Waiting for Spring

Since our arrival at the farm there were so many telltale signs warmer temperatures were just around the corner. This week, however, winter returned with a vengeance.

Last week the guinea hens darted out of the barn each morning to peck for bugs and other such delicacies on the newly exposed grass.

Mourning doves, chickadees, and finches came in droves to the bird feeder on the porch.

 

The peacocks pranced onto fence posts to survey the arrival of spring.

Brynn and Alice (the donkey) cavorted in the barnyard.

The sun shone, the sky was blue. Spring was finally here. Whoopee!

Then, within hours it all changed. Jessie ventured out of the barn as if to ask how I felt about the sudden change of weather. (In case you haven't guessed, I don't like it!)

How's John coping? He perseveres and takes the dogs for their morning and afternoon walk...no matter what.

Me? I'll hug the wood stove, and do my best not to complain. Yeah. Right. Like that's even possible! ;-)

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Canada, Eh?

Last week we said goodbye to Panama City Beach, but the locals hardly noticed. They were busy gearing up for the hoards of March breakers. Row upon row of wooden loungers returned to the beach after being in winter storage. If you're interested in such luxury, renting one for a week will set you back $120.00 USD.

Although the drive north takes only 3 days (at a leisurely pace), we gave ourselves four in case of bad weather. Day 1 saw clear sunny skies and a definite chill caught me off guard in northern Alabama. On day 2 we hit rain in Kentucky and Ohio. Day 3 in Michigan it snowed, and on day 4 on the 401 we persevered those typical cloudy gray days of a southwestern Ontario winter that I loath. And did I mention the temperature? It was and IS cold. Worse, I've had to trade in my sandals for shoes. Real shoes with laces and thick soles. Seriously, what's with that?!

Another surprise when we hit Toronto. Snowbanks. In abundance. And in March no less. What is this world coming to?

On a serious note, we've settled back into life in Canada and on the farm fairly quickly We're not sure if this is our ninth or tenth sojourn here as caretakers, but whatever the actual count we enjoy it so much we're seriously considering taking on other housesitting assignments both here and abroad. More about that later.

While John takes the dogs for a morning and afternoon walk through the fields of this 100 acre property, I prefer the side road. The hill in the distance is steeper than it looks, and once I reach the top I can literally see for miles. It makes the trek worthwhile!

As for the dogs, that's Julie on John's right. She's the smartest dog I've ever met, and I swear her IQ is higher than some humans. Her son, Brynn, isn't quite as intellectual, but he's a big teddy bear of a dog who loves to hug and cuddle. He licks John to death because he knows he can get away with it.

I'll post more updates on farmsitting in the weeks to come, but right now I'll sign off and go hug the wood stove. Between now and then would you mind doing me a favor? Pray for a quick spring thaw. I'd love to be able to trade in my current Canadian footwear for my 'winter boots'.I miss 'em.

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