ZACHARY

On Thursday, August 5, 2010, our friends lost their 19 month old Standard Poodle to AIHA, a devastating disease. It is hard to believe that puppies can die. I wanted to remember Zachary, for the lovely little bundle that he was. He will most certainly be missed by those that loved him.

VISITORS

We sat on the porch, laughed, walked, ate and talked. All the while, taking in the abundance of birds and other wildlife in the gardens around the house and the fields and woods around the farm. That was the events of last week when Karen and Nels, my dear friends from California, paid a visit to Puck’s Glen. There is a certain pleasure that comes with being with those we have known for many years, comfortable and easy.Taking time out of the normal rhythms of life here on the farm and seeing through new eyes, helped to sharpen my observations as well. I stopped long enough to hear the call of a Bobwhite and actually spot him on his perch, I would never have known that the Brown Thrasher was a visitor to my yard or been entertained by watching the young male Orchard Oriole dart about in the trees and sing. There were discussions of what books were being read, and sharing in the news of friends and family. Although I took them to the airport yesterday, they left behind pieces of themselves that will stay with me as I make my way around the edges on my morning walks with the dogs and tend to the gardens that sustain me.. (Photo credit: Nels A.)

FARM UPDATE

Their blue is electric neon, those little Indigo Buntings that populate the woodland edges. So chatty too. They are sometimes hard to spot, but you know they are there by their incessant conversations. We are finally having temperatures out of the 50's and the rain has cleared, so now maybe we can really count on warm days ahead. The juvenile Eagle has fledged. It happen the end of last week with a tentative flight and awkward take off from the corn field, but now he seems to have really mastered this flying thing. He took off from a branch right above my head and soared out over the river this morning as the 4 of us made our way down the lane. Zoe is on her usual spring time schedule of constant patrol for the stray rabbit that she might catch off guard enough to actually capture. This is not a frequent occurrence and it really tuckers the girl out

HOT AND COLD

The vacillations in the weather are so typical of the Springs here on the East Coast. It is hard to count on anything constant. Rainy in the 50s, sunny windy, in the 90's, back to cloudy but 75. The plants experience their own set of problems with these changes, being misted and happy one day, hot and parched the next. I think the ideal temperature for any plant in about 70, but thank goodness they have adapted otherwise they would be in a dire state.
The males always appear on my radar first. They are the orneriest boys about having others in their territory. They dart about in the and out of the trees at lighting fast pace chasing being chased. Their rusty colored breasts catch the sun with quick flicks as the sun comes up. The Orchard Oriole males will be happy to know that I finally spotted the female today, although I somehow think they already knew that she was here.
The most prevalent sound along the edge of the woods this time of year is the drumbeat and trill of the woodpeckers that inhabit the stream bed. They tap away at bark of the trees and call back and forth to each other incessantly. I can hear different pitches to the tapping and the calls, but the only one I am successful at identifying by sound, currently, is the Flicker. I do spot the Pilated, the Downy, and the Red Belly Sap Sucker, but I can't identify them by their calls yet. I downloaded iBird pro onto my iPhone, which I hope helps me increase my identification skills.
On Sunday not much was happening in the garden. There of course has been a hugh flush of green as the plants spring up out of the ground, but flowers were few and far between. Lots of buds. Well today after a day of warm rain yesterday and bright sun this morning, everything is opening at once.

