It was an amazingly busy month here, with the weather finally deciding that it could start to look a little like Spring. The Valley Quail we were incubating finally hatched - funny little cuties.
.JPG)
We took a long weekend trip to Southern Utah for a getaway to a warmer climate, near the Nevada-Utah border. Of course, it decided to snow the whole weekend we were there. Which didn't slow us down any. We hiked to a ghost town cemetery and poked around through all the galleries near Zion's National Park.
We also visited all the rock shops - one of my favorite things to do. I couldn't pass up the hunks of recycled glass from the nearby glass factory. They will find their way in to some ceramic creations.
.JPG)
We butchered our second beef steer, just in time to get two more beef calves to raise for meat. Not-So-Little-Anymore-Q helped with the whole process. He was particularly helpful with skinning. Raising our own food gives him such a great appreciation for the value of life and complex emotions involved in raising your own meat. He has become an old hand at milking cows, delivering calves, bottle feeding lambs, shearing, hoof trimming, dressing poultry, and weeding gardens.
.JPG)
The pigs we had raised all winter were ready for butchering, too. We elected to have a local smokehouse take care of them for us, so we could have smoked hams and bacon on a larger scale than we can do in our smokers.
.JPG)
And the garlic we planted last Fall finally made an appearance as the ground has begun to thaw. We know there will still be at least one more surprise snow storm and a freeze, but it is still hard not to get excited to plant all of the heirloom vegetable starts waiting in the greenhouse and the house.
.JPG)
I've been busy in the studio, too...more to come on that.
What's been keeping you busy this Spring?
7 comments:
I finally started some seeds - it feels very late yet my yard and garden are still completely snow covered. Even with no idea what the summer has in store for us I can't help feeling almost deliriously optimistic about the garden.
That glass would have been impossible to resist. Do you have plans for it yet?
Wow! It does sound like it's been a busy few weeks! I've always wanted to visit Zion National Park.. maybe sometime within the next few years.
you live in an amazing place.
Such beauty.
You're way ahead of me. Finally planted seeds last weekend, though nary a one has poked through yet. I have high hopes, though!
Doing NOTHING. And actually, not so disappointed with it.
Have restarted P90x. Enjoying the empty nest while the not-so-little's seem to be doing well.
So happy to hear your still-little-by-comparison is learning the things necessary to live a good, honest & true life. Thanks to Mom & Dad!
Wishing you peace, my friend.
Baby quail are adorable! My pottery project (the chess set) is still keeping me busy... working on the tiles for the board now. And thinking about starting up my hanging baskets of herbs that I keep by the front door in the spring and summer.
Post a Comment