No Longer Sparking Joy

There comes a time every February when I can just NOT TAKE any more cold, grey, dark days.  I would gladly pack up (or not, I'm tired of all this STUFF) and head to sunnier climes, or even a condo in town. It is just so hard and unrewarding to live on a farm in the winter:  there is a lot of work to keep it going (tend the fire, keep water and animals unfrozen, shovel and plow snow and some special people get to haul all the water they use a couple of times/week) and very little to make it seem worthwhile (1 or 2 eggs/day, water and heat in the house, the ability to LEAVE said farm if wanted.)  So when the time comes that it no longer sparks joy, what to do?  Get rid of it, right?

This is the state of our yard after driving the 
truck and trailer full of water through to fill 
the cistern day (after day after day after...)

Well, it's not quite that easy to unload a farm, particularly when the driveway and environs are so muddy that it's difficult to even get up here on the hill.

It's much easier to wait for a sunny day (we have had an hour or two here and there recently) which can effectively recharge my batteries and tolerance for mud.

I did notice that - right on time - my lenten roses are blooming, which is a teeny little nod towards spring being on its way.  It helps.

Do you like my new ring, by the way?  JP and I got new rings for Christmas - this is from the LOTR collection from Enso, the "Shire Leaf."

I hope there is more sunshine headed our way this weekend, as my winter stamina is just about at rock bottom.

Signs of Spring

It was a glorious day today! It started out a bit nippy, but warmed up to the mid thirties by mid-day. We took the opportunity, while the mud was frozen, to hike around the property.

We had to stop for a rest and a snack, half-way through the walk.

Everywhere we looked, there were signs of Spring. The poplars are blooming on Poplar Ridge!

Tiny fingers of fern were uncurling from beneath the skeletons of last years leaves. The grass was verdant near a spring on the hillside.

The last bit of roof is on the house now.

The prow comes out over the deck in front.

This is the view from inside. There will be another row of windows above the french doors in front.

I liked the air pockets under the ice in our "moat". J usually comes around with a piece of board and smashes all the ice, so I had to snap this quickly!

Hooray for Spring!

Where the Pigs Feel at Home

The sun was out this morning and the air was Spring-like in the 60's. We decided to pack a lunch and stop by the building site on the way to the Washington Township Park. The cable was down (good sign), but the site was deserted, lunch break I guess. I tried to drive up to the garage, but the van bottomed out here when the tires sank down in the mud. Luckily I was able to back up to firmer ground!

The girls wore their matching frog "puddle stompers", and good thing too. The mud was several inches deep, as you can see where they have been moving this equipment around.

Hey bro! Your artwork was hanging on the wall in the study!

The beginnings of the first main floor wall was almost ready to put into position.

I did hear from our builder on Monday, who felt pretty optimistic about getting this house under roof very soon.

After we wallowed back down the hill, we had a lovely picnic at the park. The girls enjoyed swinging (L didn't want her picture taken), sliding, playing on the monkey bars, and throwing rocks (and unfortunately J's birthstone ring) into the creek. Out of necessity, we went through the car wash before returning to the apartment.

We spent this evening talking to this gentleman, who looks remarkable for being 200 years old!