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.

ANCIENT ROADS

Yesterday I took a hike with a friend on one of North Pownal's "Ancient Roads" which coincidentally happens to be the road we live on. The maintained section of Tubs Rd ends about three tenths of a mile above us and that is where the ancient section begins. We climbed straight up for nearly a mile, vestiges of stone walls lining the track, until we reached the height of land. This is a wonderful time of year to be up on top as the leaves aren't yet there to obstruct the views. And glorious views there are!! It must have been magnificent up there when it was open meadows for grazing. We continued on eventually crossing the line into Hoosick, NY. There are several hunting camps along the road and one ambitious soul cleared quite a large area and has planted hundreds of apple tree whips presumably to eventually attract deer to the drops. Hope he is young as he has many years to wait til those trees bear fruit. At one point we stopped to listen to a couple of Barred Owls calleing back and forth. No spring birds to be heard up there, just the occasional Nuthatch or Chickadee. We were out for a little over three hours. A lovely adventure.

A Day at the Beach

The girls were enjoying the warm spring sunshine yesterday afternoon. The vet was here in the morning to give the gang their spring shots.

Sonnet was a real *STAR*! I think back to the days when she was emotionally unable to tolerate shots and am so grateful for the power of a tongue click and a bit of food.

Today has been perfectly glorious. I spent a couple of hours this afternoon waging war on Garlic Mustard. This will be my third spring and the battle continues although I am seeing the results of my efforts. There is much less this year than last.