It's Getting Exciting Around Here

The weather is actually starting to act like late spring around here. With the warming and drying out my yard is definitely more active on many fronts. The bees, for example, are busy everywhere I see blossoms (and on stuff that I didn't recognize as blossoms). They're thirsty girls too. My garden spigot is a favorite watering hole. They don't seem bothered if I slowly turn water on or off while they are there. They just want to get a drink:

Recognize these gals? They're not so little any more. I moved them outside weeks ago. Perhaps in the next six weeks or so they will start laying for me. I can't wait for my own fresh brown eggs. It's painful to buy eggs in the store.

I expanded their run with some tougher wire fencing. You can see the size of the original run where the 2x4's are still standing. I haven't covered the top of the chicken run with anything yet, and I almost don't want to because it's nice to be able to walk right in their little yard. I have caught a runaway a couple of times out of the coop because she has flown up and over, so maybe I will try to clip their flying feathers instead to prevent aerial escapes.

I know so many people are struggling with the amount of water we've gotten, but it has been a blessing in my yard. I am finally turning on my sprinklers for the first time this season, and I hardly did any additional watering for my spring peas and lettuce. Mother Nature kindly took care of that. My garden has burst into being. I swear my green beans were underground one day and two inches tall the very next. Everything has finally sprouted, and the list is long: beets, peas, lettuce, zucchini, dill, cilantro, Asian yard-long green beans, regular green beans, tomatoes, peppers, 3 kinds of potatoes (Red Pontiac, Yukon Gold, All Blues), watermelon, pumpkins, butternut squash, cucumbers, spaghetti squash, and basil. Where is all this growing, you ask? Well, I think I may have overplanted, so there is probably going to be some serious thinning going on!

Oh. I'm being paged. Bronwyn and I are going to watch the next episode of Lark Rise to Candleford -- absolutely delightful!!