Early March

The snow is lightly falling and the grass is just being covered over once again. December weather was all snow, snow, and more snow. January had warm spells and melting, then snow and melting, then snow again. February has had enough snow, ice, rain, and melting until our partly underground greenhouse was filled with 3 feet of water. The pots under the benches were floating all around and landed all over the place when we discovered the mess. My sister Beverly and niece Laura visited last week during the school vacation and we had a wonderful time. I even avoided work for at least 4 days!! We went to the greenhouse with seeds and a new calendar to start some flats of spinach, collards, cabbage, broccoli, arugula and herbs to start in the garden once it begins to be warm. Our first task was to put all the items back under the benches and to wash off the dirt from the raised bed that had spread itself over everything that was 3 feet or less in height. This phenomenon happens almost every year but each late winter you forget that it might happen. With the few days of bright sunny warm temperatures, we were lured into thinking new seedlings were just bursting to grow.

With today’s snow it looks much more like winter again. During the week we had fun sledding in the pasture where the steep drop on one side was compensated for by the steep incline on the other. No fence lines, no trees and self stopping! Our night skiing adventure at our nearby Willard Mountain was Laura’s first time under the lights. It feels a little intimidating to go from the brightly lit area to the dark in the middle of the run but you just bend your knees and wait for the light further down the trail to see. We took great walks around the pastures each day and the dogs loved that too. We looked for all kinds of tracks in the snow in the woods. One day we even saw the tiny tracks of a mouse or vole scurrying around and the broad brush of wingtips, a fairly large one, at the end of the tracks. Poor vole! The deer are all over the area these days, coming out of the trees to graze on the pastures while the snow was scarce. In two days we counted 32 of them. But the vacation was over when the Tuesday delivery order deadline came up.

By Wednesday night it was still snowing and by morning we had about 15 inches of the lightest fluffiest snow you could want – OH to be SKIING!! Every branch was covered and the whole world outside was bright white. The dogs were up to their chests bounding through it and I was up to my knees dragging the sled and hay bale to jack and Pedro, the horse and donkey. The pigs had already totally rifled the area where they eat down to the ground and we finding a few of yesterday’s leftover corn and soybeans. Their little noses must get cold! With beautiful cool temperatures the snow is still light and you just feel like running through it to see it fly all around your legs as you go. The little paths quickly become packed and even the pigs have paths all through the pasture already. This was a really great storm to wrap up the winter and hope that you are all staying warm.

Remember, there are only 21 days left of the winter season! Take care and enjoy the last weeks before we are complaining about humidity.

Nancy

Spring on the Farm

Alan and Nancy Brown At the End of Lewis Hill Lane Town of Jackson Greenwich, NY 12834 phone (518) 692-9208 or 692-3120 | Email

Spring on the Farm