2016

This spring the brothers turn 11; Chloe & Annie, 8; Maukie & Flynn, 5

January 2: Decocting the reishi today

Fluff, Maukie, Flynn (Popo)

Richard has a new IR camera

The squirrels are actually more fun to watch than the birds

31 Jan: Ice everwhere under the snow

1 Feb: Temps in the upper 40s last night and today. Ground is clear.

2 Feb at 3:30 pm: 48° and sap is running.

14 Feb: It was -20° this morning at 5:30 am and -7° at 11:00 am. My heater stopped putting out 3 days ago. I ordered a new pilot assembly but it won't be here until Tuesday, the 16th, so for the coldest days this winter will see, I am heating my house with 2 oil-filled electric heaters and every light on during the day. Also, when the weather is this cold, the on demand water heater will not work, presumably because the condensation in the inlet pipe is frozen and the gas flame cannot get enough oxygen. I'll have a heart stopping electric bill but it is heartening to know that those electric heaters can keep the house at 60 even at 20 below. (Electric bill was $145)

Feb 14: No running water to be seen

Feb 14: No one is going out today!

Feb 19: The Blue Flame gas tech was here and I had the wires on the wrong terminals. Duh. He also discovered that the cap was missing from the Rinnai condensate drain. I found it nearby. That might be all that was wrong with the Rinnai not firing on super cold days.

April 3: Maukie has recovered from an upper respiratory infection but Flynn has it now and his recovery is slower. This morning he seems a bit more alert and active but still not eating, sneezing regularly and sleeping a lot.

Feb 21: First bucket goes up. What a difference a week makes.

March 3: Winter temps are back. Sap stopped running.

March 4: Got my own Berkey.
No more boiling water.

14 May: Gorgeous day. Planted a new pumpkin patch and my window box, began the cement walkmaker path through the sweet woodruff, lots of mowing, pruning, dirtwork.

15 May: Cold night frosted the $50 worth of sweet potato vines in the window box. I brought the planters in and flooded them with lights and lots of misting. They all came back.

3 April: A relapse of winter—3 inches of snow yesterday and -5° this morning at 7.

First asparagus, 3 years after planting.

29 May: Master Croaker— every day, all day and all night.

June: Enter Wee White Willy Wonka, fighting and enduring regular thrashings from Flynn but hanging in there. Can't get my hands on him but I think it is just a matter of time. Hopefully he will survive.

22 June: Fluff, His retired highness, 11 now and taking it easy

24 June: I had at least one nesting pair of Redstarts this year, first time ever. There were 2 babies in the lilac next to the driveway. Nine days from hatch to flight.

June: Foxglove inexplicably popped up in the pond garden.

Recovered from April 3

28 June: My little Sweetbay Magnolia is blooming.

All the hostas are blooming this year.

28 June: Annie is 8 this year

28 June

15 July: New rain barrel—$50 in the Free Press. The woman I bought it from in Schuylerville bought it 3 years ago and never used it. The plastic spigot was broken so I replaced it with a brass one and there was a crack in the bottom of one leg, probably from a freeze and I melted it shut.

Lots of rain this July so far, often torrential. The black raspberries and blueberries are having a banner year.

The sweet potato vine is being eaten by the larva of the golden tortoise beetle, a fascinating insect. I am just picking them off.