It's Spring! (But It's Ugly)

Even though it appears that spring weather is coming to the north woods a smidge bit early this year, it still tests our patience by giving us sun shiny days when you really want to put on shorts and a tank top and sit outside on the south facing deck . . . but doing so brings on giant goose bumps and a really cold nose, knee caps and any other exposed body parts.  Then there are the nights when the outside temp is below freezing, and it feels chilly enough that we make a small wood fire inside.

Today we took our pick-up truck (alias faithful plow truck) to our mechanic's garage to have a new emergency brake installed.  On the trip, which is about 17 miles each way, we drove through heavy clouds hanging above us, a blip of sunshine and clearing sky, rain and then some sizeable hail.  Typical spring time weather.

We saw a few deer that have come out of the woods to nibble hungrily on the first green shoots popping up near the shoulder of the road.  One still had a scarf around his neck to ward off the chill.  Yep, he did.

Here on the homestead, the frost coming out of the ground is making mud everywhere there is not gravel.

Or remaining ice patches.

The raised garden beds are nearly all uncovered.  The field garden, in the  distance, not so much.

Our little pond is frozen each night, but thaws a little more each day.

Each fall, Papa Pea takes down the electric fencing that encircles the large poultry pasture because snow can damage it.  Plus, when the snow starts to mount up, the electric fencing doesn't work anyway.  So comes this in between time when there's still snow on the ground in places and the ground is too frozen to put the fence posts back in.  The poultry that has lived in their house and attached solarium all winter long is let out, and with no pasture fencing confinement, gleefully explores territory they haven't seen since . . . well, last spring at this time.

Here a few of them are reacquainting themselves with the area across from our back door by the high bush cranberries.  As long as they don't start coming up and leaving deposits on the back porch, I can tolerate their forays.  Especially since we've been getting nine to twelve (yes, twelve) eggs a day from the twelve hens.  I think a couple of the roosters must be helping.

Spring time in the north woods.  My least favorite season.  But it, like all other periods of the year, will fly by quickly and soon I'll be trying to get out in the garden early enough in the day to avoid the heat.  Right now, that sounds pretty good.