We've had some frost...
...but it's mostly been cool and rainy. Some normal warmer-weather activity has been happening. Mowing the back field...
...and cleaning out the gutters.
We thought that Claudia would be really excited to leave the barn in the spring, and she has gone outside...with some encouragement.
To our surprise, though, this formerly-feral cat who protested every time we tried to bring her into the warm barn during freezing temps does NOT want to be outside...at all. On really warm days when we put her out, she mostly sits on the barn doorstep and waits for Todd to open the door, hoping to slip inside unseen.
When inside, she's either sleeping or sitting next to Todd on the couch, begging for attention. She's basically taken over!
From what I've read, she's probably feeling vulnerable because she's compromised in hearing, sight, or both. She doesn't move very quickly, and she'd probably be easy pickings for a coyote...or a stray. For now, we're going to keep her in the barn nights, but still encourage her to go out during the day to get fresh air and a little stimulation. Hopefully this compromise works!
The spring ephemerals are popping!
dutchman's breeches
putty root orchid
Spicebush trees are budding out...
...and the redbuds are fully popped!
his expression after zinged with a particularly funny insult - all in good fun!
Red-winged blackbirds are everywhere.
I've also heard meadowlarks, cowbirds, robins, bluebirds, jays...so many different birds! More bulbs are coming up...
scillas
...and seedlings are starting to press against the lids of the greenhouses.
I'll have to take the lids off tomorrow, after the worst of the rain is over...but the lids need to be replaced (or most likely, a tarp used) to protect them from the frost that's coming in a few days. As soon as those roots hit the bottom of the "greenhouse," they'll be ready to pop into the garden! Not that the garden is ready...I haven't touched it since late summer. But I will baby-step my way through it this year.
Speaking of gardening, my sweet peas germinated nicely in my dark, chilly attic. Now they're out under lights. Ready to go in the ground in a couple of weeks!
We're seeing more new life on our trail cams...this heron caught a bluegill!
We've got quite a herd of deer coming from the forest into our fields every evening, too. They're still shaggy with their winter coats!
Coyotes, rabbits, possums, squirrels, raccoons, geese, and skunks are still making regular appearances as well. No babies yet but I'm watching closely.
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