A pair of mallards were taking their ease in the pond Saturday morning when I started my work. That’s the first we’ve seen of them and it seems early but we’re glad to have them, as always. There’s a good chance it is the same pair that was around last spring. They weren’t shy and stayed put even when I went into the enclosure to get a stick I needed. There was an unauthorized cat in there as well, no doubt wishing it could get its nasty paws on one of the ducks. The mallards finally took off when Chris and I started trimming the big elm on the south side of the enclosure. They probably didn’t care for the noise we were making but I’m confident they will be back. Continue reading “Ducks for Easter”→
Women of a certain age enjoying a pleasant evening.
Devon and Dennis stopped by on their way home from their Colorado ski trip. It was a little chilly for a weenie roast so we made Chris grill them while we stayed all comfy inside. The kids played out side. Not too cold for them. Jill and her girls and H&E arrived the Friday before so there was lots of company on SA. Since they arrived we’ve had weather ranging from truly nasty (cold and wind) to unbeatable. The latter gave the Wylie girls a chance to get out and enjoy SA. They don’t get a lot of opportunity to get outside with lots of space to run and play in at home. They got to participate in a weenie roast and play on the tractor some. For them, SA is a great place to visit.
For me, it’s a lot of work. Saturday Chris helped run the leaves I’d raked up out of the pond after I let it partially dry up through the shredder. Once shredded I put them on the caliche mounds and will eventually cover them so they will decompose. When we finished my project I helped Chris put dirt around his patio. We used the tractor and trailer to haul several loads of caliche from the mounds to the patio. Once we had the caliche spread at the base of the patio and tamped down, we put a layer of topsoil on top of it.. Rain will cause some maintenance headaches until the grass grows over the berm but who knows when that will be.
Jill and Kari took advantage of the warm afternoon Friday to tackle the lily pool. It had been five years since the last time we cleaned it out and that really should be done every year, every other year at the most. The mini hurricane we had last summer seemed to have filled it with crud and done away with the fish. Could be that the inch and a half of rain in 15 minutes created such a run off that the fish were able to swim out of the lily pool, much to their detriment. The lilies were so over-grown they were taking up too much space and it was a real bear of a job to get them cut back. It being Friday afternoon I was reluctant to pitch in when I got off work but couldn’t just stand around and watch them do it. I changed into shorts so I could step into the pool but by the time I did so they had gotten the biggest pieces out and all I did was help them finish up. They plan to take their daughters to the pet store and let each of them get a gold fish to put in the nice clean lily pool.
Hans’ back started giving him trouble before they left Switzerland but they came anyway hoping it would get better. It didn’t and they had to cut their visit short. Poor Hans was reduced to having to be wheel chaired around the airport and on and off the airplanes. They hope to come back at Christmas if Hans’ back is OK by then.
Chris, Tino and Rebecca after Tino ate the drain cleaner.
Joyce ordered three new trees from her favorite tree people, two plums and an apple. They arrived Thursday, I think, and we planted them Saturday morning. Joyce orders what she wants and it’s up to my to find a place to plant them. I had several red maples Arbor Day sent free with some other trees I’d ordered and I had been toying with the idea of planting them northwest of 2005 but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know much about red maples but I’m skeptical of any tree they give away. So instead we planted the apple west of 2005, sort of between the golden raintree and the big pine. It should offer a nice display out Kari’s back porch window when it blooms in the spring eight or 10 years from now. Continue reading “The triumph of hope over experience”→
The blizzard was rough on some of feathered friends
Chris and I were both out of town this week when the blizzard hit. Our women folk were left to face the elements alone. As it was, they were able to hunker down until Wednesday but then they had to get the Abster and Little R to school. Joyce shoveled our driveway in case Kari couldn’t get out but Kari was able to navigate the drifts. Continue reading “No man when you need one”→
We awoke to snow twice this week. The first time was just a ground covering and the second was barely that, but moisture is moisture. There are tiny remnants of last week’s snow while the two this week are gone. I put some pine needles I’d raked down in front of the chicken yard gate and used some bricks to make a path to it so Joyce wouldn’t slip and break her neck. We’re not used to mud. It has been wintery all week so not much got done outside. I assembled the bed frames for the second garden row. Working inside the shop out of the wind, the temperature is about right. I’m looking forward to next week in balmy Connecticut. Continue reading “Mo’ sno’”→
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