It always feels nice to get outside and enjoy the breezes of Spring and the sun’s warm rays.  During the Winter I feel cooped up inside.  I stare out the window at my sleeping gardens.  The only thing alive are the  bird feeders with chickadees, cardinals, finches and sparrows.    I sit and dream about Spring and the arrival of the good things that it brings.  Today was a beautiful sunny Spring day.  I seized the opportunity.  I was able to escape the confines of my home and so were the chickens.

I let the chickens out to free-range first thing.  The best part, is that they were able to be outside for hours as I got to work.  I took large ceramic planters from the garage and replanted them for the Spring with evergreens and pansies.  I cleaned out the garage.  I planted lettuce in some containers and in the garden.  I raked the stones in the driveway after they had been shoveled into all of the wrong places over the Winter.  I even did some minor repairs to the chicken run.

Finally, after about 3 hours of free-ranging, the girls were actually tired.  They needed a nice nap in the sun.  I went inside and fetched some celery, lettuce and strawberries.  It did not take much effort to convince the girls to return home.  As I tossed the goodies into the run, all of the girls and Chocolate filed in one by one. 

As I tidied up my tools and put away any stray gardening items, the girls settled into the dust bowls of the run.  They closed their eyes and snoozed in the sun.  Before I came into the house, I went over to visit them.  They were content and tired.  Happy and dreamy, they did not move from their spots.  Our freedom in the yard was exhausting, even for me.