Signs of spring come slowly but surely to Western Wisconsin. The Sandhill Cranes arrived about 2 weeks ago, creaking their love songs in recently harvested corn fields. The Great Blue Herons make the trek from river to feeding grounds. Our house sits under their flight path.

The first flowers of spring: chickweed from the garden.

The garlic pokes out of its straw comforter. The rhubarb rumbles it’s way toward the light.

We finished our dog walk just as today’s flurries commenced.

Michael has almost 3/4 of the garden turned over. My contribution is the pittance behind the shovel on the left. He’s been racing wet weather to get the weeds out and all ready for spring planting. We save the dandelions as our first harvest. Welcom… — Michael has almost 3/4 of the garden turned over. My contribution is the pittance behind the shovel on the left. He’s been racing wet weather to get the weeds out and all ready for spring planting. We save the dandelions as our first harvest. Welcome to the season of fresh salads and cooked greens!

The bag Michael is carrying is for picking trash out of the ditches. We have added trash picking to our rites of spring. Our local township provides garbage bags and will pick them up from the roadside. I walk the road with the bag and Michael scrambles into steep places with the small bag, emptying it into my big one. The ditches are clear of snow (mostly), but the poison ivy has yet to awaken, so the time to “ditch dive” is now. My neighbor has joined in our efforts to keep our neck of the woods free of the detritus of modern life. Once the ditches awaken, we will restrict our efforts to non-toxic portions of the road. As for fear of contamination of the trash, most of it is pre-pandemic. All has been exposed to hard UV. The items that may retain viral content, such as cardboard, will melt with time. We let it lie.

We added 26 chicks from the feed store to the 30 we hatched so far. Michael always dreamed of being a chick magnate.

Ox (he is exhibiting rooster behavior) and his cohort are feathering nicely. Michael partitioned the coop and made a cozy place for the babies. The hens emit a low rattling sound, as close to a purr as a hen can get, since sharing quarters with the … — Ox (he is exhibiting rooster behavior) and his cohort are feathering nicely. Michael partitioned the coop and made a cozy place for the babies. The hens emit a low rattling sound, as close to a purr as a hen can get, since sharing quarters with the peepers.

We have more chickens than we can eat and plan to plant extra potatoes, root vegetables and cabbages. The pandemic may end with the warm weather or it may not. Either way we will have enough to share with anyone who may be in need once harvest starts. Here’s to the hope for the future that comes with springtime.