Spring Fling

I know.  I couldn't believe it either, but there it was, the first peony plant to pop up.  Bess and I had gone out to enjoy some afternoon sunshine when I saw live leaves among so many dead ones (guess it's time to do some raking).  Once I started looking, I discovered three more little fledglings.  I do love peonies.  They die back so completely in fall that it's like a treasure hunt to find them resurrected in the spring.

I feel so bad for the chickens.  They're a lot smarter than people give them credit for, and the flock learned their lesson well regarding the hawk.  The problem is that they're being held prisoner in the coop by fear.  Here we are with this beautiful weather when they should outside in the sunshine and there they are in the darkest corners of the room.  The ground squirrels are out in force so there's plenty of food available, but the fershluggen hawk has developed a taste for chicken.

I had previously made plans for today, so had to ask Pete to postpone a proposed visit when he called.  He reminded me that, unlike when he lived 500 miles away, he could come "over" anytime and accepted a dinner invitation for next Saturday.