70 Degrees and Ready to Gambol

This time last week, I was shivering inside my own house, even with a fire roaring in my wood stove, because my furnace was out and we were in the midst of the latest in this winter’s series of snow storms. Today, it’s supposed to get up to 70 degrees here. (And my furnace is working. Not that I’ll need it by this afternoon.) It’s supposed to snow again later this week. The daffodils and the trees are going to be so confused. But!

Spring is on the way. There is change in the nippy air. Snow melts faster, the sun shines longer, the ground is eager to awake.

I have a list of final repairs to make to recover from this winter’s disasters upon my farm, and improvements to make sure they don’t happen again should next winter be just as rough. The first harsh winter here was filled with lessons, and this past week was consumed with dealing with the last of them.

I’ve been on a Julia Child kick, by the way. Preparing for the upcoming “Julia and You” workshops that go with the art and cooking retreat at the end of April. Morgan is eating fantastic. Fondue de Poulet a la Creme, Fricassee de Poulet a l’Ancienne, Boeuf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Champignons a Blanc, Oignons Glaces a Blanc, Creme Brulee, and so on. Every night, she says, “That was delicious!” That retreat is now filled, by the way. But if you’re interested, please let me know because I may schedule a second one in the fall. There are still a few spaces left in the cheesemaking, baking, herbs and soap retreat in June–get all the info here.

Some semi-major repairs will be done in the studio this week, due to busted pipes IN the walls. Two walls will have to be broken into to make the repairs, and then fixed back right again. (Luckily this doesn’t involve any of the walls where there are murals.) With workshops coming up and spring in the air, I’m eager to get back into the studio and get it ready for the year’s events. (I’m setting up to have the pipes completely drained in the studio for next winter, which will guarantee this never happens again.)

Update on Zip: She continues to recover nicely. Morgan and I are proud to have learned something new in animal medical care. Every other day, we wash out her wound and re-bandage it. She’s still being kept in the barn, but hopefully for not too much longer because she’s in the way of getting Glory Bee to the milking parlor, and–

I’m also on bee-hind watch here as Glory Bee could spit out a calf ANY DAY NOW!

And that is late winter on the farm. It’s brown and tired and a little dead-looking out there, but soon there will be new life, everywhere. Green and fresh and gamboling (that would be the calf). I’m ready!