Instant Summer

Today is ike summer - sunny, in the 70s, and perfect for being outside, and one of a nice string of this kind of weather - finally! It's wonderful to open up the house and hear the birds, bees, and frogs! And then there are the black flies and mosquitoes the moment you step outside! Normally the black flies arrive with the wild cherry blossoms, and sure enough, as I was grumbling about having to get out the bug spray, I realized there are cherry blossoms in the woods in back of my house. The mosquitoes probably just love all the wet weather we've had and hatch accordingly. 

I had a message this weekend from Gretchen Farnsworth:  The loons in the channel are now on the nest in the usual spot. Jim has the warning signs out. 

This is good news. Please remember to give the loons plenty of space, especially when they are nesting and if they are successful in hatching a chick or two. With bald eagles in the vicinity, their chances of raising chicks to adulthood are slim, but last year they were successful, so maybe the trend will continue.

Many of our Joe's Pond friends are back from their winter getaways and our spring meeting of the Joe's Pond Association is scheduled for this Saturday. I expect there will be a lot to discuss at this meeting - milfoil, of course, and then there are preparations for celebrating the nation's 250th year. With the Fourth of July being on a Saturday this year, it promises to be an unusually busy weekend. There will be a boat parade to celebrate here at Joe's Pond - the first we've had in many years. Jeremy Grenier is in charge of organizing that, so anyone who is interested, get in touch with him - 802-505-0032. Be creative - the theme is, of course, the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation. Lots to work with there!

It is my understanding that fireworks, provided by generous donations from people around the pond and community members, will be fired off from the Cairns property on the Route 15 side of the 2nd narrows, the same as last year. They will be on the 3rd, with rain-date of July 5th. 

The nice weather has inspired me to get things done I have been putting off and thinking about for a while. I've cleaned and relocated a nesting box for birds - but haven't seen any "takers" yet. I got my hummingbird feeder out this weekend and within minutes, two males showed up. I've already replenished it once, so they are definitely using it. My lawn is getting to the point where it really needs to be mowed, but my mower guy's trailer has broken and it's taking a while to get it fixed. My mower is out of commission - just that the battery hasn't been put back in place yet. Jamie has it and he has been busy every possible moment either at work or getting his own stuff done at home. We'll see hoe it goes - I'm sure Jamie can get my mower going quickly once he has a moment.

I had my house pressure washed - not the usual pressure washing, but a "soft wash" that is used for vinyl siding like mine. It came out better than I would have believed possible. I'm so impressed with the work Top Dawg in Lyndonville did - the two yung men who came were super nice and even though they arrived during a snow flurry, and then had to endure cold rain most of the time they were working, they got it done in good time and did a really nice job - everything looks like new.