Spring Chores

Yesterday was super-spectacular.

Afternoon temperatures reached 70 and I dug in to my spring chore list.

In addition to the usual barn chores,

I raked 6 tractor loads of composted manure into the pumpkin patch.

Then I ran the root-tiller through the soil to loosen everything up and mix in the manure.

When you dig a new garden, as we did last year (pumpkin patch)...

it takes a couple years of yearly roto-tilling to get the soil soft enough.

When the tilling was finished I placed the landscaping fabric over the garden and began

the task of pounding in the large staples that hold it in place.

The chickens had a blast gobbling up the worms that the tiller un-earthed.

Annie patiently waited for me to throw her ball...

while Sam caught a nap on the warm landscaping fabric.

One of the photos that I took of the chickens was remarkable in that it

clearly shows how chickens have a clear inner eyelid.

You can see how this rooster's eyelid closes over the eye 

from the inner portion of the eye to the outer.

My next big task was staining the pirate ship.

I used an entire can and will need another can to finish the deck of the ship as well as the mast.

Next on the list was spray-painting the metal gates.

Over the years, these get a bit rusty...

so a fresh coat of paint helps to keep everything looking spiffy!

Amazingly, Moonbeam did not end up with a blue stripe across his nose.

You may wonder why I pushed myself so hard to get all of this done in one day.

It's because we are to have rain for the rest of the week

Inside chores will replace the spring chore list until things dry up once again.