Calvies...

Did you ever notice that we put "ies" on the end of most critters' names that live here on the ranch -- bummies, lambies, calvies, kitties?  It's an age old family tradition.  We've had some amazingly warm, spring days here, all in a row, which is unusual on our northern prairies.  Most commonly we have a couple nice days in a row and then a blast of cold or a snowstorm, but March has been unseasonably warm.  It has made for a lovely calving season for us.  The first-calf heifers are having their babies in the pasture just fine all by themselves.  We are keeping watch over them day and night, but for the most part, they are doing it on their own.

 

 "Suppertime"

The calves and their mamas are very healthy.  They are nibbling green shoots of grass in the pastures now, but we are still supplementing their diets with hay and occasionally cake.  We had one problem this evening.  A calf's umbilical cord was broken inside the mother and was born dead.  It's a sad thing.  

 

The tulips and daffodils are poking their sharp leaves through the soil just now, and I'm seeing evidence of other springtime flowers popping up.  Spring is always such an exciting time for me.  After a quiet, lifeless winter, it is thrilling to see the migrating birds arriving, the sprouting plants and grasses, and the baby livestock frolicking everywhere.

 

I've been loading up the clothesline with all sorts of laundry.  Work clothes, socks and undies, sheets and pillowcases, and rugs.  It's so nice to breathe in that fresh-air-laundry smell once again.  I made this little clothespin bag out of a $1 thrift-store sheet.  I have more of it left over and I'm thinking about how cute some summer pillowcase dresses would be for the Littles.  I found three matching floral pillowcases recently that I want to turn into dresses too.  Wouldn't it be fun to have a picture of the three grandgirls all dressed in matching pillowcases dresses?  I think so!

The neighbor girls were over today for the day while their mommy finished sewing her girls bubble dresses and later went to town for supplies.  Gram and Co. spent most of the day outdoors digging for worms and digging up weeds and swinging in the willow tree.  It was a glorious day.  Tomorrow we're having a family get-together that will include my brother and one of his little boys as well as the grandgirls three and their parents.  We'll grill burgers and have lots of picnicky salads and goodies to eat.  I'm making a BLT Pasta Salad which I saw on Pinterest.  I made it once before and it's delish!  Here's the recipe.