Mayapples

are poking up.

Squirrel

Gambol brought me a dead but warm squirrel on Saturday early morning, a very nice present because I know how much they mean to him.  Then Sunday night he caught fur and has a bite on his mouth to prove it.  I watched this tussle;  Gambol was within 3 feet of the dang-blasted mammal 3 times but just couldn't quite do the deed.
Asparagus and ham fritatta planned for dinner but just as I opened the egg carton the electricity went out (and the generator went on but the stove isn't on that line) so we had the fritatta minus the egg.
Chicks are outside permanently now.  They are snuggled in the chicken tractor with a nice load of shavings. It was 65 last night and even though it rained a bit, they seemed happy with their space.
Easter flowers are blooming at the Barony.

 May apples (Podophyllum peltatum), neither in May nor apples but a sure sign of spring.

 Grape hyacinth (Muscari)

 Virginia Blue Bells (Mertensia)

 Daffodils (Narcissus)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Toy shed and 'sang

From the Baron:

I have finished the shed project after filling in the floor with additional soil and topped with a 2-4 inch layer of crushed rock.  I moved the excess hemlock timbers into the rear of the shed and I think now that I can park both the tractor and my pickup truck inside without any crowding.  We still have extra construction material and other 'junk' inside the shed, but now the insides are manageable and we can use both of the shed doors to drive in and out.
My ginseng patch this year is in an area of the forest that has an east-facing aspect and has typically shown a blanket of may apples.  I hand planted the ginseng seed alongside two old logs, on the side of one and on both sides of the other.  I also planted a small area that was adjacent to the logs but this area had exposed soil, so I can compare the results next spring.  I should point out that the planted lines of ginseng have a small locust stake at the top and bottom of the lines.  These locust stakes have been kiln-dried and have been painted a dull red color, making them blend into the background leaf litter.  Locust is pretty rot-resistant and should last a long time, so they should be helpful in locating the ginseng plots in the future.

Canada with the group

Sat Sept 25 Drive to Maplewood NJ for RON
Sun Continental to Halifax, NS where we met Jack and Sharon; pick up Hertz; drive to Peggy's Cove; lunch at  Finer Diner; meet up with rest of gang at Harbourview B&B, Smith's Cove near Digby, NS. Changing Tides for dinner.  Many restaurants have already closed for the season so we were lucky that the B&B keeper called for a reservation.
Monday Wine at Gaspareau Winery and Grand Pre Vineyard. Gaspareau had, by far, the better wine.

Tuesday we headed out to Yarmouth to see the Victorian captains' houses. Lunch at Rudder's Seafood Restaurant & Brew Pub; just as we had ordered in came Jerry and Don.  Saw the largest wooded church (Catholic) in North America which had canvas sails on its walls for insulation.  Also saw several lighthouses, an Acadian refugee cemetery and chapel and picked up a round cannonball-like rock for my souvenir of the trip. Paul and I hiked about 40 minutes along an old railroad bed behind the B&B and nibbled on blackberries and apples along the way.

 On the Glooscap Trail overlooking the Bay of Fundy before the 4' tidal bore that never occurred.

Wed Back to Annapolis Valley so Sharon could get some yarn at a very nice yarn shop near Gaspareau vineyard.  While she and I did that, Paul and Jack hit the organic winery, Lacadie Vineyards. We tried to see the Bay of Fundy tidal bore, but timing is everything and we were off by 6 hrs or so.  We did manage the low tide when the bay is a huge mud flat.  Then the bridge to PEI and Cranford Inn B&B in Charlottetown. Dinner at Fishbones where Paul and I shared a double decker cold seafood variety plate.  The oysters were small, sweet and maybe the best I've ever had.

Thursday  Out to Anne of Green Gables area. Toured the Charlotetown Basilica. Dinner at the Old Dublin Pub.
Friday Ferry to Halifax, Maritime Museum, Keith Brewery for lunch and a B&B about 18 miles from the airport called Blue Mountain B&B. Unfortunately, we had to get up at 5:00AM so we missed the best part of the B&B.  Paul estimated that we put over 2460 km on the rental car.  I wonder if NS and PEI have that much coastline; we didn't see it all.
Saturday Continental to Newark, a quick stop to see Jonathan and Elise, and then home to relieve Anne of the dogs and chickens. Anne wrote a humorous journal so we would know what the dogs did on their vacation. We had a better time knowing that our pets were well taken care of and hardly missing us at all.
"I've had a splendid time," she concluded happily...But the best of it all is the coming home."  "God is in His heaven; all's right with the world," whispered Anne softly. (Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Mongomery published 1908; originally Pippa Passes by Robert Browning published in 1841)
Reading Anne of Green Gables ***