this compost

Victoria just sent me this.

march marsh

A beautiful blue sky today. The same color is reflected in the water. Our weather is getting into the 50's now. If you look close there are small sprouts of grasses and leaves everywhere. I've been meaning to compare this date with my records form previous years. It seems like an early Spring here. (Marion was saying Spring is 4 weeks late in the UK this year.)

Skippy's friend Bannor is visiting this week. This is our first walk together. I'll add more photos of the two buddies.

Fragmentary Blue by Robert Frost

Why make so much of fragmentary blue
In here and there a bird, or butterfly,
Or flower, or wearing-stone, or open eye,
When heaven presents in sheets the solid hue?

Since earth is earth, perhaps, not heaven (as yet)--
Though some savants make earth include the sky;
And blue so far above us comes so high,
It only gives our wish for blue a whet.

a few seed quotes

"I don't believe the half I hear,
Nor the quarter of what I see!
But I have one faith, sublime and true,
That nothing can shake or slay;
Each spring I firmly believe anew
All the seed catalogs say!"
- Carolyn Wells

In March and in April from morning till night
In sowing and seeding good housewives delight.
- Thomas Tusser

The mere fact that you get a lot of seeds in a packet
doesn't mean you have to plant all of them.
- Henry Mitchell

robin in the snow

The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?
He'll sit in a barn and keep himself warm
and hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

The North Wind doth blow and we shall have snow,
And what will the dormouse do then? Poor thing!
Roll'd up like a ball, in his nest snug & small,
He'll sleep till warm weather comes in. Poor thing!
-author unknown, traditional nursery rhyme

This robin was eating berries from the snow covered holly bush in my back yard this morning. We have many robins that over winter here. They seem out of place, but are nice and fat. I noticed my holly has more berries than usual this year. With all the summer rains we had, I bet there is an abundant supply of berries for the winter birds.

Today have about 5 inches of fresh powder snow. This on top of about 5 inches of old snow. Boston has had a season to date total of 27 inches of snow. Well above our normal amount. Fortunately much of it melts before the next storm.

(By the way - its an American robin. And here's some information of winter robin habits.)

garden birds (Hortus Aves)

garden poetry

This is a great poem, so I am posting it again. This time the full version. With it are some photos of Skippy and my garden from last spring. Ahhh, the Spring. Soon another will come ....

seeds arrive!!

The days are getting a little longer (abut 2 minutes a day!) - the sun is getting a little brighter - and my seeds are here!!! Spring seems just around the corner. (57 days, I think.)

Slave to a springtime passion for the earth.
How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed
On through the watching for that early birth
When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,
The sturdy seedling with arched body comes
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.
- Robert Frost