Looking more like spring

Leaves and blooms have been weeks behind schedule, but it's really looking like spring, finally.  A paper birch and pin cherry along the driveway are grand together.

Work on the south hill led to this nice pile of red maple.  Note the lovely tulips in the upper part of the pic.

Large quantities of red maple stump sprouts cut down last year continue their journey to the house.  Pieces in this big pile still have about 450 feet to go.

First asparagus harvest

From plantings last year, a bunch of asparagus has started to show itself.  They somehow got enough warmth and sun from this cloudy and cool spring to get really long in some cases.  It's hard to beat home-grown asparagus!

Wood work in cool weather

Some splitting and cutting work done in the last few days.  The temps are cool, so a fire a day is still happening.  Today's high might get to 55.

8th sawing season starts

For the eighth year in a row, a chainsaw has roared on Hardwood Hermitage.  Preliminary work today took crowns off of two fallen red maples.  The biggest work was to drop a diagonal red maple with the smaller saw.  The first picture shows two trunks, with the center trunk dropped with the bow saw a few weeks ago.  The bow sawing started over the winter, but the job was really difficult.  The bigger trunk in the upper right is the diagonal taken down with the chainsaw today.

Several pieces of the crown from both trees will end up as firewood, to say nothing of many pieces from the two large trunks.

Another red maple, on the south hill like the two trees above, broke during the winter.  The winds were fierce that day, as the top of the tree (in foreground) ended up about 20 feet from the main trunk (partially visible in upper middle of picture).  The main trunk, shown in the second pic below, was taken down with the saw today.

Spring sights

A young deer chomped on some grass just west of the house the other morning.  This pic was taken through the west window.

Snow remains in many shaded areas, but the grand retreat has begun in earnest.  We were in the sixties today for the first time all year.  Rock walls are really re-emerging.

This conifer has been getting hit by woodpeckers quite a bit lately!

To no one's surprise, double trunk birches look great in early spring -- or any time of year.

Winter's grip wanes

We've been in the house six years now!  Nearly 9 inches of snow fell over the weekend, but yesterday really showed signs of spring.  Today and tomorrow are cooler.  The changing season can't be denied, though, as highs in the 50s are expected later this week, and there will be plenty of sun.  Winter's evidence remains obvious, as these pics from this morning prove.

Winter ends beautifully

Lots and lots of sun closed out winter.  The solar panels created 10 days of electricity in the last four days.  But spring will bring some snow.  Several inches are predicted in a storm that will start after dark on Thursday.  But it sure was a pretty end to winter. 

More bow sawing was completed this week.  Here's a downed red maple that will be processed for firewood in a few weeks.  An even bigger red maple is nearly cut through.  Expected winds from the snowstorm will likely bring that one down.