Finally. . .

The beginning of Spring appears to have finally arrived. They temperatures have risen to the upper 40s during the bright sunshine and sunset has moved on to about 7:15 PM. We'll surely get a few more overnights of cold air and maybe a flake or two, but it looks like Winter is moving on.

This week will be busy. My birthday is on Monday (shameless plug) and I've decided to start the brooder up in anticipation of getting the chicks this week. I haven't decided on the final count yet, and the breeds will be what's available when I get to the Farm Supply. This will put the chicks at about 10 weeks by the end of May when they should be fine outside. That's also long enough to get a Chicken Tractor constructed as their permanent home will be built in with the new wood shed coming this year.

Some of the herbs are sprouted as well as a few early flowers. I planted some ornamental hot peppers today that will go into the new planters to be built for the deck. I'll also need to start some of the tomatoes for pots and a few for early sets in the garden. Speaking of the garden, while it has been melting, the beds are still under about a foot of snow, but all things considered, I hope they will be nearly visible before any cooler weather returns. With luck, things will be really ready to run over the next few weeks.

Finally, of note, in two weeks I will be celebrating one full year living here on my ten acres. While some of the work preparing the homestead has been done over the last year, there is still much to do.