It’s that time of the year when the trees begin to blossom, the wheat fields become a magnificent green and our yard becomes an interesting site thanks to our farm dog, Rosie.

During the winter months Rosie spends a lot of time indoors. Whether it’s taking day naps while my husband or I work in the office, patrolling the shop while equipment is worked on or willingly sleeping inside the house at night.

But when the days and nights warm up, Rosie spends much more of her time outside. She’ll nap outside the office door soaking up the midday sun. She’ll sniff around the shop before leaving to patrol the farmyard. She refuses to come inside the house at night, preferring to sleep on a wicker bench on my front porch.

When Rosie comes inside to sleep during the winter, she actually sleeps. When Rosie migrates to her bench on my front porch, she usually does not sleep.

Whether it’s barking near my bedroom window at all hours of the night, launching herself off the porch bench in pursuit of night creatures that get too close to her house or patrolling the farmyard in the dark, Rosie’s winter hibernation ceases and her spring behaviors kick into full gear.

It’s quite common to open the front door to find treasures she has gathered throughout the night strewn about our front yard. Sometimes you’ll spot a large bone she has found somewhere during her patrols. At other times you will find multiple rabbits — or portions of rabbits or birds, or opossums, or rats or raccoons on display.

Sometimes Rosie will leave her treasures for us to see and then relocate them to an area near the barn where she buries them for later.

Other times, our farm dog leaves her treasures in the yard for us to appreciate and/or deal with.

Spring is the season that requires a pitchfork or shovel readily available in order for us to pick up after Rosie’s night shift.

I often wonder what delivery drivers dropping off packages at our place think as they walk up to our porch during the spring months.

A neighbor recently shared on social media a photo montage of the items her dogs have started bringing home and leaving in her yard as well.

I had to chuckle and was thankful that I have someone I can commiserate with thanks to our dogs’ spring antics on the farm.