Here is a before of that mess (with my eldest son and my "adopted" son).


I will get an after photo when they get out of there.

I lost my wall I used to hang my horse gear on. Perhaps that means I will actually get my BARN this year. In the meantime I need to find another place to hang it all.