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The tractors were out this weekend as we have had a few days of dry weather — long enough to make hay.

But more importantly, Sarah’s T-ball championship game, awards ceremony and picnic were held on Saturday.  Here is Sarah taking a lead off first base.

And here she is receiving some important advice about fielding.  She seems dubious.

Sarah doubtless impressed her coaches with her fine performance.

The official photographer took a team picture…

…while vintage aircraft circled overhead.

Sarah won the award for Best Hitter with Runners on Base, which is basically the Nobel Prize for T-ball.  It came with a medal and t-shirt.

Here’s the happy medalist.

Here is a robin, surveying his domain during a rare sunny moment this weekend.  The T-ball championship game and picnic were rained out on Saturday, but are now scheduled for next Saturday.  Next weekend should also bring us plenty of black raspberries: the first ones were ripe this weekend, about a week before last year.

We have a bumper crop of rabbits this spring.

In bloom: astilbe.

It’s nice to have a splash of color on a dreary day.

Atop the left pilaster you can see the nest of the phoebe — which Sarah, confusing her fashionable Upper West Side children’s names, sometimes calls a gwyneth.

On Monday, Sarah marched in the Memorial Day parade with her T-ball team. 

Down East Market Street they went.

Sarah also had a visit from her friend Emanuelle.  They both enjoyed the jungle gym.

Meanwhile, Jen made good progress on her garden.  The lettuces attracted some local attention.

There was plenty of action on the pond, including regulars such as red-wing blackbirds:

.. this as-yet unidentified speckled bird (maybe a brown thrasher? No: it is a female red-wing blackbird):

… and, of course, barn swallows, out looking for mosquitoes:

This visitor (a calico pennant) looks like it came from the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

Our friend was back:

But the good news is that he is not, in fact, a beaver — rather he is a muskrat.  They do much less damage than beavers.  We are calling him Herman.

And, because it is spring, there were plenty of poppies and peonies in bloom.

Lots of flowers were in bloom this weekend.  Here is a rose from our garden.

And here’s a wild rose growing near the driveway.

In the front garden we had a very showy iris …

… and some pink peonies.

In the back we had roses …

… and irises.

All were yanked from their homes and put into a vase.

But not everything is idyllic.  There is trouble brewing on the pond.

On Saturday, Lew celebrated his 70th birthday with a bond indenture on the porch.  Jen managed to distract him for a little while.

Also this weekend:

• the Wonderland Florists faced Fraleigh & Rakow (insurance brokers, with surprisingly good hitting) in T-ball.  Sarah reached base in each at bat and also played a half inning at first base
• the swans living in the swamp seemed to have between five (Jen) and seven (Sarah) cygnets
• the turkeys deplored the state of our fencing

Sarah made three Mothers’ Day cards this year. 

On Wednesday morning, she pulled me aside in the kitchen and told me, “We’re in big trouble!”  When I asked why we were in big trouble, she said, “Sunday is Mothers’ Day.  We’ve got to start making something!” 

I said we had time to make something, but don’t tell Mommy.  Sarah: “I won’t tell Mommy what we’re making, but I already told her we’re in big trouble.”

On Saturday, because Mark Bittman told us to — and because we are good burghers — we made (mostly vegetarian) sushi.

These are leftover broiled salmon, red miso paste and sweet pea shoot rolls.

In bloom this weekend: anemones (Rhinebeck is the anemone capital of the world)

and these, which I guess are some kind of lily.  They were gone this morning, presumably having been munched by a deer.

Rhinebeck T-Ball league play is underway.  Sarah had her first outing on Saturday morning, and received the propitious uniform number 7.  She plays for the Wonderland Florists, which, on Saturday, squared off against Village Pizza.

Here she is at bat.

She made good contact and steamed into first with a single.

The first baseman did not seem very happy to see her, though.

The baseball field is very close to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, so curiosities such as this occasionally fly overhead.

Back at the farm, the lilacs were in full bloom, and Jen and Sarah gathered big bouquets.

Here, also enjoying the lilacs, is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

Many other flowers were blooming.  We had lots of pink and white honeysuckle, and some Columbine.

This phoebe has built a nest over our front door.  Every time we go in or out, it flies to the nearest tree.  We feel is if we are putting it out.

We had time for a good long walk.

And, on Saturday night, Sarah and Jen gave the sleeping porch a whirl.

Through the miracle of eBay, we got two Korean War surplus cots for the sleeping porch.