What A Difference A Day Makes

What a wonderful quiet weekend we had...

Hubbs and I...

and the dogs...

and the critters!

Saturday was a beautiful day...blue skies with temps in the mid fifties.

We set out mid afternoon with Sam and Oakley for a hike in the woods...

no jackets!

Hiking through the woods gives us a chance to assess the health of our

hemlock forest...which has been under attack by the wooly adelgid

(an insect that immigrated to the US from China).

This insect is threatening to destroy all of our East Coast hemlock forests.

Each year we lose more and more trees.

Like this one,

they eventually snap in half and end up on the forest floor.

(We are currently working with a forestry professional to take whatever measures

we need to...to help save our remaining trees.)

Forgive me, for I have digressed...so let's go back to our walk.

The forest has so many stories to tell.

When I walk through the woods, I don't just walk...

but rather, I look for the tales the woods tell.

The tree above, that snapped in half,

had obviously been dead for a while...

as you can tell, by the woodpecker holes in its side.

And even more interesting is the fern that has started to grow out of one of the 

woodpecker holes.

Just a few short days of warm weather enabled these fungi to

develop.

I couldn't help but think of Cheetos when I saw these!

And I will admit to you right here that I have a certain fondness for them.

 Cheetos.

Although, I do like fungi, too!

By the time Sunday rolled around,

 the warmth and the sunshine were both gone...

replaced by rain, fog, and chilly dampness.

Everyone stayed inside on Sunday.

(Except, of course, the horses!)

Even the guineas hung out beneath the shelter of our old pine tree.

The dry lot became the "wet lot"!

With only the very top layer of ground thawed from Saturday's warmth,

there is no where for the rain to absorb...

and so puddles formed everywhere.

If we get another freeze this week,

the farm will become one huge skating rink!