octogenarian lumberjack

Mother and dad are planning to cut down the apple tree by their kitchen today. In fact, he may be getting out the chain saw now. Had to take down the pipe that held the porch swing. I don’t know how old the tree is, it was fairly big when they got the place in the 1960s. It has been hollow for some time. Still was producing apples last year though. They are afraid the wind may topple it and damage the house.

Here are some pictures:
  

It was cold and frosty again this morning, but the sun has melted most of it and hope it gets warm in the afternoon again like yesterday.

It was beautiful, although a bit chilly, yesterday for Palm Sunday. I am still putting off completing taxes, it is amazing how facing that makes the most humble tasks seem attractive.

Critters

The catkins on the birch tree are starting to swell and and the leaf buds are starting to show green. The tree is a flash of color every day. This morning there were cardinals, redwing blackbirds, and doves on the ground and purple finches, goldfinches, and bluejays in the tree and at the feeder. Glad I bought the third bag of black sunflower seed! Got a 25 lb sack two weeks ago, and will probably need to fill the feeder again in a few days.

Bode had some concerns yesterday morning. He was restless on Saturday, marked his turf way over by the pasture fence. When I got up yesterday could see a black dog running through Tim’s pasture across the road, then spotted a lighter dog, looked like a whitish golden retriever over on the hill. When Bode went out to take care of business, to his dismay the “guest dogs” were tall enough that they marked everything just a bit higher than Bode could reach. It took almost an hour and a half to re-mark everything and he still wasn’t satisfied. Even negected his breakfast kibble.

Bode sat nearby and we listened to the birds together as I worked on the flower beds yesterday afternoon. He nibbled at some of the grass shoots I pulled and tossed into the yard and had been nibbling some in the yard too. I had begun to think he didn’t know what fresh veggies were for, didn’t seem interested in raw celery or carrots like Geoff’s dogs.

Ling Ling was ill again last week, was off his food and lost weight. He seems to be eating again, but I am afraid with the chronic renal failure his days with us may end soon. He still has the same purr and likes to talk, but spends a lot of time sleeping on my lap or curled up inside my sweater, or basking in the sun.

Gardening

I put five columbine starts in the flower bed I worked up last fall between the azalea and lily. They were starting to sprout, so was time they were in the earth. I also planted some onion sets my dad had left from planting their smaller garden plot. They won’t plant the big garden until frost is past.

I planted some lettuce and radish seeds in the flower bed late yesterday afternoon and did some weeding. Applied some “black gold” from the manure pile in Tim’s field across the road. I had been watching the steam rise from it for weeks…