Happy Easter

I enjoyed every one's posts last week filled celebrations of Spring, cheering the end of Winter, while giving thanks for our blessings and celebrating Easter.

Here at the Garden Spot we did much the same. The week began with the Blizzard of the Year. "Snow, Really?" people were saying. We Colorado natives fully understand the brutality of early spring storms that bare that heavy, wet snow that does so much damage. While we had had 6 weeks without any moisture, the snow  was welcome, but such a nuisance. The kids had snow days, the power went out, trees suffered damage, and grandmas stayed in.

The snow did melt, but it never really warmed up, staying cold and windy the rest of the week.



We left the house Saturday just to get some fresh air and found ourselves at the New Life Celebration at the kids' church. What fun for the children--and grown-ups. While there were lots of activities for the children to celebrate the renwal of life downstairs in the church, the celebration was complete with worship of Christ's rising.

 Jen loaded up her six chicks to take to the festival and her mother-in-law brought her six chicks and two ducks. Ellie loves her grammy's ducks. Jen was saying that many urban farmers are opting for ducks as egg producers for many reasons: bigger egg, longer egg production, easier to keep, and more.  I'll keep my hens.

This was the first year that we had visited the New Life Celebration; while I knew that the kids took their animals, I had now idea that it was inside in the lower level of the church. Mrs. Jones, the kids second grade teacher, brings her lambs each year. I didn't understand what breed they are, but they are wool producers. She shears them, sells the wool, and even spins her own yarns.

Peter, Elinore's bunny, shares the pen with the lambs. He has been with Ellie for 5 years, now, a gift from the Easter Bunny. He lives in a cage in her bedroom. He is a very sweet boy, but Ellie's sisters are very allergic to him.

Lily in her pink cowboy boots and fuzzy pink vest (favorite outfit that she wears everyday, everywhere), has little fear, is very outgoing, and loves horses. She made friends quickly with the miniature horse.

Probably the hit of the celebration was little Dancer, a miniature horse. I wanted to take her home with me. I didn't get a chance to ask her owner her name, but she is a student in the CSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Dancer suffers from laminitis, an condition that horses, especially ponies get from a high carb diet that causes lameness. It is treatable if caught soon enough. Pop had been over fed before we took him, and suffers from the same ailment, so I did come home with suggestions as to how to help him. Dancer, by the way, was bothered by the lambs. She doesn't like goats, either.

 

I have enjoyed so much seeing your spring flowers because ours are so slow to emerge here. I did sacrifice these early bloomers to bring in for Easter dinner.

I didn't do much any Easter decorating this year, but I did bring out my little bunnies to help celebrate.

Jen's family came for dinner and girls had hunted Easter eggs.  I kept the meal simple, with cupcakes for desert.

And now a new week begins. The Head Gardener is milking cows this morning. I haven't decided if I am going to take photos and blog about his part time job or not, not until I get permission from the cow owners. Our neighbor, whom I wrote about a few posts back, now has two milking cows. The HG told her long before she actually bought the cows that he'd milk for her if she ever needed him to. Well, guess what? They are on a week's vacation. 

She has quite a process and it takes the HG nearly two hours twice a day to milk the 2 cows: 6 AM and 6 PM. He does have some help. Another neighbor pasteurizes the milk and her husband has been helping with preparations and clean-up after wards. A CSU dairy production major is house sitting and taking care of the calf that has to be bottle fed. So essentially  three people are doing what one young mother does to provide milk for her children and others who barter for fresh cow's milk. I have to hand it to the HG, when he offers his help, he follows through. Besides there are not many around anymore who can milk cows.

While the granddaughters had their spring break two weeks ago, the grandsons have theirs this week. We will be driving to Denver to pick them for the week this morning, so I'd better stop writing and get busy.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Now it time to garden. See you there. 

Thanks for stopping by. Linking with Judith at Lavender Cottage of Mosaic Monday.