I know Spring is imminent when I see the bluebirds, which I did. There were four of them, Mom. We are going to reset our bluebird house and try again to lure them in so we can watch up-close and personal again. (One year we witnessed 2 families of these beautiful creatures grow up to fly away!)
Spring break is a stay-cation to get the homestead ready for a productive year. The list is long. Today it included, manure hauling to the garden, raspberry pruning, horse trailer paint prep, and lots of goofing off and country boy fun.
Horse trailer before the twins take it on.
Meg’s first love is putting those chickens where she thinks they ought to be. These little Red Stars are unperturbed and are laying eggs way faster then we can use them. Any customers? $2 a dozen and going for a good cause (missionary fund).
Speaking of Meg . . . her first puppies are coming in 2 or 3 weeks. The Country Boys are giving her extra care in preparation for the Event – a scrambled egg and 1/4 cup cottage cheese added to her kibble, lots of petting and encouragement to have the cutest puppies on the planet – things like that. (We found her a very handsome tri-color collie mate.) She deserves a post of her own soon.
Miss Meg has become Mrs. Meg.
We never had to work this hard for terrific raspberries in Canada, eh? but here in the Mountain Desert Valley of Manti, we must. Mark and Kyle are pros at it now. Look at this here row of last year’s dead canes all cut and laid out. I did, however, have to put a stop to their using their favorite hatchets instead of clippers. They were sure their method was better and more fun. I prevailed.
A couple of years ago he took a hatchet to this tree (hmmmm, sounds like a familiar story of a famous person doesn’t it?) That was when I showed him how to really prune an apple tree, now look at him go.
Forget using gloves and long-sleeved shirts while working scratchy raspberries when you’re 10. This way you can compare scratches and scrapes later to see who has the biggest and best ones.
Little Joe is soon going to lose that belly and fuzzy winter fur. The round corral is in place and the boys are going to learn some horsemanship skills in it this summer – Pat Parelli and Monty Roberts style. (I’m learning too – it’s so fun)
Home Evening and camp out by the fire. We laid our sleeping bags out and immersed ourselves in Uncle Phil and Don’s Cowboy humor – some “Yarns and Rhymes of Cowboy times”.
There really is nothing funny about anybody’s wife running away with a sheepherder. REALLY. That’s just not right. So, why did we keep laughing about it all night – along with many other of Phil’s silly, slightly irreverent drawings? Loving the Cowboy/Country Life today.
