Hello Again!!

 Wow!

This is one amazingly beautiful country.... and what an incredible road trip we enjoyed over the past week.  However - it is so very good to be home amongst those (critters) we love, and back on the land that is so dear to our hearts.

There is no time like springtime on the farm.  So much new life emerged during the eight days that we were gone.   All of the trees have leaves.  The flowers are blooming, 

and all manner of life has emerged from the woods - birds, mammals, and reptiles are once again sharing this land we call home.  While we were gone, the farm had a few bear visits resulting in the loss of a couple bird feeders and a very bent shepherd's crook.  (We have a game camera outside hoping to get a photo of the bear.)

It's been a very exciting time for Forrest - new critters pass through the farm almost every day.

Yesterday, I heard him barking and barking.  Thinking that perhaps he had seen a bear, I went out to check on what had him so excited.

Just an old box turtle on his way into the woods.  I think we see this fellow every spring!

While we were gone, the farm was in very good hands,

and everyone received their extra doses of lovin'.

We spent yesterday catching up with laundry, cleaning, food shopping - all of the things that are necessary when we return home from travel.  We topped all of that off with a visit from the sheep shearer.  This girl grows so much wool over the winter.  Getting Faith from her yard to the barn takes a lot of effort.  She's not the easiest sheep to transport, but we get it done.

"Hey, what's going on in there?" call two nosy boys, over the hum of the shears.

After Faith is sheared she looks exactly like her Mama, Grace, did.  If you have followed us on this journey for all of these years, you will recognize the similarity - it's uncanny!

Luckily, the return trip back to her yard was easy, with Forrest's help to guide her.

I have made plans with the shearer for a return visit in the beginning of October.  Because Faith grows such a thick fleece, he is going to shear her face to help keep the wool from growing so thick around her eyes.

The greenhouse is now exploding with plants that need to be placed into the garden.  I am hoping that our extended forecast has no frost in the next couple of weeks, so that I can soon get the garden planted.  We are in the midst of asparagus season.  It is the only time of year that we get to enjoy fresh asparagus, so we are eating it every day now! Also, we pick fresh chives for seasoning and fresh mint for tea.

It's fresh-cut flower season once again.  For the next few months, I'll be cutting wildflowers and garden flowers to brighten the kitchen.

There's just no better time of year than Spring!!  And for me, there's no better place to spend springtime than right here on the farm!