The snow is all gone now, and good riddance! I will never, ever be a winter person. There are really only two things I like about winter: getting to wear my Icelandic sweater, and watching the trumpeter swans migrate directly over my house. Sometimes they honk as they fly, and that is one of my favorite sounds in the world. Sometimes they are silent, but fly so low I can hear the soft flapping of their wings over my head. I love that, too. I am so grateful to live exactly where I am! While the snow was keeping me from working in my garden, I baked. Woman Scribbles is the ONLY recipe blogger I follow, and she’s amazing. I have tried several of her recipes and they are always super easy to make and turn out fantastic. All but one have been “I MUST make this again!” successes, and the one I tried last week…oh, my goodness. I am addicted to it. I made a loaf two different times during that week, and I’m making another tomorrow! It’s her Cinnamon Roll Bread Loaf and look how complicated it looks. Don’t believe it…it’s the simplest thing ever. Seriously.
And after it bakes? Gorgeous! I’m drooling just looking at it.
The other thing I did while I waited out the snow was get started on my seed planting. I have tomatoes, onions, and leeks started now, with brassicas to follow tomorrow. It is so satisfying this time of year to stand in my greenhouse, hands in the dirt, with that lovely warm smell of spring filling the air.
Especially when your view outside of the greenhouse is this:
I mentioned last time that I made a new strawberry bed as a trial, using a non-pallet version of Lovely Greens’ design. Here it is.
I will line the inside with landscape cloth, then punch holes for the strawberry plants as I fill it with compost. Like hers. She used straw in this particular photo, but I shy away from straw because so much of it is contaminated with herbicides these days. People of ruined their gardens, using straw (or even cow manure) from non-organic places.
I’ll be able to grow around 40 strawberry plants in this. If it does well, I’ll build a second one next year. I’m also testing out a couple other methods, because you can never really have too many strawberries! I bought two of these garden grow bags. I’ve heard good things. We’ll see!
I also bought a Mr Stacky planter.
And lastly…to get ready for spring, I set up the brooder for the meat chicks.
I was hoping to get them this week, but the USPS has gone all villain-ish and put an embargo on all live animal shipping. This is a truly tragic thing, because the hatcheries have already put those hatching eggs into the incubators, and whether or not they are allowed to ship, those chicks WILL be hatched. Hundreds of them, across the USA. The hatcheries can’t delay this, and once the chicks hatch, they are either forced to find local homes for them, or kill them. The hatchery I got an email from said they were fortunately able to find local places to accept their chicks THIS week, but if the embargo doesn’t end by next week, it will quite possibly mean those chicks will be killed. And of course the hatchery will have lost a lot of money, and some of the hatcheries are small family businesses, and won’t be able to survive. This embargo is NOT about the weather. According the USPS, it is because they are behind in their deliveries and have decided to prioritize non-living packages over living ones. This is, of course, is the complete opposite to what they should prioritize! It makes me so sad. I’m really praying the embargo is lifted next week, and those chicks can be shipped. Every life is a precious thing, and shouldn’t be wasted.
So I don’t have to end there, on that note, I’ll tell you about one more favorite thing of mine. These seed sprouting jars. I love them. My mom got them for me for Christmas, and they are the easiest way of sprouting seeds I’ve tried.
This week, weather permitting, I plan to get started building something. Not sure what. The new greenhouse for the chicken yard that I’m going to plant with comfrey? Could be. Remodeling one of the old quail coops to hold two of my free-ranging herd of bindweed devouring guinea pigs? Needs to be done soon! Or maybe start work on the new bantam/pigeon coop? So much I want to build! Come on, sunshine! Or least…please don’t rain. Or snow.
Oh, yeah. And I also need to put my rabbits together for a play date, and get some new baby bunnies started! 😉
Out of Eden 