An Unusual Tune

And so, with the arrival of April... rainy season is upon us.  There's a good reason for the old saying, "April showers bring May flowers."

We did morning chores yesterday to the tinny thrum of heavy rain on the metal barn roof.  It's a comforting sound from beneath the shelter of the barn overhang...

but also a sharp reminder of how we must embrace whatever weather comes our way in this farm life. 

 We have no choice.  There's no such thing as a "snow day" or a "rain delay" when tending to animals who live by the rhythm of the earth's rotation, and who are completely reliant upon us for food, water, and shelter.

Most everyone had the good sense to stay in out of the rain yesterday morning as it poured and sent rivers of water running though the dry lot into the front pasture.

No strangers to foul weather, the fowl don't seem to mind rain -

 like water off a duck's back!

Ok, well, maybe not all of them!

When chores were finished, we headed to Maven Haven. 

 I stop by every day to check on what is emerging in her tiny cottage garden.  The bulbs that I planted in autumn have emerged.  Soon there will be giant purple allium heading skyward as well as a myriad of perennials bursting forth.

 Yesterday, we started a fire in wood stove - and settled in to wait out the rain.  

We shed our rain gear and nestled ourselves into the cozy, warmth with books to read by the light of oil lamps.

(thank you Mary, I am enjoying this very much!)

A hot mug of peppermint herbal tea and the soft patter of raindrops on the shed roof made for a delightful way to while away a couple of dark, rainy hours.  The boys both seemed to enjoy getting out of the rain.  Annie chose to stay home nestled in her bed.

Eventually, as the clouds lightened, the sound of rain was replaced by the lilting melody of a fox sparrow (more commonly found much further north) in the apple orchard.  We went outside to listen to its sweet refrain and noticed that the apple trees are ready to burst into bloom - quite a bit early this year. 

 We listened for a while longer and heard several songs that had been absent since last year.  It's comforting to hear the return of familiar voices as well as new ones just passing through!  How do we know the songs of each species?  There is a wonderful app, called Merlin Bird ID, that is available from the Cornell Ornithology Lab.  It identifies each birdsong by a visual, sound spectrogram.  Press "record" on the app and it tells you all of the birds that are singing in your immediate area at that time.  Some birds are very shy and might never be seen - but can still be recognized and enjoyed by their song!

It seems we were not the only ones who took advantage of the break in precipitation.  Ginger and Faith were out in the pasture below us enjoying the freshly washed grass.

I wonder if they, too, enjoy the return of Spring's symphony!

I have returned to full duty around the farm (with only one exception - not lifting heavy muck buckets) and feel almost back to normal... and am very grateful for that!  I did a little work in the greenhouse yesterday afternoon.

A sweet friend had dropped off some clippings from her rose bushes - a climber and another type.  She assures me that if she can grow these roses, then I can too.  Time will tell.  I'm going to keep my fingers crossed!