Another beautiful day. The thermometer is creeping up towards 60 - reading 52 degrees right now. The sun is bright and there is a light breeze from the north. I think the weather will deteriorate later in the day, but right now it's perfect.

I had this message from Evelyn Richer this morning:

We are watching the loons at the nest this morning... no one has got on
the nest yet...  (but they are definitely 'courting' with bill flicking
and everything...) Any day now... probably today they will mount the
nest.  But what this indicates is that they are planning to nest again
this year... (a very good sign)


Ray and I will pick up the sign today...

Ray thinks he can repair it... (just not too sure when just yet.)
As for the top... well, I don't know yet how badly it is damaged, but Ray
says it was in pieces... (I don't have the heart to look yet)

It's a shame about the pretty sign top that Evelyn had just finished re-doing. It takes hours of work and skill to create those paintings. I hope it can be repaired.

That's good news about the loons. We've heard them calling - always a welcome sound, but I know they can be irritating to some folks living on the pond, especially when they tune up in the early morning hours or are screaming as you're trying to get to sleep at night. I guess most people on the pond get used to them, though.

I also had an e-mail from Steve Allen this morning about using hay to mulch the vegetable garden, and it jogged my memory back to a couple of decades ago when I used hay and got just the results he mentions:

Jane - read you blog today - a suggestion: grass is fine in your garden beceuse as it decomposes it releases nitrogen, but hay and straw are no-nos!!! They work fine at first but release their seeds into your garden soil, so you'll find that this fall or next year you'll need to mow what WAS your garden!!! We're looking forward to getting back to the Pond!

Cheers,

Steve Allen

So, I'm rethinking using hay. There are enough grass clippings once we start mowing. Anyway, I've yet to look at the garden spot. I may end up doing the conventional turn-over-the-sod-to-loosen-things-up method. Steve and Bev have a successful garden here at camp each year, as does Walter Ruf.

Back in the 70's when Jed Rulfo owned the cottage next to ours, where Ned Hamilton is now, he always had a super nice garden. I think he always had plants already started that he brought here to plant, thus getting a jump on the season. Jed also knew where to find the best wild mushrooms around, too. And he loved to fish. Having a family of three boys and a dog named "Harvey" that sometimes stole his fish must have been hard on Jed, especially since there were never just three boys and a dog at the Dimick's - but always lots of neighborhood kids and adults and things going on; and it wasn't just us, the Walkers had three kids and a dog on the other side of him! Jed would take the kids on his pontoon boat to fish sometimes, and even took them mushrooming, and Mrs. Rulfo always had a treat handy.

I have to get ready for a meeting on Tuesday with the consultant who is helping revise the town plan for Cabot. I need to search through files on my computer so I'll be able to find what she needs. Since I'm not quite sure what she'll ask for, it may be wasted time, but I'll try to be ready anyway.