STILL MORE RAIN

I know it is all good, but the constant rain is getting old. This is a warm spring rain, as opposed to a cold windy(frozen) moisture, but it still dampens the spirits.
My Edgeworthia chrysantha, in the best bloom of it's life, which started about 3 weeks ago and is now completely and utterly glorious. The blossoms have the sweetest scent that pulls your attention to beautifully arranged florets as you pass by.
The Killdeer are now officially parents in waiting. We have a pair of the screamers nested under the bench by the fishpond(4 eggs) and another pair in the east garden under one of the newly planted Birches(4eggs). Parker gives them no rest. He thinks they are great fun to chase as they scurry away to get him directed from their eggs. They are very successful, but he soon loses interest in the chase and is off to other adventures.
Our walk this morning was punctuated with the Fox passing very close by in the field, which sent Zoe on a mad dash to catch her nemesis. She really tries her darnedest, but her legs can not carry her quite as fast as the nimble little fox. She catches up to the group, as we move around the edge of the farm,having given up on the chase, with tongue out and breathless.
The Robins are here in great abundance, and I know I will be cleaning nests out of nooks and crannies, trying to redirect them to safer ground. Some will get by me and we will have to see about protecting them until they can hatch those little blue eggs and fledge their young.

SPRING FEVER

We may not be completely finished with the winter weather yet, but somehow that doesn't seem to matter when the air is warm and the sun is bright. Spectacular is all I can say for the the state of the outside world as we made our way around to explore the farm this morning. Lots of new discoveries. There is is a second Eagles nest being built in the woods, about 100 yards from the first. It is much smaller. We 4 were back in woods by the older nest this morning when a adult Eagle flew overhead and called an alarm He then settled in a tree not to far from the old nest waiting for us to leave. Next the skunk cabbage(Symplocarpus Foetidus) is in bloom, and that is a real indicator of warm weather to come. There is also an abundance of fungi growing, helped this spring by all of the moisture we have had. The crocus and early daffodils are bursting into bloom along the walkway.There is also evidence of the 1000 tulip and daffodil bulbs, I planted last fall, erupting through the soil. Now that is going to be something when that blooms. There are other little things starting to polk through the surface, but most prevalent are the weeds. Today will mark the official beginning of the war, for this year, against the pesky weed population. The task will put me outside in this glorious weather, which will make the work easier.

ALL HOPES DASHED

The snow is coming down sideways! The point is not about the amount of snow, just that it is doing it once again. We will be spared the deep cover that those farther north will sustain, but still. There had been hope for the past few days. The warm sun was melting the snow banks, and a day of rain help to increase the melt as well, even as it turn the farm into one large mud hole. But now as I look out the window, it is again a whiteout.
Not that any of this phases Parker. Zoe has better sense, when I let her out she poked the air with her nose and turned right around to look back into the warm house. Jake is sort of impervious to anything, although the big bed in the back room was looking pretty good to him. He did not wander off to explore the property as he usually does in the morning. I made the executive decision to cut the daily walk very short this morning.
While all of this is happening I thought it a good time to order some seed and plants for the garden. Wishful thinking on my part I am sure.

IT IS OVER

We, Jake, Zoe, Parker and I, are confined to the roadway that Frank has begun to restore to a drive, instead of a cross country ski course after the 30" of snow that fell yesterday. The depth of the snow is too great to try to walk through. Parker of course hops across it with great energy, but the rest of us stay on the plowed surface not trying to breech the walls of snow. There is lots of enthusiasm for this snow, in particular little Parker, who finds the whole thing such a big adventure, but Jake and Zoe understand the fun of it all,too, scrambling ahead of me tussling with each other as we move. Even though the sun's energy is amplified by the reflection off the crystal surface of the snow, we will be days "melting" out of this, there is little warming predicted for the next week. The farm will remain under this white blanket of ice crystals for the time being.

ANOTHER 3 INCHES

The snow just keeps coming. I have not experienced this amount of snow since moving to the Eastern Shore. Mostly it has snowed a bit but not consistently throughout the winter, never hanging around to long. It certainly dresses up the farm, but I am ready for some other kind of weather. It is February, how much longer can this last? The sun will come up and warm the air making the snow slip from the branches and slide noisily from the roof. The patio and walkways will begin to uncover and show through the snow, waiting for the next offering from the sky.

