When a Child is Given a Camera

It's time to start springing things.  I know, early, but it's been a very warm and wet winter.  So, it's time to get ready for spring.  I let Marcus out with the camera. 

We had to buy a greenhouse due to erosion trouble.  We had a horrible time last year, and this year has already proven wetter than last.  So, we're starting all we can inside the greenhouse so our seeds don't get washed away, crows don't eat the corn, and weeding is reduced for a while in the beginning.

We planted peas, lettuce, and beets in the greenhouse.

I also filled a freezer with dirt, and planted carrots, onion, lettuce, and beets in it. (it's there on the left)

 We prop it open with wooden wedges...

And hold the covering down with a big rock.  Now, we use a broken screen door for the top most of the time, and...a broken glass door for when it rains and we don't need the water, etc. (George inspects it daily)

We also had the lovely job of cleaning the coop.

Normally, it gets so cold, that the floor is frozen, so we just clean it out in the spring.  When it's frozen, there's very little if any smell.  However, this year, it never got cold enough, and it was so wet, that it was very smelly and messy.  Especially with ducks-ducks are NASTY.

And we spread the manure on the garden:

 It'll have time to settle in before the dirt's used.  This will be the last poop installment until fall/winter.

 Thanks babe, that's real flattering.  (btw, why would I wear a letterman's jacket?  It's wool and expendable.  I wear it to work in all the time.  Very warm!)

Meanwhile, back at HQ...
Arlis removes the bad hay off the latest roll:

   The cats stand guard.

We also insure all boys are in one pasture, and all girls in another for calving.  We bought a new heifer.  She's registered.  We can begin weeding out the grade (non-registrable) cattle.  Here is Arlis's little heifer, Hope.  She's six months old, and in a much better place than where she was (all they fed was grain.  Their cows looked very sick).

Hope is MAD!  We took her from her mother, put a halter on her, tagged her ear, and gave her a tattoo.  I'd be mad too.  Arlis continues to work with her, and now she is able to be led with the rope halter and trusts us more.