A New Season

It’s been a little over a week, but I made it back to my keyboard.

I would have posted on Friday, but that was my catch-up day after being sidelined with yet another virus last week. Honestly, I have never endured a cold season quite like the winter of 2025. I’ll spare you the details, but you know it’s bad when I’m actually looking forward to allergy season.

Everything’s Blooming!

That said, I absolutely love how we skip the gentle ramp-up to spring here in Virginia. One day we’re dressed in fleece and the next we’re hurriedly unpacking our summer clothing. (It’s not even April yet!) When we lived in Massachusetts, I remember sitting with my family at the Memorial Day parade. We were all bundled up on the curb, waiting for the festivities to begin. We always ended up huddled under the blankets we brought to sit on. Yup, I’ll take 82 degrees in March any day!

During the past week, we began seeing signs of spring all around Hickory Grove as our trees and shrubs began to bloom. And we can also hear the signs of spring with the arrival of the Peepers. These tiny tree frogs are about the size of a paper clip. They are nearly impossible to find because they are so well camouflaged and they go silent when you approach. You can click here to learn more them and even hear an hour-long Peeper serenade.

This week I’ll be anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. I visit several websites that track their migration and it appears they’ve already arrived in parts of southeastern Virginia. I received a new feeder for Christmas and I’ll have it filled and waiting by mid-week.

Garden Reno

Why should our home be the only thing getting a makeover? Last month, Neil noticed that the current raised garden beds were starting to look a little worse for wear. The hand-hewn wooden frames were beginning to crack and warp and they were no longer providing stable edging. The replacement project is labor-intensive, so we are grateful for our son-in-law’s help running the Kubota tractor. Every garden bed frame is being dismantled and replaced with a cinder block frame.

Ryan is making sure everything is level so that the blocks will lay flat and won’t shift. Neil takes over the project once the blocks are in place. He refills the beds with soil, and Kevin uses a homemade sifter to make sure all the rocks are removed. We will amend the soil as we go, adding compost and other nutrients. Stay tuned as we hope to finish this project in the next week in preparation for spring planting.

Chicken Drama

Our week would not be complete without something happening in the chicken coop.

About 2 weeks ago, we noticed that the chicken feed was disappearing at an alarming rate. We had earlier issues with opossums and raccoons breaking in at night, but we fixed that problem quickly. This was an entirely new problem. There was no way our four hens were eating that much feed!

Knowing there was only one way to find out, Neil set his game camera at a new angle. Sure enough, we discovered our newest scavengers: mice. Ugh! Even though Neil had buried the hardware cloth a full foot around the perimeter, the mice were getting in underneath the coop where it is not buried. We kept finding small holes all along the base of the coop about the size of a nickel. Now we know what was causing them.

Today Neil and I raked and shoveled the entire enclosed chicken yard, removing any discarded seed and decaying kitchen scraps that may be hiding beneath the hay and leaf mulch. Then we began adding pelletized bedding, a process that will take several days. Neil also mixed and poured concrete along the base of the coop and reset the game camera to see if the mice are still able to get in tonight.

The fun never ends!

Thanks for stopping by to catch up on the latest news at Hickory Grove.  Next week we hope to have more garden photos, and we will answer any questions you leave in our comments.