Spring day

After the cold of last week it is a relief to have a sunshiny day with temperatures in the low 70's. A snow day once in awhile is good fun, but the long and short of it is that I need to be outside to be happy. It is hard to believe that today a year ago I had an apple tree in bloom.

This morning saw me raking up the chicken yard and digging up another garden bed. There are no greens left for the hens now, so I put a flake of alfalfa for them to be entertained and get a little extra green, even if it is dry. The old matriarch, Goldie, recognized what it was and immediately hopped on, scratched the surface to loosen it, and dug in. The new girls were more hesitant but as I write, everybody is having a great time.

While digging in the garden I had some company: one of the Cooper's hawks was on the fence, digesting an early bird. I wish he would stay around and concentrate on rodents instead. I could use his help in the garden, judging by the tunnels I found and fence not withstanding.