"There's something magical about spring thaw. You can feel the laughter of the earth as it stretches and wakes from its winter sleep, echoing with the trickles of water as they tumble on their way." We're at the conjunction of mud and ice seasons, but the next few days should clear the ice from shady spots and open up the ponds again, making the duck patrol very happy. We had a touch of wild weather again this week, with snow and high winds, but it blew through pretty quickly and there was no...

"They can't watch the forecast, but the animals know when the season change is on the way. Suddenly, the cats start shedding enormous amounts of fur, and the duck and chicken courtship dances kick into high gear." I don't know if it's the slight temperature increase or the incrementally longer days, but spring fever has set in here on the homestead. Most of February has been chilly, so today's above freezing temperatures are a welcome respite. I won't miss dealing with the ice, though I don't...

"The bright blue of the sky and dazzling sunlight tempted one to believe it was a pleasant day outside, but the cold was so intense that it stole your breath away. Warmer days would come, but winter seemed determined to grab us and shake us like a pup with a favorite toy, refusing to let go." I made liberal use of magnesium cream on my sore back this weekend after three days straight of snow shoveling. I didn't see the list of official snow totals, but the snow is about to mid-calf where it's...