Sheltered Under the Wings

Spring has been a busy time around here!  It is a time for new life to come forth, for the promise of spring to make her entrance, and for winter to bid his last farewell goodbye.  But as is quite typical for winter, reluctance to leave on his part is playing a big role in the whole endeavor, and we remain in the season of springter... for now.

With spring comes the nudging in the hearts of some of our hens to sit and hatch out their eggs.  Our little banty, sweet Bella began to sit on eggs late in February! At first, I felt it was too soon, but then decided to go ahead and see what would happen, so I let her sit on a variety of eggs.

Bella has been our Momma hen that we have had for 3 years, and she hatched out 5 sweet little baby chicks around St. Patrick's Day.  It has been a very cold spring here,
but even so, her fluffy feathers have kept her little chicks safe and warm beneath her wings. 

The chicks were hatched in our chicken coop, but after they were hatched,
I moved them into my greenhouse to keep them safe from the other hens, who are quite cruel to little ones.  

This little chick was injured during her birthing process and had crippled feet.  She would just sit on her haunches and cry and cry.  It was heartbreaking to witness this and so I researched how to help her.  

BandAid splints were recommended for chicks born with crippled feet, to help straighten their feet out. 
The BandAid is sticky on both sides and holds their feet straight. I left it on for two days and
noticed that she walked better after taking it off.  

Here is a closer look at how her feet looked before I splinted them. 

And here is how the BandAid splints looked.  She wasn't too happy with me for doing this at the time, nor was Bella!  

However, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to report that after removing the splints, she was walking on her feet, instead of her haunches, and now, about a week later, you can't even tell that she ever had a problem! Amazing! We are so thankful for the good progress she has made :) 

 As I've watched Bella nurture and care for her baby chicks, I was reminded of Psalms 91, one of my all-time favorite psalms that says this:

Psalm 91 

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High 

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: 

my God; in him will I trust. 

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, 

and from the noisome pestilence. 

He shall cover thee with his feathers, 

and under his wings shalt thou trust: 

his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

When the Psalms says "He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust"... I saw my sweet little Bella spreading her feathers and covering her little ones with her wings, and I saw such a beautiful picture of the Lord in that.  And then as I watched the little one with the crippled legs, I saw how Bella saved little scraps of food for her and took them to her when she could hardly walk.  And then she would run and hide under Bella's wings for heat, warmth, comfort, and safety.  And in this beautiful picture of the Lord, I saw myself, running to Him for comfort, safety, and protection in all situations.  As I walk each day, I look up to Him, up into the skies, and I feel the comfort of His wings around me.  How wonderful it is to know that just as my sweet little chick would run to its mother, we can run to Christ, and hide under the shadow of His wings when the world around us gets worrisome.  And once we are secure and safe under His arms, we can peek out and look around, and not be afraid.  He has us covered with His wings!  

My little thought for the day... it has been a beautiful picture to see each day as this little chick has grown underneath the constant care of her mother and to see the picture of Christ in that as I tend to my chickens.  I just wanted to share that with you, it has been so amazing to see! 

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Did you know that you can make your own refills for foaming hand soap? I ran out of this lovely smelling
hand soap and decided to use the same bottle to make some more. It is SO easy to do!  Just fill the bottle
3/4 of the way to the top, and then pour in 1 tablespoon of your favorite liquid soap. I used Dr. Bronner's, but you could also use a bubble bath or shower gel soap as well.  Screw the lid back on, and voila, you have your own foaming hand soap! I also added approximately 4-5 drops of grapefruit essential oil, because I love the fresh scent of citrus. 

You can see the foamy soap that it creates... and think how much money you can save by making your own! 

Oh the sunsets - they have been few and far between as clouds hang low, heavy with rain.
 But when we do get to see a sunset, it is glorious! 

I've got tomatoes, peppers and peas started in my little mini greenhouse.  They have poked their heads out of the soil,
and are enjoying their warm comfy environment! 

 

On a nice sunny morning, this sweet girl looked out at me across from her fence, and I knew she wanted
to be petted, so I walked over and spent some time petting her.  I love my horse friends that
I get to meet as I walk! 

Spring run-off has created this seasonal creek, and the horses were taking advantage of the cold clear waters!

One sunny afternoon, I took my tea on the back porch to enjoy the sunshine and the sound of melting snow.
 Immediately a little beggar showed up!

 She was patient long enough until I gave her a piece of my shortbread.  Little rascal! 

 

While the snow has for the most part melted around us... still the mountains sport their white tops.  I love the contrasts of snow on the mountains, and spring in the valleys below. 

Since I'm pretty sure that Bella's brood is comprised of 3 roosters and 2 hens, I wanted to add more to my flock this spring.  After adding 12 chicks from the feed store, some of my friends heard about the wonderful place I have to raise little chicks, and asked if I would mind raising chicks for them as well.  So instead of 17 new baby chicks, I now have a grand total of 42!  Bella takes care of her 5 in a little enclosure in my garden, while the remainder of the 37 chicks run around inside my greenhouse.  I've enjoyed having all these little cuties to care for, they are so fun to watch! They love their new environment, as the greenhouse is completely safe for them to run around and stretch their legs, and some are even practicing flying and roosting now. It is amazing to see! 

Another sunset that I captured on a late evening walk with my husband. 

The layers of colors in this sunset are most brilliant now in early spring where green grass is pushing its way to the forefront and snow has finally taken a backseat.  Winter is now taking backstage and spring is prancing daintily around, much like my sweet horse friend does.  Soon a blanket of spring wildflowers and blooms will arrive,
 and I am awaiting that time quite expectantly!

Most of the snow has melted from my garden, and it won't be long now and it will be planting time!  We always look forward to this time of year.  All the bulbs I planted last Fall have begun popping their heads up out of the ground, and in about a month or so, we should have a bounty of color, and I can't wait!  This week it has been particularly cold, snowy and rainy.  In fact, when we had our Easter Sunday service, as we were singing about the blood washing whiter than snow, we looked outside, and it had begun to really snow.  The snow has not "stuck" as the saying goes, but has melted upon impact, but still, the fact that it is cold enough to snow in April means that we are going to have a late spring.

But there is hope in my garden, as I walk out there each day and check my bulbs as they shoot through the earth... soon ... very soon I will have masses of color in my little area that we planted last fall, and the promise of spring will arrive.  You can be sure we are all awaiting that time quite anxiously!  It seems that spring has been later this year for most places around our country, but when it gets here,  it ought to be glorious with all the extra moisture we have received this year.  It won't be long now :)