April update

I'm in that odd space these days of feeling in-between, or maybe neither here nor there!

It's warming up, but not warm, the frost is coming out of the ground, but it's not quite ready for me to be trampling on it in the gardens, the snow is gone but it almost feels like another storm could be on the way. I should have seeds started in pots as of two weeks ago but I only just picked up seed starter mix the other day. It's still too cold to do any painting outside to spruce up the front porch and mail box post but with the snow gone I'm anxious to get it done. I have a Wwoofer (Willing Worker on Organic Farms) coming to help me for a few days, but not ‘til the end of the month. And I have no workshops or classes on this month.

So I have this feeling of being in limbo almost. Oh, there's always something to do, always. Can anyone say "income tax"? Workshop planning? De-cluttering my office? Sometimes the limbo comes, not just because of not being able to get at a particular task due to some timing factor like weather, but because there are so many potentials on the "to do" list that deciding on which shall take priority is the tough part as they all seem necessary. Sometimes none of the to-dos is very appealing either, and it's a case of which is "screaming loudest"!

Maybe I should go read one of the blogs I wrote a while back on my other web site, Third Eye Soul Journeys, on the power of deciding, and how that frees one up from the stress of such undecided limbo.

In the meantime I am on the lookout for the signs of spring that can lift my spirits. There's a pair or two of ducks down in the pond in the woods that I think are looking to set up housekeeping and have a family, as seems to happen most years, if only I can keep Angus from plunging into the pond to chase them. I fear they will give up and go elsewhere, or worse, he'll find their nest someday and wreak havoc. Maybe we'll have to go back to the leash for times when we're in that area. There's a pair of mallards for sure, and I think also some buffelheads, lovely black and white!

The peepers are back in the pond making a wonderful racket. Of course Angus is snuffling all around the grassy edges looking for the source of those sounds too, pouncing and coming home with muddy paws and a mud ring around his big black nose from digging for moles or whatever he can find.

A bumblebee was buzzing along the woods trail one day about two weeks ago when I had stopped to sit under the older pines at the back. I thought, "I hear a bee!" and there he came, and landed on the ground at my feet to my surprise. "Hello bee," I said, and then he flew off. Just checking in I guess.

Speaking of bees, Edward is pleased to report that two hives are doing well. We did lose one over the winter. He thinks part of the success of the survivors was due to further modifications to his top-bar hives. One of them he'd made from thicker wood which he thought perhaps insulated better, since he decided this winter to not add outside insulating "blankets" and see what nature would do. Of course it wasn't as severe a winter as some, temperature-wise or snow-wise.

The other modification was in the entry holes. Instead of just a hole going straight into the hive, he made a kind of "vestibule" with a piece of wood overlapping so that there was a baffle for any wind and the bees had to fly under the overlapping piece and then turn in. This would be more "predator-proof" too against those rotten "robber bees" or the large black and white hornets.

Edward and I have been pruning shrubs and fruit trees, contemplating layouts for new garden beds in front of last year's addition to the house where we built a pitch or pit for playing "jeu de boules'" or "Petanque", part of my plan to create "ma petite Provence" here on We Are One Farm. Not sure when we'll have the resources and time away from gardens and critters to get to the real Provence, so for now, I'll continue to make my own! Rows of lavender, pots of red geraniums, jeu de boules, some good red wine and some bread and cheese, a sunny day...what more could you ask? Am I anxiously waiting for July? YES!

Don't know if it's a sign of spring, other than the fact that the chickens are getting some outdoor time now, but Red Fox was back harrassing them the other morning...."our bad" as they say, because we'd forgotten to shut them back into the coop the night before, although they were mostly protected by the high wire fence around the coop yard. Must have been a bit chilly with the door open overnight. We were awakened by Angus who barked when he heard the ruckus at the hen house, and we raced down to realize the coop door had been left open, but didn't find anyone missing. So Edward proceeded to feed the gang, and as he finished, sure enough, there was the culprit sauntering back up the driveway, a large and very fluffy red fox. He paused to look straight at us before disappearing down over the hill into the ravine.

And today we saw our neighbour the strawberry farmer on his tractor going up and down the rows with an attachment on the back that spun the straw mulch off the plants and into the spaces between. Things aren't greening up quite as early as last year when we had the mild, dry March, but we're getting there. No buds on my mayflowers in the woods yet and last year they were in bloom in April, but I've heard of some budding down the river where it's a little warmer. And alas, I picked the first tick off Angus yesterday, a small dark one crawling around, which makes me worry it was a deer tick, but am hoping it was just a baby dog tick. It hadn't bitten him yet, so that was good. The vigilance begins! Not all signs of spring are welcome, but I'll keep my eyes open for the ones that are.

Happy Spring to you!