March Madness

 The youngest boys love basketball.  They are pretty good at it, too.

They both play every day, although not always together.  They are loving March Madness as well.  We've watched parts of several games, men's and women's. 

The two little dogs are not impressed:

They were happy to be in the sunroom, though.  They are not often allowed in there, because Maple tries to eat the boys' toys.  I will sometimes let them in when I am working with my plants, so they enjoyed that.

Poultry and Strawberries

 

Here's a shot of Harry with his feathers down.  He's still incredibly large and impressive.

Our lavender orpington pullets are now the same size as our older lavender orpington, so you can't really tell them apart anymore.  At least, I can't.  (In front of them is a sapphire gem and a barred rock.)

And in gardening news, I bought myself a strawberrry ring and some strawberry plants.  This is after I transplanted the first batch.  I still have 14 to add:

Most of us love strawberries, so we are hoping to have a good crop.  I hope to transplant the rest tomorrow, and mulch with wood chips.  They have been in flats in the playroom, but they really need transplanted.  

Trellis

 Today, Elijah helped me move the trellis.  It was over here:

But now, it is outside the fence and in the newer, expanded side garden:

I'm planning to plant pea pods there very soon.  Next to the trellis will also be a strawberry patch, and more plants will surround both.  I'm very excited to have this increased sunlit area since Nathaniel took down a couple of trees for me.  

And we have daffodils blooming everywhere!

Growing

 I've been growing lots of seedlings in the sun room.

The flats are strawberries, which are hanging out and looking good until I can transplant them outside.

Overall, I've got lots of tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, cabbages, lettuce, kohlrabi, broccoli, and tons of flowers.  I am very excited to get these all growing up well and ready for spring planting next month.  I also planted carrot seeds in my garden cart.  I need to chit the seed potatoes I bought the other day, so I can plant those in my new potato garden soon.

In other news, Lydia got a haircut:

She's been wanting one, and my mother-in-law took her this weekend.  It's shorter than she wanted, but the layers are exactly what she wanted, so overall, she's happy.

February Egg Totals

The egg count is steadily increasing.  For February, we had 187 eggs.

We have 15 hens right now, and 1 rooster.  Of course, Harry the turkey also resides with them.

Today, I planted carrots in my garden cart.  I hope that works well.  The new potato garden is coming along, and since Nathaniel took out two trees for me, I have big garden expansion plans on the side yard.  Photos coming soon!