I remind myself that we are the visitors here. The turkeys are still doing their thing all around us. At least three toms, strutting their stuff, and numerous hens, chirping. They call from behind the barn and up the hill, around the buildings, and in the front field. Spring is certainly in the air.
Tim pointed out they drag their flight feathers on the ground with their display. With a little bit of snow, it looked like someone had pulled a sled around the cabins.
He also thought there was a lizard in the kitchen.
It was really a lone piece of arugula.
This moth, found on our wall, had good camouflage.
One of these is not like the rest. Can you tell which ones are from a heritage breed?
While the cost of eggs rise and the stock markets tumble, it helps to remain focused on the beauty which surrounds us everyday.
We took a road trip to Fort Collins. I had an appointment to review archives of the Dickerson sisters. These were two women who grew up on an off-the-grid homestead in the Mummy Range of mountains, where they supported themselves by running a timber operation and selling home baked goods and handcrafts. I had hoped to see some of their handcrafts but there was a misunderstanding and instead I reviewed a folder of articles, photos and clippings. I first learned of them when I read an article about a pin loom blanket made by them. This was while I was making a pin loom blanket almost next door, in the adjacent mountains.
Here’s a photo of Alice. I may try to recreate her hat. They lived together into their 80’s. I read their story in a book called Apples of the Mummy’s Eyes.
They were as poor as church mice but now their homestead is on the market for $850,000! I managed to copy their recipe for bread, in their case baked in a wood burning stove.
I am happy to share it with you.
At least, we had preferred parking due to our hybrid car.
After our visit to the museum, we hiked in the Eagles Nest open space. The landscape was much different from what we have become used to.
It was dry brush with no snow. The weather didn’t get quite as warm as we hoped but it was a great walk.
There were signs like these whenever we considered following the wrong herd path.
On our way home, we saw a small herd of bighorn (not longhorn) sheep.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch a flock of turkeys has moved in. One of the Toms struts his stuff around the grounds.
His ladies seem more interested in the meager grass and bugs in the lawn.
We had a last visit from old man winter, with a wet heavy snowfall. Tim, is my intrepid snowman. I didn’t even have to manhandle the snow blower for this one.
Instead I headed south to an acupuncture conference in Pittsburg, which is a much nicer city than I expected. Food was great, but keep in mind I live in a town with only one restaurant. My hotel room overlooked the convergence of three rivers and there were lovely walks along their shores, even if the weather was a bit dreary.
Trees were flowering and daffodils were in full bloom.
I had to travel to Long Island for a sad gathering and we stayed in a motel where they had an unimaginative decorating scheme. The room had two of the same pictures, but one was hung upside down for variety. Hmmm.
I returned home to confused weather. The temperature rose to 60 degrees but ice floes and snow piles remain for a little bit longer but
there is hanky panky in the air. Different birds show up every day, bluebirds have been sighted, peepers are peeping, phoebes are phoebeeing, and our local Toms are strutting their stuff. Love is in the air.
And they’re not even politicians. They were spotted around the bird feeder when I headed to work today. There they were when I got home from work too but I didn’t have a camera to catch them flying over my car and the house. Going for the easy meal and taking it out of the mouths of the chickadees, goldfinch and cardinals.