One good thing about the snow

[Eamonn]

One good thing about the snow is that it has now gone and at least for me, I'm far more appreciative for the spring.

I was a little worried that Dudley the Goldie pup we got last fall was getting so used too peeing in the snow that he might think that it would always be there.

The dogs really seem to like Spring.

Friday, the little Heinz 114 that walked in to our home a few years back, after living off the land for some time, checks out all the groundhog holes and covers every inch of the fence lines, looking for voles and mice.

Ollie has a full time job chasing the robins. Sad thing is that they don't play fair.

He is an English Setter, so when he goes into stalking mode he takes on the classic setter stance. Standing on three legs, With his left front paw raised slightly, his tail, which has a slight curl is stretched out straight. He moves very slowly, one careful step at a time, till he takes off running.

The robins then just take off.

All that hard work for nothing.

The trees are just starting to sprout.

Yesterday we seen two redheaded woodpeckers, hammering away. I'm not sure if they were looking for food or building a nest?

The sound they make is nice after the eerie silence that surrounded everything when the snow was there.

In one far corner of our property we have some wild turkeys.They really are magnificent birds.

The pheasants are back again this year. I'd thought that the hawks had got them all, but I must have been wrong.

I hadn't seen the owl that lives in one of the large Toby trees for a while but I heard him the other day.

Of course the rabbits are out.

I enjoy watching rabbits do there thing, but with the dogs there is little chance of that.

Dudley is the laziest retriever ever. While Friday and Ollie are doing their thing he seems perfectly happy to just sit down and look like he is posing for a calender shot.

If I remember to take a ball with us, he will chase it, then lay down and chew at it for a while. After two or three times he seems to get bored and doesn't even bother going after it. So I end up playing fetch by myself.

 

While I pretend and try to kid myself that I don't really have any stress.

I think that once the electronic gate at work closes behind me and I hear the inmates swearing at each other and I know that for the next eight hours I'm at risk from the unknown. This takes its toll.

I'm so very grateful that I live where I do and have my good pals the dogs.

Our daily walks are my stress release and my sanctuary from what is at times a messed up world.

Sad thing is that later today I'm going to have to start the mowing.

I can't wait till fall!

Ea.

 

[Scoutfish]

I read once that humans are the only creatures that will plant grass, water it, fertalize it, do everything they can to get it to grow green , thick, and lush....just so they can mow it down! LOL!

 

So...What's a Toby tree?

[nolesrule]

"So...What's a Toby tree? "

 

More to the point, what's snow?

[Eamonn]

"So...What's a Toby tree?"

I never seen one till I moved to the U.S.

I have heard that they also have an American Indian name, which I have heard, but sadly can't remember.

They are big trees, with very large leaves.

In late spring the have a white flower.

The fruit looks like a giant green runner bean.

Ea.

 

[baschram645]

A Toby tree is known as a Catalpa. It is also known as the Catawba or Indian Bean. Some call it the Cigartree because of the fruit.

 

Spring also brings out Morel Mushrooms.

 

[Eamonn]

baschram645,

Many Thanks!

My Toby Trees are indeed Catalpas.

Have to admit that they are not my favorite trees, they seem to be the last to get their leaves and in the fall the first to lose them.

Mine are very big and dense, not allowing very much light to get under the branches.

The roots, maybe because they are old? stick up above ground level, which is hard on the mower.

I'm not sure how old they are.

The last owner of where I live, was here for 42 years and I have been here for 23, before that I know that at one time the land was used to grow gooseberries. I haven't seen a gooseberry in years!

Before that, I have been told that Henry Clay Frick used the land for his pit ponies.

It is said that Frick treated the ponies far better than the workers who went down the mines.

I think it's a little odd that with all the mining we had in this area, that there isn't more Irish families? We do have a lot of people of Slovak and Polish heritage.

Ea.