 |
| Birthday flowers |
It's been cool and windy here. This week we had a number of rainy days.
It was a cold late winter. So cold that we actually used up all of our cut firewood and emptied our huge kindling bin. We'll have to spend time cutting more firewood before the next heating season.
 |
| Cherry tree down |
We'll start by cutting up a couple of trees around our yard that came down this winter.
 |
| Fallen Maple tree |
We don't have to cut standing wood at all. There's always enough that has fallen on its own to choose from.
On Monday of this week the weather was so nice we decided to scrap our original plans and work outside.
 |
| Bob prunes an apple tree |
Bob pruned our larger apple tree. He's working on the smaller one today.
 |
| Wildlife browse |
He always saves a lot of the trimmings to take to the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell. They use it for any animal patients there that relish such stuff - like beavers.
 |
| Pruning the shrub rose |
I pruned my overgrown shrub rose ....
 |
| Pruning clematis vines |
...and cut back my three clematis vines.
After that, I cleaned the yard by picking up downed branches and twigs.
 |
| Gathering kindling |
We use some of this material as kindling in our wood stove. I was able to refill the bin in the cellar and have an additional large box ready in reserve. All of the rest that is picked up will be piled up outside to serve as wildlife cover.
 |
| New Shiitake logs |
Bob has brought his fresh Shiitake logs out of the cellar. He needs to clean up his mushroom garden so these logs can have a permanent home. It's still a few weeks before he buries the Chicken of the Woods logs out into the garden.
 |
| Planting seeds |
At the beginning of the month, I began my seeds in the cellar. They have sprouted and are beginning to grow.
 |
| Potting up |
Yesterday I potted up the seedlings from germination flats into 2.5" pots.
The cool weather plants should be ready to go into the garden by the end of April.
The warm weather plants will be potted up into 4" pots at that time. They will be ready to go into the garden by the end of May.
 |
| Bob's "agitating" again |
Bob went to Albany again to join others in standing up for the environment. Greenidge is a nearby Bitcoin Mine that is moving to also become a Data Center. This will use enormous amounts of electricity, which will drive our rates up even more, and produce high levels of hazardous emissions.
 |
| A COLD No Kings Day |
Of course, we were counted among the 8+million others on March 28th for "No King 3". Once again, we joined between 100-150 people in the small village of Ovid, just 5 miles from our home. That doesn't sound like a big crowd, but considering the political atmosphere here, it's a big deal. I find it difficult to understand how those who stand to lose the most are the most myopic.
 |
| Almost finished |
Last evening I finished stitching the hardanger piece that I've been working on for several months.
Now I have to cut off all of the edges (as you see begun in the right lower corner of the picture). That's exacting and tedious work.
After that is done, I hand wash it and iron it dry. This removes any oils from my handling it and shrinks the fabric slightly to create a cleaner, finished look.
It's been a long project. I'm glad it will be finished before the hectic garden season begins.
The Vernal Equinox has passed and we're now in the Tide of Activation. The peepers are singing; we saw and listened to a Northern Mockingbird and heard a Kildeer last week. Nature is stirring and we must as well.
New life and growth to you all.
Till next time,
Kathleen and Bob
 |
| Another friend of Bob's |
