It’s been a busy few weeks, and since spring has finally arrived, it is only going to get busier and busier as the garden takes over my life. There has been so much joy happening lately. No Kings was amazing. I didn’t go to the huge rally at the capitol, but to the one in my neighborhood where there were an estimated 500 people instead of the 100,000+ in St Paul. The countrywide and world wide turnout has made not a bit of difference to Trump and his cronies, but it was still good to gather, get some positive group energy and know that I am not alone in the struggle.

ICE activity in Minneapolis has dropped off significantly. It hasn’t stopped, but whereas previously on an hour-long patrol we might see three or four ICE vehicles pass by, now it is practically zero. Those of us doing foot patrol have pretty much stopped, and or, just wrap it into regular walks with dogs or for exercise. Folks who commute—follow ICE in their cars—have decreased as well, and most watching is happening at the Whipple Building (ICE headquarters) and the entrance and exit to the air force base.

As a neighborhood, we are trying to figure out where we want to go from here. We had a lovely coffee and donuts gathering in our neighborhood park yesterday morning. I got to meet some folks I haven’t met before and say hi to some I have, one of whom gave me a big hug for no reason. It was wonderful. I also met a dog who is a basset hound and golden lab mix. Picture a lab with a basset hound body. One of the strangest, most charming dogs I have ever met.

The Rebel Gardeners are busy building raised beds for folks out of donated wood, soil, and compost. I sadly do not have the time to help build these beds, but the enthusiasm is magnificent. It appears there will be about 14 or 15 raised beds built and distributed when all is said and done. Some are going to new gardeners and others to experienced gardeners who want to expand their growing to accommodate more space for food donation. It looks like our next in-person group meeting will be next weekend.

Chickens

Last week on April 3rd, James and I brought home Baba Yaga (pearl onyx) and Nanny Ogg (speckled Sussex). They were only 3-day-old balls of peeping fluff who would keel over, sound asleep, every 10 – 15 minutes. The first night we had to put a radio turned on low by their box because they were so upset and lonely when no one was nearby that they would start screaming at the top of their little lungs. How such tiny creatures could make such noise is beyond me. But the classical music station calmed them down and allowed all of us to finally sleep through the night.

Now they are a week and half old. They have tiny wings and tails and they are getting feathers on the back of their necks. They are taller and run and flap around their box, chasing each other and also strengthening their legs and wings. And then they pass out asleep, face in their food or smooshed into the bottom of the box. They are still peeping, but have also begun trilling.

And yesterday, this happened:

Baba was quite proud of herself. She is small enough that she can just sit down and hang out on top of the jar. Nanny was upset about Baba being up there and kept jumping at her until she managed to knock her off. Nanny didn’t figure out how to get up there until today. Now they both argue over who gets to sit on the jar even though there are two jars—one for water and one for food.

The Nuggets were fully feathered before they figured out this trick, so the little witches are rather precocious! We’ve already raised the sides of their box to discourage them from trying to jump from the top of the jar to the box edge. They will figure that out eventually, but hopefully we are safe for a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Ethel and Sia have no idea there are babies in the house, but the babies heard Ethel outside on the deck yesterday and got really quiet, listening intently. Today, Ethel and Sia are mad at me because they are now confined to the chicken garden and no longer get the run of the big vegetable garden. I’ve got onions planted, and today I sowed seeds for kale, salad greens, and cabbage. I’ve also removed the protective barrier over the garlic, which is sprouting strong, and from around the cherry bushes and strawberries. Too much growing or sown now to keep safe from chicken scratching, so they are banished for the duration.

I have also been busy knitting an emotional support chicken for a friend who is having surgery tomorrow. I spent every spare minute last weekend and a couple longer evenings to finish it up to give to them at sangha Thursday night. I’ve had the pattern for ages and it looked complicated, but it turned out to be really easy as long as I didn’t lose track of where I was in the pattern. I like how it turned out so much I want to make chickens for a bunch of different people now, but at a more relaxed pace.

Birthday

Easter weekend was also my birthday. I turned 58 y’all! How did that happen? When I was a kid I used to calculate how old I would be in the year 2000 (32), and worried that I wouldn’t live that long because I’d be so old. Hahahaha!

I received lots of birthday wishes. Friends sent me chocolate and books and cards. I gifted myself with some new bottles of fountain pen ink. James and I watched all three parts of the new Ken Burns PBS documentary on Henry David Thoreau, which is really good, and now I’m planning on doing a Thoreau deep dive kind of like I did with Ralph Waldo Emerson years and years ago in my book blogging days. Ironically, one of the inks I gifted myself is called Walden.

I had four days off for the Easter weekend and James, who usually has Fridays and Saturdays off, managed to also be off on Sunday. Of course the nice weather earlier in the week turned cold and rainy for the weekend. We went out to lunch on Friday to Baba’s Hummus House, one of my favorite places to eat.

Saturday James made cake (banana cake with chocolate pudding between the layers and peanut butter frosting) and chocolate sweet potato ice cream. Delicious! And then he made carrot peanut white bean burgers on pretzel buns. So much yum. It was a wonderful birthday.

Amidst all of that I made a sourdough Danish rye bread that we’ve been eating all week . It makes marvelous toast. And I am frantically trying to finish reading Endling by Maria Reva before I have to return it to the library this Thursday for the next person in the queue to read. I have less than 100 pages to go now, so I should make it.

I’d love to ramble on more, but I have more things to get done before the day is over. I hope spring and joy has found you, wherever you may be.