Good morning!
We’re in for a week of above freezing temperatures during the day.
Rumor has it syrup producers are already tapping trees in anticipation of the sap starting to flow this week.
I’ll be able to get my seedlings that I’m starting out on the back porch for a very gradual introduction to hardening off. They grow so much better outdoors than even under a grow light and fan.
Good morning! Today it will get above freezing for the first time in over a week. Looking forward to it! Snow in the front of the house has almost melted away. It’s the only part that gets much sun. The back is still a winter snow scene. Animal tracks all over the place.
However, we will be hitting 45 degrees by Tuesday with little to no snow in the forecast, so it should be fine. :)
Wednesday we pick up our UTV! Can't wait to be motoring around in that thing! Similar to this Can Am model but with more bells and whistles. And actual doors & windscreen.
I'm excited to show my Mom around our property. She's only been down to the Pasture to pet the Heifers, but there's so much more to see; fawns in the Spring, the creek and dry damn, two 1940's vehicles that are basically now 'grown' into the side of the bluff where they were dumped way back when, mossy 'Fairy Gardens,' every local wildflower you can name, the BIG apple tree and the endless views from the top of the pasture hill. On a clear day you can see the Belmont and Platteville Mounds to the southwest from up there.
No snow left on the ground, but a chilly start @ 15°. It should get to a balmy 42 this afternoon. Four days next week will be in the 50’s & above freezing at night.
Today is clean out the fridge & straighten up the freezer day. I bought a box (12) of wide-mouth quart Ball jars & plastic tops yesterday. I have gone from zero soup to ‘too much’ & I needed the jars to freeze a few quarts. So far, I have 2 qts. of Jewish Penicillin & 1 qt. of Spicy Carrot with Orange in the freezer. I have another 2 quarts of chicken noodle simmering on the stove. This afternoon, I am making Country Mushroom & Sour Cream - don’t expect to freeze any of this particular soup (only makes 4 servings) - should be great with sandwiches for lunch.
On Monday morning, I have to take mom to an appointment about 45 minutes away. If the weather is good in the afternoon, I will be picking up the sticks & branches that litter the yard - it will be quite a pile. Some are so big I will have to lopper or saw them into smaller pieces. On a low wind day, we will burn them. Last year, we had major wild fires on the mountains just up the road in March & I want to get the tree debris cleaned up before fire season this year. REALLY looking forward to doing something OUTSIDE!
More babies ... rabbits thos time! My niece, ever the entrepreneur, traded some meat (from hogs they raised & 2 cows processed last fall) & some sourdough bread she bakes, for a friend’s ‘rabbitry’ ... rabbits, pens, everything she needs to raise meat rabbits. The 14 lb. Mama rabbit had a litter a week ago. My niece sent a pic of my 2 great-nieces holding week old baby rabbits. Talk about cute ... not much cuter than baby bunnies & the expressions on the girls’ faces are pretty cute, too .... made my evening to get those pics :-)
Good Morning t
From the land of the ice and snow
Alas, no hot springs in MA.
Temps are trending upwards over the past week here in Central Missouri. The eight day forecast calls for daily highs in the mid 50°s to the low 60°s.
That should clear all of the ice from my pond and make for some absolutely awful muddy conditions in the horse paddocks as the frost comes out of the ground. I did quite a bit of slipping and sliding with the tractor while putting a round bale out yesterday. The top 2-3 inches is thawed now and is a slimy mess.
I kicked around the idea of pruning orchard trees yesterday but decided that taking a flyer off the ladder wasn’t on my list of fun things to do so I’ll wait until the ground settles up a bit before I tackle that job.