Spring in the air

I know I'm not the only one but I love love love spring.  Really it's the summer that I love most but when the weather starts to change and tulips start to peak through I feel the summer coming.  In my mind it's almost here.  I love that feeling.  That the cold winter is finally over and the sun will shine bright and warm again.  Of course I know, with the rational part of my brain, that the sun was coming back but what about all the other less rational parts of my brain?

So the projects that have only been ideas and drawings all winter start getting done.  We bought a compost bin when we first moved into this house.  We've been using it and filling it and occasionally turning it.  But I never really loved and it was full to capacity.  So we built a new one with two bins and more space.  It was so super easy!  And more or less free.  Now if I just knew how to tell when compost is done.  And I think I need to build a sieve for it. 

I started some seeds.  Not onions or peppers like I said I would but flowers!  I love flowers and it's all a part of a grand new scheme for the back yard.  After I finished "The Edible Front Yard", I read " The Chicken Garden". Both totally awesome books that my aunt bought for herself and generously loaned to me.  They are both totally inspirational.  I have a huge front lawn with good sun and a back yard with a chicken problem.  From the chicken garden I took away the message that chickens need more points of interest and coverage.  So my plan is to make a path out to the rabbit hutch then plant the area between the path and fence.

 

It's really not a very attractive fence so this will also make the back yard look better.  I have some hollyhock and sweet white alyssum sprouted and I'm trying to get cone flower to come up.  Cone flower is a bit tricky, it seems (cold stratified?).  The chickens don't bother the sage plant and it looks good so a few more of those will go in as well.  If you look closely, the paper is covering the area where I've already taken out the grass.  I'm protecting it from chickens for now but soon I'll put some straw and leaves on it and let the chickens at it.  Before that happens I want to finish taking out the grass, lay the path and get some plants ready to go.  

I'm getting the raised beds ready for the spring as well.  The garlic has started to come up so I put up a chicken fence.  We'll see if it works.  I'll come up with something better for the summer so don't tease me; I can do better.  I'm devoting one whole bed to tomatoes this year.  And the bed with a cover on it will hold not tomatoes (carrots, melons, onions, lettuce and such). See the lovely new composter in the background?

 

Spring should also be when those blasted chickens start to lay again.  But so far only the wyndotte is giving us eggs.  About 4 a week.  So I'm trying to find recipes that use as few eggs as possible.  Exactly the opposite of last fall.  No more pudding in this house.  Every day when I collect eggs I wonder if this will be the day a second hen starts laying again.  Come on you lazy hens!  Look closely at the cage in the middle of the picture.  My nephew came over and was spending some time with the bunnies.

  

Those are my 'baby bunnies'. Not babies anymore!  Just like my nephew.