Spring Surprises

Sheep sheared? Check.

Sap buckets washed and stowed? Check.

Snow blower off the tractor? Check.

Snow tires off the cars? Check.

Can you see where this is going? Yep! Time for a spring snowstorm!

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Not exactly a surprise, really. More surprising was the lack of snow in March. As a result, sledding season came to a premature end, and the woods that should have been alive with rushing water were strangely silent.

Sugaring was on again/off again due to weird warm weather followed by a few deep freezes. Gathering provided some quality pandemic activity, though, with weekend hordes descending on the farm to haul buckets of sap. (Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but lots of friends and neighbors got in on the fun.) The net syrup total was quite low (remember that it takes forty gallons of Maple sap to yield one gallon of syrup), but I’m happy to report that our Little House supply has been replenished with a long row of quart mason jars filled with the deep amber elixir of the gods and wood sprites. Our blueberry pancakes are grateful.

Mud season was short, too, though no complaints about that! (My first post — published back in March 2016 — is titled, “Mud Season & Robert Frost.” Click here to see it.)

The April storm gave us about 6 inches of snow, but the ground was warm enough that it soaked in quickly and there was no need for plowing or snow blowing. Phew! Happily the woods have come alive and streams are flowing. But we’re going to need spring rain to nourish the farm garden fields. Here’s hoping.

More of a surprise were the late winter/early spring lambs. Nate the Great — the former studly ram — has moved on to woo the ladies at another farm, and his replacement was so young and small that the farm folks assumed they’d make it through the winter without frigid, middle-of-the-night lambing sessions. (Surely the ewes would have appreciated the break, as well.) Ha. We’re up to eight lambs now, that rascally little ram! Fortunately the wee ones get to keep their wooly coats.

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Remember the timber yard full of logs from our neighbors’ White Pines? Well, imagine my surprise when they transformed into stacks of beautiful boards! Yes, there was a lumber mill involved, but still, it seemed like magic. And the smell of fresh cut pine boards? Heavenly.

So now the bears have come out of hibernation, which means it’s time to bring the bird feeders in at night. And the nefarious ticks are once again roaming the woods and meadows, which means it’s time for nightly tick checks. There’s snow whipping around in the wind as I finish this post in late April, and next year’s firewood pile looks as though it’s been dusted with powdered sugar. Not surprising. Happy Spring!