Spring had finally come to the midwest. With warm weather ends the lazy days of winter (WHAT... LAZY??) OK, the free evenings to watch TV or do whatever. With the start of daylight savings time begins the long days here at Pooh Acres. Last weekend we started working outside and I remembered all of the soar muscles of summer.
This weekend I took off work on Friday to go pick up the new packages of bees. Unfortunantly both of my hives froze to death this winter. Caelum was off school, so he and I drove to Auburn NE early Friday morning to pick them up. It would have been a fun drive, but he was so wrapped up in his video game he didn't even know where we were. We were 40 minutes into the trip when he looked up and asked where we were going ............ he apparently thought we were going to Pooh Acres. The way home was a little more fun, he actually put the game away for a few minutes!!
Caelum expected to spend all 3 days with us, he said he didn't have to be home until Sunday night. I explained that we have some things that need to be done this weekend... so we expected him to help us. We installed the bees into their new homes, raked and shoveled from the burn pit area, picked up trash we pulled out of the old "junk" area left by the old owners, cleaned, shoveled, raked, picked up, and generally worked the boy until he (and us!!) was exhausted. We were all filthy and ready for bed by the end of Friday. I think he was ready to go home. His mom came to get him Saturday morning, and he didn't look back! She pulled into the driveway, he gave me a quick hug and kiss and said goodby!! She told him she was expecting him to help her clean the house ...he groaned! He is such a good boy!
After Caelum left Phil and I headed to Weeping Water. We found someone selling small "huts" they had used to raise calves in. I thought they would work great for a pig. We brought the pig hut home and unloaded it behind the garage ... now we just need the hog panels and a little pig. I just want to raise one or two ... if we raise two, we will sell one and eat the other. We are also going to get chickens. I'd like to get about 25 - 30 and butcher all but a few when they are grown. I would like to keep a few for eggs. Phil wants to have ducks for eggs. I am not opposed to that either! Pooh Acres is turning into a real farm now.
The gardens are ready to chop the winter mulch and work some manure into them. Phil made me a starter shelf for tomatoe and peppers etc starters. I have some seeds up .... I hope they turn out good enough to plant in the garden. I have never been able to start my plants indoors ... they always get leggy. Spring is on the way. I am excited to get it started.
Yesterday on the way home from Weeping Water we stopped at a "neighbors" house just down the road. (My husband is not capable of driving from point A to point B without meandering down as many country roads as he can find.) I had noticed a big pile of horse manure in their field so he stopped to see if we could get some. This neighbor was so nice, he said some back today and he would even load it for us. We got about 2,000 pounds of fresh manure. When we got home Phil was trying to figure out an easy way to unload it. He hooked a tow strap (before the manure was loaded) around a piece of plywood under the bed of the truck. He chained the tow strap to the International Harvester and pulled the entire thing out of the truck. I only had to rake out the small amount that fell over the sides of the wood. It was the easiest load of manure ever!!!
It is late Sunday evening. I am tired and ready to get some sleep before I go back to work tomorrow. I wonder what the new week will bring? Happy Spring!
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