Some lambs just have cuter faces than others. It's just a bit out of focus. I had to hurry with this picture because the mother was worrying about her baby.
Back on the home front, you can see how anxious the daffys are to get out of the ground where there was snow just yesterday! Isn't God just amazing! He has been working on this undercover!
Today I worked in the greenhouse, watering everything and also planting some seeds in cell packs. The heat mat is hooked up to come on at 8pm and turn off at 8am. With bottom heat, they will be up in about half the time the seed packets predict. It gets warm enough in the daytime for them to only need to keep their little feet warm at night. These are all cool weather types, lettuce of several varieties, cabbage, brocolli, Swiss chard, all things that don't mind some frost. I can set them out into the garden rows in about 3 more weeks. By then the soil should be dry enough to run the rototiller. Meanwhile, I need to be busy with a shovel and wheelbarrow, moving some of my ample supply of horse manure.
I took a brief trip down to the barn about mid morning to see what was happening there, not much, the recent lamb explosion has slowed down at least for now. I haven't brought in any lambs at 1am for a couple of nights, but by 4 there have been several and it continued all day. Over the last 2-3 days about 20 ewes delivered lambs. The mothering (community) pens are full and those ewes and their lambs will be graduating to the pasture tomorrow.
Snow had covered the ground again sometime after I came home from my 1am lamb check, but by about 10am the sun had provided enough warmth to make it all melt. We still have some big snowbanks, but the flower beds are mostly clear. The next few days will be showery, sometimes in the form of rain, sometimes snow. We even had hail a few days ago, the horses ran around trying to get away from it, but when they realized they couldn't, they just stood there until it was over. Of course they never run into the little shed, it is too noisy with hail on a metal roof.
Big fat snowflakes are falling and the ground is almost covered again. Earlier today I took more pictures of the disappearing snowbanks and emerging landscape, and also took some pictures of plants that are blooming in the greenhouse.
One plant, a Dracena that is several years old, grew to about 4 ft tall, and has a bloom at the top. It's a foliage plant and I had no idea it would bloom, but it must be happy to be in the greenhouse. Last winter I was reading that if the top is cut off the plant can be rerooted, and it was getting ugly because it has about 2 ft of bare stem and is growing crooked. Instead, we moved it out to the greenhouse to make room for the Christmas tree. Now I'm glad I didn't cut it off. God is constantly surprising me!
I also have cactus in bloom and a few amaryllis. When I get the pictures downloaded I will post some of them, that is assuming that they are any good. Today was a good day for taking greenhouse pictures because it was overcast and there won't be so many shadows.
By the weekend we will be out of firewood and will have to run the propane furnace. I love wood heat even through it is messy and requires attention several times a day. We have been burning the elm limbs we trimmed off the trees a year ago last fall, they are well dried and hold the fire a long time, and they do produce a lot of heat, but they do not catch easily so I have been using some white fir to get the fire going and produce some coals, then add the elm. It makes a horrible amount of ash, so instead of cleaning out the woodstove about once every week, I've had to clean it about every 3rd day.
Some red is showing in the middle of the rhubarb! The leaves come out of a big fat red bud, and those buds are pushing their way up through the mulch now. No sign of the asparagus yet, the rhubarb is always first. Last week I made a rhubarb cobbler from a package that I found hiding in the corner of the chest freezer where things tend to hide, actually get lost, for months at a time. I was looking for something else, but decided it was time to use it up before the new stalks come on.
I sweetened the rhubarb, added cornstarch (not quite enough as it turned out a bit runny, oh, that's juicy), then put a top on it that reminds me of something between a cake and a biscuit. Served warm with vanilla ice cream, it was pronounced a winner! There is another package lurking in the freezer so I think I will make it again in a couple of weeks.
Here's the recipe for the top. You are on your own with the bottom part, just sweeten fruit and add thickening agent as if you were making a pie.
Cobbler top, use with any fruit.
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 beaten eggs
Mix together and drop by spoonfulls on top of fruit. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes, until fruit is soft and the top is browned. This makes enough for a 9x13 inch pan.
I would consider it a vegetable since there are no seeds inside the part that is eaten. The plant does send up flower/seed stalks which I break off as soon as I see them. Only the stems, which look like pink celery are cooked and eaten, the leaves have something toxic in them. My son got my daughter in law to taste raw rhubarb and although she is a wonderful Christian, I'm not sure she will ever forgive him for that! If you have a garden spot, I would be happy to send you a chunk of the root to start your own plant. Once established, it will live for decades, so it's important to consider it's place carefully!
The plant will eventually occupy about 4x4 feet. Most years, in the fall, I apply a few shovelfulls of manure after the frost kills the tops, and then cover it with straw mulch. In the spring the sprouts come up through all of that. Occasional watering is all it needs. Late summer heat zaps it, but I eat or store most of mine away in the spring and early summer anyhow. I revived my plants the year my friend from Thibodoux came so she could taste fresh rhubarb cobbler.
Cajun, I was trying to figure out how to contact you to get a mailing address without either of us giving our email or mailing addresses here on a public forum. Are you on DG? If so we can correspond there through the DMail system.
It's bright and sunny here, but cold with a bit of wind. I started setting out some pansys yesterday, but got chilled and gave it up when a snow flurry came along. At this point I am waiting for a few more degrees. It will be nice to have some flowers to look at before the daffodills burst open in a couple more weeks. I did see 2 lonesome little crocus yesterday, bravely showing me their nice purple against a background of brown leaves that mulch the flower bed.
Some of the seeds I planted about 4 days ago are already up, looking like little plants already. The lettuce looks different from the spinach, and the cabbage and brocolli don't look like either, or exactly like each other, although they are cousins or something. God's creation amazes me! yesterday I prepared more pots and planted more lettuce, and some kohlrabi. All these things will hopefully be just the perfect size to get out of their little pots when I can get a strip rototilled in the garden for them. I'm anxious to be eating fresh homegrown greens again.
A few days ago I was watching a fox who was trotting through our big pasture, stopping now and then to sniff at a mound of dirt, then trotting on. He is kind of a light copper/gold color, very pretty against the green grass. His bushy tail is as long as his body and has a white tip, while his muzzle and legs are almost black so as to appear that he might have been wading in muddy water and sticking his nose down into the water trying to catch something for his dinner. If I can remember to ask God when I see Him, someday I might know why the fox has those colors where he does.
Easter Sunrise service, cold and short! Regular morning service, indoors and warm!
After church we treated out son and daughter in law to lunch at a very nice buffet, and then they came out to our house and we visited until after dark. It is exciting to see how the Lord is working in their lives!
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