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Here, via Jen’s iPhone camera, is one of our blooming poppies, in traditional kit.

We also have non-traditional poppies, such as this white one.

Here’s a wacky pink one.

In forestry news, I got my new chain saw stuck in a log while clearing a downed elm.  Fortunately Chuck Kelso stopped by to help me out.

It rained all day on Memorial Day.  I was already a bit sad because this was the first year that Sarah did not march in the Memorial Day Parade.

She has, however, kept busy.  In anticipation of camp, less than a month away, Sarah has been practicing the ukulele.

We had a number of visitors, including this rather pale heron.  Sarah’s friend Ainsley slept over Friday night; Ivan and Elizabeth (and Fred, their ardent puppy) slept over Saturday night; and Sarah’s friend Tsion visited for a few hours on Sunday.  All were model guests, except possibly Fred.

Today Jen planted many tomatoes and peppers from the Northern Dutchess Botanical Garden.

Let’s look in on some of our outbuildings.

The barn is in fine shape, currently teeming with swallows (and pigeons).

The corn crib is hanging in there.  It could probably use a new roof.

And our creepiest structure, the mobile home, is fading into the jungle.  But not fast enough for Jen.

Jen enjoyed her traditional Mother’s Day breakfast in bed.

We took Daisy for a walk in the woods and found this mother of seven plying the swamp.

After years of searching, certain they were beneath our noses, we found morels in the woods.  They say that once you find one, you’ll see them everywhere.  That’s just what happened.  We filled Jen’s hat with them.  Here’s a recipe.

Daisy enjoyed one of the few hours of sunlight we had this weekend.

While Jen was in Boston, Sarah and I made pizza and watched To Catch a Thief.  Also, over the weekend, Sarah more or less learned to play the ukulele.

It is nearly spring, so we have Ring-necked Ducks on the pond.  But because we have been away for several weeks, we also have Canada geese.  Neither we nor the ducks are pleased.

They are, if not evil incarnate, untidy nuisances.

Jen tried to run them off, but they just head for the pond.

The only way to get them to leave is to get in the rowboat and head straight for them.

We also had these more welcome visitors: a pair of bald eagles, circling above the house.

After a long flirtation with spring, the weather returned to arctic bluster.  A windstorm last week knocked over this elm tree from our hedgerow, but, on the bright side, it was already dead, and it would have had come down in any event.

We saw a pair of Canada geese and a mallard on the pond this weekend.  By Sunday, it was starting to ice over again.  Daisy was vocal in her displeasure with the geese.

Jen spent much of Presidents’ Day weekend working on a new short story, while I offered helpful plotting suggestions.

After nearly a month away, we returned to the farm to find plenty of fresh powder for sledding and snowball fights.

Sarah hosted the Lawson twins for winter sports and hot cocoa.

Here is Sarah, all bundled up.  We had to return early Sunday to avoid another 7″-12″ of snow.