warmup! for Brigid's day

What a great day- it's finally above freezing ! and the snow is even melting away. Frances the hen was excited to come out and search for grass. She deserves some extra treats one way or another. Yesterday, she laid 2 eggs, must have been one right after the other. We checked in the morning and there were none, and then about 4 hours later- 2! Still her barn mates are givin us nothing ;). (Because the eggs were blue- we knew that she was exclusively responsible.) And today, she laid again. We sure do like aracaunas. Now on the flip side- we look with puzzled bemusement at our polish duo who with their pompom head feathers run into us and other objects because they can't see through all their feathers. One, the buff named Tom, has gone through this winter with icicles on her frozen feathers from dunking her head in the water. We've tried to resolve it with moderate success by reconfiguring the waterer. They are much less friendly and approachable and if they keep being slow to give eggs, are offering little to recommend them. Red in particular has few nice things to say about our david bowie chucks. It wouldn't surprise me if Red wants to bring them to chicken swap in the spring.

We had a big weekend preparing for a school fundraising party and then Birkleigh had a teaparty with friends. Yesterday I visited the Trautman's - bought some roasts- one is in the crock pot as I write- and Julie gave us some Amish butter that we are enjoying today with the bread that just came out of the oven. Yesterday I baked some cookies with it for the Winter Breakout event. Amongst all the things I love about the Trautman's and their farm, they have organic wheatberries we can buy! I was hunting for a source and coming up with nothing. I am hoping to find ways to work with them- they have been grazing and pasturing for a while- and now are doing dairy as well. Scott teaches and is clearly a storehouse of knowledge. Julie asked if we might want a calf or two that they are wanting to cull- and I would really like to farrow and sell feeders to them. It feels so nice to be in community around this- I'm making new farming friends and learning a lot. I think about how long it's been that I've been teaching and mentoring in my career as a midwife/doula- and it feels good to be 'new' at something as well as of course being very humbling.

Birk and I for the last 3 years have had a Brigid's day celebration and bonfire. Today we are celebrating more quietly. (and succumbing to Red's longstanding ritual of superbowl). But as we walked through our land to stamp out garden plots into the snow, and watched the sun turn the barns and hills golden while the snow drips in rivulets off the barns, and tiny rivers form and gain momentum rolling down our drive, it feels like spring may really come. And I sense that there is much joy and learning ahead. And lots and lots of mud.