Spring comes in April, right?

Still stuck inside in April, and the warming temperatures, longer days,  and increase in sunshine sure didn't help with wanting to get out and DO something.  I had planned this Spring to gut the master bathroom and remodel it.  Those plans were put on hold as the master bathroom is directly above BOTH lower level home offices. With classes, and zoom meeting, and conference calls going on below stairs, I could hardly be banging away at tiling or sawzalling a fiberglass tub. 

So changing gears, I compiled all the things I need to remodel the bathroom and heaped them in the storage room in the back of the lower level storage room; paint chips (Blueberry frost) , vanity, sink, fixtures, hampers, lighting, and artwork, just about everything.  Which reminds me, I still need to order the wood flooring and barn door hardware.

Mask orders were still piling in, but with hopes that Spring and Summer festivals would still take place, I decided to take breaks from tiny sewing to working on my DAR and Norwegian clothing.  8 skirts, two jackets, petticoats, a set of stays, caps, and aprons and I now have a grand wardrobe.....and no where to wear it.  But it's done and ready when needed.

An early Spring is always welcome.  Although we had an easy Winter, weather wise, the urge to get OUT and be free of heavy gear is always a joyous feeling.  The increase in the sunshine meant that the hens were up to their shenanigans.  More and more they too wanted out from the in.  They were sick of looking at each other, sick of eating in, sick of playing the same old games, and sick of watching the re-runs of alpaca TV out of their picture windows.

The nest boxes became a place to queue up and gossip.  I swear they spent more time in there than was needed, just to have a moment of peace and a little space to themselves.  Well, unless your Jaunita, then every box is your box regardless of who may have been there first.  With no campers in the park below us, and our regular customers in lock-down, we were drowning in eggs even though there was a shortage of eggs in the market. 

So I gathered the needed ingredients and The Boy and I set to filling the freezer with cheese quiches, sausage/bacon and egg and cheese muffins/bagels/biscuits/burritos for grab and sit breakfasts.

The alpacas, being curious little beasties, are always happy to see the grass greening up.  Happy to munch on hay and browned pasture grass all winter, those first tender shoots of green have them almost giddy to go out and nibble noisily all afternoon in the Spring sunshine.  They can sense that the long, dark, cold days of plodding thought the snow for exercise, or laying about in the barn all day listening to NPR are almost over.

But you know....April.

 One day it was Spring, and then it wasn't.  Fortunately, it only lasted one morning.  Winter's final try to keep us subdued.  It was heavy and wet, and miserable, but as quickly as it came it was gone.

Stormy made sure to let me know that shearing was coming up and that he wanted to be SURE to cost me extra money at the Mill this year.  He found the biggest puddle of mud and went for a dip. Some days........

Besides sewing my fingers to the bone, planning the grand bath project, and just generally keeping up with this place, I had to replace the sewing table.  I had been using a small, plastic, folding table that was barely large enough for the machine on it, and forget about stability.  With the new, larger machine, I wanted a table that could put up with my marathon 12 hour sewing sessions.  A friend that owns an antique shop and B&B (which was closed for the duration) let me in to scour the rooms for something not too wide, not too long, that I could put between the sofa and TV on the lower level and leave out day to day.  I was also looking for cheap.  $15 later and I was out the door.  A quick stop at the local hardware for a can of spray paint, and a stop at another friends scrap wood pile and I was set.  In one afternoon, we went from this .... to this!

Now it's much easier to just leave everything right where I stop and night and just pick up in the morning.

Hey, the Easter Bunny did manage to find us! Thanks to stores putting out Easter Candy right after Valentines Day.  Smart Easter Bunny.

 Remember how I mentioned we grind out our wheat?  Well I love bread, who doesn't?  But I wanted a real WHOLE Wheat bread that was soft and delicious and didn't turn into brick on day two, was easy to make, and was actually GOOD for you.  I experimented all winter.  Along the way, I sent many a bricks/doorstops to the compost pile.  I found out that commercial loaves separate all the bits of the ground wheat and then add them back in at a specific ratio, but that ratio and the remixing really doesn't mimic the health benefits of actually using all the bits from the wheat kernel as it is ground.  So I ordered a large bag of wheat from Wisconsin and a NutriMill grain mill to grind it with.
I managed to do all this just before the world went nuts and started buying up all the flour, yeast, and baking supplies in stock everywhere.  I already keep one pound bricks of yeast in the freezer, so Phew.

I can't tell you how much I love this thing.  (No affiliation or goods or payment received).When I got my grain in, I vacuum sealed it in 8 cup amounts and put those in the freezer.  When I'm ready to bake, I pull out a bag, let it thaw an hour, and then toss it in the grinder.  I then have enough fresh flour for 4 loaves plus other baked goods.  On a funny note, this is what happens when you forget to fully lock it into the working position and pour in your grain.  There is no recovering from this.  You just have to let the grain flow and then clean it up.  Sigh.  It....was...everywhere. But it was funny; Lucy in the candy factory funny.

I'm making so much whole wheat bread that I was killing my professional 6qt kitchen aid!  So I ordered the companion mixer to the mill, which is specifically made to handle heavy duty blobs of dough.  I really like it too.  (Again, no affiliation, payment, or product received.)

If anyone is still reading this blog, and wants the recipe, I'll be happy to share it on here, just post in the comments and I'll add it on.


 Oh and what else do you do to keep busy when there is nowhere to go?  You take online classes and re-certifications. A friend of mine and I decided back in December, that we would add our state substitute teaching licenses to our list of credentials as country schools were desperate for subs. So I managed to get into the January class and finished the 8 week course (except for the final which was scheduled for week 8) in just 10 ridiculously hard days.  I took my final exam on the day the country shut down and schools closed.  Grand timing, eh?

The same friend also asked me this winter to bring baked goods to her new flower shop when it was open.  This required a food handlers permit, which also required classes and exams.  Mission accomplished...the same week the country shut down.

CCL done.
NRA RSO and Instructor Re-Certs done. 
Pollinator Habitat and No Drift Zone re-certified.
Norwegian is on its second year straight of no missed days for at least a half hour per day.

Garden plans were accomplished and seedlings started in the potting shed.
Spring apple trees were planted and irrigation lines installed.


Come on MAY!  I need to get outside!