I don’t know about you, but this time of year is rough for me. It’s been dark, it’s been cold, it’s been soggy….it just puts us all in a funk. The last few weeks of winter really take their toll on my energy level and overall positive outlook. Coupled with some unforeseen maintenance issues and winter sickness, I have been downright crabby. All I can think about is one thing; Spring on the farm.
I spend more time than I would like to admit planning out what I think I want to accomplish for the next 9 months. And for some reason when the days are so incredibly short, my plans seem impossible. I try to keep a positive attitude but dang, it seems tough! Still, Im thinking about; Spring on the farm.
Then magically one day in March, time springs forward. While it always comes as a little bit of a shock to my internal system (and even worse, the kids) I still love when that time shift happens. The days get longer giving us more time in the evening to do the things we love. And this spring, I’ve decided I will do more of the things I love and more of the things that make me happy!
So what makes a 36-year-old ranch mom happy, you may be asking yourself? It’s really pretty simple;
- Baby Calves
- Hatching Chicks
- A Big Garden
Of course, I want the family along for all of this. And let me tell you 3 out of 4 members of the family are pretty excited about all the things I want to tackle this spring. The last is reluctant but ultimately inclined because he knows it means more work in an already full day. He almost always goes along with my big, crazy ideas because in his words, if it makes you happy, it makes me happy.
Baby Calves
There’s not much better than taking a ranger ride through the farm and seeing fresh, new baby calves. They are just the cutest, the fluffiest, and most fun to watch. After a long, cold winter, seeing the new life on the farm is such a refreshing feeling.
We get so much joy turning pairs out on the fresh, new grass of Spring. The babies run through the field with much vigor for life. It truly is peaceful and watching fresh calves in Spring makes me happy!
Hatching Chicks
I’ve previously admitted I’ve kind of become a crazy chicken lady. Well, this year I am taking it a step further…I’m planning to hatch my own chicks. Usually, I just buy day-old chicks, but have you seen the price of them this year? Hatching my own has always been something I’ve wanted to try and now seems like the perfect time!
The black australorp chicken has been one of the most docile and best-laying hens I have found, so that’s what I plan to hatch out. I have also been on the hunt for some copper marans because I love the deep brown color of their eggs. So stayed tuned over the next month or so, I’m sure you’ll see plenty of my egg-hatching stories!
A big ole garden
Before I had kids, I was able to spend a good deal of my spring and summer nights in the garden. I was able to grow and preserve a good deal of tomatoes and salsa. Once kids and sports have come along, I have had to scale back over the years, as time has just not allowed it.
However, this year, I plan to grow as much of our food as I can. I don’t know if you’ve seen the recent prices at the grocery store, but things are high! I like to be able to control what I can. I also really want to try and grow some flowers this year. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a few years now and am going to give it a go! I am worried about how my chickens will handle all the garden goodies, so stay tuned for some comic relief I’m sure!
Of course, with Spring comes a huge onset of work. Getting the fields ready to plant and putting in the crops. Next comes hay season, where we begin the prep for feeding cattle the next winter. Hay season means multiple cuttings, putting up and hauling many, many bales. While it’s a busy time of year, it’s nice to come out of the cold, long, dark winter and see some sunshine. There is nothing better this time of year than seeing some new baby calves out on some fresh green grass!