Little House on the Stump.

3-22-10 VERMONT: We’ve been here for a few days. At first it was warm, 60’s, and sunny, but today is cold, 40’s, and rainy. Now I feel like it’s Vermont in March. March is typically a winter month, but this year, the snow is almost gone, maples are reddish, perennials are poking up, the pond is still ice covered but melting around the edges. There are only a few small branches scattered around the yard for clean up. There was much more snow damage to trees and shrubs in NJ this year.

I mounted the bird house on top of the big pine stump, started some clean up, enlarged the blue berry bush beds and acidified them, repaired plow damage to the driveway wall, put up the pasture fence gate, and enjoyed the warm days.

This time of year is interesting in that you can see things that are hidden by snow in winter and leaves in summer, and the tall grasses have been flattened by the snow cover. Sight lines are open for about a month before foliage begins to screen them off. Otherwise it’s mud season, and everything is gray or brown—sky, trees, fields, roads, flower beds and muddy boots.

New blooms: snow drops continue to pop up all over.


Old bird house on old stump.