Spring Fever on Christmas Eve!

This will surely be a day we’ll remember in the weather record books! I’ve heard from friends who’ve been golfing, jogging in shorts AND swimming in one of our local lakes! If you’re in Ontario, Canada, you too likely had an incredible day. I was prepared for ‘mild’ when I went out the door this morning … but not for warm winds and sunning on the front porch. It hit 20’C here this afternoon! The seasonal average for this time of year is 4’C – with snow – lots … of … snow!

It turned into a perfect day for getting a whack of chores done. I filled in the holes on the knoll. Deep long root tracks that Bella and Darby dug out this past month.

It took about twenty wheelbarrows full and this one HUGE rock that came with the load of sand.

Bella was happy that I left her a sandcastle pile to play in. She sure loves to dig, dig, dig!

I had to keep stopping to take in lung fulls of air – sweet smelling earthy air. The clouds were racing by this morning. By two o’clock there was nothing but blue skies. I would lean on my shovel and just look around and soak up the sunshine. It was strange to be so conscious of the fact that regardless of how springlike it felt … that sun was going down just after four o’clock. So I just stayed outside. Started out at ten in the morning, came in for a quick lunch and stuck it out until the skies started to turn grey. What a tremendous Christmas Eve!

Staring up into the woods I couldn’t help but notice my ‘donkey trunk’ watching me. Go about one third of the way across the photo (from the left) and then follow the road ‘up’ … ‘up’ … I don’t mean the real donkey peeking out from behind the oak tree. I mean the wooden one –  to the right of him. Just use your imagination like when you trace animals in the clouds … you do do that … don’t you?

Up close the stump changes from a donkey to a … strange dinosaur head! See the funny downturned lip … the eye on the left and the head horns?

I was out so long I was able to feed the donkeys their supper before I came in. Paco is LOVING the taste of the turmeric.

And it gives him a nice ‘sunny’ smile! Ha! It makes him very popular with the jennies. Everyone is willing to give him kisses in exchange for a taste of his special spice. 😉

When I got back inside Rufus and Teddy were exhausted from watching me clean and refresh both barns, move twenty wheelbarrow loads of sand, rake, lift and toss four loads of manure and old wet hay to the compost bin and then fill eight hay bags. I think this may be a Christmas Eve I find it easy to sleep through!

Merry Christmas from the Meadow Critters!