Spring Snowstorm

 Rain turning to snow makes a full creek flowing through the snowy woods.

Sunrise after the storm

 Fortifying for the cold

Under the snow umbrella

Spring Wildflowers

After the snow melted, 

the wildflowers started popping up.

 One of the first to appear are the harbingers of spring, tiny flowers that grow low to the ground.

The next day, I saw these hepatica or liverwort.

Spring has sprung!

Sounds of Spring

The spring peepers, a type of tiny frog,

 have emerged from their winter slumber and are looking for mates.

Such loud sounds from such little creatures.

Found on the Trail

Chilly Blues

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 Rocky

Apollo

Spring Crocus

First bloom of the season

Maple Sugarin' Time

Its that time again!

Time to make maple syrup.

 We tried something new this year, sealed buckets with tubing.

We've had ants get into the sap in the past.

This works great, no ants!

 The hardest part!

Boiling the sap on the trusty evaporator.

We got about 55 gallons of sap this year.

 We do a final boil inside where we can regulate the process.

Then we fill the bottles,

Cap them,

 Clean the sticky off them,

And finally, heat shrink a cover on the cap.

2019 batch is in the books!

Shed Season

So yesterday, I saw this.

 Notice the buck only has one antler?

Its shed season, when all the bucks drop their antlers and begin growing new ones.

See that big hole in his head?  

He's just dropped his left antler.

So today,  I took a hike and this is what I found!

You Can't See Me!

Apollo hiding behind a tree.

Antlers

Our bucks still have antlers on March 3rd.

Soon they'll be dropping them and shed hunting season will begin.

Bo Knows

Our only remaining farm dog is Bo.

He loves the cold.

Rolling on ice is a favorite winter pastime.