Tracking Spring 2012

February 23 - Red Winged Blackbirds return
March 1- Peepers (pond frogs)
March 2 - Robin and Swans
March 6 - Killdeer
March 8- 13 deer (although they are a year round presence, this is the largest I've seen the herd)

Every spring I play a game of tracking and journaling the wildlife that return in the order and preferably with the exact date I witness them.  I adore wildlife and treasure the wet springs if only for the new and rare species I've seen.  Although 2009 was truly a flooded mess; with our barn and most of our land a lake around our house and the ducks and geese swam along our driveway and fish swam in the back yard, it was the year I saw a Belted Kingfisher female diving for fish in my backyard.  It was also the year that I saw Hooded Mergansers and a pair of Teall Ducks for the first time!  It was also the spring that granted me the gift of watching a bald eagle survey our land and ponds for dinner.

I keep an adorable little nature journal handy to track the dates and species spotted and pass a few moments sketching some of them. 

It's Raspberry Season!

This week my family found the first raspberries off our plants. I can't tell you how excited I am, as we've never had much luck growing raspberries in past years. This year our plants are large, healthy, and full of berries! I spent the morning weeding the garden and the berry beds and picking the first crop of my favorite fruit.

Did you know: An individual raspberry weighs about 4 g, on average and is made up of around 100 drupelets. each of which consists of a juicy pulp and a single central seed.

We have two kinds of raspberries; the traditional red raspberry and blush- a lighter colored variety.

My faithful, hilarious companion Lexi. Apparently he likes the raspberries too!

I got the garden completely weeded this morning...let's see how long it lasts.

This is our gentle giant, Thor. We have a small row of corn growing right in front of the chicken run.

Me, surveying my handiwork with my other companion, Dylan.

Hines Drive Photo Shoot With Carl

Wow.  I can't believe it has been so long since I've blogged.  Life feels like a speeding roller coaster right now.  We are in the countdown weeks until Shelby's graduation, I started a new job, and every time there is a break in the cold, weird, rainy weather we've been experiencing this spring, we try to get a little more of the lawn mowed!  As of today we still do not have our lawn completely mowed for the first time this spring!

However, on one of those lovely spring days we were allowed, the stars and planets came into alignment!  Carl came into town from Santa Fe, I had the day off, and there was sunshine!  Hines Park here we come!  The lovely hike was followed by a yummy lunch with our friend Barb and my daughter Shelby (yes, I made her skip school so she could see Carl).

Here are some of my photos from that lovely day...

A close up of Elm bark

For some reason this graffiti didn't offend me

My friend Carl Schuman, Santa Fe artist

These next two pictures were pretty exciting for me as I had never seen a jack-in-the-pulpit in the wild!

This plant starts life male. After 2 years, or longer in poor soil, it turns female, flowers and bears seed. If the plant receives a shock, it may turn back male again.  Isn't that crazy?!

Pysanky Season

Since Easter is late in April this year and I have only one class to teach so far, I have only just gotten out my Pysanky and supplies.  I took advantage of the fruit tree pruning I've been doing and brought in three budded branches that I secured together and placed in a vase along with water and some beach glass-looking stones for weight.  I had to learn to do this the hard way; last year I broke one of Shelby's first eggs when the top heavy "tree" fell over.  Then I covered all the branches with eggs the girls and I have made over the years and several eggs I have collected as well.  In a week or so all the buds on my branches will bloom a pretty peach-pink; since I used peach tree prunings!

 These are more of the eggs we've made over the years with the exception of the eggs in the left carton which are from Romania and made by monks.  I bought a whole dozen on my last visit to Romania.

I heard about the Relay for Life that my local Curves chapter is supporting.  They are accepting donations for a silent auction.  I decided to put together a little Pysanky kit which includes: one of the Romanian eggs, a porcelain egg holder, one medium kistka, a block of beeswax, 9 different colors of dyes, 2 egg lifters, a box of Polish matches, a sheet of instructions and design ideas, and a basket.  Here it is...

Here is a little note of interest; in all the different countries that create these beautiful Easter eggs, like Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Hungary, and the Czek Republic, each of the design elements and each color have special meanings.  So although an egg might be pretty to look at, there may be great significance attached to the egg by it's maker!

Miracles Still Happen

Ten days ago I published a post on my new little tomato seedlings.  Look what has happened in 10 days!  Who says miracles don't happen anymore! :)

Saturday I spent several hours in the still cool and cloudy weather cleaning out flower beds.  It was like an Easter hunt for all the lovely little seedlings and bulbs peeping out of the newly warmed soil.

 Yesterday, it had jumped to 81 degrees and I had to rush home from church to unplug the heat lamp so my little chicks didn't become chicken nuggets in the heat!  They are fine. See...

 I certainly hope we aren't going to skip the spring season and dive directly into summer!

