Catch Up Day

Red Sky at Night

There is an old saying, "Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight."
A red sky at night (supposedly)  predicts fair weather for the following day.  So I hope this lovely evening  sky means tomorrow will be a nice one. It was breezy and mostly cloudy today and felt colder than the temperature indicated.

Work around the homestead seldom spreads itself out evenly. Seems like things all happen at the same time and you are caught trying to juggle many tasks in too little time. Sugaring season overlaps with early garden season, overlaps with mud season and the need for special attention to animal deep bedding maintenance.... Each of these things are above and beyond the normal household tasks and they all have to get done.   The last couple of days have been like that.   Whew!
So it is good today to have a sort of catch up day.   Getting several household tasks and errands done felt good, plus a nice 2 hour run.

But it seems like another sap boiling day will be shortly on the horizon, as the trees are running like mad. Today I gathered 15 gallons of sap - the most ever on a single day.  One of the buckets was full to the brim and almost overflowing.   Lugging 5 gallon buckets  full of sap through the spring soft snow is no small feat. I reckon the buckets weigh close to 40 pounds.

I needed to make a decision about the chicks also. They have simply outgrown their crate.  But with weather still quite cold, especially overnight, they can't just be put outside with no protection. And they cannot yet mix with the grown hens.  I believe I have a solution, and tomorrow will be moving day for them!  You will be amazed at how much they have grown. And I will be glad to get their mess (and smell!) out of the house.

So,  now is the end of a nice catch up day.. I think I will sit with a cup of hot tea and read a chapter in my book. Or maybe I should save that for the next boiling day!