Glorious spring days!

It's days like the past two that make living worthwhile. Days spent outside in the sun, digging in the earth, planting stuff, getting my vegetable garden all planned out. My back is hurting from all the shoveling and hauling compost in the wheelbarrow. But – oh – what wonderful compost it is! It's my pride and joy, home made from my goats' bedding, and it will nourish hundreds of pounds of vegetables I will grow for my family this year.  I forced bribed talked Kai into helping me shovel.  He's younger, and he has a better back.

I don't like using a rototiller in my garden, because it's not great for soil structure, and because it murders worms and other beneficial creepy crawlies. I use a broad fork, which loosens the soil without mixing it all up. It's backbreaking, yes, but it makes for some pretty nice muscles! The boys and I planted our garlic yesterday. Most people do it in the fall, but since it's so wet here in the winter, I like to plant my garlic in the spring. It always turns out gorgeous. The seed garlic I used is all from our crop last year.  Look at them in shorts and T-shirt!  Shorts and T-shirts!!!

Here, my crew is separating garlic bulbs.

And here, they are tucking them into the soil.

Other signs of spring: growing bellies on the pregnant goats (we might have baby goats in a little less than four weeks), crocus blooming in the yard, my seedlings thriving in the greenhouse, rhubarb unfurling its leaves, buds swelling. It is glooooorious, darlings!

I know, she looks skinny from that angle, but believe me, she's got a belly on her.

Also, there were picnics by the beach in Bellingham, and bike rides to the playground in Rockport.  The boys rode ahead of me, while I pulled my heavy four-year-old in the bike trailer.  We did a 15 miler the other day, in order to train for our ride over the Cascade Mountains in the fall.  It's going to be a party, I tell you, and the more people want to join us for the ordeal, the better!

We went frantic with the past two days of sunshine, because we know it surely will rain again, for days and days and days on end.  And it still might snow a bunch...  So we took advantage of the sun and made "paint" with ground rocks by the creek.  The boys promptly decorated all of us, and we had fun taking selfies.  

A selfie with me and Kai after our bike ride, with Sauk mountain in the background.

Last but not least, our chickens got a haircut this week.  We thought the ladies were slacking on their egg production, since we only got one or two a day, sometimes none. But then we realized the little stinkers fly over the fence and hide their eggs in the forest somewhere.  We are tired of buying expensive, organic grain for them, just so they can hide their eggs from us.  So we armed ourselves with scissors and headed for the chicken pen.  Catching them can be tricky, and once we had them in our arms, they screamed bloody murder.  We cut off their flight feathers so they can't fly off any more.  Since we did that, there have been plenty of eggs in their boxes again!  Hurray for outsmarting chicken brains!

And then, of course, there's always the knitting.  The knitting, the knitting, the knitting.  This week has been all about the Lotus Hat (pattern free on Ravelry).  I cranked out three of them, and we get compliments wherever we go.  I even put one up for sale in my Etsy shop.

Spring!

I can hardly believe it is spring. How do I know it's spring? For starters, we are out in the garden, shoveling compost, weeding the garden beds and paths, starting seeds, and waiting for baby goats to be born. There are also signs of crocuses wanting to bloom, and cyclamens and snow drops are bursting forth. Buds are swelling, and robins are patrolling the yard.

Steve is working full time, so it's usually just me getting dirty in the garden (while he busts his bootie planting trees for salmon habitat restoration at work). He helped me spread compost one day, which is so hugely helpful, because his man-muscle body can do more work than mine (I hate to admit it).  

As I am out there, weeding, shoveling and digging, I listen to my kids' voices. They are loud and mostly happy, with only an occasional argument from the boys or a wail from Eva. The most amazing thing this year is Eva's self-containment and independence. The boys often play with her, racing up and down the lawn, rough-housing on the trampoline, or pushing her on her tricycle (They are such great brothers, really). But she is also quite happy playing by herself, absorbed in her own world in the sand pile, or digging in the soil. A year ago, my spring gardening was much more sporadic, crammed in between Eva's naps, or precious moments stolen when Eva was content, instead of needing my attention. And then there were the years I gardened with infants or toddlers strapped to my back. (Is it any wonder that my back feels worn out sometimes?).

The boys are playing bike soccer.

Eva is helping.

She found a bird's nest up in the Fort.

There is something I haven't told you about yet. Three weeks ago, I started an elimination diet to find out if I have any food allergies. It's a way of reducing inflammation in the body. I have totally changed my way of eating: no sugar, no alcohol, no dairy, no gluten. That means all the fun stuff is gone from my life. No daily dose of chocolate, no glass of wine with dinner, no delicious slabs of bread with butter and home made goat cheese. When my friends started eating this way, I knew there was no way I could ever even attempt this. However, I am doing it, and I have for three weeks! I can hardly believe it! I feel good, but also very deprived. Life feels a little dull without all my little pleasures. Although I know I am doing something good for my body, something is missing...

After three weeks, I am supposed to introduce certain foods one at a time and then watch my body for reactions. I think I will stay on the elimination phase part for a little while longer, just to see what happens.  Below are muffins made with almond flour, duck eggs and a banana as the only sweetener.  You would be amazed how sweet a banana tastes to me now.  And carrots?  They are like candy.