"Spring thaw mud season" was always a messy one, distinctive from other wet times of the year. With frost still in the ground, water from snowmelt pooled on the surface instead of being absorbed. This was great for refilling the ponds, but hard on the lawn, as the duck patrol set to work on creating a muck hole near the garden." It's been "ducky weather" this week, as the ponds opened up again after the recent blizzard and there is mud just about everywhere. I love our ducks, but they sure...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Lady amaryllis flourished her brilliant red petals in the morning sun, like a dancer answering the call of the music. Beside her, her daughter listened, too, and joined her in the dance. It was an eventful week here in northeast Wisconsin, as Blizzard Elsa ended up being one for the record books. We snagged the number two spot for heaviest snowfall in a single storm (since they've been keeping track), with the Green Bay tally at 26.6 inches, making it the snowiest in 138 years. It was also...
16 days ago • 4 min read
Their calls echoed across the half-frozen landscape, lonely yet comforting in the waning light. As the sandhill cranes passed closely overhead, gliding in for a landing, their silhouettes seemed almost prehistoric, a giant relic from some ancient past. It was hard to believe these majestic creatures shared a common ancestry with the delicate songbirds that fluttered around the yard. Spring was teasing us this past week as unusually warm weather cleared out the snowpack here in northeast...
23 days ago • 3 min read
The wind howled and twisted through the treetops, but down in the sheltered yard only a light breeze filtered through. The line of evergreens, planted when the homestead was first established, had matured to become the protectors imagined nearly two decades before. When we purchased our homestead, we started with bare ground. 25 acres was rented to a neighbor, and 10 acres (where we eventually built our home) was an abandoned pasture. We'd lived in the suburbs for nearly 10 years, so this was...
30 days ago • 2 min read
Homestead rhythms quickened and eased, always interwoven with the seasons. As the days lengthened and spring approached, the flocks grew restless in the mornings, bolting outside as soon as possible in spite of lingering cold. Tree buds began to swell, sap rose, bird song spread in ripples - joyous melodies to welcome the day. I am sorting through my root cellar storage this coming week, checking condition of storage crops and setting aside my seed potatoes for the coming season. Note - if...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
The breath of false spring swept across the mid winter landscape, buttressed by steady rains that swept away ice and snow. The homestead ponds, low from months of scant precipitation, filled again. The flock of patchwork ducks romped happily, their feathers soft as velvet from hours of washing and oiling. As I watched them from the door of the greenhouse, framed by the arch of garden trellises as they played in the pond, it looked like a scene from an old-fashioned children's book. Winter...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
The last of the homegrown apples sat in a bin on the porch, looking like a gaggle of old crones ready to share laughs over stories from their younger years. They were russets, dense and firm, known for their storage properties. The porch was too dry and cold for pristine preservation, but those conditions concentrated their sugars, making them perfect for one final fresh apple pie. The yard is filled with puddles in the sun and ice in the shade as temps spike up to 10-20 degrees above average...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The soft-snow coated the gardens where the white calico crept, belly deep, stalking any wayward rodent who dared to enter her domain. Sounds were muted by the snow layer and warmer temps - until the door to the coop was opened and the calls of gleeful duckies echoed across the yard. Temps closer to freezing were a welcome respite from the single digit readings that had kept them stuck inside the coop and greenhouse complex for weeks. We had a break from our cold streak this past week - though...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
It was still squeaky-snow, face-freezing cold outside, but coming in from evening chores was like walking into a warm hug. There was a fire crackling in the masonry stove, and the aromas of homemade bread, vegetable soup, and raspberry currant jam lingered in the air. Bread baking happened about once a week, soup was supper, and jam making was tackled to help clean out the freezer and add more warmth to the house. Temps this week were a skosh warmer, but single digits and low teens are still...
2 months ago • 3 min read