One of my egg farm refugees helps herself to breakfast.
Local readers of my blog have been complaining loud and often that it's been forever since I've posted anything. Here's the deal: There hasn't been much to report. (That's a good thing.) Just a quiet, warm, snowless, uneventful winter-into-spring. I like it.
Two weeks ago, we had three new arrivals at the homestead, but today is the first time they weren't too scared to let me get close to them. Meet the piggies:
I have never met such skittish little pigs. Today is the first time I have actually seen them.
The turkeys have started gobbling now, so it's incredibly loud outside. Every morning, we have THREE roosters crowing before dawn, and every time one lets loose (once a minute, conservatively), all the turkeys gobble.
I've been getting up kind of early.
The chickens are enjoying the bare ground and comfortable temps. But we now have two young, randy roosters running around.
The girls clear out whenever one of them shows up.
The husband and the cats are fine.
I've been spinning away on my hand-dyed Romney fiber. I think I've finished seven skeins (one is way too fine, however). But I had to take a break a few weeks ago when I got a bit sick and didn't have the energy to sit up and spin. So I knit a shawl.
This is Jared Flood's Terra and I loved knitting it. It's to keep my shoulders warm at the office, which is about as warm as the antarctic research station all winter. Unfortunately, my urgent need to start a knitting project heading into a lazy, sickly weekend clashed with my lack of funds to buy nice yarn.
So I got cheap yarn. It's fine, but it's not great. I should have waited until I could afford something more luxurious. But at least I got to knit. It took a week.
Now I'm finishing up a baby sweater for my niece.
I may go back to the spinning but something weird has been happening around here. I believe it's called "spring." Today it's going to hit close to 70 and stay there all week, which will no doubt break all kinds of records. I'm not saying we aren't going to end up with a blizzard before winter's over. But today I cleaned out my black raspberries, blueberries and strawberries and planted leeks, kale, broccoli rabe and lettuce. So as far as I'm concerned, spring has begun.
I think a lot of the country is having similarly odd weather. I find it disturbing. But oh so enjoyable.
And that's all the news from the Lazy J.
The end.
Love the chicken photo and the shawl!! (tho' not necessarily in that order.)
Three little pigs....hmmm where I have heard that before? (smile)
So is Vermont skipping mud season this year? Michigan is incredibly warm for March. Lots of white midwestern pasty legs running around in shorts and flip flops. Unheard of for March in Michigan.
Posted by: Valerie | March 18, 2012 at 01:09 PM
Nice post, love the pics and shawl.
Posted by: gertieanne | March 18, 2012 at 01:11 PM
Lovely shawl! Love the pigs!
Posted by: KatieBea | March 18, 2012 at 03:16 PM
It's been like summer here this weekend! Weird and yet highly enjoyable. I still expect spring snow to slam us back to reality.
Such a pretty shawl. If it took just a week you weren't that sick, were you? :)
Posted by: Elizabeth | March 18, 2012 at 08:15 PM
Instead of Oscar the Grouch, you have a hen in the garbage can! I must remember to show this to my 3-year-old.
We in MN are having bizarre weather, too - upper 70s in mid March? Who ever heard of such a thing, esp after last year's winter, the longest and coldest in my 7 yrs here? But it sure is nice to not be cooped up in the house. The girls start begging to go outside as soon as they wake up.
I tarped over the garden last week. I don't think I can really solarize it, but I am hoping to kill the grass growing in it w/o resorting to Roundup.
Posted by: June | March 19, 2012 at 09:32 AM
I spent some time clearing out in my herb and flower gardens today - even though the dirt is still semi-frozen. The warm weather was just too good to waste... If there wasn't still a solid layer of snow on the vegetable garden, I would have been up planting spinach and lettuce. For mid-March, this is just crazy!
Love the piggies! But you know how I am about piggies... 8)
Posted by: gayle | March 19, 2012 at 05:49 PM
Lovely, lovely shawl. Happy spring- I'm just fearful that a cold snap is going to bite tender plants in the behind. Final frost date in our area is mid-May.
Posted by: Kristen | March 25, 2012 at 04:07 PM
Love the chicken in the garbage can! And thank you for the picture of Milo - such a handsome kitty boy!
Posted by: janna | March 25, 2012 at 11:16 PM
Your shawl is beautiful.
The piggies are adorable. Is one of them a tamworth?
Posted by: Ann | March 26, 2012 at 11:55 PM
I love the shawl. I'm going to be stopping into Harrisville NH next month and I intend to get some Shelter at the mill to try. I'm excited about it as it's had a lot of raves on the internet! Piggies are cute - reds are my favorite. :)
Don't you love the weather even if this week has been a bit chilly (compared to last week)!
Posted by: Michelle | March 29, 2012 at 03:15 PM