Did I tell you? Why I Hate March!
A New Zealand Winter has finally arrived. In March. In Illinois.
New Zealand winters are damp, and cold, and wet. And long.
The Illinois March is too damn long.
Which is why I hate March.
March in Illinois has snow, rain, wind, sun, cold, storms, floods and everything in between and sometimes all on the same day.
March cannot make up it’s mind.
The herbs and spring greens are being sown and grown in the little glasshouse (I love that bit) but breaking ground outside will have to wait – it is too wet and too cold so far.
More snow in the night. Just cold, nasty, messy stuff.
And a big fat robin sat in the ornamental pear tree outside my study window this morning and calmly ate the berries.
March Mud. More often than not it is all about the mud in March.
The cows want to get into the fields but the ground is too soft to be trod on by those beasties and anyway they are still breaking in and fertilising the 2022 garden.
March is always an odd month – it can’t make up its mind.
I hate inclement, bad mannered March.
But the chickens are laying!
Oh and the ducks have started laying too. Everywhere. Lucky Tima got locked up in time.
Take care – talk soon.
Cecilia
46 Comments on “Did I tell you? Why I Hate March!”
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thekitchensgarden 
I don’t mind March, it’s April showers that piss me off! Quite inclement weather for cycling.
The ducks don’t mind either month though. Sadly a fox got my parent’s ducks last autumn – I wonder if I can talk them into getting a pig…
Oh no! Bad Fox! How sad.
Yes! Let’s talk them into a piggie!!
I’d love that and there’s more than enough land. But it would become a pet. I’d go for a couple of pampered plonkers anually and try making jamón. I’ve found a fantastic charcutier from New Zealand, who makes amazing cured sausages: https://www.moonsgreen.co.uk/
Oh- a NZer making sausages in the uK!! Bonkers!
They are amazing cured sausages. I bought truffle and garlic, fennel and another one at the weekend and they are good enough to take on the best French, Italian and Spanish charcuterie! He’s a real character and was telling me about his 100 year old mother (in NZ) who swims every day and his recent trip to Paris for a food fair. He likes talking – I’m working on how he ended up curing meat in England (and he’s 10 years older than us …I think) …to be continued.
Standing by!
Oh and ask him where he comes from. You never know/ NZ is a small place!
I will do 😉
My internet os so inclement today that i was unable to work. (Online teaching). So I am going to go and make scalloped potatoes and put them in the oven. I can eat scalloped potatoes for DAYS!
You know what I feel like making? French Onion soup. I have not made that for years.
French onion soup is great for stormy weather. Simple ingredients. Warming. Bon appétit.
Yes!
Maybe I will make it tomorrow. I ended up mucking about outside!
Oh I agree! March mud. Threat of snow, get ice instead, 60 degrees one day, 32 the next. Cold, wet, windy, warm and sunny, then rain or ice again. It is confused, I’m just tired of it. But yes, more light, more eggs. Scalloped potatoes sound good, onion soup sounds better.
I went for the scalloped potatoes. I am such a sucker for them!!
Soup tomorrow!!
What did you all have for dinner?
Chorizo burgers with pepper jack cheese and a salad from some of my lettuce and some greens from the Farmer’s Market. Not too original, but they were thawed already.
Chorizo burgers ! I have not had them! Greens at the farmers market must be a joy!
Same story here, sadly! I am ready for Spring!!!
I hope your spring comes soon!
Do you have rain?
Thanks!! Me too! 🙏 Yes, we have lots of rain!
We will have a good grown by season with all this water in the ground.😊
I soooooooooooooooo understand.
Thought you might! 😂🦋
🙂 BIG SMILE
We are also dealing with a schizophrenic season and so looking forward to real spring
When does thee that usually happen for you?
I live in Michigan, so winter can be anywhere from early November to late March and even an occasional April ice storm. This year had been one of the craziest yet. Warm November and December and then January-now any and all types of weather
You are just down the road ( kind of!). I will remember that! 😊 I hate ice storms more!!
