Ice Time 2018

March 2, 2018, 12" of snow

Another moon cycle is nearly completed, and here we are at the end of Ice Time. It's been a month of challenges, in the home and in the weather.
I'm sure you've all heard about the four nor'easters in March. Well, the first hit us the worst with 12" of snow in one day. The second was only a couple of inches, the third, 8" and the last, none at all. Bob's been wishing for a 12" snowfall all winter, so now you know with whom the blame lies!

The bridge on our property

Really, it was very lovely, and we got in a couple days of good snowshoeing.

Bob and Lunette in the meadow

Other than the storms, our weather's been dry and a bit cooler than normal.

We took delivery on our new cooking stove on March 13th. It's been quite an experience getting used to it. The burners respond to temperature adjustments instantly! Much more quickly that a gas cook top. Water boils very quickly. There's no walking away after you put on a pot to boil.

Here's the new stove

For pots to work on the top, they must be magnetic and have flat bottoms. I knew ahead of time that only a couple of mine didn't pass that test. No big deal. What I didn't realize was that neither tea kettle would work. No tea kettle until we could get out to buy one two days later. This is dire in our household! I had to heat water in a saucepan, and then spill it on my feet as I tried to pour it out. (I'm not very coordinated!)

Tea at last!

Our new kettle has a nice loud whistle. Now Bob won't let it run dry while he wanders off with his nose in a book!

The challenge is figuring out how to use all of the features and how to adjust to the differences of the technology. I've had to learn to cook several times in my life. First, roasts, breads,... Then, whole grains. Later wheat free and gluten free. Also vegetarian and vegan. Now, how to use the induction technology. It's a good thing I'm an advocate of  life long learning and development!

Speaking of life long learning, we've decided to try some new approaches in the garden this year. One of the books we read this winter dealt with no dig, no weed gardening. This sounds very promising.
We needed to buy just a few things to try this approach. Fortunately we were able to sell the beekeeping supplies and used that money to finance this trial. Our hope is that this method will help us achieve greater balance with our work load in the garden.

This is the season to assess and work toward balance, as we have just marked the Vernal Equinox. That day can be summed up as "sunshine, pussy willows and turkey tracks". It was a beautifully sunny day. We had a nice meal of chickpea and sweet potato curry and our traditional half moon cookies. After lunch we walked in our meadow, which was crisscrossed with turkey tracks. This drove Lunette to distraction! I found some pussy willows, and brought home just a few.

Pussy willows say "spring"

Bob pruning the" Freedom" apple

The Farmer's New Year occurs just after the equinox, on March 25th. That day saw us working on the garden. Bob began pruning his fruit trees, and I put the final touches on our garden plan. There are seeds started downstairs and much is waiting to be done outside. Now that garden season has begun, the work on the bathroom will be at a standstill.




The birds have been very active; on the move both coming and going. We've seen hundreds of snow geese flying northward. At night, Bob continues to hear the barred owls and nighthawks. Last night he heard peepers! Blue birds and red winged black birds call all day long. Spring and Windy Time are on the way!

We'll share more garden details in our next update: Windy Time. Until then, enjoy the changes that the wind brings.
Bob, Kathleen and Lunette



[] end