Every warm day brings out the beautiful butterflies, the world feels so much more alive with their little wings fluttering about.

The first of the Daffodils have begun poking up through the frosty morning soil. The first spring prep task is to rake off the old debris from last year before everything gets too big, so it doesn't get damaged while I make way for the fresh growth!

The Tulips are greeting the sunshine and air as well! Last fall was the first year they got planted into their protective wire-lined trenches so fingers crossed they survive the next winter from the voles and gophers!

The perennial Lupines are also beginning to bud and grow out, so the debris removal was a chance to get excited for more and more blooms and seeds! These are the bushes I grew from seed and saved this years Lupine Seeds from and it's a great time to get them planted. They, obviously, don't mind the frost (it still is getting down to 20F here) and it gives them a head start on everything else. Since they are perennials, don't expect too many flowers the first year, but each year the bush comes in bigger and bigger with more and more blooms!

The Dome is almost ready for those special Tomatoes that have been pampered inside under their lights, but first I had to make room by returning some of the pots, stands, and worktables to the hardening off area so that there is more room inside.

One of the key steps, getting the propane heater online, is done! A few nights of testing out which setting is needed depending upon the outside temp so that I have a steady temp of at least 50F inside are paramount before I entrust the care of those growing 'mater plants to the Dragon Dome and the Fire Breather! That involves going out a few times every night to check how it is faring, and so far it's very good and is easily keeping it 55F inside on some of the lower settings even when it is 20F outside!

With a warm and fairly calm day, it was time to start hardening off those baby plants to the strong sun, dry breezes, and also the cooler temps they have been shielded from. Hella was the designated inspector and efficiency supervisor!

The hens also get to enjoy the sunshine as I whittle away at the different tasks that need to be done before mobilizing them on the pasture. Next steps are to remove the front 'safety/snow' panels and pull out those many t-posts that held their runs down through all the wind storms! In the meantime, they don't mind mingling!

And when you wanna get away from the crowds to find your own special treats, it's best to employ the buddy system!

Sometimes the lure of a freshly cleared patch of cool, damp soil amid the warm sunshine is just too good to pass up, even if it means risking getting raked up with all the debris!

Special snack time means a feeding frenzy!

It's time to start the many-stepped process of 'unwinterizing' the hen huts and get them moving on that fast greening up pasture. The first big step is to remove the tie downs and the plastic covering their runs.

Another big step is to remove all of the electrics (extension cords, cord covers, heated water bowls, switches, and more). The bowls will get a good scrub down before being stowed away until next winter!

Who knew we had such close neighbors?!

The Guineas grew up with the 3 hens in the red hut and like to visit whenever they get a chance. They had to move out on their own 2 years ago when it got too cramped for their wildness, for they are tame but not domesticated.

Monday morning brought an inch of fresh snow for the hens and ducks to enjoy without their covered runs!

On Saturday, I hosted an Outsiety (www.outsiety.com) event for women to hike along the Kootenai on Bighorn Sheep Trail. It was a wonderful day with a special side trip up to see a special waterfall. There are other Outsiety events all year long and I'll probably host a few more this summer and in winter! All events are free!

A deep freeze with a low of 14F hit Tuesday morning. All the seedlings in the greenhouse were double (and even tripled covered) in frost cloth, the emergency electric heater was on (it can't heat the whole thing, but can take the edge off). A pre-dawn check in let me know that all was ok and it got down to 28F in the greenhouse and 32F under the cloths.

Freedom!!! Let's boogie!

It was just in the knick of time too, as more seedlings had to graduate to the dome to make space for many more flats to germinate in the warm, cozy cabin attic. The pipes exist to help get water to the bottom of the raised beds but also help to hover the frost cloth above the tender baby plants!

Rub a dub dub, two hens in a tub!

The more the hens are outside, the more comfortable they are exploring all the little places, like under the Hawthorne/Chokecherry bramble behind the barn.

