Summer Starts
Summer starts when the days are warm, the garden is planted, and the lawn needs to be mowed. At least that is my internal clock's way of saying we made it through winter. Yesterday my neighbors let me borrow their old Toro mower (we're saving up for a new one - our old one died last summer). What was a wild patch of chives, young grass, high weeds, and rude sprouts is now a tamed lawn so splendid I just sit in it and watch the chickens and songbirds. Few things are as instantly gratifying as mowing a lawn. I like it very much.
Mowing is also happening up on the sheep hill, where the ewes and Cade are being moved to new pasture weekly. The rotation is good and they seem happy to focus on a section at a time while their last-grazed patch heals and regrows. Next up in their rotation is a section that will include some brush that Cade specializes in munching on. The sheep love eating down at the ground, tearing grasses with insane focus and glee. But Cade prefers to eat with his head in the branches (and the clouds). It is very cute. He's going to have a great week head stuck in bushes eating the best bits.
As for us human types, also good grazing news to share! We got the garden fenced, planted, mulched, and it is downright cute. The locust poles we had our friend saw down for us were perfect for the terrace we needed to build and it is expanded larger than ever before. We planted butt nutts, summer squashes, tomatoes, basil, herbs, cucs, cabbage, sunflowers, beets, radishes, carrots, and more! It looks so tame and ordered now but I know in a few weeks seedlings will burst into vine and fruits, before I know it we'll be eating out the garden regularly. After a winter of frozen veg from last year, canned jams, and market-bought produce it will be amazing to be back to fresh, sweet, garden meals!
In other news: the bunnies are now hopping around their pen with their mama. Eyes bright and open. The meat birds are growing steady and well for our next round of broilers. Eggs are FLOWING, often a dozen to twenty a day. The flock is happily shorn and ready for the heat coming this week. I am going to prepare frozen bottles to work as AC units to cool off the bunnies and make sure the horses have their morning fly spray with their breakfast. Usual summer transitions into the heat. All happy, winter was far too long.
As for today, I am hoping to finish up this update and some other design work still on my to-do list and then head outside to saddle up a horse I very much so miss riding along the mountain. I hope this week starts with joy and sunshine and garden soil wherever you are. Sumer is here!