And so begins another week...

... of April bliss: showers overnight freshen the fields and nourish all growing things. And as if to please the soul, the sun comes out by mid morning.

We eat breakfast in the kitchen. Just because. Sometimes the easiest venue is the most attractive.





More work in the yard: rain makes weeds grow and this will be a constant now -- the pulling of the occasional dandelion, the creeping charlie, the quack grass. The farmette is full of everything and I'm not even going to discuss right now the fields in the back that support a combination of prairie grasses, flowers and weeds. If I don't mow these (and it is beastly difficult to mow them, as there are ruts, rocks and mole hills, jamming the tractor repeatedly), then the weeds dominate. Honestly, just this week, we considered renting some goats to clear the area, but decided that putting up an electric fence to keep them contained would be more work (and money) than running a tractor several times each season.

For now, I tend to the main flower fields. As do the cheepers.






Ed looks on. I so love it when he looks on.





As we work, Oreo has many times-outs for bad behavior, while the hens happily follow my spade and pick out any worms I unearth with the turning of the soil.


Another work load is coming up on us very quickly -- the vegetable planting is just weeks away. We survey the veggie patch out back, beyond the grand willow...


 



... and note that this patch too has to be weeded. And the grapes have to be clipped and trained. And the young fruit trees need care.



(Ed inspects the tension in the wire supporting the grapes)




(the farmette land: the baby orchard, the veggie patch, Ed)


None of this is bothersome. The required work comes without pressure. Success is measured not by the fruits or vegetables harvested, but by the amount of satisfaction derived from the effort.


I spend the afternoon with Snowdrop.



(so many polka dots!)


We do out usual funny stuff...



(a timed release selfie)





("what else can I grab?")





(that Monalisa smile...)


We none of us have time on our hands, but still, we cannot resist a walk around the lake. Snowdrop, her mom, me, loving every bit of the warmth...











No matter what her mood before (or after), Snowdrop has never once not enjoyed a walk in the stroller. She is my granddaughter, she loves the outdoors, right?!






Evening. I'm at the farmette, scrambling cheeper eggs and stir-frying brussel sprouts and mushrooms. I catch the light outside and I think -- how incredible that this is just the beginning of the stellar season!