March 2, 2008. Spring at the Farm.

It may not feel like Spring, but the land knows it is and the birds know it is and the cows know too.  The farm is absolutely bursting with life.  Many birds arrived this weekend.  We saw many many bluebirds checking out the nesting boxes, the males already in their bright plumage.  My good friend Mary has never seen a bluebird except in a picture and we saw at least 25 this weekend.  Are we ever lucky! And some robins appeared too and the phoebes, as well as the chipping sparrows.  The ice on the pond is beginning to melt, which is a good thing because soon the ducks and  geese need the water.  The creek stays open all winter so water is still plentiful.  The red tail hawk nest in the woods, but I did not hear him this weekend. Whenever we hike in his woods he screams at us.  But we do it anyway.

This weekend we had two new calves, one early Saturday morning and one today at noon.  Kate and Mary Frances saw the calf just after being born while he was standing up for the first time.  They were very excited but did comment that birth is a bit gruesome, which it is.  The side of the hills are full of little black calves.  Our farmer friends are thrilled and so are we.  We bought a bull for our farm last year and bless his heart, that bull knows how to be a bull.  Bryan who manages the herd has told us all about the risks of farming.  He choose the bull at auction with us along to cheer and pay the bill, but he said even tho you do your homework, some bulls just don't end up with 35 calves.  But we do.

Andrew and the girls took the gator (the small tractor that caused Ken's accident) to clean out all the bluebird  nesting boxes today.  Ken usually does all these chores right after Christmas, but he was otherwise detained, so today the nesting boxes are all ready for the season and a good thing too.  The birds are checking them out.  Andrew and the girls were at the farthest part of the farm  when one of the tires went flat.  They walked back to report.  This is what happens in the country.  Ken can't  work with his arms.  Andrew is not mechanically gifted . Ruth is useless.  So Andrew called Helen Jay who went to get Bryan who came to the rescue along with Ronnie, a good friend.  They were all cutting wood along with Alan and two other friends.  Bryan comes over, gets the tire, takes  it to another friend to put in a plug.  Then they all come back to the farm to put the tire back on the gator when Andrew drives the gator back to the shed.  This all took about an hour.  Of course no one will allow you to transfer any money.  And folks wonder why we like the country!!  Bryan is 2 years older than Andrew, but they grew up together, because we have had a farm up there since 1973.  Bryan calls Andrew 'City', which is about the worst thing Bryan could think to call Andrew.  But they are good friends.  But Bryan has a lot of Andrew stories, which he loves to tell.  I think this is another one.