The snowpack is gone and the land is calling! Time to start cleaning the beds, moving tarps, and getting ready to say hello to all the friends we've missed during the winter, like the earthworms, tiny grubs, ants, ladybugs, and all their soil-dwelling relatives!

Even the Guineas got out to enjoy the sun, find some bugs, and generally harass the rest of the birds

Seeding more flats each week means that the farthest along ones get the boot to the greenhouse (except the tomatoes, they get pampered for a few more weeks before I feel good moving them out only to be pampered in the greenhouse too!) I better work on clearing those old tomato vines before it's too hard to move around all the seed flats!

Luckily, I had built special window shelves for the orchids in the winter so that I could free up their wooden shelves to use as temporary flat holders in the greenhouse and all around the farm. You wouldn't believe the time I spend moving shelves around depending upon the needs of the season!

It's fluff butt time! Those bugs better watch out!

Doing chores while the hens are out means I am never left alone as the groupies hope for some treats to fall from my arms

The Golden Beets are looking golden and are getting a head start in some seed flats.

Hella still likes to pop up like a little spring vole to remind me to get the computer work done so I can come outside!

With the snow clearing into mud, I caved into their cute little pleading faces and let the horde of hens free into that muddy, wet world.

The plants also got to get 'out' into the greenhouse. The cabin space is full with newly planted seed flats so the biggest and most cold-hardy seedlings graduate to the, for now, unheated greenhouse.

They get to enjoy the warm spring sunshine, and a greenhouse that can get 40F degrees warmer than outside when that full sun shines down on it. BUT, at night the well below freezing temps creep in so that crumpled bundle of frost fabric is tripled covered over the entire shelf unit to keep them cozy until that sun shines again the next morning!

It is a thing so ordinary and commonplace in the world, but watching those seeds that I hug into the ground germinate always makes me let out a little child-like squeal of joy and feel a rush of excitement, this may be what other people feel when they see human babies, but not me, I feel it when I see plant babies!!! □□

This is what a duck nest looks like when you didn't realize she was laying for awhile. LOL there was a full baker's dozen, but since they were sitting there for quite a while they went into the compost and I added her space to my regular egg check!

When the sun came out, the hens definitely took the opportunity to enjoy the radiant heat from the gravel and the direct heat from that beautiful sunshine!

While tidying the shed, I had a few helpers come in to see what might have spent the winter hiding under the pile of stuff!

If I fits, I sits. Just don't lock me in!

This farmer predicts that frost fabric will be a huge fashion trend this spring, and next spring, and the spring after that, and, well, every spring, summer, and fall! It's a classic that never goes out of style!

Hella and I head to the barn, then back to the house, then back to the barn! It's time to get some work done while the sun shines

Fresh snow makes for quiet mornings...until the guineas get up!

A north-facing porch under a sun-warmed metal roof and cold nights makes for some of the most interesting icicles. These speak to the constancy of the force of gravity but the variability in our relation to it. Poetry becomes science becomes poetry.

The farm and I were awarded a Field Tested Grant From CFAC in Missoula for a host of farm tools to help make me a lean, mean plant growing machine! And the first purchase has arrived! A floral tool belt to hold snip, pruners, scissors, phone, pens, notepad, and whatever else I need while I plant, tend, or harvest. It's handmade by a small leather-working company in the US and I hope it will help stop me dropping my snips in the field all day!

Since it seems to be slush season for awhile (a season Hella hates!) The magical delivery people dropped off a bevy of new cat toys (like these swimming fishes!!!), so I can get some work done without a tiny paw tapping my leg to go out, or come back in, or go out, or...

Every year I'm tempted to get a fancy seeder that can seed a whole flat in under a minute and then I don't. There are multiple reasons, like they use a vacuum and vacuums are noisy, I often don't seed a flat with the same single variety (especially with the flowers), and they won't work with a lot of the more irregular shaped flower seeds, but truly it comes down to this: I like to touch the seeds. Creepy of me right? It may be 'woowoo' but I like to give them a little sense of hope, a little feeling of gratitude for their current and future self, a 'seed hug' if you will. So go forth and not only hug a tree but also hug a seed because it is just a baby tree!

