Winter's Back and Seems Angry.

4-6-16 SHORT HILLS: We seem to be back in February. The last several days have brought cold rain, snow not too far from here, high winds and freezing temps. Last two nights have been in the low twenties. We have a yard littered with branches again, some pretty big. Other places in the area have trees down, house damage, and there were power outages and road accidents.

The blossoms that were out have, for the most part, been killed by the frost—forsythia, cherry, magnolia. New leaves on shrubs and trees and flowers have been damaged. I hope and suppose that they will recover when spring resumes.

The sickly Japanese maple got a deep feeding yesterday, and the sprinkler people were here today to repair the damage done by the removal of the big, dead ash tree.

New blooms: dandelion.


A huge flock of grackles occupied the yard today, with a few red-wing blackbirds mixed in.

When a flock is feeding on the ground, there is usually a sentinel keeping a lookout.

Hydrangea frost-bit....

and quince....

and rose....

and bleeding heart.