First Day of Spring!

I know it isn't the first day of spring anymore, but this was in response to a writing prompt that day and I forgot to post it:
What does the first day of spring remind you of?
The first day of spring makes me think of new life, and especially green. Green sprouts coming up through the rich soil, green leaves forming on trees, green buds ready to burst into bloom.Green, green, green. Spring reminds me of planting things, of baby animals, but also, in my climate, a crouching lion ready to pounce. The green grass sways in the spring breeze, but it conceals the snow, the ice, the cold, cold winter, that wants to go out with a bang, namely, a giant, cold, frosty snowstorm. So plant all you want, but plant inside, because I guarantee that as soon as you sow tender seeds in the just-thawed earth, you'll wake to a thick blanket of snow in the morning. But even though you know that spring is just a clever disguise for winter, enjoy it. Enjoy the warmth, enjoy the sun, enjoy the green, enjoy the flowers, enjoy the baby animals while you can. It may not last, but spring is blissful while it visits.

Sprouts! Sprouts! I see GREEN!

To me, this means spring. Even if it's probably going to snow again. These plants amaze me. They say "I will not be discouraged by that snow outside. I will stand tall!" However, the chives only have a few days to go before they are declared duds. Pessimists.

Another Current Obsession:

Plants with unusual colors.

 

Cooking my own Food

So, I'm producing food and I want to start making it even more delish now. Anybody have a really good favorite recipe?

Current Obsession:

Gardening with chickens. And gardening with chickens with bamboo. I found a flawless bamboo species, Phyllostachys iridescens. It's completely perfect, suits all of my needs, except for 1 thing: it is running. Tips from anybody on how to control bamboo, other than eating it and not watering it?
Anyway, for anybody considering having a garden and chickens coexist, I recommend the book "Free Range Chicken Gardens" by Jessi Bloom. She has some great inspiration, information and generally, the book is pretty awesome.

I Love This Video

So beautiful.

Walk, Trot, Canter

I don't think I've said that I take horseback riding lessons yet. Well, I do. On a horse named Dolly. She's not mine, but I guess "renting" her is part of the lesson cost. Let me tell you: a lot of people think horseback riding isn't exercise. They are just wrong. It is exercise for body and mind. You have to concentrate on a million nitty gritty details all the while exercising muscles you didn't even know you had. Not exactly just sitting on a horse. Ha. Wish it were that easy.
And someday, someday I'll be riding a little Icelandic horse of my own through the woods near my little farm. And I'll use that horse instead of a tractor to tend my crops. It's going to be fantastic. It'll be hard. It will be breathtaking. And most importantly, it will be mine.