Monday

The excesses of early spring! Or, more accurately, of the day before the official start of spring! It's sunny and beautiful, a touch cool, but with a promise of good days ahead. I have a perfect retort to the usual Ed comment when we read the news and feel the hopelessness that comes from.... well, reading too many news analyses. He'll say --let's go to New Zealand. Neither of us has ever been to New Zealand and by now, I don't want the long flight there anymore than he does, but it's a statement that acknowledges a desire sometimes to just run from all that you see and hear.

But you can't get me to play that game now! Who wants to go to a country where Fall and Winter are the seasons just ahead? We're done with Fall and Winter (for now)! Imagine, going from one set of Falls and Winters to the next!

Spring begins tomorrow.

The little girls in the blue box are growing. One week old and they seem twice the size of when they first came. And oh, can they navigate their space: with speed and alacrity!







The bigger box is ready and waiting, but for now, we keep them in their little safe blue cradle.

Breakfast, in their company, in the sun room.





Ed is eating eggs today. All of a sudden, we have an abundance of eggs! Henny and Peach are going at it daily now and even Java throws in an occasional small brown egg. What were we thinking in getting additional hens??


We go for a walk to the local county park. We haven't much time, but we can't not go for a walk on this brilliant day.






The small pond is fully melted... Might the turtles be out on this sunny day?






They are! Spring is here a day ahead of itself!






Turtles and ducks, ducks and turtles...






As our path veers towards Lake Waubesa, I am stunned to see this sole fisherman, just at the point where ice turns to water. You could not get me to step onto the lake one foot from the shore.






Snowdrop pick up time! And no, she does not look to be three years old today. At least twice that! When did she get to be such a big girl?






We go to the park by the lesser lake, mostly unfrozen by now, though not completely so.






Oh, it's so good to have freedom of motion! To not worry about mitts and scarves and caps and snowpants! To romp and tell tales!





(yes, she loves bright colors!)





On our walk back to the car, we spot them! Oh, when you get to be a regular in the neighborhood, you know which yard will show them off first. Indeed! A plethora of snowdrops!






Back at the farmhouse, I remind the one and only Snowdrop with a big S that there are leftover cupcakes. We had talked about Ed loving leftovers. She reassures me now that she, too, loves leftovers. Cupcake leftovers.






Today the little cheeps are a week old. It's a good time to let Snowdrop give them a little pet. (Perhaps you notice that I am wearing sunglasses. That's because my prescription sunglasses came in the mail today -- advance birthday gift from Ed!  I'd never had prescription sunglasses before and I just love them to pieces! Bring on the sun! I am, for once, ready for you!)






Snowdrop wants first to touch cupcake. It's a humbling experience for both.






And so this is my good bye to winter. Dear winter... You gave us some spectacular days! See you in nine months. For now, step aside please. Spring is here.

Sunday

Sunrise in Madison is at 7:04 right now (and sunset is a few minutes after 7 in the evening). We are entering my beloved half year of long days.

I'm up early today. Snowdrop is sleeping over and I have stuff to do before the little one stirs.

Cheeper care, chick care for one. Oh, but the walk to the barn is lovely just at dawn!






And good morning to you as well, little cheeps!





A few minutes later, the bedroom door opens and, bathed in the sun that is streaming into the landing, there appears a little person, full of radiant smiles.

A quick breakfast snack and she is ready to play.






Oh, but Snowdrop, we have things to do!

Is there a child on this planet that does not enjoy helping mix ingredients? Our first cooking project is her currently preferred breakfast here: pancakes with bacon and fruit.





But you must get dressed before we eat!
Can I have ribbons in my hair?
Of course.
Ed comments -- honestly, it must be genetic. She actually cares about what she wears and how she looks!

Yes she does.





While I finish up breakfast prep, Ed embarks on a wee project. Last night, he and I googled to see if young chicks need toys. I'd commented that they were chasing each other like wild children on a playground and that perhaps it would be good to give them distractions! Indeed! The chicken patrol has choice words on the Internet for people who do not provide some excitement in the cheep box! The mama hen would be constantly teaching, pushing, prodding her young babes! Why aren't you??

Someone suggested throwing in a toilet paper tube and some marbles. We haven't either on hand, and so Ed and Snowdrop make rolls out of colorful index cards. I don't have kid scissors, but she seems to manage to keep up with Mr. Do-It-Yourself just fine.






...while the baby cheeps huddle and consider the new addition to the box.






Snowdrop urges them to get rolling, but they are clearly processing things at their own chicken speed.





Hey, you two! Breakfast!






And it seems so appropriate, given books on the topic and chickens sporting that name that afterwards, we should make (pink, of course) cupcakes!






