Happy April Fools Day!

Mother Nature had her joke on us--another 6 inches of snow! But I truly think this is the last hurrah for winter. Next week we should be seeing temperatures up in the 50's. Time to start thinking about planning our garden and starting some seedlings.

I'm vowing to not be too sidetracked by the horse, even though I may find that hard. He's so much fun, and still so new. But the dirt will be calling and once I smell spring out there, I'll be getting these hands good and dirty.

The tide is high--it must be spring!

Spring has truly sprung, ushering in the annual basement flood. I went to do laundry this morning and found an inch of water at the bottom of the stairs. Time to hook up the sump pump, one of the many rites of spring.
Yesterday I heard woodcocks buzzing in the early morning and at dusk. Today, it was flocks of robins and a horde of grackles, creaking in the treetops. And the jonquils are sprouting up in the woods.
I still have to get the fire stoked in the morning, but let it die down through the daylight hours. By dusk, as the damp chill returns, it's time to relight the stove. The forecast is for a few inches of snow and rain for tomorrow, so I've stacked wood around the stove to have a ready supply of dry heat!
The yard looks tired and trashed from the winter; wood chips and bark litter the driveway, twigs and dog poop decay on the lawn. I started in on my spring cleaning today, neatening and tidying the place up.
Soon it will be time to ready the garden beds, but half of them still lie dormant under the snowbanks.

Snowshoe with Callie Lou

After tending to Harley, I took Callie for a snowshoe up to Orris Falls. By 4:45, the parking lot was empty as the sun slid behind the hills. Callie ran for all she was worth, galloping up the trail with frequent stops to sniff under the hanging boughs--deer, mice, other dogs--all those interesting things dogs like to smell. By the time we neared the trail head, Callie was beginning to drag, worn out, but still having a grand time.

President's Weekend just around the corner...

...And with that comes tree tapping. I'm trying to talk John out of a big run this year. The top shelf of the fridge is still half full of syrup from the past two years. Every now and then, I pull them out to compare colors and determine which one to sample next. Will it be the golden amber, or the rich tobacco brown? Maybe half and half?
As much as I love maple syrup, the collecting and cooking can be hard work--lugging gallons of sap to the cooker and boiling, boiling, boiling it down to that single mason jar. But dang, it's so good!

And yet another snow day!

This storm brought another 10 or 11 inches with only a smattering of sleet mixed in ever so briefly. Yup, poor man's fertilizer is re-hydrating the well and giving the gardens a lovely topcoat. We may be shaping up for a stellar sap year the way this winter is shaking out.

John and I shoveled the drive twice and I cleaned off the garage and house roofs again. After all that work, I deserved a little play time. So I donned my venerable E99's and tromped out the ski trails again. If I'm really ambitious tomorrow morning, I may try and head down to Vaughn Woods before too many people pack it down with snowshoes.

I refilled the bird feeders before the storm--just so I could feed the squirrels too. Check out the level of the snowbanks! Compare with the picture on the January 22 posting.

Skiing Orris Falls

Tired pup

Orris Falls Trail

The skiing is AWESOME!

The Clothesline Trail is now open
8 inches of new snow on top of the crusty stuff--the skiing is awesome!

Another snow day!

I can't believe it--two snow days in two weeks! We're getting another good storm, but unfortunately, it's supposed to switch over to sleet and freezing rain after midnight. I think there's another 6 inches out there now. I've shoveled once, and scraped the gutter clear. Just wish it would stay snow!

This morning started out with a bit of a headache--the woodstove pipe leaked like a sieve, smoking up the house horribly. I bought a replacement elbow (broke the old one getting it off), a brush to clean out the pipe, and cleaned out excess creosote. Now I can't get the dang elbow to fit and the house it getting cold with only the furnace working. It's less than 12 hours and I already miss the constant, toasty warmth of my stove! Hopefully I can get this fixed in the next few days since the mercury is going to seriously drop again by Saturday!

Snow Day!!!!

At last, a real snow storm! We've got about 5 inches on the ground already and it's supposed to continue throughout the day with 1-2 inches per hour. Come on down!  No work today--everything is closed. The ground needs the insulation; and so do my carrots.
I love the quietness, the hush that falls over the landscape when all you hear is whooshing snow in the bare tree limbs. I'll do my shoveling, slap on the skis, and later, sit by the woodstove with a good book and Callie Lou in my lap.

Seed Savers Exchange Catalog

Last night, sitting in front of the ticking woodstove, I sat amidst a semicircle of seed packets spread around me. John and I inventoried what we had left to use, what to toss, and what we needed to order for the coming year. Snow flurries whispered around the windows, Callie curled up  in a dot by woodstove, and the two of us, planning and visualizing this years gardens--it still seems a long ways off, but the planning happens now.

John is once again, entranced by the pretty pictures, and like a kid, wants one of everything! He joined Seed Savers Exchange last year, and I have to admit, their catalog entices gardeners by sheer beauty alone. Half the fun is reading the descriptions of early heirloom varieties and their history.

I'll also put in an order to High Mowing Seeds for other stock we can't get from Seed Savers. And of course, in support of my Maine brethren, I'll order my seed potatoes from "The Maine Potato Lady" up in Guilford. Her simple black and white catalog may not look as mouth watering, but her descriptions go into great detail about which spuds are best suited for what type of preparation, and most importantly, storage qualities.