It's spring!

[altivo]

Robins are all over the place now trying to outsing the cardinals and chickadees. Woodpeckers are drumming on tree branches.

More significant, though: We planted snow peas today. May not sprout because the seeds were old, and I have new ones coming in the mail soon, but we wanted to try to get the earliest possible start. Tomorrow: lettuce and perhaps turnips. Spinach is already coming up in the hot frame.

Horses aren't shedding out much yet, so I wonder if they know something I don't.

Comments

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've seen lots of robins around here ^_^

Though, I'm not looking forward to having those screechy NOISY killdeer around again. I wonder if its our choice of driveway gravel that keeps attracting them? Its about the colour of their eggs :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Probably. They like to nest on gravel. We usually have one or two in the gravel around the back of the library building.

[quoting-mungo.livejournal.com]

Lucky you. My horse has already been shedding like crazy (not quite full shedding mode, but very close) for a couple of weeks. Horsehair everywhere, seemingly regardless of how much we brush him.

Can't wait for summer.


-Alexandra

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh, they'll all shed soon enough. Usually Tess starts first, though, and she's still very fuzzy.

[quoting-mungo.livejournal.com]

Mmh. Fuzzy horses are lovely.

I just wish he'd wait until it was warm enough he doesn't have to go inside at night. Would be much nicer for him, I imagine.


-Alexandra

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Ours go inside at night all year. Always have unless the weather gets really hot and sweltering. I wouldn't always do it that way, but my mate insists. He acquired that style of management from the boarding stable where we had our first two for a while when we were rebuilding the barns and fences here.

It's more work, but it does have some benefits. Mosquito-born disease is a big issue with horses here, and keeping them indoors when it's dark reduces the exposure somewhat, for instance.

[quoting-mungo.livejournal.com]

My horse came with some health issues and bad habits, so I don't like keeping him indoors - he gets a rather nasty cough from dust and in his old stable he would swallow air when bored. He did drop that habit, but instead developed one to eat the walls, which I don't really like, either.

We've been building a new stable for a while, which is going to let the horses go in and out as they want to, which will be nice once it's done, probably some time this coming summer. Since Albert will gladly go inside on his own, but gets bored after a couple of hours, this seems like something that will keep him relatively happy.


-Alexandra

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Good reasons for leaving him out if he likes it.

Oh, and Tess has started shedding. Not so noticeable by looking at her as it was when cleaning up her pen this afternoon. Strands of hair lying all over. She evidently loosened them by rolling.

[rustitobuck.livejournal.com]

So the squeaky noises in the blue room must be birds! I didn't go out today.

I think some birds are nesting under my window air conditioner.

Probably the horses aren't shedding because it still has been getting chilly occasionally, could that be it?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

My observations over the past ten years had led me to think that the horses shed based on the length of daylight. Some years they have started when there was still a lot of snow on the ground, but this year is a puzzle, as it's definitely later than usual and they all look like teddy bears still.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*sits by the snow peas willing them to grow with his feline powers* Oooooo grow peas grow OOOooooOOOOO.

Aww you do have a lot of little birds about :) I'll get out my yakitori set...delicious!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Some of our little birds are quite clever at dive-bombing kitties.

Thanks for helping with the peas. If you can get them to sprout, we'll share the bounty. XD

[flamekist.livejournal.com]

We have robins here year-round. They're extremely rare in mid-winter, but if you look hard you can find one.

This weekend I've been cleaning the back patio, pulling weeds out of the flower pots and refilling all of them with fresh soil in preparation of growing herbs in them. One of the smaller empty pots against the house was full of leaves. I was just about to pull them out when I realized it was a bird's nest. And sure enough, in a nearby tree a pair of wrens were jumping around screaming at me. As soon as I was done on the patio I looked out the window and saw them fly up and inspect their nest. Fortunately there were no eggs in there yet, so there's no harm if they decide to abandon it now.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I have conflicted feelings about wrens. They have some very nasty habits, such as poking holes in the eggs of other species and especially the Eastern bluebirds who are among my favorites.

[flamekist.livejournal.com]

I had no idea that wrens did that! All I ever noticed was that they're extremely efficient at eating all the spiders under the eaves of the house. We even have one that sleeps on one of the wind chimes hanging on the front porch. We always hear him when he lands from all the racket the chimes make right at dusk.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I rarely see the wrens around here, but I hear them often enough to know there are plenty about. Yes, wrens are noted for vandalizing bluebird nests. Unfortunately, they are smaller than the bluebirds, so you can't exclude them from a nestbox by using a smaller hole.

Why such a behavior would have evolved? Who can say? The two species do compete for similar food, live insects that they catch on the ground or on plants rather than in the air the way swallows do. I know the wrens don't actually eat the bluebird eggs. They just sabotage them.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Whinnyhi.

Wow ours sure are shedding. I am innundated with fur. Twoinchlong pony hairs cover me head to toe. From lying on the haystraw by their trough waiting for them to show and they do. Lying flat enjoying the sunshine and warmth. Listening to the birds and the traffic on M216. White tail deer herd grazing the back field seemingly feeling safe.

Ponys finally show up and nuzzles and nibbles abound. Pocketsfull of peppermint candys both love them and now their breath is minty fresh.

They cannot get enough. I run out. Next it is simple pure enjoyment of a breed I used to not like, the Shetland Pony. These two have made a huge fan of me to the breed. Sweetly indistructable ponys tough as nails and yet so caringly gentle it daily constantly amazes me how ignorant this old horse is about the stuff... you know, the important things about life and love and assurances we will all have a good one together type thing.

Oh, and my back is dusty ONLY cuz you do not ride it enough.

Impers

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Tess is shedding now. I started finding strands of hair lying about in her area when cleaning up today.

[heavens-steed.livejournal.com]

We humans are lucky that shedding our winter coats are so easy. We just have to unzip or unbutton them.

Now shedding that winter and holiday fat, that's another story XD

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah. Have to stop eating... ;p