Ah, can't wait.  It's been a pretty cold winter with snow several times and quite a bit of wind.  But now the grass is turning green and all of the Surprise Lillys are popping up, along with Easter Lillys and other bulbs.  The Lilac Bush has tiny, tiny buds too.  The Sandhill Cranes flew over one week early this year, on Feb 14-15.  We still see them migrating north every day or so.  Jersey Girl went and met her Beau, Wilbur, a very small Jersey bull owned by our good friends.  She will have a Thanksgiving baby next year.  She is the best milk cow ever.  We are still milking her twice a day.  This is a pic of Wilbur.

Despite the very hot summer and record breaking heat, I have managed to keep the tomato rows alive and growing, although not as abundant as they normally would be.  We only have a deep well, so watering the garden runs the 220 well pump, so we have always been very careful with our water use.  I am starting now to get some tomato harvests.

Early morning pictures of some of the little herd out grazing.  It's been so hot they stay in their open barn during the middle of the days.  They play and run mornings and evenings, and stay out grazing all night long.  They are chubby little horses.  Tonto and Star are growing fast.

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The gardens are coming along nicely, we have had an excellent amount of rain.  Half of my tomato plants are volunteer plants, the other half I bought.  A lot of the Sweet 100 cherry tomato plants came back up, more than the others.  Sweet 100 is a very hardy plant with very thick, dark green leaves.  The volunteer plants are very thick and sturdy little tomato plants, easy to transplant and move.  I have a thick layer of grass clippings now on all the rows.  I have to wait till the last of the volunteer plants come up.  I think it is safe now.

The Roses are in full bloom and the Dianthus perennials are beautiful.  The Dianthus will come back up in the pots each spring.  These are one flower you can buy once and always have them.  Just be sure to mulch with straw before winter to protect them.  Roses and Rose of Sharon trees behind the Roses. Buttercups are bright yellow all over.  Hummingbirds are here too.  Barn Swallows have arrived and the Mockingbird who always stays here for the summer.

Quite a few of the flowers and flowering shrubs are in full spring mode now.  These pictures were taken the first week of April 2010.  The grass is growing quite fast as we have had some very good rains lately.