Cut the Mustard

5-3-06 VERMONT: We had a nice trip up in the rain which started in New Haven. There was one inch in the gauge when we arrived in Thetford. Since it was afternoon, I did a bit of pruning and put out plant supports for peony, delphinium and bluet. Usually I struggle to do this when they are grown. This was much easier.

A certain Golden Retriever spent a half hour barking at a floating leaf about four feet out in the pond. I won’t mention his name. The leaf was indifferent to the challenge. The pack did have a minor scuffle with a woodchuck who lives under the small barn. No one reported any injuries.

In bloom: daffodil, violet, primrose, red trillium, pachysandra, wild strawberry, forsythia and star magnolia.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I am not now nor have I ever been a friend of the weed known as wild garlic mustard, except, perhaps, for experiences in and around the refrigerator with isonomic. I spent at least two hours weeding in Short Hills, and none remains in our yard to the best of my knowledge. I feel it is an important public service to document its behavior. Rutgers Aggies report that it is on the increase in NJ, but seems harmless.

Wildlife: a zillion tadpoles in the small pond, and the frog opera has opened to strong reviews. Many newts in the big pond. Woodchuck as noted above.