I spy...

 Since it is prom season, I thought I would share what my husband calls the Grand March at our cabin.

I haven't seen many elk this winter, but was lucky enough to see this herd several times last week.  I tried to just take photos as I slowly drove by.  I didn't want to disrupt them.

There were about 40 in the herd.  They are certainly majestic.

That is all I have.  It has been cold and super windy.  I haven't been very inspired.  I hope you enjoyed the wildlife.

A genuine anteater...

 A genuine anteater the pet store man told my dad.  Turned out it was an aunt eater and now my uncle is mad.  My cousin told me that joke when we were kids.  For some reason I never forgot it.  

Why am I rambling about ants?  Because that is the only thing of interest I have this week.

During our weekly walk, I caught something shiny and black out of the corner of my eye.

I guess they were as tired of winter as I am and taking advantage of the sun.  They must not be able to feel the incessant winds.

Ella and I almost blew off the mountain top. 

I hope you are having nicer weather.  

We have green...

 My lettuce in the greenhouse is up.  I don't have a picture as the sprouts were so little.  The weather hasn't been nice, but the Tomato Taj Mahal is a regular Valhalla!

I gave my seedling starts a little vacation to the Taj Mahal and they loved it.  Before you judge my fur lined mad bomber hat, just know it is ten times warmer than a coat.  

Before some real sun, the were weak and reaching for sunshine.  Now look at how healthy they are.

They are a darker green and standing up straight.  It just goes to show sunshine does a body good.  It does my soul good.  My husband had a hard time getting me out of the greenhouse.  It was a nice respite from the incessant winds we have been enduring.

Not much else is happening here.  I gathered a bucket of ash from our winter burn piles.  It is drying in the greenhouse.  I find a cupful in the spring makes my delphiniums happy.

How does your garden grow?  Do you still have snow?  Are you as impatient as I am for summer?  

One man's trash...

 Earlier this winter, I stumbled across some buried metal at the back of our property.  I marked the area and we went back this weekend with the metal detector.  After quite a bit of digging, it turned out to be an old cook stove. A Rattler No. 9 made sometime between 1879 and 1884 by Dutcher Vose & Adams from Milwaukee Wis.  

I so wish I could put it all together.  I think I could do it.   It was sure a fun way to spend the day.  It makes a person wonder what the past life of this property was.  

What is the coolest thing you've ever found on your property?

Let's get this party started..

I couldn't wait any longer.  I had to do some outdoor projects.   The weather was halfway decent and we took advantage.  First we stained and set up the wood duck boxes.

We even did a little fishing, but for once we got skunked.  My husband had a nibble and that was it.  Still, it was a beautiful day to sit and enjoy the sun.

I did get a chance to work on this year's graduation quilt.  It is starting to come together.  I need to stop making things up as I go.  It gets complicated.

The greenhouse went from disaster to spectacular in a few hours.  I mixed in some compost and fertilizer.

I planted carrots, lettuce, and pak choi under the bench.  Everything is ready for seedlings.  I think I will start those next week.

It felt good to do some things outside.  It is supposed to snow tonight, but we are coming down the homestretch.  May is a month and a half away.

Have you started gardening yet?

Warmth...

 I made it through another cold winter week.  We had COVID hit the staff and students at the center making things stressful.  The cold snap didn't help.  Today was actually nice.  Ella and I celebrated.   I celebrated warm weather and Ella celebrated not having to wear her cone.  She had surgery on Tuesday to remove a growth on her leg and eyelid.  

It was a long week for all of us.  Our cabin isn't very big and poor Ella was miserable bouncing off of everything.  Her stitches itched and no matter what she tried to do it was uncomfortable.  

It snowed about every night this week.  It certainly hasn't been warm.  Driving to work has not been fun.

I'm dreaming about gardening, but it will be awhile.  I do enjoy standing in the greenhouse once in awhile and feeling the sun and smelling the earth.  It is a bit of a disaster right now.  I'll tidy it up next month.

I met some friends and co-workers on Saturday.  We enjoyed hot yoga, and afterwards a cup of coffee and some laughs.  It really perked my spirits.  Then to top it off my Jeep was ducked while I got groceries.  If you haven't heard about ducking Jeeps this story explains it better than I could:    https://elmoreautauganews.com/2021/03/25/duck-duck-jeep-founder-turns-scary-situation-around-to-help-supply-classrooms-worldwide/

I've been ducking Jeeps in the Deadwood area for a year and this is my first duck.  I was overjoyed. 

That is the extent of my week.   I'm happy to say that the cold weather and stressful days were balanced out by the warmth of friendship, a surprise from a stranger, and a cozy cabin with a loving husband.  

What keeps you balanced?

A diamond in the rough...

 Winter is still here.  We had an icy fog go through and create a frozen glaze topped with 3-4 inches of light and fluffy.  Good thing we didn't have anywhere to go.  We just stayed indoors and enjoyed the beauty.

In the twenty years we have been in our cabin, we have occasionally had brown creepers around.  They have never been on the feeders.  The creepers always stick to the pine trees spiraling up in search for bugs.  This little guy is different.  He is always on the feeders. I love watching him.  He doesn't let the bigger birds push him around.

The turkeys swing by once a day to see what dropped from my feeders.  They are fun to watch as they can put on a show.

On February 12th, the diamond from my wedding ring fell out.  I should have known that after 27 years of marriage the prongs would wear.  I looked high and low for that diamond to no avail.  Still, I didn't stop looking and sure enough I found it today.  It has fallen out when I was putting the dishes away.  I saw a sparkle as I was pulling out a pot.  Lo and behold there it was.  How lucky am I?

That was my weekend in a nutshell.   I did find time to work on my little wooden bucket.  All of the caulk is off and it's sanded.  The only thing left is to finish it with linseed oil.

What adventures have you been up to?  Do you have snow?  What projects are you working on?