Spring Cleaning

We have been looking for signs of Spring for weeks. Officially she hasn't arrived yet, but there are sure signs that Winter is making preparations to welcome her in. Around here, Winter seems to be suffering burn-out after his heavy duty work all across the country, driven to near madness by a little boy off the coast of Mexica. El Nino has been blamed for a lot Winter's bad behavior. Soon the little kid will turn over his duties to La Nina and we shall see what little sister has up her sleeve for us.

Here at the Garden Spot, as the weather warms, the Signs of Spring emerge. Spring cleaning and other signs of spring help us welcome the lady in.

One of the first signs here this year were the little dwarf iris that suddenly appeared. I wish I had more of them, and, of course, I don't remember where I got them. They come up even before the crocuses awake. Another sign that Spring arrives occurs when the Head Gardener gets the tractor out to groom the corral after a long winter with horses penned up in it. I always wonder if it is work for him or grown-up play? A bit of both, I suppose. The chicks have been moved from their baby brooder in office to the new deluxe loft addition to the hen house where they will continue to grow until they are ready to join the flock. The HG spent several days reconfiguring the hen house to accommodate chicks once they out grow the Rubber Maid tub. They have room with a view, the garden spot.

Another sign of spring: Mo naps on the stack of patio cushions on the outside patio in the warmth of spring. He spends a lot of time the dark garage--by his choice mind you--, but I think this is his favorite napping spot.

Despite the fuzzy iPhone photo, the corral looks clean and fresh with the top layer of soil turned over.

Another fuzzy photo. I am remembering; I took these with my Canon. So why so bad? I did trip on a step at church one day, camera in hand and it hit the ground, so now I am wondering if it isn't damage. When I get post published, I am headed out take more photos to see if it operator error or if the camera is damaged. 

The renovations in the hen house included a hinged screen door for the second coop where Chanticleer and the old hen live, along with a poop deck and perch.

Up stairs, the kids get new accommodations.

The HG lifts the tub of chicks into the hen house.

The little girls are quite happy in their new home. They have more room and will spend a few more weeks here before they are ready to join the rest of the flock.

We do have a storm approaching and temperatures are supposed to drop, so Winter will take one last stand before he leaves. I never complain about a little more moisture, but the fruit trees are budding out, so we hope they don't freeze.

I'll be joining Judith for Mosaic Monday. Be sure to join us. Thanks so much stopping by. I was gone over the week end, so I don't think I got around to visit everyone. I'll do better this week. This week's project is a photo album for Nathan. His birthday is in early April, so I have a lot of work to do if I want to get it finished by then. I hope you have a fabulous week.