Back in the saddle

Spring work is starting a little bit late for us this year.  This would be fine, if we weren't planning to plant a billion acres of spring wheat!  Alicia sprayed the spring wheat ground with an aid to tillage rate of roundup during the few hours of calm weather, between wind and rain events.  I started harrowing on Thursday, then it rained a little bit Friday morning, but dried out enough for me to finish one field Friday afternoon and start on another, but then it rained just enough to stop me in the late afternoon.  Such is the way of spring work, an hour or five here and there until the weather settles down.  The next few weeks will be filled with hurry up and wait and then fly like crazy when we can!

Spencer the sprayer, ready and waiting for action, with Baxter!

The shop daffodils are blooming!  

Ready to spend some time with my favorite little Colt tractor

Watching the clouds, and the harrow in the rear view mirror.

I love the pattern that the harrow makes, and with the auto guide steering, it's all so straight and neat and tidy.

More cloud watching, and if you enlarge this photo, you can see Alicia way off in the distance with her Arthur tractor, starting to cultivate!

The harrow gathers straw in the tines.  When I come to an area where the soil is light or shallow, I dump the harrow and empty the straw, in an effort to put a little extra organic matter on those spots.

This whole slope needs extra straw.  We've been dumping straw here for years.  Every little bit helps.

Storm clouds gathering.

Bike Ride

Saturday evening we were invited to dinner at our friend's Ron and Claudia.  A few other friends joined us for a grand time.  Excellent food and entertaining conversation in one of our favorite settings, their lovely home.

The afternoon was lovely so Alicia and I decided to ride our bikes to Ron and Claudia's.  It was an 18 mile trip and a perfect way to enjoy the gorgeous spring day.

The scenery at home, before we left on our ride to Ron and Claudia's.

The sage brush at the top of the Lamona hill.  Breath taking, both the hill and the scenery!

Almost to Ron and Claudia's, this unusual columnar basalt rock formation was worth stopping and taking a picture.

Ron and Claudia's place in the distance.  We were rewarded with an amazing meal, good friends and a couple glasses of wine!

Snow melt...continued

Each day, more snow leaves from the deep drifts that piled up during the month of February.  The spring flowering bulbs that have been covered by the snow drifts, have been growing beneath the snow.  When they are exposed, they are long and lanky and off color.  Eventually, the foliage will turn green.

The crocus burst in to bloom a few days ago and the bees were going crazy, fighting over who got to gather the pollen, since there was a limited supply.  I'm sure each tiny grain was taken back to the hive, leaving nothing behind!