Signs of Spring

Well, my friends, it's been an early, dry spring around these parts.  We've had such a mild winter, with a record low snow pack, and no spring rains, which means that farmers are concerned.  The snow melted a whole 3 weeks earlier than last year, which is bittersweet.  Don't get me wrong...I'm SO happy for spring, but we are definitely praying for rain!  Here are some sure signs of spring from our farm...

1.  Potting Bench.  I've wanted a potting bench for years and years and years, and this year, Art found the time (somewhere....after all, who needs to sleep?!) to build me one.  He made it out of cast off cedar boards that our neighbor gave us because he wanted to get rid of them.  We used a sink taken out of my parents house when they renovated, and will hook the hose up to it for when I want to wash vegetables from the garden.  It's very rustic, huge, heavy and beautiful.  I love it!

2.  Riding has started in earnest, once again.  We're working on getting the ponies back in shape, and some are happier than others about it.  I'm loving the warm days and more hours of daylight, that's for sure!

3.  Green is starting to appear.  Magically.  In my garden.  Hooray!  My rhubarb is up, tulips and hyacinths are poking through, and I'm expecting my asparagus to show up any day now.  I'm looking forward to getting some dirt under my fingernails.

4.  Farm auctions.  And plenty of them.  We love going to farm auctions, and have, in fact, furnished most of our house from them.  True story.  So when the warmed weather hits, we pack a lunch and hit the road.  Last weekend, we attended an auction just down the road from us.  We weren't able to stay long, so we didn't come home with any treasures, but it was fun to get out, take in some sun, do some people watching, and look at some junk.

5.  My apple trees are blooming.  In real life.  It feels very, very early, but they are very, very beautiful.  So I'm excited. 

Hooray for Spring!