So today I planned to render lard for the first time ever.  Thought I’d get it all chopped up and going, then get some housework done.  HA!  Two and a half hours later, I only had about half of the fat chopped up and cooking.  Tossed the rest back in the freezer.  I’ll do that on another day for making my soap.  Cooking down the leaf lard very slowly.  This is the fat around the kidneys that is sooooo good for pie crusts and pastries.  Don’t want to ruin that!  It appears to be coming out snowy white, as it’s supposed to, so I’ll leave the heat low, but boy, is it taking a long time.  Got a late start because, when I went out to take care of the chickens this morning, checked the sap buckets, and some of them were completely full!  So, besides rendering the lard, I also spent the day cooking down sap!  I did take a break this afternoon, though, and sit out on the deck.  Then took the dogs for a walk.  So beautiful today.  70 degrees and now I have spring fever!  Trees are budding and the land is mudding.  At least a lot of the iced pathways melted.  It’s been dangerous this winter!