April Snow

It’s not that unusual, but somehow it always takes us by surprise. April snow.

landscape

 

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.

brick 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.)

green and white

 

It’s below freezing, but I don’t mind. I know that the beauty is ephemeral and the temperature will rise.

pond

 

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.

chicken pile up

 

Curiosity and hunger overcame their consternation, and all of the hens have now ventured out.

hencam1 (1)

 

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.

Scooter

Comments:

  1. I’m with Scooter too……my son called me at 7:00 am to ask me HOW grumpy am I. He loves to pick on me.

  2. I think the very worst late season snow I ever experienced there occured in May in the 70’s. It was a heavy, wet snow and accumulated to a depth of about a foot. The trees had leafed out. I lay in bed and listened to the branches and trees breaking all night. Tulips were in bloom and I watched one flower cup fill up with snow until it bent over until it was upside down. After the snow melted it straightened up and was fine.

  3. A few days you were enjoying the 60’s on hencam! Here in the Green Bay area, we’ve been celebratory with the 40’s and exceptional 50’s then woke up to a snow covered world on Tues morning and night time temps in single digits…REALLY??!! Come on! Yet, there’s beauty all around us and I’m grateful you shared your April snow. The designs on the brick path were so pretty and the fresh spring green on the pond was gorgeous! Spring is coming! We finished maple syruping last week and soon daffodils will bloom and our memories of the winter of 2014 will fade and become stories of the coldest winter ever. My hens are happy, healthy and laying. All is well!

  4. Scooter, me too! Unfortunately in Vermont April is rarely the end of the snow. We have had rogue snow falls into the middle of May. I’m getting waaaay too old for this. I’m looking at a move south – hopefully soon!

  5. It was a pretty sight out there this morning and knowing how temporary it would be was part of the beauty. Unfortunately, we had an upsurge in traffic accidents during rush hour that probably were weather related. It has been a long winter and my heart is with Scooter on this one.

  6. I’ll have to go with the goat boys and Phoebe on this one. I can’t hide my delight and exuberance. Asparagus and peonies are up and Spring is here! I love the first picture most. Such a pretty back yard. Very decorative and workable without overclutter. You have a good eye, Terry. It snowed yesterday, but lasted just awhile. Warming up again today. Doc finished the chicken tractor and the girls played in the vegetable garden all day Sunday. They loved it! Expcept for Queen. She paced and fussed about and she is our normally calm and gentle one. When we put her back into the run, she ran straight to the nesting box. We, then understood. She gave us her big, long egg. Can’t wait to see your veggie pictures. Hope Little Pond has a great Spring day!

      • We are nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains. We see snow a lot when rest of state doesn’t.

        • In the tidewater region of VA we got sleet and it was almost 70 winds off the bay, a tanker got beached. So we are all getting hit hard. Be it VA, or MA.

  7. Those hens are a riot…I can almost here them grumbling as they linger near the doorway:
    “She says it’s what outside- snow?! Hmph!”

  8. Do the hens like the water celery?

    I use to buy water hyacinths and put in my pond each year and they multiply like rabbits and my hens just loved the extras.

  9. You got more snow than we did! ‘Course we made it into the 70’s this weekend. I had my windows open! And then in 24 hours we had whiteout conditions. It was really bizarre driving down the highway with snow swirling all around and nothing on the ground! It eventually stuck to branches and stuff (26 degrees overnight). But like you, it didn’t last all day. It’s 40’s here, too.

    I was just watching Phoebe. It was hilarious. She was running around the pen and stopping ocassionally to grab a leaf, shake it, and then take off again. The girls were cocking a wary eye at her and staying out of the way. Spring fever, bunny style.

  10. Like your first commenter, I’m with Scooter! We had snow here in Wellfleet.

  11. Today’s post is one of my all time favorites. I enjoyed the pictures, and the graphic pattern on the walk. It was a nice overview of current life at Little Pond. Here in SW MO we are also having quite the weather pluctuations! Sat. evening it was 72 degrees at 10 pm, and on Mon. it was sleeting, then snowing, and we ended up in the low 20’s, with a hard freeze! Spring is almost here though! It is not safe to plant veggie plants and annual flowers here until mid-May, anymore!

  12. Ah Terry, The Washington Post Food Section was devoted almost exclusively to things eggy on Wednesday. A nice cover picture, mention, and a recipe from your new cookbook were a part of the article. Probably your publisher had let you know about the article, but if not, I thought I would mention it…

    • Yes, I was egg-cited that my recipe was included – I saw it on-line, but it always looks better on paper! I didn’t know about the other articles. I’ll go back and look.

  13. Either Scooter is always sleeping, or you are recycling photos! ;)

    • We joke that we could pretend to put up a Scooter cam, but just have up a photo of him curled up. Actually, at 11 pm he decides that it’s playtime. Annoying!

      • Like my cat. 2, 3, 4 in the morning running around the house like his tail is on fire.