MAJOR SNOW STORM BLANKETS THE FARM

We are heading into Christmas week, which for sure will be white. The farm has been blanketed over a 36 hour period with snow. It is difficult to say exactly how much, because of the drifting, but I would say somewhere around 2 feet, give or take a few inches. There is a drift by the front door that is well over 5 feet high. The snow started early in the morning on Saturday, continued all day and night Saturday, and when I took Parker out this morning at 4 it was still snowing. It has stopped now, and the sun is shinning. The front walk has been cleared, and the long drive packed so that we can get in and out. It is a strange feeling out here on the farm when there is a big storm. It somehow makes you feel much more alone, than if you are in closer proximity to neighbors. We survived, and now the dogs have a glorious playground in which to romp. This was Parker's first real snow, and oh boy did he think it was some kind of wonderful. He is in now, exhausted and curled up asleep. I suspect he will stay that way throughout the rest of the day. Tuckered out.

REVIVAL

Gosh, look how long it has been since my last post. Life has been busy, filled with all the mundane tasks that populate our lives, take up our time, but are somehow part of keeping everything together. There has been the great renovation, poor little Parker had an injury to his leg and Zoe has not been feeling well. With these things comes a steady procession of carpenters, electricians,painters, assorted installers, visits to the vet, the doctor, cleaning up plaster dust, and other messes, culling out clutter, and general organization. But now the way is clear and we are all back on course.
We had a storm over the weekend after I took the pictures that are posted. It was windy, cold and sleeting. A little accumulation of snow was a great adventure for Parker, who discovered that it was not only fun to play in, you could eat it too.
That is gone and the sun has been out. There was a definite change is the temperature though. It is frosty and cold in the dark mornings when Parker, Zoe, Jake and I venture out, and not until the sun is higher on the horizon line does the air start to warm some.
With all of the activities of the past month, I did not get to walk around in the garden to watch the changes that come with the decreased light and cold temperatures. I have noticed the Camilla's by the back door. It is hard to miss the bloom, so abundant and seeming out of place in the winter landscape. My lettuce is now available for cutting. The glass has been put over the cold frame, and I am hoping that with it tucked in I will be able to use if for another month or so. The Parsley has gotten a little burned on top, but underneath there is still plenty of good leaves. I cut some of the bulb fennel and that was a great treat for dinner. I use to think that the garden was a total dead zone in the winter, but as I have discovered there is much to be appreciated as the cold removes the cacophony of blooms. It is much more subtle and requires a keener eye, but there is a beauty in the bare twigs,dry grasses and seed heads. There is also an amazing variety of green underneath it all trying desperately to gather up what light there is from the short days.

NOVEMBER,NOVEMBER,NOVEMBER

It is official, the clocks have been set back, the leaves have past peak, and there is a certain smell that permeates the mornings. The rains took a tole on the leaves and color of the edge, but there is still plenty to see, and the gingkoes on the lane are still in the process of becoming brilliant. I have always hesitated to love the fall, because I knew it preceded the winter. I am now trying hard to enjoy what is today and not worry so much about what is tomorrow. A new leaf.
Zoe got me up a few nights ago at 4 AM wanting to go out, not that usual, but then after a while she started incessant barking, I called, she did not come, I was finally able to locate her in the dark and drag her in the house. I suspected she had found something interesting in the form of a creature. Her frenzy continued through the morning, until it was finally light enough for me to investigate. I found a fox curled up in the grasses by the pond. It was clearly in physical distress, thin, didn't run away from me, barely lifting its head. The hunters had seen the same little fox a week earlier, falling down intermittently in the field. I got out the shot gun, and waited for the painting crew to arrive, asking if they could help me and the fox. I know I did the right thing, but it still preys on my mine.