I suspect we are finally out of the snow, but now it’s rain and that’s typical here until well into June. It can’t defeat us though, and it’s what makes this state so lovely and green. Mud I can do without however. Are you selling eggs again- the ducks especially, or will there not be enough as they are free ranging now?
I don’t think I will find all the duck eggs now though I found a few this morning!
Once I have finished teaching I will be able to track them better.
It feels like quite some of the months and weather feels off… March here in east coast Australia is usually my favourite… nice autumnal relief after summer. But last year and the year before was extremely rainy and this year is very hot… we are still contending with temperatures in the 30’s Celcius hotter than summer. It’s a bummer than your weather and mine can’t meet in the middle!
Often we meet in the middle with Wellington. Aprilish I think!!
A wise old farmer once observed, “March – one day up in spring, two days back in winter.”
Very wise indeed!
We’re coming to the end of storm season, but are still getting tremendous small, tight thunderstorms with bucketing rain and howling wind one minute, and hot sunshine and intense humidity the next. Poor Mouse-dog get very stress, the back yard gets waterlogged, the chooks go off the lay if it’s too loud, and I have to go everywhere outside in gumboots, which is Not Fun in 32°C and 85% humidity. Roll on ANZAC day and the end of the Wet. Can’t wait for winter, some temperate weather and the chance to plant things that prefer cool temperatures.
Sounds very unpredictable!!
I put boo under heavy blankets at my feet in the thunder now. It works well though he keeps shaking. Funny how it is only dogs who hate thunder.
And not even all dogs. Mouse’s girlfriend, Lotti, is totally unfazed and snores through the whole thing.
I really ought not to do this, but… my home state of Iowa is much like Illinois when it comes to March, and that’s one reason I’d never move back there. Last weekend, as I was driving around looking at wildflowers, I couldn’t help noticing that the rice fields are ready for flooding, there are plenty of fields with the corn standing six inches tall or more, and the soybeans are sprouting in areas. Granted, we have our problems from time to time (hello, hurricanes!) but over all, I’m glad for our early spring and luscious summers. I hope yours arrive sooner rather than later!
It is a fickle month! It was nice an warm last week, and we are in the middle of a Nor’easter today with a foot and a half of snow already, and a full days more snow to come. Ugh!
Oh no! You really are getting the bad weather! More kitchen time?
Yes, I did do a lot of cooking yesterday; it’s still snowing, but we were lucky and didn’t lose power. My son was without power all day and night and still is without except for his generator that powers the refrigerator and a few lights.
Autumn is approaching here and winter is on its way. It was cold when I woke up this morning and there was condensation on the windows. However we’ve had such a great summer, all things considered, that I have promised myself not to complain, although the thought of the coming winter is daunting.
I absolutely understand that Judith.
Though sometimes I long for those clear winter Hawkes Bay days. Those birds and the smells. The beach. Then I remember how it can rain for days and the cold settles into the bones!!
Yes, too eerily similar to what’s happening here Miss C. ‘The Winter That Wasn’t’ finally arrived with the onset of March. (But the 1st was neither Lamb nor Lion :/)
Yes!! What is that about?!
Oh, I dearly wish I knew the answer to that!
And now we are getting colder!! COLDER!!
I have a little farm in North Carolina and the weather seems much the same as yours! I believe the only ones on our farm that actually enjoy it are the ducks! haha.
I love that you garden and things. This is my first day using WordPress and all I was trying to do was learn how to write a blog to see if I could make some money, so I’m a little confused. I followed you, though, because I am wanting to learn more about homesteading and gardening. We have always grown a garden, but I’d love to learn more! Last year was our first time starting to use our resources and learning to homestead. I’m in love with it and I believe we need to learn hings like that more than anything else. I home school my son and I teach him so much by using nature; it’s amazing and we couldn’t imagine it any other way!
I look forward to reading all of your page as soon as I have the chance!
Welcome to the world of blogging! You will love it. We have an amazing community.
Tell me more about your farm. What are you doing? I will pop over.