Goats, chickens, cat, dogs, a horse, frogs, human activity, signs of spring, and eggs.

We were back at Kimmel a week ago for PYO's Showcase of their six youth orchestras. Inspired young people from all over the region with whole families and lots of friends rallied in support and enjoyment. And, of course, I was a proud grandma once again as Aidan and his cello took part in it.

Aidan after the performance...

...with his mom and dad supporters...

...and with Grandma Groupie Judy supporter.

The plastic bag in Aidan's hands and the one pictured blown along the sidewalk soon will be banned in Philadelphia. And, we still are managing to hold onto the soda tax. Yay! Right now there are several plastic bags hanging in the trees behind Marge's property; blown there on one of the super high wind days that happened simultaneously with Quakertown's weekly trash pickup.

Pat and I hit the local Peter Becker Community flower show to cheer ourselves up from the last grey gasps of winter. Inexplicably, one exhibit had giant, faux Venus Fly Traps which reminded me of a traumatizing movie from my pre-school days featuring a giant fly trap enjoying human dinner. Aggghhh. But these at the flower show were faux so Pat was fine...

From the Health Desk: I am patched together. I can still smile. Especially, when I look at goats, chickens, cats, dogs, a horse, frogs, human activity, signs of spring, and eggs.

Walks around the farm have resumed.

The wet weather and snowmelt have made the little pond adjoining the farm a frog paradise. We tried to capture a little of the sound though most stopped their high-pitched calling as they sensed us nearing...




There have been more than two days of sunshine in a row, recently. We're up to three in a row now.

It's time for you to meet Florence, the friendliest chicken in the whole world...

Florence walks right up to you, looks up and tries to sort of hop like she's saying, "Pick me up and hold me!" She loves to be held.

This is from Wendy. She was grooming Austin when Florence hopped up on the hitching rack post so she could see and be nearer to Wendy.

Eating from Aidan's hand.

Wendy brings along one of the other young chickens.

Another of the sister chickens with her little chastity belt protecting her from the rapacious roosters.

And here is Unison joining the fray.

When I drove over to the farm to go on one of the walks, I found this in the kitchen. Yes, this is one of the roosters with Aidan and Wendy. He had a badly injured toe that Wendy had to amputate. Here, they are doing his daily dressing on it.

Alas, two of the young chickens are lost; one's body lay beneath the roosts one morning, perhaps due to some natural cause; the other was murdered, as Wendy puts it. From the condition of the remains she thinks the murderer was a fox. There are a lot of them now.

Wendy is collecting 13 eggs a day. They are delicious.

Now they're Easter Eggs.

The sunny days make more than me happy...

Wendy sent along her happy goat video...



And, I got a snippet or two since then...



And, here comes Surprise...oops, I called him Rosie on YouTube...

Enjoy your springtime, everyone, wherever you are.

Miss Unison!

They named her Unison. That made me think of Unidotter, but, I know...okay, enough!

She's a baby goat. What's not to love.

Keoni & Unison.

Last Friday, a call from Wendy led to an impromptu trip into the city to attend a Gala and dinner for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestras' benefactors at the Union League. We were the guests of Aidan's cello teacher's family who were unable to attend. We all dug up our Sunday best and got ourselves into the city to take part. Wendy, John and Aidan (his call time was during the afternoon) were ahead of Keoni and I, who came in my car; this time Keoni driving us there in Friday after-work traffic. He did a masterful job going and coming so his Grandma Groupie could relax and watch the skyline.

Philadelphia's newest skyscraper.
Comcast got this right!

After a silent auction/hobnob hour there was an elegant dinner. Following that, Aidan's PYO orchestra and two others of the six youth orchestras supported by these patrons performed a short concert in the Lincoln Room. Dessert at the end rounded out the evening.

PYO taking their seats in the Lincoln Room.

Aidan at work.

Taking a bow.

Keoni holding our coffee and cookies.

Aidan.

Brothers.

Goats are loved in the Union League, too. Hmmm. Maybe Union League could have been U's name... Nah. Unison it is.

Keoni and I finished off our evening with Louie "Satchmo" Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald entertaining us as we headed back to the farm and I, then, to Quakertown. Love that Apple Music access. Mmm-Mmm. A very good evening.