The river has been glorious. The reflections of the color in the darkness of the water is remarkable, it is not raining, the mornings have been calm and perfect flat water abounds

A FALL MORNING

Jake, Parker, Zoe and I were walking along the West edge of the farm when a Red Tail Hawk took off from a high branch of a tree just in front of us. I wondered as he traveled out over the farm if he could see the ground and hunt prey through the heavy fog that was laying blanket like on the newly disked fields. I lost sight of him as he receded away from us. It was a far different picture, when I finally got everyone fed and watered, as I launched my shell onto the river. The fog was completely gone, there was a slight breeze, and the sun's warmth had dried the dew completely off the grass. There was an Eagle soaring overhead, was it one of the pair that lives in the woods here on the farm?
My favorite grasses are blooming now, they are ethereal with the dew and morning light. I must find a place in the garden for more of these Muhlenbergia capillaris.
Breakfast is not complete these mornings without a trip to the Fig Trees, to hunt for a few figs that have reached perfection while the trees are covered with sweet purplish brown ovoid fruits, for it is now a race for ripening before the first killing frost.

PUPPY EYES

The chilly night air that is settled in for good now, has brought the not unexpected yellowing of the soy bean fields. Just brushed across the leaves here and there, the land is no longer the solid green that it was. I must bundle up more heavily or risk feeling cold. The woods have opened up from the leaves that have already left the branches, and there is a raucous display by the Pileated Wood-peckers this morning as the four of us make our morning round of the farm. I have not visualized them since last spring when the canopy was just filling in and there was just three of us. Sounds of fall are abundant with the h-ronk of the Canada Geese, and Caw-Caw of the Crows. The completely empty corn fields are waiting for the planting of the winter wheat, and serve as a great feeding area for the migrating geese. Up closer to the house there is still abundant bloom that, mixed with the beginning coloration of the leaves, make for a beautiful environment to sit and enjoy the crisp clear days of autumn.
Parker is growing so quickly. Walks with him are always full of events and hap-
penings. I try to image what it must be like to see and experience all the smells, sights and sounds for the first time, in the world I have long since become so accustomed to. I think I might like seeing Puck's Glen Farm with puppy eyes.

RAIN AND SHINE

The rain was little more than a mist this morning as I hustled Parker out for morning relief. The ground was wet, and there was a slight coolness emanating from the North. Later the sun came out and it was warm. That is the rhythm of the weather now, some rain, cool then warm, sunshine and clouds.
I am sad to report that the tomato harvest is dropping off rapidly, the combination of shorter days, rain and cooler night temperatures is closing off that portion of the garden. I have replanted the lettuce beds for fall and winter harvest of greens, I am ready to also plant the garlic for spring harvest, and I see that cilantro that self seeded in the early summer is starting to grow, as are the larkspur. Some of the hydrangeas have missed the fact that winter is coming, producing new bloom just when they should be finished.
The little wren that skulks around in the garden every fall is here, the humming-
birds are not. I spotted a Palm Warbler in the back garden when I was sitting out on the deck with the dogs, along with a Blue Grosbeak.
The Eagles are into lots of activity in the woods by the river. They always take the opportunity this time of year to refurbish their nest for the arrival of the eggs in the winter. All manner of stick and twig are being moved in.
It is a beautiful time of year here on the farm. The stalks of corn are drying and rustle in the wind, some of the field has been harvested, leaving behind the stubble which opens up the views to the edge of the woods where there is the beginnings of a touch of color developing. The soybeans are still lush and green, but they are full of pods, and finished with the production of new ones. The process of drying is going to start.
I was sitting very still in the red chairs of wooded garden I have planted out the back door. A Kestrel must have missed spotting me and flew to sit on the hammock right in front of my chair. Just as quickly he realized his mistake and flew. It was great for that one moment to be eye to eye with one of my favorite birds. I am not sure who was more shocked.