Reaching For Spring

I have begun the small duties of spring that seem to bridge the gap between the weariness of the cold and the outside chores in the warm sunshine.  A few days ago I started my tomato seeds.  I have been saving my seeds for several years; ever since my neighbor gave me the largest Roma tomato I have ever seen!  I would like to start seeds for other garden vegetables and flowers, but I have not the space for it currently.

I now save seeds for that same Roma and a variety of Beefsteak that are huge and rarely crack.  The flavor of both are amazing.  I am very relaxed about the purity of the next year's prodigy.  In fact, last year I grew Roma's that had apparently crossed with some Green Zebra Tomatoes.

They were beautiful, but had little flavor.  Needless to say, I did not save their seeds.

I was startled to note that my tomato seeds have already sprouted!  With the cilantro, rosemary, and basil that I started from an herb kit my husband gave me at Christmas, it is looking very spring-like in my kitchen and laundry room.

I've also taken the opportunity to divide an African violet that was obviously already dividing itself in the container it was housed.  After that, my cactus looked so pathetic and unhappy, he too received a new pot and nutrient rich soil; suitable for a cactus of course!

Can it ever truly be spring without chicks?

This morning was an unusual morning to say the least.  I woke and remained awake at 3:30 a.m.  Finally at 5:00 a.m., I shoved the covers away determined to make the most of my extra long day.  After working out on the treadmill and at Curves, I came home and was determined to clean out the hen house.  Mike got right on board.  As I shoveled, swept, bleached, and refilled fresh pine bedding, he replaced a pane of glass that had been broken over the winter.  My heart sang as we removed the wadded up towel that had been a makeshift draft preventer.  A few well placed staples from the trusty staple gun and the loose chicken wire reinforcing the door was back in place.  I love spring!  Even the cleanup is inspiring.  I think my hens really appreciated all the sprucing up as well.

We were so inspired by our industriousness, that we decided to clean out all the bluebird houses on our 18 acres of conservation land.  I have been watching pairs of bluebirds check out potential nest boxes for the last two weeks.  Now they are ready for occupancy.

Since by now it was lunch time and we were starving, we headed into Dundee for lunch and a quick trip to our favorite Tractor Supply Store.  I was sooo good.  Really, I was.  I walked past the adorable little chicks not even attempting to talk my husband into another clutch of fuzzy black cuteness.  However, the sales person must have tuned into some kind of hidden desire of mine.  She walked up to Mike and I and said, these are the last ones and they're half off!  I looked at the sign and ohhhhh!  they were Auracaunas!  Those wonderful, stern looking hens that lay beautiful blue and green eggs!

Half off!  Really?  They were...but they were not Auracaunas.  Turns out they were a breed (can't recall which exactly) that were excellent egg layers AND meat chickens.  Well, that got Mike's attention.  Meat?  Yup.  Box them up.

So we came home, and I spent the next hour shoveling, sweeping, bleaching, refilling bedding in the old goose house!  After adding the necessary heat lamp and draft blocks, the chicks were nestled into their new home.  You'd think this was the end of the story but when we got into the house there was a message on the answering machine from a woman whom I spoke with over a year ago.  She was wondering if I still wanted a pair of Sebastapol geese.

I think I'll clean out the old duck house tomorrow!

Priorities

Today is day number two of mid 50 degrees.  Everyone knows that this is heaven in Michigan in March for all who live here.  So far no problem, right?  Wrong!

I sit here looking longingly out the window as the warm sun beckons while piles of data, copies of tax forms, college financial aid reports, and fafsa notifications taunt me.  Why can't it ever be raining when I am at deadline?

Ok, maybe I am being a bit dramatic (it runs in the family).  My taxes are finished.  The FAFSA report has been completed for both Lauren and Shelby.  I even completed the required PROFILE Report that U of M requires for students applying for financial aid.  Here is my real rant: How is it that U of M requires an additional financial report that takes 2 days to research, find and retrieve all necessary documentation including the last TWO years of tax returns, AND charges me $25.00 to do all this?!  Why isn't the government FAFSA Report good enough for them?  Oh yeah, that's right, they're U of M...

Ranting is now finished.   As am I!  The only thing left to do is to sign all the copies of the tax returns; Lauren's and ours and get them over to the college either by snail mail or by foot; meaning Lauren of course!

Now I can go see the surprises spring always brings...

Illustration Friday - Winter

The theme for Illustration Friday  this week was "Winter".  I used a photo shot in my herb garden a couple of years ago on a very frosty morning when the sun sparkled off all of the ice jewels.  It was breath taking.  Although winter in Michigan seems to be a long, drawn out endeavor, it's beauty can entice anyone to come out for a closer look.

This mixed media piece was made using an 8x12 color photo with the emulsion dampened for distressing techniques.  The different materials and mediums include; sand paper, watercolor pencils, photo pens, permanent markers, gel pens, glimmer mist, thread, sewing machine, ephemera, specialty papers, vellum, antiquing ink, and tinsel.