The In-Between

This is the time of year that I call the In-Between. 

 It's still winter, and yet, it's not quite.  Oh, I'm sure that more snow will cover our land before it's all said and done.  It won't last long, though, if it does. 

"Nap Time"

 Yesterday was another stellar day... blue skies, birds singing, beautiful!

"The heck with nap time, we're looking for more food!"

And yet, there's not much that I can tend to other than the normal animal care.  The gardens are calling to me, but it's still too early.  And mud... oh my, the mud.  Just ask the chickens about the mud...

I've had to start delivering their snacks to the grassy area outside of their yard, as their yard is a sea of mud.  The thing about this time of year is - this is typically a windy time of year.  And there's nothing better than wind for drying up mud!  So, blow, winds, blow!

There is nothing more gratifying than arriving at the chicken yard.  All of the girls come running.  If it weren't for the fact that I am delivering their snack, I might actually think that they are happy to see me!

We opened the door to the runner duck's yard yesterday morning, and all of them came fluttering out

 with the exception of Forrest and Ramone. 

 The two of them stayed behind chattering... "I don't know about this... should we? Do you think it's safe?  I don't know.... What do you think?  I don't know.... oh, dear, I just don't know....."  On and on.  Eventually, curiosity won out and they joined the rest of the boys.  Naturally, they all decided to visit the girls, who are still being sequestered.  Later in the morning, Jack closed the boys back in their yard, as there were birds of prey circling high above the farm.

The chickens spend much of their time under cover... either in their own houses/yard or close to the goats.  We rarely worry about them when birds circle above.  However, once the predators are back out hunting, the chickens will also have a little lock-down time.

I am happy to report that the ducky girls' necks are healing (where those nasty boys pulled their feathers out in the process of being amorous). The girls are doing quite well, and will eventually be allowed to rejoin the flock (as soon as we can add enough girls to outnumber the boys).

All of the birds are enjoying the pastures again.  And amazingly, the bugs are out on these warmer days.

I tried to publish my cinnamon bun bread to a page on my blog, without it taking up a whole blog post... and had no luck.  So... if you would like that recipe, just contact me (email) and I will send it to you! 

To Esther L:  I highly recommend these two books if you are serious about bread baking. (and believe me, you will never regret it!)

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