Hawthorn Tree

The Hawthorn tree are just at their peak. There are several of them on the farm, as they are indigenous to the area. Right now, the blossoms are alive with the sounds of bees and other pollinators. I saw a bee as big as my thumb!

The Snowball Tree

All the tentative reminders of spring--the violets, the balm of Gilead, the lilacs--are finished. Suddenly, all the leaves on all the tress are out.


This snowball tree is very old, but it had been languishing in a grove of birch trees. It was only about three feet tall, when we decided to move it to its present location. Suddenly it grew and grew. They are right, it is all in the location.

Another Sunny Day

Another sunny day today. I went for a short walk this morning. The cherry and plum blossoms are out in full now, so are the magnolia blossoms. Even in this inner city, there is some greenery, you just have to search for it. By the new drug court there are a couple of maple trees that are just coming out with their leaves--the leaves are so new and green, almost fern-like. Behind the courts fencing, sits these small privot like plants that sweetly scent the air when they bloom in the early spring. One of the few times, I enjoy smelling the air around here. 

It is a shame there is little in the way of boulevards in this section of the city. Everything is cemented over. Once I was walking, and in a crack in the sidewalk, I noticed some grass, and stuck in the grass was a tiny sign that said, "Keep off the Grass." I know it was silly, but I think about it a lot.

Happily, I am riding out to the farm later today to finish digging the garden. I am only about a third of the way done. The weather has been so cold, that I don't think that anything I planted will be up yet. I try not to think about what life will be like without the farm. 

Tree Planting

Years ago, the Government appropriated the back of the farm to build a highway. For the last ten or so years, we have been collecting trees and planting them along fence right next to the highway. We tried to collect trees that are indigenous to the area. Digging them up from lots that were being developed and from trips to the river. The trees were all young and small.

This morning, I went for a walk along the treeline. The trees have filled in, and once the leaves come out, they should completely hide the highway. One of the trees, a cottonwood, is about eight metres tall now.

Today, I saw a small downy woodpecker sitting in a birch tree. When I see birds nesting and perching in the trees that I helped plant, I sometimes think this is one of the best things I have ever done.