May Day

Is it any wonder that the beginning of May has always held a great deal of significance.  It is amazing what a difference a day can make.  I think this year it is especially obvious because we have been having abnormally cold temperatures recently.  Just a few nights ago we had a very hard freeze and there was ice on my pond.  Spring has been slow, the grass not growing.  But last night, just in time, came the warm, May rains and with it, Spring has sprung.  The difference between the woods yesterday and the woods this afternoon is blatant and palpable.  The salamanders especially, have ushered in the full force of Spring.   That big Spotted fellow on my door step last night was just the beginning.  Today, I found more than a dozen of these little Red Efts out in the woods....

I love these little guys, they are just so cute.  They never get much bigger then this....

They have interesting life cycles.  They are born in water and spend their first year there.  Then they crawl out of the ponds and become land creatures.  During this phase of their life cycle, they spend several years crawling around on the forest floor, eating microscopic bugs, hiding under the leaf mold...

And having important discussions...

And perhaps dreaming about the days when they will shed their bright colors and once again return to their aquatic beginnings to lay eggs and live out their days...

The woods are alive with new growth, these little flowers and many others are all over suddenly.  There wasn't one to be found yesterday....

The Trout Lillys are coming up...

The ferns are unfurling...

And the May Apple has popped up...

I told Emma this afternoon, that it would be a good time to have a baby.  It's warm, it's nice, the grass is growing, it's Spring!  She was busy working on her version of a garden and didn't want to hear about any baby nonsense.

Sunny Days

I'm still working on the maternity ward.  I got everything moved out and the girls gave it a very thorough investigation.  I need to get a few more rubber mats to cover the evil stones, but they seem to approve.  It has been so warm that they have actually been hanging out in here now that I have it opened up.  I still don't have the windows put in because I am having trouble finding Plexiglas, turns out that no one wants to sell the stuff around here.  I think I may need to rethink my plan....again.  At the moment, it is OK because it is so unseasonably warm.  The barn is kind of hot because I haven't opened any of the windows yet. I can't quite make myself believe that the bad weather really is over so I have been putting that off, especially now that they can hang out in here where it is shady and breezy. 

Me: "What do you girls think of the new digs?"

Emma: "It's interesting, but you've got a long ways to go before you'll find me living in there.  We're headed out for a nap, you'd better get back to work." 

I've also been working on my garden area.  When I built these beds, I put down weed control fabric with stone on top to make, what I thought would be, maintenance free walkways.  I should have used black plastic because the weeds just took root on top of the fabric and the stone kept me from pulling them up.  I've been taking advantage of the weather to pull the fabric and stone out of there.  I am putting the stone in the muddy areas in front of the barn where it may do some good and I am going to put down black plastic with mulch on top around the garden beds.  It is a real back-buster pulling this stuff up and hauling the stone out on my little sled, but it is getting done.  Wouldn't it be nice if I could use the #@&*! tractor for this job?

They don't really look like instruments of the devil do they, sitting there all polite and seemingly ready to work?....

Don't let those bright, cheery colors fool you though.  They are pure, rotten trouble!  Bad to the bone, or frame or chassis or whatever the bleep it's called!

The Spring Rush

Spring has come on like a freight train this year.  We've never had so much warm weather so early before.  The maple syrup season is already over with, almost before it began.  I am already trying to get the garden ready.  I moved the girls onto the back pasture (where almost nothing useful ever grows) in order to give the main pasture a chance to come in.  I rely on the two front pastures to feed everybody throughout the summer, so they need a good start in the spring.  The mosquitoes and deer ticks are everywhere. 

I have been battling old, decrepit farm machinery all week, trying to get things running.  My equipment is a motley assortment of hand-me-downs and cast-offs.  Everything runs, but not without a great deal of persuasion.  I used up my entire month's worth of swear words this week.  I am seriously thinking about trying to trade-in every piece of junk I have for one implement that will just start when I tell it to without reducing me to fruitless violence and frustration.  Animals make so much more sense to me than machinery.  They are logical, they have feelings, they communicate and tell me what they need and want.  The !#$% !!tractor just sits there, leaking toxic bodily fluids all over the place.      

I forgot to take pictures of anything this week.  Or maybe I just didn't want any evidence to exist of me kicking and swearing at inanimate objects. 

This morning I went out and sat with the girls in the sun for a while and listened to them munch on breakfast.  The two of them together are so peaceful and happy, it is so nice to just hang out with them.  I finally remembered to take some pictures of The Belly.  I think the baby has moved into a lower position.  Emma looks less wide suddenly, but her belly is hanging down much lower.  This usually indicates that the baby is going to show up soon, but I have known some mares to go on this way for weeks, even months.  I sure wish I had a better idea of when this baby is due.  Now would be a good time actually.  The weather is beautiful, Gabe is not around to pester her and I want a baby donkey to play with.  The way these things work however, she'll probably wait till the day Gabe comes home and Mother Nature remembers that Spring usually doesn't show up until May.  Oh well, I'll still be wanting a baby donkey to play with at least.    

Super Powers

We're getting really tired of winter around here.  Emma, especially, is sick of the weather and she has decided to take matters into her own hooves.  She is sending out her Super-Donkey, Ray-Gun powers to try to bring about some decent weather...

After exposure to this mighty ray, the world will miraculously return to the days of green grass and sunshine...

Tanner and I will be able to hike in the woods, enjoying the scenery, playing in the water and not falling on our butts on the ice...

We'll get to see new and unusual creatures...

And yeah, I know, it isn't even February yet, we have a loong, looooong way to go.  Still, Emma's Super-Donkey powers did work.  It was in the forties this afternoon and the sun was shining.  We all spent the day wallowing in this wonderful, sunny heat-wave, trying to replenish our stores of vitamin D.  And....the first tiny, little hint of Spring showed up this afternoon.  Let's hear it for Super-Donkey, Ray-Gun powers....