We certainly had our share of April showers last week. Some of them were even snow showers. I’ve seen a bluebird several times in the orchard. The daffodils and hyacinths have buds, but there’s no sign of any violets yet.
We had one beautiful day last week – Wednesday – and by a lucky chance, I wasn’t called into school that day. It was warm and sunny and I spent the whole day outdoors working in the yard. I have a stone retaining wall that divides part of my lower flower bed. I built it ten years ago and it was in need of repair. So on Wednesday I took it apart and reassembled it. Somehow, when I was done, I had a ton (literally) of stones left over that I had to haul away. It looks so much nicer now.
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| The rebuilt wall. |
I also knew that my order of strawberry plants was due to arrive by the end of the week, so after I finished the retaining wall, I worked on preparing the strawberry bed. It was all hard work, but the weather was perfect and it had been such a long time since I’d had a chance to do hard yard work that I enjoyed it completely – aches, pains, sunburn and all.
The crocuses were at their finest on Wednesday. As I worked in the garden I took time to admire them as often as I could. I knew bad weather was coming and when it was gone, I knew the crocuses would be past their glory days and fading. I also noticed that the garlic and the rhubarb are both up now. It’s time to plant peas and onions.
The crocuses were at their finest on Wednesday. As I worked in the garden I took time to admire them as often as I could. I knew bad weather was coming and when it was gone, I knew the crocuses would be past their glory days and fading. I also noticed that the garlic and the rhubarb are both up now. It’s time to plant peas and onions.
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| The crocuses in their glory days. |
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| My favorite crocuses. |
On Wednesday we heard peepers for the first time. What a joyous noise they make. They were so loud we could hear them inside the house. Local lore says the peepers must freeze three times before we're done with winter weather. The nights since Wednesday have been freezing cold and the peepers have been silent. I think they will sing again tonight and then on into summer I hope.
The rain came pouring down on Thursday. All day. Then on Thursday night the rain turned to snow and on Friday morning we awoke to a white world yet again. It snowed off and on all day on Friday. It was windy and cold. It was disheartening. I was disgusted. But I knew the snow wouldn’t last long and it didn’t. On Thursday during a snow squall, my strawberry plants arrived and a box of gladiolus corms as well.
The rain came pouring down on Thursday. All day. Then on Thursday night the rain turned to snow and on Friday morning we awoke to a white world yet again. It snowed off and on all day on Friday. It was windy and cold. It was disheartening. I was disgusted. But I knew the snow wouldn’t last long and it didn’t. On Thursday during a snow squall, my strawberry plants arrived and a box of gladiolus corms as well.
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| Friday morning. |
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| Friday morning. |
Thursday afternoon I went down to the barn in the pouring rain to do the chores. While I was there, I intended to take the eggs in Lola’s nest and dispose of them. The incubation period for chickens is 21 days and Lola had been sitting on these eggs for 25 days. I could smell that some of them, or all them, were rotten. But when I reached under her to take the eggs, she attacked me. She is usually a pretty docile hen and the fury of her attack surprised me. Then I heard a tiny peeping sound. I realized that at least one of the eggs had hatched! I backed off and decided to leave them alone for another day. On Friday Stacey went down to the barn with me. We found Lola off her nest and on the barn floor and with her was one tiny chick! I don’t know how she got the chick down out of the nest box and onto the floor, but I’m glad she did it on her own. A hen with new chicks is pretty fussy and I didn’t want to upset them by trying to move them myself. We took the rest of the bad eggs out of her nest and I found a second dead chick that didn’t hatch successfully. It’s fun watching Lola and her child. She’s very protective and keeps it under her wings most of the time. I love new chicks! It’s been a long time since one of our hens hatched an egg.
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| Lola and her chick. |
This Saturday I have 15 chicks arriving by mail from the hatchery. During the week I will have to get the chick pen in the barn ready for them – put down fresh straw, set up feeders and a waterer, and put up the heat lamp. Getting new chicks is an exciting event!
On Saturday morning Stacey and I drove up to Palmyra and went to the temple. It’s always wonderful to go to the temple, but it’s a long drive for us (5 hours round trip). That took up half the day. We got back just in time for me to do the afternoon chores on schedule. The day was brisk, but sunny. Most of the snow was gone. I spent the rest of the afternoon planting my strawberries – 50 new plants – in the bed I’d prepared on Wednesday.
On Saturday morning Stacey and I drove up to Palmyra and went to the temple. It’s always wonderful to go to the temple, but it’s a long drive for us (5 hours round trip). That took up half the day. We got back just in time for me to do the afternoon chores on schedule. The day was brisk, but sunny. Most of the snow was gone. I spent the rest of the afternoon planting my strawberries – 50 new plants – in the bed I’d prepared on Wednesday.
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| Canandaigua Lake on our way home from the temple. |
Today the weather is beautiful again. It was frosty and cold this morning, but by the time we got home from church it was in the 60's. On our way home from church we noticed that the coltsfoot is blooming along the roadsides. It is the first of the roadside wild flowers to appear each year. It makes me happy to see it. Tomorrow and Tuesday we’re supposed to hit the 70's. I hope we’re done with snow for good now, but you never know here. I have garden work to do and I’ll use every good day to its fullest. I see that midweek, we have more April showers headed our way.
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| Coltsfoot blooming along the road. |
