A new season begins

Spring is green. Sheep and cows are happy with new growing grass. They are done with hay until Christmas.

The pretty red bud and dogwood trees are blooming for 2-3 weeks.

All the other trees - oak, ash, walnut, sycamore, hickory, locust, osage orange, cherry, etc.  - will be totally finished budding out in green leaves within a few weeks. 

Took the little kids to Nauvoo, Illinois, for a weekend. Can you imagine being a 19th century pioneer family headed west across the plains and mountains? We would not be riding in the wagon, but rather all of us would be walking because the wagon could only carry 2,000 pounds: our clothes, sewing box, food & water, any precious valuables; books & musical instruments, sacks of seed to plant, fruit tree saplings; tools to build, a few pieces of furniture; a tooth brush?

Maggie had her calf on 18 April, in paddock #6.

Fish Day! Load the big trough in truck, fill with buckets of pond water and go to local feed store to buy some...

...Fish. We got a giant bucket of minnows, and 25 of these beautiful black crappie! One of the best eating fresh water fish. 

We also put two dozen minnows in the small pond up on hill to see how they do. 

We check on the growing flock frequently.