Spring Work Has Begun...

It might not be feeling too much like spring around here right now, but the spring work has begun!

Yesterday Jim spent all afternoon cleaning out the "outside pen".  This is the pen where we keep the oldest heifers...the animals that are closing in on one year old...up to fifteen months old, when they are bred and taken to the other farm.

Today he took down the plywood barriers that helped to keep the cold winter winds out of the west side of the barn.

I was working in the house today, and I would hear the skid loader starting up...and then the Farmall M coming out from behind the barn and down the road, over and over again.  He spent most of the afternoon back and forth between the two...spreading load after load of pen pack manure on the fields.  By milking time, the "wooden pen" was cleaned out as well...

The young heifers had to share some tight quarters for a few hours this afternoon while Jim was working, but finally they were separated back into their respective pens.  They're always so excited to run around in the fresh bedding (corn fodder), and always curious to see what looks different.  The wooden barriers were covering that gate all winter long until this morning, so they're enjoying the "view".  I'm in their way, but behind me they can see the outside pen heifers...lounging outside in their own little "meadow".  All in good time...they'll be out there by mid summer...

As I was looking at the pictures I took, I realized that there was an observer that I had missed...

Peanut, the new mama of three-day-old kitties, was either hoping to catch a mouse, or hoping I'd offer her some special treats.  Probably the latter!

It always feels and smells so fresh when the outside and wooden pens are cleaned out, and the barriers are removed in the springtime.  Now if only the temperatures would rise just a little...and the March winds would die down...

Wouldn't that be nice?!!