Waiting for Spring and other things.

Waiting, waiting and hurry up and wait and don't be late.That is the state we are in right now.
February can really be a tricky month,here in Oregon we get some beautiful sunny days in February that just make a person wild for the growing season.Having lived here my whole life I know I have to sit on my hands and wait.So I spend my time pouring over the seed catalogs and picking out more than my land can hold.And well frankly more than our budget would ever allow.
We are excited to say this week the chicks are coming in! Friday I will go pick up 4 little darlings that will be living in the kitchen corner for awhile. Why the kitchen? Well, our kitchen is the center of our household so we are always in there.I like to raise my chicks with some of the in-printing training my Dad uses with his horses. If the chicks are right there we end up talking to them and checking on them when they fuss.They get picked up and they learn that we are part of their flock.I believe this forms a kind of bond with the chickens.I know this sounds whacky but relationships with our environment and the things that live within it is important to us. The hens we have now know our voices and that they can trust us not harm them. When they were young and still in a box,I would whisper to them when they fussed,now I can whisper to them when they are loud or upset and they calm right down. By being in the kitchen our dog also learns that the chicks are new members of our family and that she should watch after them also. As for the cat, he is a total yo-yo and is afraid of the hens.This is not always true for every household most of the time it is better to guard your chicks from dogs and cats but it works here.
The other day I was out with the chickens and was looking at our bird boxes that line our fence line. Not only did I notice that the little birds were checking them out I also remembered that we have a wild bee hive in one of them. Last summer we kept seeing bees coming and going from one of the boxes. My first reaction was oh no but, then I thought you know what: The bird box is behind the chicken run fence, so kids won't be bothering it and bees are dieing out, let them bee.(sorry for the pun) We are hoping our little friends are back again this year.They are very helpful to our garden and fruit trees.Again we will be waiting to see the first sign of them.
There are lots of layers within our yard and we are doing our best to nurture them all, from the soil,chickens,trees,birds,ourselves and the little bees. Our hopes are that this will some how seep out into our community and inspire others to also become stewards of the whole world.