Spring is here. The gnarly and unpredictable weather in northeast Texas will at least get warmer. Things will bloom and you'll be outside, minus the sweatshirt.

As for outside of your home, gardens are a pleasant decoration for any house, but they can be a lot more. Increasingly, suburban and rural families living a 21st-century American life are Instagramming the produce they grow in their backyards, involving their kids in the harvest, and even going whole hog—sort of—with a small hen-roost.

We'll be exploring some smart homesteading options for the next few months; the sowing season, as it were. But today, we'll talk chickens. Getting your own chickens is officially a thing in the 20s. (And has been for a few years.) We'll discuss backyard chickens and how Evolve Technologies can help you set up a home roost. 

|| Why Are People Suddenly Raising Chickens? || 

Eggs, mostly. Hens lay a good deal of fresh eggs. In season, a roost of three hens can yield egg production of well over one dozen eggs per week. That is, during the peak of summer daylight. The female chicken takes up to 26 hours to physically create and dispense an egg. But there's a catch: she may not start with another egg right after laying. Altogether though, one egg per day per chicken in the summer is a good schedule.

But, getting back to the why. Why get chickens?

Groundhog Day, that quirky celebration, arrived in the Eastern U.S. with German immigrants. In the absence of badgers, they chose groundhogs as the new weatherman for the fun tradition. This holiday comes from medieval and ancient mid-winter ceremonies marking halfway between the winter solstice and the summer equinox. Back then, farming and agriculture could still affect survival, so an earlier, gentler spring meant much more than less snow shoveling. After the birth of Christ, the Candlemas celebration started.

|| BUT TEXAS DOES NOT HAVE EASY ACCESS TO GROUNDHOGS ||

In 2010, Texas began its own lighthearted beef with the famous Pennsylvania weather prognosticator, that groundhog Punxatawney Phil. Bee Cave Bob, a trusty armadillo from the ranching town of the same name, is the Lone Star State's answer to the Teutonic tradition of the Northeasterners.

Just for good measure, an East Texas TV station consulted Longview Senior Animal Control Officer Chris Kemper. He confirmed he has never had to tangle with these squirrel cousins. "I have never had a run-in with a groundhog here in East Texas," he told KLTV.

Whether or not an animal suggests more winter, critters of all kinds will soon return to Dallas lawns as the (usually) short and tolerable winters wind down. The sun will stay out longer, making the grass thirstier, and the furry friends we keep inside will soon be scrambling again for the stick or tennis ball in the backyard.

Evolve Technologies knows that Dallas' local weather-- despite being generally warmer than much of the country--can be crazy and can affect your lawn. This post will look at the best apps to connect all your home automation and smart device needs into an easy-to-use system. With that, your lawn and your pet experience are worry-free.