A week of many miles and many smiles. It was spring blossoms driving through the southern states, bare trees further north, and a cold welcome in our home and native land. Niagara Falls had frozen over in the brutal winter and it was worth a stopover to see the ice, like the cubes in a giant ice tea.
The bad car news was that the Mustang windshield was whacked by a flying stone on the highway. Could have been worse, could have been better, but still big dollar$$ to replace. The GOOD car news was a stop enroute to pick up Pat's cute 2010 Kia Rio5. Negotiated online sight unseen in March and turned out to be better than expected.
Then stopped in at Toronto; everything still OK, even caught up on some movies. And finally arriving at our heartfelt home at Kemble. The bay still covered in ice, the hill still covered in snow, the pond still frozen. A pipe had burst in the record cold so we had to heat water by the fire a couple of days. Then a warm spell brought rain and some melt.
In our absence the yard has been a deer toilet. There's one of them looking guilty over by the fence! Pat will work those brown beans into the garden, but she got to work right away clearing a path on the hill.
The pond may have frozen all the way down, about 4 feet of ice. There is evidence that all the fish, frogs, salamanders, and some plants have died. To help out what may still be alive in there we started the bubbler to inject some oxygen and release some pond gas. Wish them luck! On the other extreme we have seen spring life in the form of migrating birds, chipmunks, robins and even a butterfly. Called the "mourning cloak", it wintered somewhere in the bush. How does it survive??
Happy Easter today! Amazingly, the early crocuses (croci??) have imitated the Christian story of rebirth. Our friend the Easter Bunny made his annual appearance but was somewhat confused by the brown "eggs". No worries ---- we still scooped up a mound of real chocolate! Sunrise this morning created a fiery cross in the sky and pink floes in the bay. We're happy to be home safe and warm: we wish the same glow to all of you...
Then stopped in at Toronto; everything still OK, even caught up on some movies. And finally arriving at our heartfelt home at Kemble. The bay still covered in ice, the hill still covered in snow, the pond still frozen. A pipe had burst in the record cold so we had to heat water by the fire a couple of days. Then a warm spell brought rain and some melt.
In our absence the yard has been a deer toilet. There's one of them looking guilty over by the fence! Pat will work those brown beans into the garden, but she got to work right away clearing a path on the hill.
The pond may have frozen all the way down, about 4 feet of ice. There is evidence that all the fish, frogs, salamanders, and some plants have died. To help out what may still be alive in there we started the bubbler to inject some oxygen and release some pond gas. Wish them luck! On the other extreme we have seen spring life in the form of migrating birds, chipmunks, robins and even a butterfly. Called the "mourning cloak", it wintered somewhere in the bush. How does it survive??
Happy Easter today! Amazingly, the early crocuses (croci??) have imitated the Christian story of rebirth. Our friend the Easter Bunny made his annual appearance but was somewhat confused by the brown "eggs". No worries ---- we still scooped up a mound of real chocolate! Sunrise this morning created a fiery cross in the sky and pink floes in the bay. We're happy to be home safe and warm: we wish the same glow to all of you...
Can't believe you had to boil water again. This is the winter of water problems for you.
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