March Has Many Faces

March, though somewhat erratic in its weather patterns, is one of my favorite months.  First off, it ushers in a new season... a season of rapid change and growth.  It fills me with the giddiness of young love - that "butterflies-in-the-stomach" anticipation - knowing that the previously dormant energy of life is now surging and coursing through soil, roots, trunks, and branches.   Now, when I walk across the land, I can almost feel the gentle vibration of the earth awakening; my senses once again heightened after months of stillness.

Since we last chatted, we have had a rollercoaster of weather patterns - thunderstorms, gusty wind, snow showers, heavy rains and sun.  You see, March can be quite prone to melodrama.  In any given day we can experience a 20 to 50 degree swing in temperatures, from sub-freezing nights to balmy days.

Still, in spite of March's theatrics, there are definite signs of Spring all around.  The tiny bird's eye speedwell is blooming,

as well as the purple dead nettle.

I have found several mounds of snowdrops popping up around the house,

as well as fuzzy catkins on the willow.

Since our last chat, I've filled my time with some garden clean-up, some baking -

this chocolate cake recipe with a secret ingredient (and I highly recommend the recipe - easy and delicious).  (As well as sourdough bread and shortbread cookies.)

I started and finished this shawl with leftover yarns (it looks small but is actually quite large)

and re-painted this old birdhouse...

March inspires me to get everything inside and outside of the house spruced up for the coming warmer months.

I started a new book - a fun read with fabulous illustrations, (a gift from a friend.. thank you!) about one of my favorite topics...

then came upon this sweet little frosty puffball mushroom in the front yard.

The farm is quite soggy right now....

and a small river runs through the front pasture.

It's hard to keep the equines clean when the ground is so muddy.  They trot out into the pasture with hoofs sinking into the squishy ground, then roll on their backs un-doing all of the grooming that I have done.

Sunrises remain spectacular.

There's nothing like the backdrop of a beautiful sunrise to accent a sweet donkey's visage!

We lost a lot of trees over the weekend from the rains and winds.  Today we will spend a bit of chainsaw time cleaning up their remains.  One constant in farm life is the fact that we never run out of work that needs to be done!

March has a habit of adding to our ever-present to-do list!