Monday, April 23, 2012

Not funny, Mother Nature!

This is what we woke up to this morning....


Snow, ice pellets, and cold strong winds. I am singularly unimpressed! The ducks looked shocked when Gordon opened their door this morning. The chickens just take it all in stride.


Yesterday I made blueberry buttermilk muffins...


Recipe is here.


And when I went down to give the ducks a treat of Swiss chard yesterday, Ronna was off her nest, outside on a coffee break...


But when she saw me go in the duck coop, she waddled back in pretty quick!



Checked out her eggs and hopped back on. There are eleven eggs there and I made vague promises to Gordon that I would cull them a bit today. We don't really need 26 ducks... do we?


It was chilly and grey yesterday but I took the dogs for a walk anyway. If you click on this to enlarge, you'll see the green field at the back. That's the spring wheat coming up. Our tenant farmer planted our front fields in wheat. I think he's doing the back fields in corn but I'm not positive. We've had five years of soybeans, which is two years too many, so I'm glad we're getting something different this year. 


The field next door was planted in wheat last year and it was so pretty.



Tristan enjoyed his walk but he is really slowing down, poor guy. He's nine years old now. We've noticed a big change him over the past six months or so. He is on medication for his arthritis, which helps but he plods on walks now instead of running. But he still loves his outings! Sophie is also nine, but she has not slowed down one iota.

Have a happy Monday. I'm off to enjoy a muffin and tea, to try to ease the pain of seeing snow outside my window.



32 comments:

  1. That weather is sick and wrong.

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  2. Ach I hate snow but blueberry muffins would cheer me up no end!

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    Replies
    1. Frozen wild blueberries from Nova Scotia. I think wild blueberries are the best! Cultivated are good, but wild are better. Yum!

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  3. We seem to have gone from dull and grey with rain here to sunny and bright with rain. At least the nights are not so cold! Whatever happened to the well-defined seasons?

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    1. I don't know, but they seem to be disappearing here too!

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  4. Today is cold and rainy in my region, and snowy just to the west of us. I need to check on the seedlings in my vegetable garden to see if they survived this mess.

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    Replies
    1. FIngers crossed for your seedling, Ahab. They can be surprisingly hardy. They got nailed in upper NY state!

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  5. my seven indian runner females are all around 3 years old and all are bloody awful mothers
    non sit on the eggs and not one even makes a nest!
    keep warm

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    Replies
    1. Really? The Muscovy ducks seem awfully good at it. Too good, in fact. I am stealing eggs and booting ducks off makeshift nests left, right and centre!

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  6. Snow now it's not fun at all. The duck watches her eggs very careful *smile*. Have a nice start of the week.

    Hugs
    Elna

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    Replies
    1. She is not happy when I steal her eggs!!

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  7. No snow for us - just cold and damp.
    I admire your fortitude - I would not be able to take her eggs from her. Im such a sucker.

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    Replies
    1. OMG it is so hard! I have them down to 10 now. Thank God I marked them, because every day there are 2 - 3 more!

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  8. Hail,rain,high winds and 'mixed precipitation' here. Weather men/women are in hiding.
    Jane x

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    Replies
    1. Good plan, to hide from this mess!

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  9. Wow! I´m with cold here too! Have a nice week friends!

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    Replies
    1. You too! Hope you warm up soon. :)

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  10. Wanderingcatstudio, she is not going to do it. Mark my words.
    Weather is here horrible,too.

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  11. Not fun to wake up to indeed. It did a number on our poor magnolia buds :( Your muffins look great.

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    Replies
    1. Oh no!! There is a star magnolia blooming on our road...wonder how it fared?

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  12. I thought it was only me who posted snow pictures late in the spring!!
    On the brighter side the muffins sure look delicious!

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    Replies
    1. Well I sure WISH it were only you!! ;)

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  13. It's called Global Warming. So we're WARM even when we're freezing!

    No eggs in those muffins? They look scrumptious. I'll try that recipe, this week-end.

    Poor Tristan! Let's shake paws, old boy. I'm in the same boat. I understand.

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    Replies
    1. No duck eggs in the muffins! :)

      Tristan sends you a big kiss.

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  14. Our two labs who are also nine have also suddenly slowed down. I appreciate every day I have with them.

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    Replies
    1. It's so hard watching them age. But they seem happy!

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  15. Of course you need 26 ducks. Or maybe we, the followers of your blog, need you to have 26 ducks. I love all the stories about them and the more the merrier!

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    Replies
    1. Can you sell Gordon on that? ;)))

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  16. I have it down to 10 eggs now but I am weakening in my resolve!! I promise to love all the ducklings. :) It is amazing how warm the eggs are under the fluffy Ronna duck!

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  17. Me too think you need 26 moore Duck´s :)
    Here in Sweden we had some of that awful weather last week.

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!