73 degrees in February!

Granted, it's only barely February, but 73 degrees! Ain't that grand? Yesterday Adam had to do pastorly work in town, but today he is back working on the farm. He put stringers on the hoop house.

 This hoop house is solid, let me tell you!
The 2x4s that run from front to back along each side and along the top of the hoops are called stringers ... at least, that's what we're calling them. The stringers are screwed to the metal hoops.

 These metal straps do that job.

 The hoops are attached to the front and back walls using bigger metal straps.

Last year's hoop house didn't have metal straps ... it had duct tape. I kid you not!
While Adam did that hard work, I strolled around the house lot looking for signs of spring. Daffodil bulbs are popping up in random spots in the "lawn." (I use that term loosely.)

 Instead of mowing down the daffies for the next 9 months, I decided it was time for these to find a new home. I dug with a trowel below the bulb.

 And gently lifted the entire thing out.

 Then it's easy to slip the bulb out of the soil backwards - grasp the bulb and pull the stem down through the dirt.

 Voila!
I dug a few.

 I spent a few minutes in my herb bed, currently snoozing for winter. Last fall I placed the dry, cut basil branches over the oregano and thyme to give them a little protection. I removed that. I also cleared out a section in one corner (upper right hand side, in the photo) and sprinkled more of my cilantro seed there. I figure if the cilantro is self-seeding and coming up right now, then that should work. I covered them lightly.

 My poor little bay tree looks dry and dead, but I cleared out around its base and there are green leaves there. I hope it survived the winter.
In other rather desperate farm news, we had a SKUNK. I woke at 4:55 AM, night before last, and discerned the distinctive aroma of said critter. I told myself it was my drowsy imagination. We assumed the dead animal was on the road somewhere and hoped the aroma would go away. Yesterday. But it didn't. It got worse ... especially around the barn. This morning Adam found the dead skunk in the back bay of our barn. The bay door was shut with a bar across it. Ned has been doing this most of today:

 The skunk probably entered through another bay without a complete door, and there are holes from most of these bays into others. (The barn is a mess. The chicken coop, which is also a barn bay, is only vaguely secured.) We aren't sure how the skunk died, nor why it didn't get out the way it got in. Adam threw it over the back fence into the ditch, but Ned apparently still thinks it's in there. His nose is seriously confused.
The big farm behind us (such a dead-looking place) is being worked as we move into spring. When the tractor was harrowing it this morning the seagulls followed in its wake, looking for fresh worms.

 I've made two batches of soap lately. Two weeks ago I made one with tea tree, tea tree/oatmeal, and lemongrass poppyseed bars. Yesterday I made a batch with lilac and linen bars. Those last two are fragrance oils.

lilac soap bars

tea tree with oatmeal, tea tree, and lemongrass/poppyseed

 Just so you can see it, here's what a long log of freshly made soap looks like. That's probably 3 to 4 pounds of soap.

One word about soap molds. Originally Adam made me long rectangular wooden soap molds. Those were fine, but I tired of lining them with freezer paper (see above). So he made me molds from PVC plastic that could be disassembled and washed, with the idea they would not need lining paper. But they did. And eventually they warped slightly (bowed out), allowing the liquid soap to leak. Ugh! The batch of two weeks ago suffered this catastrophe -- and believe me, a fresh, liquid soap catastrophe is a real catastophe. I had mere moments to find something else to pour this fresh soap into! I had some silicone baking pans that worked.  But yesterday I opted for my old wooden molds again. Very nice. Very solid. The log of soap above was just taken from one of those molds.
That's it for now! It's a lovely warm afternoon, but I have to go to work soon. The plastic sheeting for the hoop house arrives later this week, and today we started ordering seeds. It's about to begin!!!