On the first day of May, I was greeted by snowflakes tumbling softly through the peaceful morning. The grass had warmed enough during the past week that the flakes there turned to dew, but the rough patch of burdock leaves nearby gently gathered the flakes, creating gossamer mounds that resembled clumps of thistledown. We are back to chilly weather here in northeast Wisconsin. I'm glad I didn't put the cold weather gear away quite yet. We had to pull the frost tender seedlings out of the...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Northern flicker, eastern meadowlark, white-throated sparrow, black-capped chickadee - as we ambled on our morning walk around the Loop, we heard these birds and sixteen others, identified by the Merlin Bird ID app. I scarce use my phone when I go coddiwompling, but the bird ID app has been worth the exception. It helps to "give me new ears" to hear songs I might not otherwise notice and train my brain to identify them. I love that our homestead has become a sanctuary for our feathered...
16 days ago • 4 min read
The frost covered thistle rosettes spilled across the lawn like a box of scattered Christmas ornaments, glistening in the pale morning light. They'd popped up from a mother bull thistle on the edge of the chicken run that I'd allowed to seed out the previous fall. Yes, we could have removed it, but the bumblebees love the blossoms so, and the songbirds feast on the seeds before they scatter. And so we share the yard with our wild guests - thistle, bee, and bird alike. We've endured another...
23 days ago • 3 min read
The joyful chorus of spring peepers was a reassuring sound. The world at large might be chaotic, but as far as our sweet amphibian neighbors were concerned, it was time for exuberant romance. It always amazes me how creatures the size of my thumbnail could fill the evening with their songs. The rain continues here in northeast Wisconsin, but at least it's not freezing. Conditions today are wet with a side of wet. The ducks and frogs are thrilled, as evidenced by the happy quacking during the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
One morning, the ground was barren and frozen, paths stripped of vegetation from heavy winter traffic. The next morning, it was covered in ice, slicker than a Zamboni polished rink, and much tougher to navigate. By that afternoon the ice once again turned to mud, and as the day wore on and the rains continued, the entire yard was awash. Still, though it all, the trees buds slowly swelled, waiting patiently for the promise of true spring. I know the calendar says, "April", and "spring", but...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
"Spring thaw mud season" was always a messy one, distinctive from other wet times of the year. With frost still in the ground, water from snowmelt pooled on the surface instead of being absorbed. This was great for refilling the ponds, but hard on the lawn, as the duck patrol set to work on creating a muck hole near the garden." It's been "ducky weather" this week, as the ponds opened up again after the recent blizzard and there is mud just about everywhere. I love our ducks, but they sure...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Lady amaryllis flourished her brilliant red petals in the morning sun, like a dancer answering the call of the music. Beside her, her daughter listened, too, and joined her in the dance. It was an eventful week here in northeast Wisconsin, as Blizzard Elsa ended up being one for the record books. We snagged the number two spot for heaviest snowfall in a single storm (since they've been keeping track), with the Green Bay tally at 26.6 inches, making it the snowiest in 138 years. It was also...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Their calls echoed across the half-frozen landscape, lonely yet comforting in the waning light. As the sandhill cranes passed closely overhead, gliding in for a landing, their silhouettes seemed almost prehistoric, a giant relic from some ancient past. It was hard to believe these majestic creatures shared a common ancestry with the delicate songbirds that fluttered around the yard. Spring was teasing us this past week as unusually warm weather cleared out the snowpack here in northeast...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The wind howled and twisted through the treetops, but down in the sheltered yard only a light breeze filtered through. The line of evergreens, planted when the homestead was first established, had matured to become the protectors imagined nearly two decades before. When we purchased our homestead, we started with bare ground. 25 acres was rented to a neighbor, and 10 acres (where we eventually built our home) was an abandoned pasture. We'd lived in the suburbs for nearly 10 years, so this was...
2 months ago • 2 min read