Teal Lake?

It rained this week, but Teal Lake did not make a grand appearance. Instead of a large backyard puddle, like previous years, we have a slow trickle of water miraculously draining away into the tiles we laid last year and making the underground journey to the drainage ditch. It isn't pretty back there yet, but perhaps by the end of the summer it will be beautifully landscaped (I can dream...), or maybe I will bring home a few nice lake rocks every once in a while and strategically intermingle them with tall ornamental grasses and wildflowers.

The apple orchards directly around our house seem to have fared okay in spite of the early warm temperatures and late snows. Though some of the blossoms have appeared sickly, others are bright and cheery. The bees were buzzing about in yesterday afternoon's warm sunshine and tractors have been running in and out the orchard roads in a constant hum of activity.


I have a few "favorite" apple trees behind the house. They actually sit just inside our property line, or very close to it. They are the old apple trees, Rhode Island Greenings, good for cooking but not the best eating apple. I love the gnarly way these old trees grow. This one reminds me of the tree from the movie "A Bug's Life".

Oreo decided to keep us company in the backyard yesterday. It is highly unusual to wander the yard without a cat  on my heels. He is kind enough to say hello to each of us as we stop to snap pictures or dig in the dirt.

Today it is cold enough for a small fire in the wood stove, just to "take off the chill," of course. We've decided to stay inside and play Duplos and marble chute.