Spring in High Gear.

4-30-13 SHORT HILLS: We did have a nice rain yesterday and today is warm and sunny again. The trees all have something going on, new leaves, seeds and/or flowers. The shrubs are busy leafing out.

I am still in the boot, but only when outside. I’ve started PT and can drive next week.

New blooms: Virginia blue bells, blueberry, apple.


Goldfinches swarming the feeder, two males, two females.

Virginia Blue Bells, another spring ephemeral.

Dogwood-great color.

Wild Strawberry, when the whole center is pollinated the berry will develop.

Cherry Blossom Festival.

4-28-13 SHORT HILLS: The Kwanzan cherry trees are open and are quite showy, especially against a blue sky yesterday. The weather remains warm and dry. We are at one-third of normal for precip this month, but there might be some rain tomorrow.

I have done more pruning, nothing too hard because of the awkwardness of the orthopedic boot. I see the doc tomorrow and may get released from bondage.

Maizie is settled into the house routines and is growing fast. She’s up to sixteen pounds, on her way to seventy or so in four months. The boys are still tolerant, at best, and still in denial. Judy and Maizie have started puppy kindergarten classes.

New blooms: Kwanzan cherry, Chinese snowball viburnum, wild strawberry.


Kwanzan cherry trees with double, pink flowers are quite showy.

More Kwanzan.

And again, these are Japanese trees.

Chinese snowball viburnum, very aromatic with lots of red pigment that shows on the leaves and buds as well. First viburnum to bloom here.

Another Warm One.

4-26-13 SHORT HILLS: I did more pruning yesterday and hung a replacement exterior shutter. Today I glued up and clamped a broken, antique end table. It’s warm and sunny again. The tomatoes have several seedlings up.

New blooms: lamium, both purple and yellow.


I showed a clatonia on 4-9-13 without the red pinstripes, here's one so equipped. At the moment, a couple sections of the yard are all white with these tiny flowers, but soon they'll be dormant until next April.

Spring Marches On.

4-24-13 SHORT HILLS: Today is summery. With Judy’s help, I loaded all the prunings into the Subaru, and we hauled it all to the dump. There’s always more to be done, maybe mañana. The grass actually looks pretty good this spring.

New blooms: dogwood.


Trout lily, another two inch, spring ephemeron.

Kerria japonica. A sprawling shrub that gets to five or six feet.

Saucer Magnolia just about done.

Back in the Chill.

4-22-13 SHORT HILLS: Yesterday and today were both cold, with morning temps in the thirties, getting up to fifty in the afternoon. It feels like March. April always gives us some March and some May.

New blooms: kerria, grape hyacinth.


White Breasted Nuthatch working on a sunflower seed.

Violet, another spring flower standing tall at two inches high.

Grape Hyacinth, a four incher.

New Butterfly.

4-20-13 SHORT HILLS: Yesterday was tropically warm and sultry, so I got the wheelbarrow out of the garage, loaded up fertilizer, two bags, one for the acidophiles and one for everybody else. I gave everyone their spring feeding. It took longer than usual because every job is harder and slower with the boot, except for typing. I also did a bit more pruning.

There was a T-storm last night, and today is cool and windy. I got back to pruning and used the cordless saber saw to remove some broken branches caused by winter snow. I have a couple piles for the dump on Monday.

Val and Lucy are visiting. Lucy and Maizie each made a new friend.

New blooms: pear tree, white ash.


Mourning Cloak butterfly with a couple of bites out of the left wings.

Daffodils get prettier as the season moves along.

Mystery Flower.

4-18-13 SHORT HILLS: The canine intramural relationships are running a bit more smoothly, but still on the cool side. Today’s a bit cool also and overcast. I have another ten days in the boot before I am released. Imagine having a brick glued to one shoe, that’s what walking is like in the boot. But it’ll be off sooner or later.

New blooms: violet, boxwood.


Daffodil, no yellow.

Is this too confrontational? Too much yellow?

Here's a flower, its on a shrub. Any guesses?