Our Busy Spring Loveliness

There is dirt under my fingernails and flour on my clothes.

If I haven't been real 'present' in the blogosphere for awhile, it's because, quite literally, I've either been in the garden every spare moment, or working to maintain the large group of chickens we brooded this winter.  Turns out 45 chickens is probably a lot. Maybe even, dare I say it, too many? And of course there are the 9 new baby ducklings brooding outside on the deck that I bought to replace my one duck that a possum killed. I've been calling it Duck Math.  Did I ever mention that I tend to overdo things?

Speaking of overdoing things, there is a pile of garden books and magazines by my bed, and seed packets strewn all over the kitchen table.  I've discovered that garden clogs are really comfortable to wear 24-7, and convenient to slip on and off too, so why bother with normal shoes?

Or showers - which with 5 older kids and a new baby, were already hard to get, but knowing that I'm gonna spend all day in the garden anyway, well, this Spring has proven itself to be a dirty one.

And speaking of dirt, my baby has redefined the term 'soil-testing' because every time she gets near it she manages to chow down!  I learned this while I somehow managed planting out two rows of peas, three rows of potatoes, and potting broccoli starts with the baby in tow.

While It's been so busy I have to make sure that I remember to breathe, I did realize that I have sort-of missed out, blog-wise, on the spring pics.  I have some catching up to do here. It has been the best spring weather-wise that I can ever remember here.  Usually we sort of skip spring, and go from winter to summer, or more accurately from cold rain, to more rain, to regular rain, to warm rain, and then finally to Summer.  This year we've had a real spring, the stuff of romantic fantasies, and fairies, and full of new starts for us.

There is a lot of growing going on here, not just in the garden.  Our little baby is desperately trying to keep up with all the activity buzzing around here, and one of my boys has sprung up several inches since the winter began!

The lilacs are exploding perfume all over the drive and I'm sore-muscling my way to the veggie garden of my dreams.  There have even been some sunshiney picnics outside with the kids under the flowering trees; truly, truly, a Spring NOT to be missed.

In short, I've been sucking up every last fragrant moment of it all.