The loveliest of days...

When I woke up this morning the early sun was streaming in the window and my first thought was, "It's my day off!" That was fabulous and the day just got better and better from there. Shortly after getting up I looked out the window and saw the goats and chickens out in the greening meadow. I thought, "That is a picture!" Then I got my camera and made it so.

In an ideal world the baby chicks would be moved out of their brooder and be in their chicken tractor outside where they could eat grass, dig in the dirt, chase bugs and act like chickens. But it is Maine in April and the nights are cold; too cold for baby chicks to be cozy out of doors. But during the day I let them out if weather permits. They are getting HUGE! The bunny loves to hang out with the birds.

In the middle of wrangling the chicks and getting them settled safely outdoors, my sweet husband called out some of my favorite words. "Breakfast is ready!" He had made me buttermilk pancakes (my favorite!) with real Maine maple syrup... and an icy cold glass of GOAT MILK! We did a blind taste test of regular old store-bought cows milk and the fresh goat milk. Neither of us could tell the difference. And we are most surprised by this!

After breakfast I collected eggs... a thrill that never gets old for me. It is especially nice if I get there shortly after a hen has been on the nest and the eggs are delightfully warm. Smile guaranteed!

Belle, the Muscovy duck, is broody. That means she is sitting on a nest full of eggs, (and by "full," I mean there are 20 or more eggs there!) They should hatch in a few days and then there will be the delight of impossibly cute ducklings bopping around the place. I can hardly wait.

And THEN we got a call from a woman who was selling a goat milking stand. I needed one, and had been trying to get in contact with her. She said we could come right over so we got to take a lovely drive through the country to where she lived. We love taking a drive, and if that drive has something to do with animals, it is even sweeter for me. We got the stand home and I gave it a coat of Minwax stain and sealer. Then I got out some Sharpies and did a little "decorating." I am not the greatest artist in the world, but I had fun and the goat wont care about my lack of talent.

While we were out we bought a flat of Pansies. These sweet flowers have such happy childhood memories for me. My grandfather, Fred Chase, (we called him "Nimmy,") would herald spring each year by bringing us bright pansies. His favorites were the ones that looked like, "little faces." He'd help us plant them in the window box on our play house. My sister and I were fondly reminiscing about this the other day and she "helpfully" reminded me that we let those precious flowers die each year by forgetting to water them. I put this years pansies in funky old tin buckets and a favorite blue pot, adding color here and there around the yard.

Just when I thought my day couldn't get much better I spent a bit of time watching my bees. To my great joy I saw many of them bringing pollen into the hive. This means that all is well with the queen, and it makes me VERY happy. I remember when my daughter was small she and I were watching bees collect pollen from a Crepe Myrtle tree in Memphis. I was explaining to her how bees collect pollen to take back to their hive. She watched a while then sweetly asked, "Does they has little POCKETS, Mommy?"

Today is one of those days that I will fold up carefully and slip into my pocket. A treasured memory to look back on warmly when this lovely chapter of my life is closed.