I had a blogpost planned for today. It was filled with science, feathers, and the evolution of dinosaurs into birds. This morning I went out to the coops to take photographs for it. Phoebe had other plans for me.
There will be Easter egg hunts on Sunday, she said. There will be rabbits doing the important work of delivering chocolate. You need a photograph of the Easter Bunny.
Me.
The post about feathers will be up next week. Have a wonderful weekend.
He has a basket with eggs filled with candy, and even a toy rabbit, but this young boy has no need for chicks in his Easter basket, because he has a mama hen and her babies right in his backyard!
What’s going to be in your Easter basket?
NOTE: In this photograph (from around 1910) the hen is living in what is often called a broody coop. This is a temporary shelter for a hen to sit on her eggs, hatch out her chicks, and care for them for about a week, safely away from the rest of the flock. These days, some catalogs are selling similar shelters, billed as urban coops for small flocks. Don’t purchase one! You’ll have flock health and behavior issues. Read this FAQ for coop design criteria that will keep your chickens happy and healthy, and take a look at my Pinterest page where I have an annotated collection of small coops to give you ideas.
It’s not that unusual, but somehow it always takes us by surprise. April snow.
This year’s April snow is pretty rather than a problem. I love how it clings to the moss on the path to make a graphic pattern.
The color of the water celery pops against the white snow. It reminds me of how very green that plant is. (The goats say that it is also very delicious. I will take them out to the pond later to graze.)
It’s below freezing, but I don’t mind. I know that the beauty is ephemeral and the temperature will rise.
The snow won’t affect the peas, lettuces, chard, kale, spinach and carrots that I planted last week. Those seeds have only just sprouted and the seedlings will be fine.
The goats, still shedding off their heavy winter coats, were quite happy and comfortable in this morning’s chill. Phoebe was delighted and hopped around the pen. However, the chickens were aghast. There was quite the pileup at the pop-door when they saw what was outside.
Curiosity and hunger overcame their consternation, and all of the hens have now ventured out.
The only hold out is Scooter. He remains curled up in a ball on his bed. When I walk by, he squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn’t care a whit for the beauty of April snow.
Taking care of a horse is complicated and rife with worry. It is not just that these animals are big (though they are) but it is also because so much can go wrong.
The digestive system is large and yet sensitive to upsets, called colic. A twist in the gut can kill. Proper feeding is essential. Tonka is fed four flakes of hay day, a small scoop of grain, a probiotics supplement, and has plenty of water. Changes and stress can cause colic. The farm has a grassy field that the horses will take turns in (but not until this rainy spring is over and the sod has firmed up.) Because his paddock doesn’t have grass, I’ve been hand grazing him daily, gradually increasing the amount of fresh greens that he eats. We both enjoy this peaceful time near the wetlands, where birds are singing and the spring peepers (small frogs) are making a ruckus.
A horse carries himself (upwards of 1,000 pounds) plus a rider on four hooves, which aren’t simply solid cartilage – no, they have bones and capillaries and cushions, all of which can be damaged. The hoof walls are continuously growing, and so need to be filed. Some horses have to wear shoes to protect them from bruising and cracks. So far, I’ve been able to keep Tonka barefoot, which I prefer, both for financial reasons and because he has a beautiful natural angle to his hooves, which I’d like to preserve. However, shoes don’t hurt the horse, and if Tonka shows signs of hoof damage, I’ll have no qualms about having him shod. For now, every five weeks, Tonka’s farrier trims his feet. (My dogs, by the way, are given the hoof trimmings to chew on. They love it when Georgia comes!)
Being a farrier is back-breaking work. I don’t know how Georgia does it. But, she does, without complaint, and is even capable, while working, of answering my questions. She’s skilled and educated and I always learn something from her.
Horses teeth, too, are always growing, and do not wear down evenly. The edges can become so sharp that the horse gets ulcers in his mouth. Twice a year I schedule a horse dentist to file Tonka’s teeth. After this session, Tonka was much relieved. Chewing his hay and holding the bit in his mouth was so much more comfortable!
And then there are communicable diseases to worry about. Thank goodness for vaccines. All of the horses at Tonka’s barn will be getting their spring shots tomorrow. EEE, rabies, tetanus, West Nile, and rhino.
As with any animal under our care, we can protect them only so much. Lyme disease is epidemic here. Injuries happen. I can only do the best that I can, stay as educated as I can, and as always, pay attention. One of the reasons that horses are so wonderful to be around is that they are expressive animals that communicate with us humans. I’m listening, Tonka.
Every week, my hens lay at least one or two especially beautiful eggs. I can’t bear to crack them and throw out the shells. So, I save those speckled, brightly colored, striped, or otherwise egg-cellently colored eggs. I use a clever little tool to blow them out. (Unlike the expression you can’t have your cake and eat it too, you CAN have your eggs and have the shells, too!) I take some of these eggs to show off to children when I do school visits, but most of the eggs get displayed in a (very) large egg basket (it’s now half-full!).
Yesterday I hosted a Passover seder. This is a meaningful meal composed of many courses. It goes on for a couple of hours. Our seder has much laughter and wide-ranging conversation. The table sets the mood. I like it to be beautiful, yet relaxed, and charming yet traditional. This year, there were eleven at the table. I used eggs as place holders.
(Part of the seder tradition is that everyone sits on pillows. I’m sure that some of you have already noticed the pillows on the right-hand chairs.)
This gave me an excuse to use both my blown out eggs, and my collection of egg cups.
This time of year, there are plenty of holiday gathering that use eggs as part of the imagery and festivities. One of my readers, Stacey, uses eggs as place holders for her Easter table. She uses photographs. No one minds being an egg head in her family! (Directions for this craft are here.)
What decorations are you making with your blown out eggs? Let me know in the comments!
