Back at it....

Oh, yes, spring is on the way.  You can set your clock by her - Mildred, that is.  Yes, Mildred the mourning dove made a visit to the hanging pot that she has nested in the last three years.

 

On Monday I saw a dove sitting on the fence.  It sat there for several hours, which is out of character for our doves around here.  I thought it might be Mildred scoping things out.  And yes, it must have been her.  This morning when I was getting a second cup of coffee, I glanced out the kitchen window and there was Mildred, checking out how her preferred nesting site.  Last year I vacillated about letting her nest there again but this year there is no question about it - the hanging home is hers - the law of imminent domain surely applies here!  It will be fun to see how many clutches she hatches this season.

 

Yesterday I made a trip to town.  There is always so much to see this time of year.  The cows have been calving for over a month now.  New little calves are popping up in all the fields.  The unusually good weather we are experiencing surely has to be good for their survival and growth.

 



These are a couple of my favorite critters to pass by on my way home from town.  I don't know as though the bull really wants this fellow for a friend, but that's the way it is.  They are enjoying the milder weather, too.

I don't want to leave out the wild side of things.  A herd of mule deer were crossing the road not far from home.  I stopped the car to watch them.  Only got a picture of them on the retreat.  With green up starting early, they are able to range around looking for good eats - like some one's garden where plants are budding up way too early!

This crazy warm weather has me wanting to garden.  Funny - after last year I was ready to throw in the towel and just do flowers - easy ones.  But after a walk around the raised beds in the sun, I seem to have had a change of heart.  I even purchased some pea and bean seeds yesterday.  I know, pretty darned wild!  And I am visualizing some changes to the garden space - adding a few fruit trees and moving the garden kennel that we grow the upside down tomatoes in to a different location.  Also moving the composting area and putting in a seasonal water line and spigot to cut down on the need to drag a hose so far.  Yes, optimism!!!

And yes, I do feel guilty - every single day - knowing how so many of you are still buried in snow or ice.  In return, I want all of you to think of me every day when fire season is raging here after such a dry winter.  Trade offs, always trade offs!