In the last few weeks, everything in our yard has burst into bloom. It's been really nice to watch all our plants flower, especially since they are mostly low-water-use perennials.

In the back yard, we have flowers all over the place.

Daisies





Lavender



Various blooming bushes





Even the trees are blooming



The front yard is looking pretty great, too. The plants have really matured and grown bushy in the past year. It looks nothing like the boring, ugly grass yard it was when I moved in. I feel pretty proud of all the work Dakota and I have put in to make it nice. And I think our neighbors appreciate the effort, too. They often comment on our healthy plants. Plus, I haven't had to water it in months. I love native plants.



I am still working on the plot on the left side of the house, and much of the backyard still needs work, but this years bounty of flowers gives me some encouragement. I can't imagine how gorgeous Spring will be in another couple of years, once I've landscaped some more, added more veggie plots and used my super-fertile chicken compost to improve the terrible soil. I can't wait.

Last weekend was another eventful one for Jackie and Lisa. They got their first chance to inspect their new chicken run. Dakota got all the sides and the top on the run completed, and so the girls got to spend much of Saturday and Sunday outside. Here he is attaching wire to the top of the run to keep out the hawks.



The run is probably four or five times as big as their brooder box, and they really loved the extra space. Jackie and Lisa are getting so big, and their brooder is starting to feel a bit cramped. In fact, the other morning, Jackie tried to jump out of the brooder when I was changing their water.

There's not much inside the run at the moment, but they seemed to enjoy just scratching around in the dirt. Once they move in permanently, we'll put some perches and logs in there to keep Jackie and Lisa entertained. Here they are in another wildly exciting chicken video.


Jackie & Lisa in the New Run from Audrey on Vimeo.

The chicken area is really looking great, and I'm excited to move the chickens outside permanently in another couple of weeks. The only work left to do on the run is to install the door and add some boards on the lower part of the run to prevent raccoon attacks. Then we have to set the coop up and attach it to the run.

I have already discovered that I really like just sitting and watching Jackie and Lisa wander around and do their chicken thing. For some reason, I find it very relaxing.

I wanted to do a little winter garden update, especially since it's pretty much Spring here now. It's supposed to be in the mid to upper 70s this weekend. Nice! Luckily, the veggies I planted a while back are getting close to harvest, and some are even ready to eat now. But I'll get to that in a second.

The chard is probably still a week or two away from being ready to pick, but, it's really looking good. I am excited to eat it, perhaps with some garlic and olive oil. Here's some I've plated in a pot on the deck. It's Rainbow Chard, so there are red, yellow and white stalks growing. Pretty and delicious.



And, down in the garden plot, there's some chard in the front, and tasty carrots in the back. I'm pretty happy that the garden plot is actually producing some nice veggies. Last year, the carrot situation was pretty bleak.



Finally, the big thrill: The first turnip harvest! Aren't they pretty? They are a Seed Savers variety, of course, called Purple Top White Globe. That pretty much describes them. I cooked the turnips up and we had them for dinner on Sunday and they were delicious. I feel like the flavor was fresher and more delicate than other turnips I have eaten.



I also cooked up the turnip greens with some mustard greens and had them for lunch. Of course, first I had to wash off the thousands of aphids that were covering the turnip leaves. They were everywhere! I guess my turnips are healthy enough not to be too effected by the bugs, at least not yet. Since I am gardening organically, I guess I will just leave the aphids be for now. If they start to kill any of the veggies, I'll look into getting rid of them. Soapy water spray sometimes helps.

So, that's the current vegetable gardening news. I think I should have a good pea harvest soon, too. I noticed some pods when I was watering this morning.

Jackie and Lisa had a very exciting day yesterday: They had their very first outdoor experience.

The chicks have been getting pretty rowdy in their brooder box lately--knocking over their feeder and filling their water with shavings--so we thought they could use a change of scenery. We brought them outside while we were both working in the backyard.

Jackie and Lisa spent a few hours hanging out in an improvised chick playpen--just a circle of wire set on the ground under the deck. They really seemed to have a good time, pecking around, picking at the grass and weeds and enjoying the sunny day. I even made a little video of the occasion, because I knew you'd all want to see them in action. (Ahem.)


Jackie & Lisa's First Day Out from Audrey on Vimeo.

It was great to see how much the chicks enjoyed being outside. It seems like they will be ready to go outside for good, or at least for longer stretches, in just a couple of weeks. Luckily, Dakota is hard at work on their coop and run, and it's coming together nicely. Here he is yesterday placing the posts.