Fence Mending.

5-5-11 SHORT HILLS: Spring continues to hurry on her way like a lady on a mission. It rained all day yesterday, giving us another 0.5 inches of precip along with cool temps and lots of wind. There was less wind today, but plenty of sun even if it didn’t get very warm.

Yesterday and the previous day I spent painting the newly re-built benches, first the bottoms and then the tops, green, of course. They turned out pretty well and are now back in the yard.

Today I had a bunch of split-rail fence rails delivered and put up a half-dozen that needed replacement. Those fresh new rails are heavy. After a few years of weather, they loose so much mass, or maybe water, that they are so much lighter. The rails have thin ends so they can fit in the holes in the posts along with the next rail over, but that thinness is what causes a rail to break off at the post and end up six inches too short and then need replacement. Problem solvers, anyone?

New blooms: wood hyacinth.


Red Bud. The flowers are set right on the branch bark in clusters.