4-29-06 SHORT HILLS: Wow! This blog had 84 hits last week! At that rate It’ll hit one million in only 228 years or the year 2234, sooner if the rate increases.
Back in NJ for nice weather and more pruning and trimming. All the trees are in leaf except for white ash and locust who are always the last to open. The shrubs are all in leaf except for Rose of Sharon. Bamboo shoots are up about 6”. In a month or so they will be 25’ tall.
New blooms: lamium, lily of the valley, azalea, wild cherry, lilac, dandelion, wild mustard, barberry, two more viburnums, Carolina allspice.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Wildlife
4-26-06 VERMONT: An exciting day for wildlife. In the area where I removed vegetative matter yesterday, I raked and seeded today and saw and probably woke up two spotted salamanders near an outcrop of schist. The pair of mallards were back on the pond which infuriates the dogs. And…while on the way to Lebanon to pick up the roto-tiller I saw a fox mom and one kit on the road half way between the two neighbors that have chickens. Very pretty, red coat and brush, black legs, white on the face. I guess it’s the same costume as those who hunt them on horses. Do they still do that? Then tonight on the way back from dinner with the Koreys at the Mex place in Lebanon, I saw the foxes again, four kits this time fighting on the side of the road over something will probably be dinner when they settle who gets what.
Otherwise, it was a cloudless sky, but cool and windy. I did all the tilling in about 3-4 hrs, found a lot of new rocks in the process, some two handers. All the ox poop was ground up into tiny pieces and mixed with the dirt. seeded the shady spot where grass won’t grow in frontof the porch-hope springs eternal in the spring. I finished the no brush area as mentioned above plus lots of little other things.
New blooms: a bit more forsythia is out and the magnolias are threatening.
Otherwise, it was a cloudless sky, but cool and windy. I did all the tilling in about 3-4 hrs, found a lot of new rocks in the process, some two handers. All the ox poop was ground up into tiny pieces and mixed with the dirt. seeded the shady spot where grass won’t grow in frontof the porch-hope springs eternal in the spring. I finished the no brush area as mentioned above plus lots of little other things.
New blooms: a bit more forsythia is out and the magnolias are threatening.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Work, Work, Work
4-25-06 VERMONT: The skies finally cleared this evening after more rain last night and this afternoon. I repaired the mint cover in the pasture. I was going to move it to another area, but saw mint shoots underneath so decided to leave it down for another season. I shoveled a lot of ox poop from the pasture to the vegetable garden site. I know discussion of that will make one reader pleased. Tomorrow I have a roto-tiller reserved to work all that ox excrement into the soil. I can taste the tomatoes already. Then I straighten up some fence posts. It is easy work now because the ground is still soft.
I also cut down and removed a bunch of low growing vegetative matter to open up an area of the yard, but I can’t say, “I was clearing brush.” You all know why.
I also cut down and removed a bunch of low growing vegetative matter to open up an area of the yard, but I can’t say, “I was clearing brush.” You all know why.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Fence Mending
4-24-06 VERMONT: As of this morning there was 1.4” rain for the preceding 36 hrs. Today was overcast, cool and threatening but dry enough to get in a day of work. I put out all the garden bed fence guards, did some rock repair around the pond and filled a few holes. I found a small web worm nest on one of the named apple trees. It seems early for them; they were all tiny; in a month they will be big, fat and juicy. I peeled them all off with a stick and spread them on the grass for the birds to enjoy. Now it is raining again.
New blooms: none.
New blooms: none.
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