I Was Right

I wrote, last week, that I had a good feeling about the coming week and the eruption of morel mushrooms. My intuition was right and I found quite a few of these lovely specimens in a tried and true location on the farm.

Every time I found one, I would see one or two more... until I had an entire dinner plate full of them!

We enjoyed delicious farm grown omelets this weekend with morels, chives, and asparagus... the delightful taste of spring!

On most mornings, as we approach the barn for morning chores, this fellow is hiding in the weeds next to the lane.  As we approach, he meows his morning greeting and hops out to greet us.

while the two Beatrixes scatter - quickly scampering back to the safety of the barn.

It's morning turn-out time.  I had already freed the ponies as Jack was unhooking the horses from their lead ropes.  First Moonie...

who immediately turns and begins to run.

Then the front legs go up as the tail raises (jet propulsion is then engaged as he lets out a loud string of farts.)

Then the back legs kick up...

and up, as the tail lifts again for that last little bit of jet propulsion.  And off he goes to the farthest corner of the pasture.

A peaceful scene... made especially beautiful with the blossoming crabapple trees behind the pasture.

I have to say, my most favorite early spring flower is this lungwort.

I just love how the blossoms are variegated - pink and blue - and unscathed by the frost.

Oh, so much is happening in the vegetable garden these days!  Most of my seeds are now seedlings.  The seeds that I planted last week are germinating as well.

This weekend, I planted 36 new asparagus tubers into one of my larger garden boxes.  My old asparagus patch is over a decade old and every year (because it is on the ground) I battle to keep weeds and grass from overtaking the patch.  In an effort to make gardening easier, I have planted a new patch of asparagus.  We will continue to eat all of the old asparagus as it come up.   By the third year of the new tubers, we will then be able to cut asparagus from this new box and allow the old asparagus to do what it will... amidst grass and weeds.

I am so happy with the garlic that I planted last autumn.  Because we did not have a terribly cold winter, this garlic has stayed green ever since it emerged late last autumn.  By the time I harvest it, it will have had an entire year of growing which should make for some nice-sized garlic bulbs.

To answer a question as to why I have to let my soaps dry for 6 weeks....  This allows the moisture to evaporate from them which extends their life tremendously.  If I used this soap immediately after cutting, it would just turn into a glob of soapy goo in the shower.  Drying hardens the bar and allows for the completion of the saponification process - the moisture, oils and lye become balanced.