You know what they say about couples that shovel chicken poo together right? I have no idea actually but it is our 18th anniversary tomorrow and we've done a lot of interesting things together over the years. We've been suffering from cabin fever lately and when the sun came out today and it finally felt like spring we flew the coop and even shoveling chicken poo sounded fun. Feels SO GOOD to be free again!

I've been wandering around looking at everything and taking note of the health of plants, trees, and infrastructure. My husband pruned blackberries and raspberries, dug a trench to drain the garden (we have clay soil)and shoveled out the coop. In the winter we just add more straw in the coop because everything is frozen. In the spring it is always more pleasant to clean out the coop early before the heat makes it smelly.

We've got loads of new suckers to transplant, how they grew over winter, I'll never know. I spotted new green growth on the lavender even though it is still covered by snow. The oregano is coming up as are all of the perennial foods like horseradish, rhubarb, kale.

Here's some of the goings on at the homestead today

wheelbarrowing through the snow like a pro. It's funny how in the fall this sort of weather feels so cold, and in the spring it is blissful. The wind still has a bite but the sun is warm.

A guy and his dogs. Molly & Mischa are so happy to have Kyle home. They've been glued to his side.

My Mother in law who loves gardening and keeping busy.

My son hauling chicken poo to the manure pile. Just what he was hoping to be doing on his vacation. I make everyone who shovels out the coop wear a mask. Being someone who has respiratory illness, I safeguard my families wellness quite stringently.

The perennial food is already peeking out from the snow. There's a lot happening even though most of the ground is still frozen. My husband and mother in law spent time prepping the greenhouse for me which was a really nice surprise. The greenhouse itself needs a lot of work, the sides are rotting out and it seems like we are forever repairing it but it has good bones and I think we'll be able to get another five years if we invest a bit of sweat into it now.

The old girls were cooing and exploring their new bedding, as happy as two grumpy old hens can be. Everyone keeps asking when we are getting more chicks but we've got so much going on right now that I can't even think about it.

A portrait of my son, the first of a hundred that I'll take this next week while I have him close. The lighting was a bit bright but I'll get the money shot eventually

oh, and we've been invited to speak at Sustaina-palooza

We've been invited to attend and speak on a panel at the 5th annual Sustaina-Palooza event April 24-27, in Riverview New Brunswick. My husband will be attending because he is the solar/off grid guru. The theme is renewable energy with a focus on residential, commercial and communal projects, practices and organizations that are shaping the future of tomorrow. He'll be part of the Off-Grid'r panel. This is a perfect chance for us to get to know other off gridders, network with suppliers and learn about some new innovating things that are happening in our province. They also have a night market, REDtalks and idea lab, LIVE pitches, zero waste presentations, and tradeshow + a gear swap. If you happen to be attending please say hello! Here's a link to their official page if you are thinking of attending.