Several reasons. . . .
1) Because the frogs croak so loud at night now that you literally have to raise your voice to be heard.
2) Because it’s cold! Not the same frigid-type cold of winter, but the wet, blustery kind of cold, when big gray clouds go tumbling across the sky.
3) Because these guys are back:
See him?
No, not the rocks. The rodent.
This rodent. . . .
Call him a marmot, a rock-chuck, a groundhog . . . I honestly don’t know which he is. But I do know that he and his cronies are officially out of hibernation. And that my dad was not very happy to see them. (Farmers and rodents do not coexist well.) The attitude toward these things is a little more like this:
Anyway. What number are we on? Four? It must be spring—
4) Because the cows are calving like crazy! We now have thirteen calves, and they seem to be coming one right after another. We have four more to go, but we’re not completely sure that all of those four are pregnant.
5) Because marmots aren’t the only rodents out and about. So are the mice, which in turn attracts hawks, eagles, cats, and even coyotes, like this one:
(He wasn’t successful catching the mouse he’s pouncing on in the picture. Should’ve taken lessons from my cat, Lenny. I never saw Lenny make an unsuccessful pounce.)
6) And finally, the most exciting reason: because my 4-H ewe, Brietta, gave birth to triplets yesterday!!!
(Sorry the picture isn’t fantastic… it’s kinda hard to take good pictures of a trio of squirmy lambs in a dim-lit barn! Hopefully in the next few days I can get some better ones.)
The delivery was amazingly easy, and all three are bigger than average and very enthusiastic. They’re all girls, too! I’ve been trying to come up with names, but I just haven’t been able to think of three girls’ names that go well together. So if you have any ideas at all, they would be welcome!
I call that pretty convincing proof that it’s spring. The weather may do all it can to prove me wrong, but the calendar says March—not only in the big bold letters across the top, but also with how busy we’ve been!
It’s a busy time of year.
Croaking frogs, trilling blackbirds, my sister (or myself…) at the piano, lambs bleating, calves bawling, wind howling. Yes, it very much must be spring.
WOW!!!!!!!!!! those are such beautiful pics!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever taken lessons in photography? These are excellent!
ReplyDeleteWow, Hallie! What a shot of the coyote! Great shots, as usual.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion for the lambs, in keeping with your love of English literature, is Charlotte, Emily and Anne for the Bronte sisters. Have you read any of their works? I remember that Jane Eyre was a favorite of mine when I was in high school. It was highly tragical, which I enjoyed at the time. I'm much more into happy English literature a la Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell these days =) Although, Gaskell can be pretty dark and gloomy as well.
I got to hear your sister playing in the background over the phone with your mother the other day. It sounded loverly...
Suze
Or how about Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail? Beatrix Potter anyone?
ReplyDeleteSuze-who obviously has too much time on her hands today =)
Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather?
ReplyDeleteWell, I can see my sister came through for you in the name department! I was going to suggest the heroines from some of your favorite books, but she beat me to it. How fun to have triplets. They are so cute.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are gorgeous as usual. I'm a bit jealous of the sprigs of green grass I see in some of them....we are still totally brown and gray and gross here.
But soon that will change. Spring is on its way!
I loved the picture of the coyote. You always seem to be in the right place at the right time... :) I also liked the picture of the "rodent," with the cross hairs on him. Way to true!! :)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day!!