PARKER

The day came for Puppy #2 to make his way to Puck's Glen Farm. With a face that makes you want to smoother him in kisses, he is the cutest little bundle. Gladly running after you as you walk down the lane, hopping, tumbling, and rolling in the grass. The morning dew has settled in, and he is very shortly soaking wet. That does not seem to stop his romp. Jake is indifferent, the pup sensing this keeps his distance, although the few times the puppy runs in between Jakes legs, there is no response from the big guy. Zoe has become the the target of the puppies play. Scampering in and out of her legs, jumping up to play with her ear. Zoe is not sure yet, and occasionally warns him off with a growl, she also engages in a little play with him. The beginnings of a friendship?
It is not all cute and adorable. There is the need for constant supervision, the whining for attention, and the trips outside in the middle of the night for puppy peeing. Part of the "joys" of raising a puppy
Parker will grow up fast, take his place in the pack, and settle into this house which is now his own.

MORNING LIGHT

There was a slight wind from the Northeast that rustled the dry cornstalks as we started down the lane this morning for our walk. This is the first morning since spring that I grabbed a sweater to protect my arms from the chill. The grass was saturated with moisture from the condensation. The sky was clear blue. Fall. I know this from many signs I see, but the angle of the suns light in the morning says it all.

HOME

I have been traveling.  First to Salt Lake for a family event, and then on to my heart's home in Northern California.  The dry grasses  have the familiar smell that never fails to stir a flicker of remembrance. I don't know if we ever lose our memory of smell. I walked the hills with my good friends and we talked, laughed and watched the birds. What could be better.

I came home from that adventure to leave for Maine.  This trip took me to the home of the young puppy that will soon be sharing the farm with us.  5 week old puppies, to cute to even describe.

So now I am home for a while.  I was greeted with much interested by Jake and Zoe.  They knew I had been with other dogs, and they were trying to find out as much about them as they could through their noses.

One of the guinea fowl met his demise while I was away.  Now a solitary little guy prowls the property.  It seems a little sad to me.  Although they were often engaged in battles, they were always together.  I wonder if he is lonely, I fear he must be.

The gardens are going to seed.  Cone flowers are now food for the gold finches. The daisies are completely gone, as is the penstemon.  There is some re-bloom on an assortment of spring bloomers, lavender, clematis, and phlox, but it is sporadic and much less than the first flush.The butterflies and hummingbirds, however, are being kept very happy with the salvias, scutellaria and antirrhinums which along with the warm season grasses are just coming into their full glory. Out the back door along the walk there is a full flush of bloom from the row of Cryopteris which I call butterfly alley.

The pears are almost ripe.  This is the first year we will have much of a harvest.  The figs are also maturing and starting to produce the fruit that is so sweet and good warmed by the sun, straight off the tree.

The sunlight is starting come later and leave earlier, but the garden will remain a delight for at least 2 more months.

PUPPY NEWS

Puck's Glen Farm is about to get a new inhabitant.  Little unnamed black male Standard Poodle has been born, and is thriving up in Maine, while we wait patiently for him to get big enough to leave his mother, brothers and sisters.   Jake and Zoe will have another little creature to attend to and learn to live with, it will be interesting to see how they adapt.  I think we are going to need some new rules, boundaries and limitations.

TIME PASSES

The Soybeans are rapidly filling in the bare ground left with the harvest of the wheat.  A small band of geese are starting to inhabit the field and ponds.  The corn is starting to tassel, and has grown tall and green.  Tomatoes are ripening.  All of this points to the march of time through the summer towards fall.  It is amazing to observe the changes in the fields and garden with time.  The cone flowers are completely open and starting to go to seed, I know because the goldfinches are abundant.  The brilliant orange tiger lilies (Cynthia's lilies) are 5 feet tall and opening blossoms slowly towards the top.  The grasses are shooting up about to extend their flowers into the air as well.  It has been dry, and even with the irrigation that I have put in it is still not as good as a real rain.  Perhaps soon.  Butterflies are becoming more abundant, skipping around here and there, from Vitex to the butterfly bush.

I rescued a little baby hummingbird off the hot stone of the patio, dipped him under a mister in the garden a few times and left him sitting on limb of the maple tree in the shade.  When I returned and lifted him up he spread his wings and flew up high over the pear trees by the pool, hope he made it home.