As Our Life Goes On

Flowers are blooming A lawn alive with color Pretty violets -Caroline

I actually went outside to cut some fresh rain washed dandelion greens but as I passed by the bathroom window at the back of the house a robin flew from this nest and landed in a nearby tree and scolded me. I did not stick around to see whether the bird would launch a physical assault on me. This ledge seems to attract robins each year.  This is certainly the source of the singing that I can hear through the slightly open bathroom window.  Cleaning dandelion greens seems like a chore compared to buying lettuce in the store but I found a few nice bunches with unopened buds and tender looking greens to serve for supper. Green onions and radish slices have been added for a little color and variation. 

I see ragged spots Imperfections in flowers I see myself there -Caroline

It is doubtful that the wrens will be interested at all in this oddly constructed birdhouse. A wren has added small twigs to the small birdhouse that is just outside of our kitchen window however. He sits on the branches of the red Japanese maple and sings and preens as he tries to attract a mate and announces that this is his territory. The song is different for attracting the female than it is to claim territory.  We have at 3 or 4 small wren houses plus a couple of other birdhouses that may attract other birds. I think the birdhouse above may end up being decorative but possibly unused. 

The trees have taken on a Spring green hue as the buds start to open into leaves. The grass is growing at a very rapid pace. It will be time to mow soon.  A pair of Canada geese stand close to the wetlands pond as a mallard drake takes flight. Three buzzards perform an aerial ballet as they widen their circle in the sky. A chipmunk jumps out of hiding and scolds me as I walk too close to a hollow tree that has fallen. The mild air is invigorating as I walk through the yard.  

Walking through the yard Daffodils are in full bloom  A strong cold wind blows Flowers have a time table I meditate about mine -Caroline

May apples grow only in one small area on the back of our property. The soil conditions must be just right for it to grow. They do not seem to spread or invade other areas. The small stems with leaves that will soon open into small umbrella shapes seemed to show up overnight. I tried to escape from the world for a while by walking around under the pines and hemlocks that are just to the West of the house. That seclusion was broken by too much noise from the road and from house repair activities next door. 

The side of the road in front of the house is covered with many of these pretty dandelion plants. I do find them to be pretty flowers. We don't spray our yard so many different plants grow here. I am reminded of the many dandelion  salads that my father fixed with the tasty leaves and buds of the dandelion. He found very large plants in the spring that had lots of the tender unopened buds. Sometimes he made bacon, vinegar and sugar dressing and other times he made sour milk dressing. Both of these dressings made the greens very tasty but bacon dressing was my favorite. I particularly liked the tender little buds of the plant. 

A very fat healthy looking groundhog scurried across the back yard this morning. These animals are not easily dealt with. They are into avoiding being humanely trapped and transported. The areas under our portable buildings are almost an invitation for them to move in and start piling dirt up against the floors of the buildings as they dig their burrows. Maybe this one has a den on the side of the hill above the bike trail. If we see any indications  that the furry whistle pig is digging under a building we will have to take some action.  A pair of mourning doves were resting on the sill just outside of my window as I was writing this. The flowering crab apple trees have many blossoms that should open within the next couple of days. The trees should start to get leaves very soon. 

Is it Spring or Winter Snow falling on daffodils It makes us wonder -Caroline

That snake caught my eye as I walked around the yard only because of the raised head and a slight movement. I might have thought that it was a fallen stick otherwise. It let me take a few pictures before flicking a forked tongue and taking off in another direction.  The little gray tree frog was sitting on a downspout just outside of the breezeway. It never budged as I took the picture. It is great to see that these insect catching frogs are hanging around. The mosquitoes are starting to emerge and they can be a bit annoying. 

This rather large dead limb is hanging precariously close to the edge of the hike and bike trail. It is high in a tree and seems to be held in place by other small branches. Hopefully it will fall at a time that is safe and when there are no people below. The buds and blossoms on the hardwoods add a reddish cast to the woods. The reddish maple blossoms are quite evident in our yard and in the gutters of the house. The daffodils are in full bloom all around the yard. Perennial plants are shooting up at a rapid rate and the grass is getting much greener.  There are nightly symphonies given by the Spring peepers that live in the swampy wetlands behind the house. The daily temperatures are fluctuating wildly but it now seems more like Spring than it has in the previous weeks. 

There are projects galore around our home. It is difficult to decide which one to tackle first. This old shed will have to wait until the weather stabilizes. The roof has been patched until it is no longer feasible to fix it in that manner. It doesn't leak but that is only a matter of time. The door is a trash find that was cut down and installed by a relative. The door that it replaced was in very poor condition. This is a very useful storage shed so we will do what we can to preserve it. As with all of our sheds it does not rest on a permanent base. 

