April 2025 - On The Mountain

A Late but Marvelous Start

May 04, 2025

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The mountain is slowly waking up. Rolling around under its sheet of snow, considering getting up, then changing its mind and tucking back in for another few minutes… or days. I’m right there with it. Enjoying the last few days of winter

Once those blankets are lifted, work begins, and the world will be very, very busy.

Snowmobiling

On April 14th, I took my last ride down on the snowmobile. The road melted in areas depending on sun exposure, so parts were still covered in feet of snow while others were entirely clear. It made for an interesting ride! Softly snowmobiling like usual in places, while scraping along on dirt in others.

At one point, I had a puddle to cross. As I did, the exhaust of the machine dipped into the water, sounding surprisingly like a 2-stroke boat. For a moment it changed from the usual braap braap braap to blub blub blub. It gave me a giggle, as I crossed dirt, snow and water all in the same trek. It was worth it, since I had precious cargo to pick up below.

Getting a hike in before he left for a week.

Curt Goes to Town

Curt went to visit his family on the coast for a week, leaving me to hold the fort. As you know, I’m no stranger to spending time on the mountain by myself, but it was a bit strange being alone after so many months. The snow was in an awkward phase of melting, making it difficult to move around the yard or get any projects done outside. So while he was away, I listened to a book and did some tinkering.

I took apart the little solar panel of a string light to discover that the circuit board was corroded beyond repair. I figured that whole thing would have to go into the trash, but decided to test the LED strip to see if it still worked. To my surprise, it did!

I then used a small switch from another broken doodad and a power cord from yet another, and eureka! I now have an LED light on a little switch in the house.

These two are part silkie, they have feathery feet!

Solar Powered Peeps

I was worried the incubator would drain my solar power, but I decided to give it a try. I put eggs in the incubator and 21 days later, two little chicks hatched! Thankfully, most days were sunny, and now I have two cute little fluffs living in the house until I can introduce them to the others.

Seed Starting

This year, we decided to start seeds later than normal. Hopefully, that way we don’t end up with plants that are ready to be put into the ground before the frost goes away. We started Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers, and more. We’ve prepped a large area by the barn for garden beds, and I’m looking forward to filling the greenhouse to the brim.

Bouncing Bunnies

I put off breeding the bunnies as well. Usually, I start in March, but since the nights have been consistently cold and I wanted to change the bunny pen, it made sense to wait. I bred my big girls to my smaller angora buck, they’ll be due May 4th! It’ll be interesting to see what their kits look like, how long their fur will be and how big they’ll get.

Spring Beauties, cute and delicious. Their root is like a dime-sized potato.

The Spring Orchestra

After the long, quiet and monochromatic winter, I forgot how exciting springtime is. What was a snowy tundra is now packed full of colour and life. Birds and squirrels start the day chirping energetically. The afternoons bring the busy hum of bugs and chirping gophers. Chorus frogs and grouse send off the day with a rhythmic lullaby.

Suddenly, summer is in full swing. The days are extra busy, and some exciting plans are very close on the horizon. Though already a bit overwhelmed by it, I’m looking forward to what the next month has in store and sharing it with you.