Road Kill Cafe

The delicate birch twigs that etch the clear blue skies of March now dangle with catkins, and the gray fuzzy buds of the pussy willow swell. The brave crocus has broken through the ground and opened their petals to the warmth of the sun. On the south side of the house the ground is a mass of purple violets peeping coyishly from the already lush green of the lawn. In the front the yellow daffodils nod in the warm breeze. In the pasture the dandelions are in full bloom, they are a mass of brilliant yellow, looking as if the sun itself has come down to earth.

A love-struck starling throws back his head and sings a courting song to his mate, who already wears the sleek, black feathers of spring. In the open meadows flocks of migrating robins graze in the fresh green grass. In the hedgerows, cock pheasants, like phoenixes come to life from an ancient Chinese vase, challenge one another with fierce displays of feathers and spurs.

The turkeys are once again making appearances in the hayfield, chasing  bugs with fierce determination. The air is filled with bird song and the trees along the creek have a moss green glow of the just emerging leaves on their branches. Along the creek bank more daffodils are in bloom surrounded by delicate white and purple flowers. The water bugs skate to and fro in a dizzy dance on the calmer pools of water.

Everywhere new life is emerging. As bees busily forage in the first yellow-green blossoms of the maple trees, the time has come to put away the last vestiges of winter and look forward to  all the joys of spring.

After a week of very cool temperatures and mostly overcast and rainy skies, we have once again had a genuine spring day. It started off very foggy and damp, but rapidly turned into blue sky, sunshine and breeze.

We started off by hauling trash to the dump, a mundane chore that was magical to Hunter. He enjoyed helping to pile the trash bags in the back of the pick up and was over joyed to be able to go with papa to the dump. Only a little kid could see a dump as a wonderful adventure.

Then we turned our attention to mowing the grass. Again this was quite a bit of excitement for Hunter. He was fascinated with the mower, the noise it made and the even swath of lawn it left behind. He followed behind me as I mowed, interested in everything that was going on.

Since a number of the plants that I had ordered had arrived, the next order of business was getting them in the ground. Hunter helped carry the plants and watched as papa dug places for them to go. He was intrigued when he noticed the earthworms wiggling around in the freshly turned soil. The look on his face was priceless when I placed a worm in his hand, he had never seen or held one before.

He watched as I tucked the little plants in the dirt and covered up the roots. As I did this I told him that the plants would grow and after they got bigger would have pretty flowers on them. He just gave me an odd look and said “Fine, if you say so grandma.” It will be fun to show him the plants when they get bigger.

One of the things that was really funny is when he noticed that my hands were dirty. He didn’t want to come very close and just kept saying “grandmas hands are dirty.” and “I’m not dirty, I’m clean.” A little boy who wasn’t interested in digging in the dirt! I told him that we would all be getting dirty when the time came for planting the garden.

After we were finished planting the honeysuckle, hollyhocks and the lilac bushes, we walked out to check on the apple and pear trees. They are all showing signs of growth. Hunter looked with interest when I pointed out the buds and the tiny bits of green just beginning to show.

While I was taking a rest on the porch swing he was busily playing with his dump truck, pushing it all around the yard. He was happy that it was much easier to push around the freshly mowed grass and busily tried to fill the truck with some of the grass clippings.

I think he had a good day with all the different things that we did. I know he was happy when I went in and washed the dirt off my hands!

Yesterday was a perfect spring day, warm temperatures, gentle breezes and plenty of sunshine. The birds were singing, the sky was blue and I watched as a daffodil burst into bloom. Hunter was fascinated as he saw that brilliant yellow flower unfold, he went over to it many times during the rest of the day. He kept saying “It’s still there grandma.”

I opened every window in the house to let that delicious spring air blow through. After months of having the house closed up it was so nice to have the fresh air replace the staleness. I did some laundry and hung it outside on the clothesline, there is no fabric softener that can duplicate that scent.

Jeff2 took Hunter out into the pasture to show him how to launch a kite. Hunter watched as the kite rose in the wind and danced at the end of the kite string. He kept running back and forth between where grandpa was monitoring the kite and the fence to the yard to ask me “Do you see it, grandma?”, as I hung sheets on the clothesline.

We spent most of the day outside enjoying the wonderful weather and watching Hunter play. Jeff2 had gotten a plastic bat and ball for Hunter and was showing him how to hit the ball with the bat.That is a skill that will take a little practice, but he loved it.

That little guy wore himself out wandering the pasture with us, throwing rocks in the creek, playing with dogs and his toys. He was delighted to be able to go back outside after dinner. I sat on the porch swing and watched him busily pushing his dump truck back and forth across the front yard. Every once in a while he would say that he wasn’t ready to come inside, but finally changed his mind when I told him it was time for a bath.

He was grubby from all his adventures and had rosy cheeks from running in the sun and the wind. He played in the tub for quite a while and surprised me by not having a fit when it was time to get out. As I got him into his jammies he asked for his teddy bear and a cup of chocolate milk. He crawled up beside me on the couch and in a short time was fast asleep. I think he had a good day.

Molly and Scout are doing great! They still have voracious appetites, but they are looking so much better.

When we found them, or they found us, they were skin and bones. Most of their fur was gone. They were wet, cold and rather lethargic. They were scared of us, but wanted to be close to us at the same time.

Fast forward three months……….they don’t look like the same dogs. They are gaining weight and growing. Their fur has come back in and they look like fluffy white teddy bears. They are no longer afraid of us (although Scout is still a bit skittish) and they see me as the giver of food.

What a difference from the mostly naked living skeletons they were on New Years Day. They now run and play. Their eyes are bright and inquisitive. At first we had no real idea what breed or mix of breed they were, there just wasn’t enough of them to really tell. Now they look like white labs, very fluffy white labs.

I wish now that we had taken some pictures of them when they came into our lives. Just to show the difference that some love, care and good food has made. But I will always remember how they looked, that image is burned into my memory.

The fruit trees I had ordered arrived the other day. Yesterday we got them planted in the pasture near the garden area. So now we have a start on our own supply of apples and pears. I will be watching them closely for signs of growth. Of course it will be a few seasons before we get any usable harvest. However, it is a step in the right direction.

If all goes well we will have Bartlett pears, Moonglow pears, Red Rome apples and Granny Smith apples. All of these will be good for eating fresh, making sauce, pie fillings and numerous other things. It is one more little step towards self-sufficiency. That is a good feeling.

Now I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of the other plants I have ordered. These will go a long way to making the yard a nicer place to be and making it look a lot less bare.  Another big plus will be the all the flowers with their wonderful aromas wafting in the summer breeze.

Since yesterday was such a nice day, I made a start on the spring clean-up of the yard. While Hunter was having a good time playing in the sunshine, I was working on picking up of various bits of trash and spreading out the remaining straw that we had gotten for the dogs to snuggle in when the temperatures were much cooler. I didn’t do a whole lot, but what I did get done made a huge difference in the appearance of the yard.

Today it is raining and is forecast to rain most of the day. This will be good for the fruit trees we planted yesterday and to replenish our store of water in the cistern. With the return of warmer temperatures it will also give the grass a boost in returning to life, as well as the other plants in the yard. I noticed buds on the lilac bush in the front yard yesterday, I do believe that spring is definitely upon us!