Greetings from southern New Hampshire, where spring has sprung!
I have the backyard and garden watering system turned on and it has weathered the winter just fine, except for the most distant drainout valve “pot” which is still a solid, albeit shrinking block of ice. Even the hose bib, three feet away is running freely, but I cannot get to the valve to close it. Waiting until the ice melts. Hopefully, it will be fine.
Our new bee colony is doing fine. Getting ready for the new one, due a week from tomorrow.
I have completed the cleaning, plumbing repairs and restart of our bog filter, which cleans the water from the duck pond, while providing a pleasant stream and place for water plants. Barb can transplant the parrot feather which wintered over in a used aquarium in the basement. It wants out...bad! I also dranined, cleaned and refilled the pond/waterfall under the garden pergola and it is ready for parrot feather. The front pond is drained and ready for cleaning this morning. Then a refill and start of the fountain. the stream/waterfall will come later.
Our ducks have gone into egg production! We are getting 6-9 eggs a day, now. Barb has been boiling them, grinding them and feeding them back to the ducks. They love ‘em! We let the ducks out to explore the garden area. The older ones are quite comfortable with us, but the “flotilla”, consisting of the ten babies from last fall and Carlton, our lone Pekin are standoffish. However, they are extremely well-behaved. When I pick up a bamboo pole, they line up and march to the pen. At night, same thing going into the coop.
I took a fork to the first 4 by 4 raised bed and the ground was thawed. So, I will start spading the garden.
Well, you are making a lot of progress. Never would have thought about feeding the ducks, their own eggs. Gonna have to wrap my head around that for a while.
Got to go get back to taxes now. See everyone later.