It's hard to believe that breakup is nearly past already. From thigh deep snow to mud/ice to almost dry in a matter of days. Today it's spitting snow, but there's no way it'll stick.
Ben is gone bear hunting with our client Tim, who is a pheasant farmer from Scotland. I hope they have good luck and come home with some fresh black bear meat. Tim patiently let me pick his brain about game birds and feed... he has 60,000 birds at peak season. Wow.
They flew into the mountains on skis and when they came out the next day, our airstrip was bare. So Ben landed on grass without wheels. Now he's switched over to tundra tires and is landing on river bars again.
Chickens and goats are everywhere. Everywhere. I found Taslyn half way up the hill behind the cabin yesterday with the goat kids. She scared herself by slipping above a steep exposed spot, and sat down and screamed for help. Good girl.
A couple of nights ago I heard her yelling while I was doing the evening milking, and I looked out the window to see one of our roosters sparring with her on the tire steps leading to the chicken house. Off with his head, and Little Girl wanted to eat him right away. I've never butchered such a tough animal before... his connective tissue was solid.
Last night Mowgli died quietly in his sleep. He'd been with me for 14 years, the only animal still living who I brought up the mountain with me in 1996-7. He was the leader, the father and the grandfather of my dogteam which has all but aged out now. All that's left are Tua and Henna who are both 12, and Quinn who is 10.
Tomorrow I might pick up a tried herding dog who needs a new home. The gal is willing to let me test drive Freckles... I'm anxious to see if she will help me catch Honey the milksheep at milking time. It's turned into quite a circus as I chase her around the dogpen.
Rhubarb leaves are just unfurling, and the chives/green onions are 6 inches tall already. There is a faint sheen of chickweed seedlings all around the yard... spring is almost here. I guess it IS here. It's time to plant out the lettuce and kale and spinach and mache, and direct seed some peas. The big garden, down below, is almost melted off and ready for cover cropping. I'm going to mix up buckwheat and red clover for this go 'round.
Perhaps the most exciting news, is that I'm now milking and cheesemaking in the dairy shack instead of in our cabin. It was really a breath of fresh air to move all the supplies out of our living space and into their dedicated home.
No, maybe that's not the top of the list of current events. There is a gas water pump being shipped up from California to supply us with summer water. It can't get much more exciting than that. Happy Spring!