Chain Saw Day.

6-11-09 VERMONT: Does anybody think that it’s a coincidence that Obama gave his Cairo speech just before the Lebanon and Iran elections? Lebanon went to the west-leaning candidates instead of the anticipated winner, Hezbollah. Let’s see what Iran does with Akmadinajad.

Yesterday, after a cloudy start, the weather cleared, and we actually had a bit of sun. I had a full day. I put up the new garden barrier on the new patio. I sprayed the viburnum by the entry steps which has been attacked by leaf eating caterpillars. I got the chain saw started and cleared more winter kill in the pasture and opened up the area behind the pond to give the magnolias and japanese maple more space and sun. I cut down the dead elm and cut it up for firewood. I re-stacked the firewood and added dried wood from last year. I walked the pasture fence to check for deadfall, watered the new plantings and cut up some of the old stump in the yard.

Today, I was waiting for the rain that hasn’t started yet and cleared all the piles cut down yesterday, did some weeding, caged the new plantings and staked some drooping flowers.

New blooms: I forgot to mention that lily-of-the-valley has been in bloom. Wild lily-of-the-valley is new as is bunchberry.


Bunchberry. Does this look a little familiar? Its cousin is the dogwood-see the April 29, 2009 post.

Wild lily-of-the-valley is easily confused with small False Solomons Seal.