Many signs of spring, including CHICKS!

And I guess it is time, as spring is officially here! Every year as colors return to the world around us, I am on the lookout for the first flowers. It always makes me think of Nora when I see the first cluster of yellow flowers. When Nora was living, Kali said that we would know it was time to take our baby outside when we saw the first three yellow flowers. This cluster of three yellow daffodils in Nora's garden came from flowers we got at my Grandma Myers' funeral. I was touched to find just three blooming, only to learn later that there had been four until one was swiped for a certain someone that lives in the upper part of Tangly Woods and loves flowers!

Now there are even more daffodils to satisfy the multiple members of this household that like to bring flowers indoors. Grandma has good company in our girls!

For a while now we have been without snow, but we did have a series of rainy days. The rain didn't keep Terah from joining her daddy for chores.

Daddy is often doing interesting things that one or more of the girls want to join. And if they aren't joining him, the two younger gals are often attempting to deter him from heading back to his work. They are sometimes successful!

When it isn't raining and isn't a work day, Jason and I often slip out for an early morning walk. If it happens to be a day that my dad is doing chicken chores, we may go as far as a hike up to Hensley's Pond. Those times of extended uninterrupted conversations are precious - and kinda few and far between!

We are on the cusp of the spring burst of weeding and planting! The seed shelf is full of sweet potato starts, parsley, peppers, basil, giant poppies and collards. And the onion starts are now on the porch getting used to the outdoor conditions. 

In hopes of finishing a few "winter projects," we did get out together to mulch the remaining garden paths on a recent spring-like day. There is still some winter cut back to finish up and Jason is in the middle of building a new chicken coop - a yard pen for a group of chickens for Terah to take care of! That project will hopefully be completed before my parents return from their week in WVA on Wednesday so their garage can house their car rather than this building project!

And, last but not least, the most important March news: CHICK HATCHING HAS COMMENCED! And we didn't have a broody hen for the first incubator hatch, which made 8 (all) of us happy. We got to enjoy lots of chick adoring for two weeks until they were beginning to venture outside of their swimming pool. They are now growing fast in one half of the red coop.

The second hatch went under a great broody hen who now has her wings full with 30 chicks (9 that she hatched and 21 that Jason slipped under her at night while she was still in that "receptive window"). While I love the fun of getting to play with chicks indoors, I never tire of watching a mama hen talk with her chicks!

Before long some of these fluff balls will be among the ranks of poultry that come running whenever Alida shows up! She has quite a following! They know that she nearly always has corn in her pockets.

P.s. Shot one done! Second shot this Thursday morning on the eve of Alida's 10th birthday! It will be a gift to her that the adults of Tangly Woods will then be fully vaccinated, AND would be a bonus gift if we aren't all flattened with side effects on her bday!