May 28, 2006

This is one of my favorite weeds. I believe it is wild garlic (Allium canadense), also called meadow garlic. It smells oniony, has flat leaves and a lovely white flower in May here in eastern Massachusetts. Sometimes we get one or two flowers in the grass. I always enjoy seeing them and I mow around them. There are wild flower identification sites at http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/alliumcana.html and at http://2bnthewild.com/plants/H134.htm

wildflower

May 26, 2006

The water temperature must be warming up because the fishes in the pond are getting active. Any bets on whether Skippy will catch one someday?

May 25, 2006

Green, green, green.

I am experimenting with making panoramas. I'll have to figure out how the get the same light setting across all shots. But for now, here's the yard - with grass.

May 24, 2006

The sod is here. FINALLY!!! They prepared our soil on May 5. Now, after 3 weeks of rain and mud in the yard, we have real grass being put in. It took the two men 5 hours to lay the sod as Skippy supervised.

backyardphotos
planting&planning

Junior Solar Sprint

About 50 kids from all over eastern Massachusetts participated in the Junior Solar Sprint on Saturday at MIT. They all built solar cars that could carry an empty soda can. Our team came in 2nd in their first race with the cool car in the upper left. But the sun went under some clouds and the car didn't do as well in the next race. The team is working on design improvements for next years race - which they plan to win.

May 19, 2006

Guess what our weather is like today? Imagine some thunder, too ......

May 18, 2006

Sunny and warm today. But still no grass. Just our backyard mud. We're scheduled to get sod early next week after the sod fields in Rhode Island dry out.

May 17, 2006

Great weather for mushrooms.

May 16, 2006

How about all that mud!! We are having the backyard sodded. The gardeners have torn up the old "grass" and prepared the soil, but now need to wait for the sod fields in Rhode Island to dry out. So we have mud in the meantime.

Why are we sodding? Well, last year we had a little puppy and our grass did not appreciate it. It got dug up and raced around on and pee'd on and just generally destroyed. We're hoping the new grass will like the 1 year old dog better.

May 8, 2006

An old pond;
A frog jumps in--
The sound of water.
--Matsuo Basho