But first -- grandma, I'd like pig tails now.
Ed has a point.






Filling the cupcake forms...






And then she wants to make more chicken toys!






A bevy of towers!






Chicken care, chicken watching -- they do have thier limits. There are other things in life equally compelling (aren't there?)!






I take Snowdrop home  and in the early afternoon, Ed and I take advantage of the incredibly beautiful day (high of 55F, or 13C) and we take our discs to play disc golf. The sound of mating cranes is with us for a good part of the game.






The sun is warm, the skies are a brilliant blue...






And at the farmhouse, the cheeps wait. And eat and poop and sleep and drink water.






And... fly! Oh dear.






Evening. The young family comes for dinner. Snowdrop and I frost the cupcakes. Pink! (Made of beet juice.)






And now she wants to cut out toys for chicks again.
Ahah never says no.






Dinner...






Cupcakes...






And the day draws to a close. Not without emotion. Snowdrop is very expressive. (Overheard: when a disappointment strikes, the little girl announces -- I am a little miserable!) It's hard to stop the flow of good play. I get it. Still, the wheels move us forward. In a good way. In the best of ways.

Saturday

Ed can't wait for mail delivery today. This guy who normally shuns and scorns items rushed to the farmhouse from Amazon is asking repeatedly if I think a package will be delivered today and if so, how soon? And when indeed it is delivered, he tears open the box and grins with satisfaction. It is the world's cheapest tripod. ($11 in case you're curious.)

Oh, we already have a tripod set up to regulate the height of the heating source over the chick box. This one is for Ed's (equally cheap) phone: he's testing a 24/7 nest cam idea. Not that watching chicks on a screen is any more exciting than watching them in person, but give Ed a technology setup opportunity and he perks up.

Me, I've fallen into the role of the caregiver (because the other caregiver in this household is a tad laidback in attending to the essentials, such as picking out poop at regular intervals). Good morning, babes! Look, it's a sunny day!






They do look. First, with a stretch...






Then with a jump...






 What's beyond that wall??






A step up from the feeding station...






How long before they can jump right out of the box? I must remind Ed to set up the next enclosure -- a bigger play area for the adventurous girls!

Breakfast in the sun room.






And yes, it is a beautifully sunny day -- skies that only the Upper Midwest can deliver on a regular basis in March!

(From behind the barn...)





One could get lost in the new chick routine. It's endlessly fascinating but ultimately, at the end of the day, you would have to admit to yourself that perhaps picking up little poops all day long isn't the best use of your time. I suppose I realized that I was a bit over the edge when on my morning run to the barn, I stopped and went to great trouble to secure just the right twig from one of our peach trees to put into the chick box for their amusement.

A few more minutes of watching them eat, drink...






... poop and nap...






... and Ed and I are off. We need a good hike! But where?

We have a novel and somewhat clever idea (at least we start off thinking it's clever): why not go to our favorite nearby hiking spot -- the Brooklyn Wildlife Area -- but approach it from the back end? Rather than hiking the Ice Age trail that runs through it, why not search for the trout stream we learned about just recently?

We study the maps and plunge into the marsh thicket. It's not easy to go off trail when hiking in these parts. It tends to be rough going and you may reach impenetrable growth at the first turn.





But, eventually we come to the trout stream. It's just lovely!





We can see the sandy bottom and I tell Ed that in a year or two, Snowdrop will surely love wading in this clear stream of water (first, she has to be tough enough to survive the hike).






We try to stick with clearings, but the fact is, it's easy to get lost here and after an hour of thrashing about, we turn back.





After all, the little chicks are waiting for my attention.

Oh! They seem content on their own!





I can't believe they're just six days old! So independent! And the feathers are coming in so quickly!

It's like watching a grandkid grow up, only at a hundred times the pace!

Speaking of grandkid, Snowdrop is with up tonight and she arrives with a smile on her face and a doll in her hand.






(Said doll -- Peg, from her favorite PBS show -- needs to see the chicks!)






Hi Snowdrop and Peg!





As usual, when she is here for just one night, we have a pizza party. Recently, we've been playing the game of "broccoli comes first" and as a result,  Snowdrop has grown quite fond of broccoli. Or at least she eats it because our game requires that she have affection for it. Grandmothers are such horrible manipulators.

(Look at that sunshine streaming in, even as we eat just before 7!)






Ed gets up to put away the big girls in the barn. She begs to go with him. Of course you can go, little one.





Because the ritual of putting the cheepers away is fraught with possible dangers and dramatic twists and turns, I am never quite sure how everyone will look on the return.

But, they always look like this: full of smiles and chortles and good feelings.





Goodnight, cheepers, goodnight child, goodnight little ones where ever you are...