Daily observations of my simple life.

Spring Has Sprung:

Is this the first day of Spring? I'm thinking it is and it was a gorgeous one. Most of my day was spent caring for animals and tackling weeds. I mow for short periods, then clip and haul basket loads to the animals. In between I ran to get water 4 times today. I hope to do 3 or 4 loads tomorrow as well which should pretty much have the tank filled.  I may dump a load of water where I want to pull weeds. Some of those mustard weeds have tough stems and so I pull them up by the roots. It was fine while the ground was wet but impossible now. I've been pretty conservative the last two weeks as I had my water tank off the truck. Sunday, my daughter came by and we both slid the tank on the truck again. I had dinner at my daughters. She made her chili Colorado and we had taco's . Yum.  She has baby kittens. I'm really tempted but my dog is not friendly to cats. I'll think on it. They are black tabbies.

My grandson is coming on Saturday along with his friend, (my adopted grandson). They will be spending Spring break with me and want to make a little cash so we'll see if they can get my back porch up. I saw the hog barn they built while I was in California and was pretty impressed. We'll be spending a couple days in the mountains as well.

Shirley called and said the tumor was benign. I was so glad. Frank got on the phone and said he'd like to come back and spend a month or so . I guess I will have a handyman for awhile. I honestly enjoy myself more when I have the place to myself. I can sit out and enjoy the skyline understurbed, no one to tell me not to do this or that as they can do it. Sigh.

The chicks are doing fine. I lost one little grey silkie. It was laying in the water dish like it may have drowned in it's sleep or another chick had stepped on it's head when it was drinking. They tend to hop on each other fiestally with no concern.

Carlos, my peacock,  has been spreading his feathers grandly and doing the shimmy in front of Luchia, the hen. I've taken pictures and if all else fails I'll scan them into a file and  see if I can put them on this page. Luchia is looking for a nest. I chased her home twice this week as she keeps eyeing a high patch of weeds between my fence and the neighbors. I set her up a fine nest and hope she will stay home to set. Baby peacocks, won't that be grand.

I'm happily farming my little rural home. I'm thinking a little about milk goats and chickens as my crops. Read a great recipe for goat cheese. People who live on goats milk live long and it also can be fed to chickens. In the  fall I hope to plant my olive trees. They have been growing steadily in containers on my porch. I love olive trees. Oh and the octillo fence that I planted in the mountains has leaves and flowers on it. It's growing!!!!  I also found a small octillo I planted in my cactus garden here with little leaves on it. Some of my iris are blooming now. I planted them last fall.  I just recently played a tape I have about Julliete of the herbs. This is a woman who traveled her whole life learning about how gypsy's, pheasant farmers and nomads tended their animals and used plants. She was an English woman who had studied to be a veternarian. What a lovely soul. She loved her lemon trees and olive trees and herbs and traveled with her children on foot or on boat to many places in the world. At the time the film was taken she was living on a Greek island in a little cottage without running water, electricity or heat. She gathered wood and carried water. A book of hers called, "Travelers Joy" is a favorite of mine. I love to read it when I'm camping.

Sunday I went to the swap meet and got some paint. I want to put some trim on the barn and paint some scenes on the solid fence. She and I talked about property values here. Like me she moved here less than 5 years ago. She said a 2 1/2 acre lot next to her with no improvements and no water would have sold when she moved there for $2500. It sold last week for $26,000. Investors from everywhere are calling realtors daily and buying whatever they can at whatever price is asked. Not a sleepy little valley anymore but still beautiful.

Magnificent sunset this evening. Bless the day with gratetude and joy.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 08:49 | link | comments (3)

Comments:

#1  22 March 2005 - 10:53

 

Sounds wonderful. I would love to see that photo. If you post them on photobucket.com, you get a link so you can post them on your blog. If you minimize the width to 250, the photos will fit better, but sometimes I just post them "as is" because they are too beautiful to shrink.

InMyLife

#2  22 March 2005 - 11:52

 

You paint such amazing pictures of the days in your life... even the hard work sounds beautiful.

Ladyinthemoon

#3  22 March 2005 - 12:23

 

I agree with Ladyinthemoon. Visiting your blog is so relaxing and lovely. I bet your grandson and his friend love being with you. When I was young and living in the city, I'd visit my grandmother's farm in Maryland. She'd always apologize for not entertaining me, and wish there was more to DO. I'd always reassure her that this was exactly why I visited. To escape the my world of constant stimulation. She's gone now, and so is the family property, but those visits saved my life.

Leigh

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