Spring is Splendid

For the last two days, the weather has been gorgeous!  They gloomy grey skies broke and were replaced by blue skies, sunshine, and drying out ground, assisted by a north breeze.  Spring means babies and Tricia was able to let the triplets out of the barn and out into the pasture where they soaked in some sunshine and took a nap.  They were nestled in a little pile.  We checked on Luna, our next Jersey that will be calving.  You can see her udder beginning to swell.  She is due in early April.

Kids in a Pile

One of my favorite parts of spring is the fragrance that is in the air.  I'm talking about citrus blooms!  I know that I talk about this every single year, but orange blossoms are a truly heavenly scent.  At dusk, if you walk outside and inhale deeply, the sweet scent of orange blossoms fill the air.

Navel Orange Blossoms

Our citrus trees are located on the south side of the house and this somewhat protects them from the cold northern winds of winter.  As soon as the cold days fade, blooms fill the trees.  Below are the blooms of a tangerine tree.  Many of these flowers will turn into fruit.  Some will, of course, fall off the trees as the trees simply could not carry all of the fruit to maturity.

But these are not the only flowers around.  Although they have no fragrance that I can detect, the blueberry bushes are filled with blooms as well and these will turn into blueberries that we will be picking this summer.

Our inventory of blueberries in the freezer is quickly depleting, so we will be very happy when these flowers turn into berries.

This weekend if the weather cooperates, we will be outdoors enjoying spring and perhaps planting corn, beans, cucumbers and squash.  The list is always longer than the hours available, though!  Get out and enjoy spring!

Fresh Baked Bread in the Oven

"Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home – home! And this is my room – and you're all here – and I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And... oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home!"  - Dorothy in the last lines of The Wizard of Oz

Home is a haven, a safe refuge from a world gone mad.  There is safety at home. You are surrounded by ones you love and there is a feeling of acceptance and familiarity.  It is a place where you can be yourself and relax and unwind.

Have you ever noticed that every home has a particular fragrance?  When you open the back door and walk inside, it just smells like 'home.'  I tell you what, sometimes home smells extra nice.  For instance, when there is a fresh loaf of bread baking in the oven!

Some realtors will tell you that if you are looking to sell your home, it needs to smell inviting.  Fresh baked bread or chocolate chip cookies evokes a feeling of comfort that supposedly makes prospective buyers make an offer.  We're not trying to sell our home, but when I walk in and smell fresh baked bread, I'm definitely comfortable and happy!

Lovin' in the Oven

When you pull that bread out, everyone gathers round.  The "heel" of the bread, in my opinion, is the best part.  I'll fight you for it.

I like to get some butter and slather (I like the word slather) lots of it on top of the warm bread.  Then I like to pop the warm bread out of the loaf pan and slice it while still warm. Then I either put more butter on the warm bread or I get out the jar of Steen's pure cane syrup and pour a generous helping on the slice.

After the slice is gone, a critical decision must be made.  Should you have another slice? Or should you back away from the warm, fresh baked bread?  While it is still warm, it takes superhuman will power to stop after eating one slice.  Fresh bread is quite the temptress.  Get behind me Satan!