Inch by Inch

     Each year I approach the gardening season with less and less enthusiasm. Don't get me wrong. I love flowers, and I truly love buying plants; it's the weeding and preparing and mulching the gardens that I don't enjoy.

 I have both a small garden and a fairly large one. A few weeks ago, I was very seriously contemplating  doing away with the big garden, but then the daffodils put on an awesome display and now the poppies and irises are in full bloom. What was I do?

 Of course, I decided to continue both gardens. The rainy weather has given me a bumper crop of invasive weeds, so it will mean fighting inch by inch to reclaim my gardens and the strip along the fence.

Truth be told, I really would miss being able to photograph the flowers.

A Day at the Farm

     Yesterday afternoon I went with my six wonderful little cousins and their equally wonderful moms to Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA. What a truly special place for young ones it is. It was "Construction Day," so the boys ages five and almost two headed for that section of the park with my cousin Linda and me while the girls went with their moms to pet and feed the baby farm animals. You can imagine how excited all of the little boys in line were with each eagerly awaiting his turn to climb into the cab of a small excavator.  The driver of the excavator showed each child how to move the controls and with his guiding hands also on the controls, each child was given about five minutes to dig and move dirt around. After that it was on to explore the other construction equipment. We had a quick visit with the calves and a stop at the reptile house and then rejoined the rest of the group at the water section of the park. There were probably over a hundred laughing, happy, little kids dashing madly through the many sprinkler features.  It was a fun afternoon, and a great time was had by all.

A Life Well Lived

     I haven't blogged for a while due to the sudden passing of my beloved cousin. She was a truly special person. Jane was a warrior who had battled and had beaten cancer four times. This time the cancer was very aggressive and quickly took her from us. I'm grateful that I was able to be present with her children and their spouses in her final hours as we told her over and over that we loved her.
    Her children were her greatest blessings in life, and they were devoted to her. Recent years saw the birth of six beautiful grandchildren who were Jane's pride and joy. She called them her cherubs. Now they will always have a special angel in heaven watching over them.
     Jane loved snowcapped mountains as much as she loved the ocean. We had planned to travel to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone this spring, but that trip was not to be.  This photo was taken at Chateau Lake Louise on our trip to the Canadian Rockies last June.

  She was a warm, kind, adventurous, gentle, loving spirit, and she will be missed by all who knew and loved her.                

Lunch Crowd

      As I was driving through Jackson Square yesterday, I decided to make a quick stop to see if there were any herring still running. These photos give the answer. :-)

It sure put a smile on my face on a foggy, cool, drizzly day.

Three Chicks Dishing

     Our local newspaper, The Patriot Ledger, did a feature article last Saturday about the increasing number of people who are raising chickens in their backyard. It seems to be a trend which is sweeping the country.
     I've gone one step further; I now have hens in my kitchen! Left to right, meet Lydia, Caliope, and Henrieta. I bought the pattern, "The Hen Party" by Sue Pritt @www.sweetseasonquilts.com, at a recent quilt show and knew right away that I would have to make it.

Here's a close up of Henrieta with her beaded necklace.

I wonder what they are chatting about?

Cygnets and Goslings

  
      I really wasn't happy with the exposures in yesterday's posting, so this morning after church I drove back down to Jenny Pond in Plymouth to give it another try. I'm nothing if not persistent! Anyway, the lighting was quite flat, but I did manage to get some cute photos of the swan family out for a stroll and a swim.

 A gaggle of Canada geese was also nearby.

Could these goslings be any cuter?

                                            

Jenny Pond in Plymouth

     Thursday afternoon when we finally had a break in the clouds, a friend and I headed to Plymouth. I always try to get down to Jenny Pond around Mother's Day to see if there are any cygnets. My exposure was off on the above photo, but I liked the grouping. I may go down again this week to try to get  a better shot if the weather cooperates. The long range forecast, however, doesn't look very promising.

A gentleman who was there said that there had been four babies born, but two had fallen victim to  snapping turtles.

I did better with the exposure on the above photo.

Herring Run

  
     Yesterday, my friend Laurel came to spend the day quilting. We took a break and had lunch in Lower Jackson Square. After lunch we wandered over to check out the herring run. Each year it is estimated that 250,000 of these sturdy fish make their way from the ocean, through the Back River, up the fish ladders,  up to Iron Hill and then into Whitmans Pond to lay their eggs. After each female lays between 60,000 and 100,000 eggs, they make the return trip to the ocean. To say that this is a difficult journey is an understatement.

I was photographing looking down at the ladders, so the perspective doesn't give an accurate idea of just how steep this section is. The fish must swim up the ladders against the rushing waters.

There is a little park across the street with lots of information about the herring run. I particularly like the railings.

We weren't the only ones looking for a quick bite to eat.

Violet Carpet

    

     Today is a somewhat grey day, so I thought that I would post some photos taken on Monday of my next door neighbors' tulips. I wanted to capture the tulips before the rain came. Tulips are lovely, but they don't stand up well to downpours.

This photo was taken in front of another home.

Finally, I have a wonderful carpet of violets in my backyard. Now, there are those who would say that these flowers are just common weeds, but I'm not one of them. I love them and as long as  I can eventually mow them and have green in the backyard they are fine by me. Besides, it wouldn't be spring without a tiny vase filled with violets on my kitchen windowsill.