Spring.....?

I know it's out there somewhere, under that fine layer of snow that fell last night, beneath the still frozen ground, and just beyond that icy puddle that just won't melt. Spring, the ever elusive guest that we await with such anticipation to free our souls from winter hibernation! Obviously there is a fair amount of spring fever going on here...and we pounce on any sign to convince ourselves that indeed, it is coming...

In the hoop house, the tulips continue to stretch up. No buds yet, but just looking at the sea of green brings such healing and hope! Anemone and ranunculus have popped up out of the soil, looking like tiny gnome-sized bunches of parsley. Like tulips, they are big fans of the cool spring weather and go about their business despite our impatience.

Eggs, lots of eggs! With the increasing day length, the hens are in full swing doing what they do best. There never seem to be enough nest boxes this time of year, but somehow they take turns or figure it out and fill the boxes up! 

Seeds are popping up everywhere, and there is constant shuffling of seeds trays from the cooler-turned-germination-chamber into the propagation greenhouse. I spend a lot of time in the greenhouse, marveling at the myriad of ways that seeds pop and bend and stretch and uncurl out of the soil. There is a lot of activity going on in here, from watering to transplanting to seeding, and we are thankful to have this space to make it all happen. 

There is frozen mud, melty icy mud, mud in a puddle, slippery mud under snow, squishy regular mud, and of course loads of mud pies and mud soup. The little ones have been so busy with their mud creations, making for even more fun in the greenhouse. Nothing says spring like mud!