April snow can be refreshing or depressing. We’re all especially confined this year, so “losing” a weekend day of being outside when we’re already in social lockdown that realization can add to the cold and wet outdoor misery.
I found it refreshing though as it was kind of beautiful, didn’t need shoveling, and slowed down the imminent coming of spring which is soon going to hit us hard.
Spring is one of the busiest time on the farm. In the next two weeks we’ll be lambing, preparing the garden and planting some of it, getting animals on grass, yard clean-up will happen, and we’ll need to address some maintenance issues like the roof shingles that recently blew off, barn and house painting, and a few other projects that we put off all winter because conditions weren’t right for them. And I have that big fencing project looming where I don’t yet have a post in the ground and need to get the old fence removed and out of here before it gets overtaken by vegetation.
Today’s snow put all that work off a little longer but did help me catch up in the greenhouse as Meg came by and we transplanted brassica (broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts) seedlings into larger pots and made room for them. I’ll hope to get these cold season crops outdoors and planted in the garden just in time to transplant the warm season seedlings (tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants) from their starter trays into larger pots. Good to get some of that done.
Catching up on things… to answer the question in yesterday’s horse training update on how I managed Charlie where he was appehensive about going by the pallets of fencng material:
My approach yesterday, knowing his instincts are to flee anything he thinks unsafe, was to help him realize the pallets were nothing to be afraid and try to make that a conditioned response he’d apply to future similar occurrences. I first made sure I was sitting firmly and balanced in the saddle with just enough contact with the reins and his bit that I could safely manage and redirect his energy should he decide to jump or shy away. I looked at the pallet in a relaxed manner so he knew that I knew it was there, but so he could also sense that it wasn’t bothering me. I then gave him a word of encouragement to build his confidence and kept him moving forward on the road with light leg pressure without “forcing” him on. I let him stop and look at them but didn’t allow him to turn around and go back the other way. I did let him to go a little wide around the bundles but kept him on the general path forward. Once we get safely past to where he wasn’t focused on them anymore I turned him around and passed by again from the other direction. I allowed him to go slowly so he could again check them out again from the new angle. He watched them, but walked by quietly. And what would I have done if this all hadn’t worked, well, taken things even slower, but it depends…
Hope you all have a blessed bright and sunny day tomorrow!
Photos: Jake in the snow, transplanting, and the greenhouse.
