Spring Cleaning

We finally had another nice day in WV, even it it was still a little colder than I would like. The Samples were hard at work cleaning up and getting ready for planting. Their gardens are going to be magnificent.

Old honey that is destined to become sugar water for the very bees that produced it.

Emma and Grayson Samples construct a chicken pen.

Emma takes a year-old onion to plant in her garden. 

Grayson repurposes an old window to heat one of his beds. 

Emma watches the chickens, after she offered them corn and old vegetables dug from the raised bed.

Springtime Chores

I spent some more time with the Samples family on Monday. They are preparing their garden(s) for planting, which requires a great deal of work before a single vegetable is planted.

Grayson spreads compost before tilling his garden.

The tilling begins.

Round and Round

I had a whirlwind visit with my siblings that was topped off by a visit to the park with Sam. It felt like spring this morning, and we took full advantage of it. 

The Samples

This evening I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Grayson Samples, as he did some chores. Grayson and his family raise chickens, bees, and vegetables in their small yard in Lost Creek, WV. Raising food for family consumption, rather than sale, is a long-standing Appalachian tradition, and the Samples family are true purveyors of it.

Grayson Samples cleans out the chicken coop that his family keeps in their back yard.

Today's bounty. 

Adding to the refuse pile. 

Grayson restocks his bees' sugar water. 

Ben and Maddie get some love.

A post without cows

After getting soaked outside, it was nice to come out of the rain. I got to catch up with the rest of the Stenger family, and I got to snuggle with Zula's adorable dog.

Zulu plays with her dog, Snickers. 

Counting Cattle

I'm hoping that spring will arrive soon, but today it seemed far away, as I accompanied John as he checked his cattle. Despite the rain, it was fun to shoot today. The mist was beautiful.

I think they were wondering why I didn't have salt.

John Stenger counts a herd of his cattle.

John inspects the window of the house he is building on his farm.

Rain falls on a frozen pond on the Stenger farm.