I still plan to blog, just got busy, and uninspired to use the camera this cold winter

The one outdoor thing that pulled me through the depressingly cold winter was my bird feeder, which was a wonderful gift from my in-laws!  One cold day it had over 200 birds flocking the area and the variety included these common swallows and finches, but also a domineering red winged black bird, and 15 Quail (a bevvy, as I've learned) stopped by at dusk.

Alas the cold is behind us, spring is around the corner and the earth is greening up before it quickly turns to yellow/brown in the dry part of Oregon, (The Dalles).  I love the dry though, and look forward to cultivating my piece.

Wildflowers are just beginning to pop

Thaddeus is also happy to be outside and roaming the hillsides

Nathanael is quickly striding towards being TWO!

No personal space in this life...

"Did you say, 'I am cute'?"

Back at ya!

Our growing boys, paused for photo.  A rare occurrence these days...

Drover is our sun seeker.   She moves about the yard throughout the day chasing the sun, so I think she is happy the winter is over as well.

Our gates, which keep the deer out and the boys and farm animals in.
These were made by the Metal Works here in The Dalles.  The weather finally allowed me to paint them this week.

Our two rabbits with the improvised hutch I put together last week and the blue bucket which will be for Vermacomposting (Red Worms/kitchen scrapes/newspaper/peat moss/and rabbit droppings)

This cute Chicken house was left nearly unused by the previous owners, so we picked up two hens from a coworker this last weekend for free.  I added some handles to the front and a set of wheels from my father in-law's garage, make it a easy to use chicken tractor.

Da wheels

This is the larger Chicken Tractor which is nearing completion, but not sure I will rush to fill it.  Kinda like the idea of starting small for awhile.  We have plenty on our plates with my busy work schedule, needing to put in an entirely new septic drain field this spring, and looking to plant the perimeter of the property in Goji berries and maximillian sunflowers.

The view from my office during the last skiff of snow we had.  The pictures makes the view look more spectacular than it is, as I cut out the parking lot and buildings in the foreground, but I am not complaining... :o)