While we patiently await the return of spring so we can work the soil, the chickens are eagerly awaiting the return of bugs and the dirt that they know must be under the snow. Because they are literally cooped up, we have been making an effort to "redecorate," meaning new straw and a dust box filled with our fireplace ashes. While we do this, the chickens make feeble attempts at wandering in the snow but soon come back to the coop to roost and scratch in the warmth of their own home.
We are carrying straw to the chickens on a toboggan that has been used to shuttle groceries up the hill for the humans at Old Nelly Farms during the iciest of winter days. It seems spring can not come soon enough for any living creature here. Although we marvel every day at the beauty of the ice laden branches, we eagerly await the first sign of green buds on the trees or the crocus as a sure sign of spring.
