Signs of Spring

Gosh I needed today. It has been a heckuva time in Bee-Land. Trying times and winter blahs are a crummy combination.  The weather has been gloomy for weeks. My attitude has been gloomy for weeks. My health has been gloomy for weeks. Circumstances have been gloomy for weeks. It's been pretty hard to keep a chipper-pip-pip attitude around these parts. But today...today made all the difference.

I went to the barn this morning. It was only 10 degrees when I got there, but the sun was shining and the wind wasn't blowing.  The animals were chipper and seemed to sense an inking of spring in the air. Gracie the goose, Tippy the Duck and Isis the chicken all gifted me with eggs:

Gracie's been laying off and on for about a month now. The chickens have been VERY sporadic all winter and I've never seen a Tippy egg.  It reminded me of Easter, finding all of those treasures. They must know spring is coming right?

There was lots of work to do around the barn as always. It was a busy hive of activity . Then everyone went home and it was blessedly quiet except for the gentle animal noises. I puttered around; the closeness to the animals and the physical work was a welcome tonic. By 11:30 it was around freezing, but with no wind and bright sun, it was amazing out. I sat out in the pasture with the goats and sheep and just soaked up the vitamin D.  All of the animals were doing the same, either lying or standing still, little faces turned towards the warmth listening to the eaves drip. Maple sugar time.

I snuggled my Esme for the first time since early winter. She just laid her turkey head on my shoulder and snuggled in for about 20 minutes. I think she fell asleep. I've been snuggling the new turkey, Baby, too. He's a big male, but is a total marshmallow who loves to be hugged, have his waddle rubbed and the top of his head kissed. I took Dahlia the bunny out in sun for a bit. I flipped her over on her back and cradled her in my arms, rubbing her tummy. She held my wrist with her little paws and closed her eyes in bliss. My buddy, Bert-the-sheep came to sit with me a spell in the pasture. He usually does. He's more like a dog than a sheep. I don't even have to pat him, he just leans on me. Even Maude and April, the most standoffish of the goats came by for head rubs. For the first time in what seems like ages, I could relax and breath.

There's more snow coming...and worse yet, MARCH is coming, but today gave me a much needed shot of something I've been missing lately, HOPE. Thank you G*d for leading me to Heartland Farm Sanctuary.