As I look out of my back window over the hill I see a serene and quiet place. I look at it and reflect and there is a very short escape in my mind from the senseless World and National events that cause great concern and sadness.  May your world be full of peace and love. 

The weather is starting to look more Spring-like. Some of my daffodil blossoms are laying flat on the ground beside the leaves because of the heavy rain and winds last week. The traffic on the bike trail, which can be seen in the background at the bottom of the hill,  is quite heavy today. Slow paced older couples are quickly passed up by macho runners and bikers with expensive bikes and attire. Some people walk alone and reflect on the scenery and wildlife on the trail.  The sun was in evidence today and it was a fine day indeed. 

The air is cold so this Canada Goose will have to be vigilant in keeping the nest warm. The eggs will hatch in about 25 to 30 days. The nest may hold from 3 to 8 eggs. Coyotes, foxes, raccoons and crows will watch carefully for a chance to raid the nest. Some of these large geese live here year round but many more show up in the Spring. There is sure to be a bumper crop of the noisy birds again this year. Many nests can now be seen in the wetlands next to the bike trail behind our house. 

It has been a dry Spring so far so rain is welcome even though it has become cold again. Tiny leaves have emerged from buds and the trees and shrubs have a greenish tinge. The blossoms that have had a lot of rain my not recover to look as pretty as they might have been but they are a welcome sight. The grass is no longer dormant and it has turned green. Most of my daffodils are blooming but they are bent over from the strong winds and heavy rains. When the warm weather arrives in a few days we may be treated to a beautiful Spring. 

If it rains there will soon be more blooms from the many types of daffodils that are scattered around our property. The pretty flowers have been reluctant to bloom because of the cold, cloudy and dry days that we have had. It is good to see the bright flowers at last. 

Yesterday was a good day to mow the meadow areas to the East and West of the house. It was very dry so there was no mud to contend with but you may be able to see the dust flying from the front of the old Yazoo mower. These meadow areas will be allowed to grow until they are cut down again next Spring. The tall grasses are not showing any green shoots yet but it has been very cold until now. The warmer weather should green up the grass a bit and start the growth of many things that have been held back somewhat by the cold.  The tall grass and plants are great habitat for many kinds of wildlife. Paths will be mowed through the areas for walking. 

Three bright crocus blooms Sunshine with a bright blue sky Proclaim a Spring day -Caroline

We got a visit from Harold, one of the 87 year old twin neighbors, a couple of days ago. He noticed that we had cut the apple tree that had been next to the driveway and he wanted some apple wood.. The tree was in great danger of falling and was leaning more and more all the time. The base of the tree was split and the bark was falling off.  It was time for this very old tree to be removed.  Evidently apple wood is a good wood to use in meat  smokers. These pieces will be used to make some smoked barbecued ribs. Sounds good to me. Harold rides his tractor around the block and picks up the trash that seems to accumulate by the roadside in ever increasing amounts. He carries a pole with a hook to pick up the cans.  Keeping busy is a good thing at any age. 

click on start button at left bottom to start video The Spring peepers are finally singing. It has not been warm enough in the wetlands below before today. This is indeed a great sign of Spring. I put the screen on the bathroom window so that I can hear them at night. What a great way to fall asleep. The ducks, geese and a variety of birds have added to the wildlife chorus.  These sounds give me great joy. 

Mr. Fixit had recently made some repairs to the old 1971 camper van. We took a 40 mile round trip last week and there were no evident problems. Last evening we headed toward the Pennsylvania line on what would be a 100 mile round trip. Forty miles into the trip the van gave out a couple of coughs as the engine missed. OH OH! Those sounds stopped for a while as we continued on our way. Then suddenly the van was lurching as the engine missed and backfired loudly as it blew out the muffler. We were so glad to see that were were near an off ramp as we were on a busy interstate. We made it almost to the top of the ramp before the vehicle ceased running.  Mr. Fixit always carries extra parts and tools so thinking that it might be an easy fix he pulled the cap off the engine which is inside of the van in the front and went to work. After a few new parts and tries it was decided that we would call the hook. AAA put us on their priority list as we were in a precarious place.  Semis that

White clouds and bright blue Sunny skies bring thoughts of Spring When will it get warm -Caroline

This is nature's April Fool joke. The snow fell in large flakes before the sun came out this morning. It ended as a nice sunny but cold day. This pair of geese seemed to enjoy walking on the ground rather than on the bike and hike trail behind the house.  Still waiting for more signs of Spring in Ohio.