This sky.....

March and April are such unpredictable months here.  One day it's beautiful and then the next four or five are cold and windy and nasty.  Sometimes the weather changes every 15 minutes!

Nevertheless, with this kind of change comes some incredible sky views.  Yesterday I was on the tractor all day, running the coil packer with little Colt, enjoying the changing clouds and colorful sky.

Today we had rain and hail and wind and more rain and more wind and then even more wind, and to finish the day, this amazing display of color on the clouds as the sun set.

And safe inside the house is Baxter, who does not like cold weather, nor wind, nor rain!

Random stuff

Virtual quilt retreat was fun and interesting.  Almost everyone joined in through email and photos.  Looking forward to fall though, when we can all get together in person.

Here's what I worked on over the weekend and finished this morning.

This pattern is called "Crossings".  I used 1930's reproduction fabrics.  These are my all time favorite fabrics.  They are bright and happy and make me smile.  Reynald is trying to decide if he really wants to be up yet this morning!

I decided I need more crocus in my yard.  I will try to remember to buy more bulbs this fall.  

These miniature iris are so darling.  The bloom doesn't last long so you have to pay close attention and enjoy them while you can.

Trying to get the roses pruned.  

This is from one rose!  

Some roses are still held hostage by the snow drifts!  

Filled out our census form.  I was going to do it on-line but this was dropped off at the house so I went ahead and did it with a pen and popped it in the mail.

The wheat was slightly damaged during the winter storm.  Nothing serious and it will recover fully, but the high winds and cold left behind some unhappy foliage.  

Baxter is not supposed to be on this bed but he was tucked up so cute I didn't have the heart to shoo him off.  This is how we spoil our critters!  I'm not proud of this.....

Virtual Quilt Retreat

Today is the first day of our Stitchin' Chicks spring quilt retreat.  Two weeks ago we decided to cancel our in person retreat at the barn. So, we're doing a virtual retreat. 

I'm just going to post stuff that I'm working on here, but rest assured, the Stitchin' Chicks are hard at work this weekend, sewing up a storm! 

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend weather wise, so I'm sure a few others will be doing some outdoor work as well, including me.  I have been pruning the roses that aren't covered by a snow bank! 

Okay, first up is this quilt that I have been working on piecing for the last few weeks.  I thought this one was going to be "a quick one" but not so much.  Admittedly, I have had a little trouble with math but I think I'm close enough to the end now that I can accurately add 2 plus 2 and come up with 4.  In my defense, at least a little bit, I am making it bigger and it is set on point which for some reason made it harder for my brain to do the figuring.  My goal is to get this all pieced by the end of the weekend. 

I found this book in the barn give away box a few days ago when I was out setting up for retreat.  I have a plan for this little project.  For this weekend I plan to get it traced on to some muslin and perhaps sit on the porch, in the sun, with needle and thread and of course a glass of wine, and do some stitching!

Clean Chicken House

Tuesday afternoon I decided to spring clean the chicken house.  I try to do this project spring and fall.  It was a lovely day and the chickens were happy to be outside, scratching around and picking at vegetable scraps while I was inside shoveling poo!  It's not a bad job really.

Getting started

The poop roost is about half full, which isn't bad.

Reynald designed the roost so that I could unscrew the ladder and then flop down the front of the roost for easy cleaning.

I just wheel the barrow under the roost and start scooping poo!

The poo is scooped, the floor is cleaned up and now I'm putting clean shavings in.

While I was cleaning, this hen just HAD to lay an egg.  She came in once, but then left because there was just too much disruption.  

A little while later she came back in and this time the need was urgent so she just sat down and ignored me and my cleaning!

The clean and restored roost, with a layer of shaving in the bottom for easy cleaning in the future.

And a happy hen!

Spring blizzard

After such a mild winter, it was a shock to have sub zero wind chill and blowing and drifting snow on Friday and Saturday!  The wind continued after the snow stopped and when there wasn't any more snow to blow, the wind picked up dust from the fields. 

The wind stopped Monday morning and the sun came out to begin melting the drifts left behind by the storm.  We won't be farming this week!

Friday afternoon snow storm.....

And almost as quickly as it blew in, it blew out and left some milk chocolate drifts around the farm.

Alicia and Reynald hooked up the air cart to the spring drills, several days ago.

After the wind ran our of snow to blow, it started to cut and lift tiny pieces of soil to add to the drifts.

Reynald has to do a little plowing to open our lane.  Prior to this we just drove through the frozen field to get to the county road!

Butch the cougar seems unfazed by the spring blizzard.

Up an over the pasture fence!

My decorative bicycle is almost buried.

Remember this from last week.....

now it looks like this.

And the happy yellow crocus.....

are a  little sad, but not as sad as the daphne bush.  

Baxter likes the drifts because he gets a better view of the farm which he is charged with protecting.

King of the Mountain!

The chicken yard has a good size drift but there's still lots of room for them to scratch around and eat vegetable scraps from the kitchen.  

Spring in to winter

As I mentioned earlier, we've had a very mild winter and lovely early spring.  But that is all forecast to change tomorrow.  Winter is arriving with a vengeance after taking the usual winter time off!  Snow, cold temperatures, high winds, all predicted beginning tomorrow morning.  My yard is not going to be happy. 

It was such a pretty day today.  So hard to believe that this arctic blast is actually headed our way.

 A few photos of what is blooming and just about to bloom.

The shop daffodils.

Alicia picked them this evening and took them home because after tomorrow they will not be this happy.

One batch of crocus is blooming like mad.

And this little bunch of miniature iris

This rose bush has been pruned and is starting to leaf out.

The hellebore is loaded with blooms.

Charlie and Baxter are never far away.  They are so interested in what I am doing!

Rhubarb just starting to make an appearance.

More rhubarb 

More Charlie!  Hoping that the blueberry bush will produce fruit again this year because he loves blueberries and helps himself to the fruit.

Sweet cherry buds beginning to swell. 

More roses leafing out and more Charlie in the background.

The snowball bush is just starting to bloom.

And lilac buds swelling.

Daphne in full bloom and oh so fragrant.

The aftermath of carrot and parsnip digging.  Some will go to Boston for Ryan James who is starting to eat his vegetables.  Reportedly, he loves gramma's carrots!

Sunset reflection in the west garage windows.  

And the sun goes down on a pretty day.