DOGWOOD

Imagine my delight upon discovering a naturally occuring Cornus Florida growing on the side of the road here at the final AMEN FARM.  The first year that we were here the roadside brush, multi flora rose and young white pines had managed to completely obscure it.  That summer FSS and I made it a mission to remove the old barbed wire and all the brush along our roadside.  It was not a task for the faint of heart but we got it done and in the process discovered a most beautiful American Dogwood .

CLOTHES POLE

Pegging out the laundry has always been a part of my life.  My mother had a wonderful clothes yard right off our back door and hung the laundry winter and summer and all in between.  In winter the sheets often froze solid and my mother would ask me to help her get control of those frozen planks to bring them in to finish drying on a hanging rack.  There have been satisfactory 'clothes lines' in every one of our back yards ... three in all,  until this move to Tubs Rd.  I think that the picture says it all.  This clothes pole is nearly useless!  It collapses at the drop of a hat.  If the laundry is too heavy, the wind too stiff, or the load is uneven the mechanism fails and eveything ends up on the ground.   grrrrrrrrrr

There is hope on the horizon!   As soon as the driveway is rebuilt and the temporary lines that came from the barn to the rental trailor are removed there will be a proper clothes yard built off the end of the garage.

APRIL SHOWERS

Goodness!  What has happened to my blog page??  It seems to be operating in reverse???  Oh well,  guess if I just keep typing it'll all work itself out.

Don't you just love this lovely Toad Trillium?  I had thought that it hadn't survivied the trip over here from the former farm.  Imagine my delight when it appeared as if by wizzardry through the duff from last year.

We've had some glorious warm weather over the last week but that has come to a screeching halt in typical April fashion.  Sunday started out warm and cloudy buy by late afternoon the rain had started and the temperature plumeted.  We lit the Glenwood and hunkered down for the evening.  It rained and blew all night and most of yesterday.  Today we once again have black clouds and temps in the low fifties.   Brrrrrrrrr!!!!

A RAMBLE

This post will be a bit of a ramble as I am trying to fathom the 'new' blogger format.  Isn't this guy just the kewelest?   He and two other fellas ( Jakes) meandered through our  pasture this morning.  Me thinks that they were on a 'practice your gobble' assignment.  Gobble they did!!!

I'm going to attempt to imbed another photo.  Voila!!   It worked.    The photo above captures the two Jakes gobbling in unison.  Pretty comical.

REPOSE

As you can see Cicero has had a vey tiring day.

I finished up the field mowing and the remainder of the mowing on the east side of the driveway. The rain has started mostly in the form of a very heavy mist.

This morning I loaded up the RTV with our excess stove wood that had been stored on the porch and restacked it next to the fireplace wood pile. There a few sticks in reserve for the Glenwood so that I can make a batch of bread tomorrow. I have a feeling that the house will be pretty chilly come morning. A fire will feel heavenly!

Tonight's dinner will be 'catch as catch can' as neither of us has the energy to either go out for dinner or create something new here at home.

Oh, and because I forgot to mention it earlier. Mr. Bear squash'm all flat paid us a visit while we were in Tobago. End result was a mashed birdfeeder. I debated taking it down before we left but felt sorry for the birds. Lesson learned!

IN BLOOM

Here is a shot of our native American Plum tree. Sad to say I missed taking a picture when it was a it's peak. Maybe next year.

"Himself" took the truck and trailer up to Bennington this morning to collect my Kubota tractor/mower. The remainder of the day has been spent mowing in anticipation of the rains that are predicted. Just now everything is bone dry and fire danger is high.

Yesterday I dug up some Ostrich Ferns by the side of the road and transplanted them into my woodland garden. I gave then a good watering and when I checked on them this morning they were looking just fine.

I'm considering the idea of turning our south meadow into a horse pasture. It is littered with that damned Multi Flora Rose and other woody plants but perhaps I'll be able to get it under control with a summers worth of consistent mowing. Time will tell.

Home Sweet Home

There was precious little in the larder when we returned from Tobago. I spent most of the day catching up on laundry and then made a couple of loaves of Shredded Wheat bread.

I had been concerned that we would miss most of the Vermont spring .......that it would happen while we were gone. I shouldn't have been concerned. Apparently the weather was quite seasonable and retarded most of the premature blooms. My wildflower garden is looking lovely right now. The double Bloodroot is in full bloom as is the Dutchman's Breeches, Mertensia, Hepatica, The Mayapple is unfurling! And the Prunus Americanus ( American Plum) is in flower. It was the only native plant that the previoous owner didn't cut down. All is right with the world. On the other side of things the invasive Garlic Mustard continues to thrive and spread. I pulled heaps of it before leaving for Tobago but have come home to find that it has doubled in my absence. Damn! Also found a gazillion new thistle in the horse pasture. Guess the next couple of weeks will be on my knees pulling Garlic Mustard and killing thistle.

TOBAGO

We are home from three glorious weeks in Tobago. This dear little blue cottage in the seaside village of Parlatuvier has been our home for those weeks. We first discovered the charms of this village in 1996 and have tried to return each year for much needed restoration.

Unfortunately we have been unable to head to Tobago since 2008 due to complications of selling our farm and relocating to a new and much smaller holding. So, this years trip was all the sweeter for all the missed years. Not all that much has changed since last we were here. The derelict 'pink papaya' cottage remains empty and unsold. Joyfully the 'dusk to dawn' light over the front porch is off as is all the electricity. It appears that many of the windows have been taken and the doors flap in the breezes. Such a waste.

One morning we looked up from our coffee and Kindles to see this two masted sail boat with Nantucket Red sail passing across our bay. Just beautiful!

Our friends Bea and Win operate a marvelous guest house here in Parlatuvier for six months of the years. Win and FSS (my husband) went to Kent School together back in the late 60's. In 2006 we were having a late afternoon swim in the sea and we struck up a conversation with a couple that had just bought fish from the local fish pier and were swimming toward us. We introduced ourselves. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that both husbands had gone to the same school. Lots to catch up on and we have maintained a wonderful friendship ever since. Dinners were shared at our little cottage and on their marvelous veranda high on a cliff overlooking the sea. We'll see them this summer here at Amen Farm in late July.