I had my first walk in a very long time around the perimeter of the farm. Gee, I miss that. Sometimes the snow or mud are too much but this time I got around okay with Keoni. His footprints helped navigation. My exercises these many months are paying off with a much stronger knee to handle the uneven ground.

Keoni has headed back to his last undergraduate weeks in Georgia and the snow is largely melted. Buds are swelling on the trees. Dove pairs are starting to coo.

Jeanenne in Missouri sent the latest picture of their pool construction due to be finished next month. And, she has been watching a pair of Canadian Geese that like their pond.

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

U Name It

Weather Report: Pick up the mess the wind made.

Early morning wind driven plastic containers and aluminum cans were audibly kiting and bouncing down the cul de sac to be funneled between Marge's and Neighbor George's dwellings and scattered over the lawn, into the trees, pond, and shrubbery, then on into the back where the old barn stands. Accompanied by all manner of unnatural debris escaping from the Monday morning trash pickup, the wind powered through the light switches into the living room. The windows, thankfully, are doubled-paned and snug.

It blew on into Tuesday lessening as the day went along. Pat and I swung by the farm to see one-day old "U", Jasmine's sweet little girl kid born on that windy Monday. Here is a look at Baby U that Wendy sent and hour or so later.

U's first hops...



And today from Wendy...



U is awaiting a decision on a name. Where does the letter U fit in, you ask? It all started with A and B. Wendy hoped her (then much younger) sons wouldn't get too attached to the baby goats since they'd not all remain to adulthood on the property--being excellent milking strains of goat-dom, the babies likely would go to other owners. So, she decided it was best not to name them and simply assign a letter of the alphabet to decrease emotional attachments. So, the first kids born on the property were A and B. Alas, the boys named them April and Beatrice. Now we are on the letter U. "U", hmmm. Not so many names. Maybe Wendy is making a list. All family texts were about U. Here a smattering...

Unique, Uniqua, Uma, Uhura, Unami (a nearby creek), User-friendly, Upsie-Daisy, Miss Universe...

I lost track.

A little more of the goat entertainment we all love...

First look, sent from John. U in her little sweater.

One day old, when Pat & I were there.

A week later, first day outdoors.

Lotsa love going around there.

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From the Arts Desk: A pleasure to ride the train into the city to see and hear Aidan performing with his cello in a beautiful PYO concert, once again at the Kimmel Center. For almost six years running, the experience to see and hear either he or his brother making music, never fails to achieve some inner, acute, highwater mark on my psyche. When it's in Philadelphia, the city coming into view; the train shared with others; the sense of many who've come and gone here before; the city life, those forlornly seated on the pavement to the grandeur of fine venues; the beautiful music reminding me of virtues inside us all, inside me. And I am part of it.

Tuning up.

Taking bows.

Spring break brought Keoni home for a week. He and Aidan joined me for a breakfast at Stella's...

Stella's is on the next corner down in Sellersville.

One of Keoni's friends saw this in a Macon, GA, window and sent it.

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Weather Report: Did I mention snow? That it snowed? Cold? Freezing? Snow?

From the last several days...

5:15 a.m. out my window.

From the porch.

George moving snow to get one of the family's cars out. His snow-blower broke, so Pat and I had considerably more snow-removal to increase our exercise programs.

Later in the morning, I got my pony Subaru dug out. Pat and I take turns each week to park in the driveway since there's almost no parking for the 18 dwellings on this tiny cul de sac. This time it was my week out on the adjoining street.

Now that I mentioned snow, there's more to see from Carol and Janie, in Tucson...

My favorite snow-angel!

A week after the Tucson snowfall there is grass. Carol reports that there has not been anything but dirt here in this spot for the last 32 years. 

The true meaning of Spring Mix.

The snow went away in Tucson and Gloria sent greetings from the Butterfly Garden at Tucson's Botanical Garden...

Gloria. 

But it wasn't all about the weather in Tucson. Paula has shared her latest that she posted on Twitter as she follows her artistic endeavors...

There is plenty more of her work and that of others to see on this Twitter site she began awhile back as you may recall. It's become a wonderful collection of Sonoran Desert images and inspiration from her brain-child. Sonoran Sketchers

And Marge has already been experiencing Spring in Charleston, S. C....

Note flip-flops.

Back here at our Quakertown abode, not only do the birds appreciate the largesse that Pat spreads before them, but so do the squirrels...

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Neighborhood moonrise...