This and That

This is a hard time of year for me. The weather is warming, the Canada geese and crows have come back, the snow is melting and there is water running in the creeks and low areas. It feels like spring but, although it's too lovely outside to be indoors working in my little room in the basement, it's not nice enough to be doing any gardening yet!


I do have some yard work things to do, I didn't cut down any of my perennials last fall, thought I'd leave them up the a winter garden look, I still have that to do, but it's a little muddy in some of the bigger beds. I could be raking the lawn, but it's a little wet for that. I want to cut some low branches off the spruce trees to the west of the house, but after cutting two with a handsaw I realized that with about 100 more to do, it was becoming apparent that my shoulder wouldn't stand up to doing it by hand. It's even still too early to start anything in my greenhouse - that won't happen till about the 15th of April.


So, other than looking after the cows that are calving - which is one of those jobs where you are super busy one minute and then sitting around waiting for hours or even days the next - I have decided to concentrate on getting back into shape.
I have changed my eating habits - rather than trying to diet. Cut out sweets and desserts, added more fruit and veggies to my meals, upped my fiber content by at least 200% and am trying to eat more small meals rather than one big one in the evening.
So far it's working, I'm down 12 lbs and I'm not feeling hungry or craving anything silly. I still eat chocolate, butter, but in much smaller quantities than before. I have switched to tzatziki on my veggies and high fiber tortillas and hummus for snacks. I have also been walking a mile to a mile and a half everyday. Hubby and I running out of gas 3 1/2 miles away from home yesterday (thus having to walk) didn't hurt either! I'm feeling quite proud of myself at the moment as I am sitting here typing this while wearing a pair of jeans I haven't had on for over 2 years!


Anyway I had best go get busy, it's time for my large navel orange snack and time to have a look at the cows, as we do every two hours.


I thought I would leave you with a picture of Lil Ralphie, he is one of a set of twin bull calves. Mama initially took both of them but 24 hours later decided it was too much work and pushed the littlest one out. He is now being bottle fed by me and becoming very demanding! If we loose a calf before the season is done which is almost a certainty, he will be grafted onto the mother cow and raised as her own.

Isn't he just a cutie?!?