If these little seedlings look a lot like carrots to you, then you have a good eye! They are baby Queen Anne's Lace and Chocolate Lace Flower, both relatives of carrots that flower in the first year (not the second like carrots do) and make larger and more numerous blooms, but not much root.

The first sowing of Cherry Tomatoes are growing well, and the second sowing got done this weekend. In another week or two, they'll each get upgraded to larger pots and smothered with as much indoor light I can give them as I don't trust putting them into the greenhouse (even with a heater) until March/April. I sleep better knowing they are safe from a sudden overnight cold snap.

I'm finally getting to winnowing and sifting the saved seeds from last year! I should have done it months ago, but that's life. Every time you save seeds you are choosing individuals that are thriving in your region and local conditions. This is the perennial Lupine that grows big and bushy, with tall spires of purple, blue, pink, and white blooms that are beloved by bees and can handle frosts! I'm working on prepping the cold hardy varieties first so they will be available for planting as the conditions are right!

As the chickens get special treatment and consideration in the wet times, the ducks don't care one bit! I'm sure this drake wishes his run was flooded instead!

The firewood shed floor has quickly become a chunky smoothie of mud and bark bits! Since it is a low spot relative to the snow outside (especially on the sides where it falls off the roof), it all flows in and even though the wood is off the ground a bit I may end up with some logs in ice!

But the water in the shed is good for one thing: to keep the axe heads on with no bucket needed!

When it's well below zero the frost starts to move inside!

It makes for great icicles too!

The seed starting area is starting to fill up, so I brought the other shelving unit up to get ready for more seed flats that need a space and some light. It is a few weeks before I feel confident in the greenhouse dome's heater so for now they get their special space in the attic!

I finally took the time for a quick jog/hike along the Kootenai and in true Montana fashion it was beautiful even in winter! Also saw an Eagle try for a Great Blue Heron. It got away but probably not without a few scratches!

Hella loves the hand soap I currently have so every time I wash my hands she wants to lick it 'clean' for me!

A few Mixed Bouquets of the last dried flowers are available for those special everlasting valentines and galentines!

The cold mean getting a lot of firewood up on the porch and ready to pop into the stove! It's a hungry beast that needs constant feeding, almost as hungry as the hens ;)

Woodshop time means I get to work on the smattering of small 'building' that will make the farm just that more functional. First was the hut for the generator. Second is a little Farm Stand that will be stocked on Saturday mornings in future. Now it just needs a floor and a roof!

(sorry if they are a little squirmy and creepy!!!) You may have forgotten about my wormies in their worm bin, but I haven't! I've been feeding them the veggie scraps that even the hens don't care for (like onion skins, moldy strawberries, and squash rinds) and they've been growing, multiplying, and turning all the ucky ickiness into beautiful black gold! These ones are taking a water cooler break from all the vermicomposting below so they can dish all the dirt and juicy gossip on their other wormy roommates!

Hella may be unintentionally impersonating a famous kitty cat clock, but the only time she is telling is that it's nap time!

A bit of fresh snow makes the Rainbow Huts look bright and cheerful amid the winter gloom!

Tiny pops of green are appearing on some of the first trays that were sown! These are Sweet Williams getting an early start to a long season of blooms!

The Delphiniums are starting to send up their first true leaves so they can soak up as much light as possible from the LEDs.

With no ponds around what is a Drake to do but rub a dub dub in the tub

Sunday mornings are spent sipping a strong cup of tea propped up under warm covers while the refueled wood stove brings the cabin to a comfortable temperature while I enter the weeks receipts, except sometimes Hella takes offense and claims all the delightfully crumple-able receipts for herself!