After one false start, followed by unseasonably frigid weather, we finally have spring! The snow is rapidly melting, leaving the tell tale signs off critters and their mess gathered over the past six months. One beautiful thing about snow is that it is pristine and clean and covers so many transgressions. Today, I picked up two bags of bones and a mess of torn cardboard, a winter diversion for young dogs with not a lot to do. There are still large patches of snow and ice on the shady sides of buildings, and as the snow is melting, it is leaving behind sand, dirt,silt and debris. A very major yard clean up will have to happen as soon as the rest of the ice is gone and garbage trapped in the ice is freed. The ducks and geese are loving the puddles and enjoy their whole day digging in the mud with their bills.
The farmer has to change over the winter wardrobe too. The heavy boots will have to be washed and dusted with baking soda to keep them fresh in storage. The winter parkas, down vests and insulated coveralls will need laundering prior to storing. It is a good thing the little farm house has a basement, such as it is, where the winter clothing can be stored. The coat racks will be lighter, though, and that will be nice.
For now, just attempting to keep the mud and manure caked to the footwear out of the house and porch is a monumental task. I swept the walkways at the farmhouse and put down two mats at the door, but the debris still tracks in the porch and eventually into the house. It is surprising how quickly the melted snow dissipates. The puddles are quickly absorbed by the dry earth and in a day or two, there is no trace of the water. A bonus to the thaw is the hose can be employed to water the animals, which saves an hour of chore time. Ah, spring. It makes me think of fresh linens on the clothesline, summer cottons smelling of sunshine and flowers. How full my heart is to see the changes of the seasons and to love it all.Thank you Creator for the most incredible gift of change. Thank you.
The farmer has to change over the winter wardrobe too. The heavy boots will have to be washed and dusted with baking soda to keep them fresh in storage. The winter parkas, down vests and insulated coveralls will need laundering prior to storing. It is a good thing the little farm house has a basement, such as it is, where the winter clothing can be stored. The coat racks will be lighter, though, and that will be nice.
For now, just attempting to keep the mud and manure caked to the footwear out of the house and porch is a monumental task. I swept the walkways at the farmhouse and put down two mats at the door, but the debris still tracks in the porch and eventually into the house. It is surprising how quickly the melted snow dissipates. The puddles are quickly absorbed by the dry earth and in a day or two, there is no trace of the water. A bonus to the thaw is the hose can be employed to water the animals, which saves an hour of chore time. Ah, spring. It makes me think of fresh linens on the clothesline, summer cottons smelling of sunshine and flowers. How full my heart is to see the changes of the seasons and to love it all.Thank you Creator for the most incredible gift of change. Thank you.
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