Today and a Year Ago

But Mary Ann, you say... it looks like it's already melting! 

It's 5:50 PM.  I went out 30 minutes to go thank Troy for coming over and plowing last night at 10 PM... 

It was snowing again. 

There are still flurries out there now. 

See the huge crowd around the feeder? 

I refilled that feeder five times today.  When I got home from doing errands, having been gone from about 1:30 to 3:00... the top feeder (you can just barely see it here) was completely empty save for a few safflower seeds.  Even the "parakeet seed" was eaten, the filler seeds.  

The ground has been picked over and picked over, so all the seed that fell since the last storm is gone, too, but they are still picking away.  I have just enough seed left for two feedings tomorrow, and I am going to have to go to the feed store.  I can get 40 lbs. of very well mixed wild bird for 22.00 a bag, and yes, it's the highest of all the seed we buy.  For example, I looked at WalMart today. They had a good mix there in a bag ... 14.99.  I looked at the size... It was only 14 pounds!  No, I'll just get it at the feed store. 

On top of this, I filled the two fortexes in the henyards three times with chicken pellets.   The starlings and sparrows are like vultures on them.  I carried water for them, too, but just from the henhouse pump.  The chickens on that side have not been out for two days, now.  It was 27 this morning, blowing hard, and everything was frozen, so it took a while to get it all done. 

Ask me how I feel about chores right about now. 

Here's what we are having for dinner: 

They look so good... I'll post a link to the recipe after we try them tonight, since they are in the oven now. 

This is what the front yard looked like one year ago tomorrow.  LOOK AT THAT GRASS!  

I don't think we ever saw it as good as it was that week in the rest of the year.  By June first, it was dormant. 

Our apple trees have buds on them now, but nothing flowering yet.  We get to finally pick some apples this year, we picked the baby apples off the last two years so the trees could settle in. 

Here's what Keith was doing that evening. 

Yes, it's the hoop house, built a year ago.  We are actually going to use it again this year, but we will leave the far end uncovered, and no door on the front.  I'll have herbs in those barrels used last year for tomatoes. 

What a difference a year makes! 

That's it for this SPRING day from Calamity Acres! 

I just heard the timer go off, so ran out to get the "Chicken Cupcakes" out of the oven. 

Here they are: 

I'll let you know tomorrow how they tasted!