rainy April days...

"Most of April hours are happy ones...for even the dreariest rain means the quickening of the frosty old earth into a new splendor. It isn't just a rainy day, but it is a day to make the hyacinths grow, and lengthen the green lances of the tulips. 

We often have to put the furnace on, and snow sometimes sifts soon over the greening lawn, but we know it it is just a temporary note from winter and tomorrow will be warm again."

-Glady Taber,
Stillmeadow Seasons

it's the most wonderful time of the year...

As I sit down to write this, the sun is shining and when the clouds part, the skies are a robin's egg blue...but don't let that lead you to believe it's a lovely spring day here in the Midwest.

I'm in a turtleneck and sweatshirt on this happy Monday and the kids wore their winter coats to school. The winds from the north are strong and cold. Had this been a couple of months ago, I dare say we'd be in the middle of a blizzard.

And so, for me at least, it's a day for indoor chores. However; the farmers are hard at work outdoors today, so I thought I'd share a peek at what we see all around us...

 

So, as I sit bundled up, I'm grateful we're not snowed in like some folks are. I can promise though, that we'll be keeping warm with a kettle of simmering soup on the menu, along with mugs of creamy cocoa!

Happy Monday to all!

thanks to those good folks at Backyard Poultry...

A heartfelt thanks to the publishers at Backyard Poultry magazine. If you take a peek inside their April/May issue ("The Joyful Sound of Spring: A Delightful Peep" page 24) you'll find our story of how 6 little chicks came to live at Windy Meadows Farm!

Now, a year later, six happy hens are more fun that we thought possible...and it's all thanks
to a little nudging by our kids.

I hope you have the chance to read the article, along with the rest of Backyard Poultry...
if you're new to backyard chickens, or even if you've been enjoying them for years, you'll find the pages filled with lots of terrific information!

is that snow?

Ah yes...yesterday, and just for a bit this morning, there were snowflakes drifting down from the spring sky.

Snowflakes!

Delicate blooms on fruit trees remain covered, along with other little blossoms...I'm crossing my fingers.
Soon enough we'll find out how they've fared when the "real" spring weather arrives. (Should I tell you I had a fire in the fireplace yesterday?!)

And so, even though it's absolutely freezing outside, here's a peek of what's to come...
just a little something to keep our spirits up!

 

a flowery, showery month...

April is full of foolery…so far she has presented us with unseasonable temperatures in the 80’s. These warm days have brought early buds on fruit trees, blossoms on perennials, and grass that is inching up daily. Oh yes, on this farm, mowing is in full swing (and the grass may yet have the upper hand!)

And yet, with all the promise of new life spring offers, April may yet present some parts of the country with a snowfall. The highs predicted next week in our part of the Midwest, will be half of what they have been…daytime temperatures in the 40’s will surely bring nights that mean covering up blooming flowers in hopes they will be spared the nighttime chill.

No matter…April has brought with her breezes that make sheets and quilts smell their sweetest when dried on the clothesline. Even cleaning out flowerbeds doesn’t seem like a weighty chore when the sun is shining and the birds are singing. While I go about,  I’m dreaming of making changes…adding  hydrangeas where the goldenrod have taken over, surrounding the old-fashioned lilac with colorful zinnias, tucking a few more herbs in the kitchen garden, adding a handmade fountain here and there, and adding a few goodies to the kids’ fairy garden.  

I've been collecting photos for inspiration...and oh, are they ever!

photo source: http://www.interiorfans.com/greatest-garden-art-from-junk

photo source: http://roadkillrescue.net/2012/02/outdoor-dining-table/

photo source: http://artgardendiva.blogspot.com/2011/07/cracked-pots-at-mc-menamins-edgefield.html

The land is warming and the season is changing. We welcome the heavenly scent of freshly-mown grass that surrounds us, and when paired with the fragrance of the earth as the fields are plowed, the air is sweet.  Soon it’ll be barefoot time…tossing shoes aside and feeling the soft grass underfoot is a simple pleasure to be enjoyed no matter where you live (or how old you are!)

This weekend the kids will enjoy an egg hunt with friends, we’ll visit with family, and have our traditional Easter dinner as we pause and reflect on the holiday at hand.

Such are the pleasures of April!