Nature Ain't Reading My Calendar

This week has been a good reminder all around that all the lists, calendars and datebooks in the world don't exactly dictate the schedules or behaviors of the natural world.  We've got plants coming up in unsuspecting places in our garden, chickens working together to get through fencing to devour newly-planted cauliflower starts and our 3-month-long anticipated arrival of our well-researched new breeds of baby chicks has been upended by the mere fact that the eggs haven't hatched.  What?!  We've had the date circled on our kitchen calendar!  We did our part and got everything cleaned and ready!

I don't know if I speak for other gardeners and farmer sorts, but I think the unpredictable frustration is part of what gets us hooked.  We just never know what's going to happen.  This time of year always reminds me of my late Grandpa Darrell--he was a plant-early-take-risks sort of gardener and I remember many chats about frost damage, replants and battles with time and weather.  I must have got the bug from him as I am forever taking chances, wrangling disappointment and wondering what to try next. 

It is good to be reminded that I'm not really in charge--I may have bursts of control and the best of intentions, but in the end, there is a natural world that doesn't operate by my check lists and datebook scribblings.  Damn.