simple pleasures on the farm: finding spring

'no winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn.'

these are such encouraging words…considering the freezing rain adventures
of last weekend, the april snowfalls and that my birdbaths

and puddles have been frozen most mornings.

i do love to walk the farm every day…looking for spring.

i have managed to find a few harbingers…

robins…they are so skinny!
i don’t know how they find food...where are the worms?

the tiniest blossoms under the trees…smaller than pearls.

pussy willows growing wild by the river
that are too high to cut, but still make me smile.

wild leeks are up near the turtle pond.

i have snipped them into hummus, fritattas, quiches and soups.
i plan to to grill them with a little olive oil tonight.

oh and i have found 3 antlers while wandering!
the deer do love the farm…there are tracks everywhere!

one of my favourite early spring traditions
is checking the bluebird nesting boxes.
many winters ago my dad (known as trapper) and our kids
built bluebird boxes together and set them up all over the farm.

trapper kindly cleaned them out last fall while our guests were picking apples.

in late march, the boxes were inspected…some needed repairs,
some had fallen over, and they all needed the front panel to be closed up.
we added perches this year and

trapper numbered them for better record keeping.

we have 13!

that very same day there were a few bluebirds circling high overhead…
house hunting and supervising the renovations.
these ‘scouts’ left for a couple of weeks and

now they have returned!
they are so gorgeous with their unmistakable, vibrant blue and adorable shape.

watching them fly around the orchard is so delightful
and their song is just the sweetest.