A Chance of Snow

Yep, you read it right! 

Tomorrow morning we are predicted to have rain with snow mixed in... however, we have been assured that it won't stick on the ground.  

We'll see.  I don't remember having snow this late in April before, and of course, now I wish I had all those half-started garden journals from the past. 

I have been good this year about writing everything down and MARKING my rows. 

Admit it... you envy my seed-starting setup. 

If you only knew how many times we hit the long piece of wood as we squeezed into the office desk chair. 

Those are zinnias and other flowers on the left, and some of the tomatoes on the right. 

The Burpee new tomato, SuperSauce, is finally doing very well. 

It was slow to start, and that shall be recorded. 

Outside there is lettuce and finally, spinach coming up.  I planted some radishes for Keith yesterday, as he is the Radish King.  The peas, as I said yesterday, are finally coming up, but I just don't count on them to do much. 

I read on a blog from the western US this morning that they have had their spring and are in drought already, and my prayers go out to them.  I did water the vegetable beds this morning lightly... and will count on the promised rain to do the rest. 

This hurts.  The hens from the henspa yard want the green grass so badly that they rush the gate when I am coming in and out.  I had just put the dogs in as it started raining, so I stood there and let them eat for a while.  I just can't trust Ranger or Lilly enough to let them wander in the yard.  Maybe someday. 

It's not like they don't have plenty to keep them busy in there. 

I sprinkle a little feed and a little corn every other day into the straw and hay, and it keeps them turning it over constantly.  The ducks help, too. 

The corner where the plastic pond is, is getting pretty wet.  I try to bucket out most of it, and that water is helping the pear tree just outside the fence.  However... in order to pour it directly on the farther tree, I have to carry it out the gate and down the yard to the other tree, stumbling over frantic-for-grass hens and Abby. As Keith said at dinner last night... "Why aren't you watering the other pear tree?"  I answered with maniacal laughter.  Actually, I'm trying to work out a system for watering the farther tree, and I'll write about that later this week. 

Cockerel

Pullet 

Nugget is up and moving around, and I can tell that she wants out of her small nursing cage now that her eggs are all gone.  However, it is supposed to be quite cold the next two nights, and I have no way of putting light on her if I move her out to the little white pen.  She's going to have to put up with it for the next three days, and then I'll bed the pen down with straw, and she and the babies can move out there. 

For those of you who do not have chickens, it's likely that if I put these down on the floor, the other hens might peck them to death, and I don't want that to happen.  I'm not worried about snakes at this point, it's too doggone cold for them to be out and moving around yet.  Last year, they were out in early March. 

Fluffernut says 

"Good Night!" 

And that's it for a rainy Calamity Acres today.