Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Farewell















The month has ended on a “high” note . . . weather-wise, that is, with temps topping the 75 mark today.  Way too hot, too soon.  This season was the first in my 44 year history at Bon Bon Acres that a spring “pond” did not fill up the lower pasture. Further proof of the severity of a decades long drought.  As our friend Jeff explained, “The process works like a sponge.  Rain and runoff are soaked up into the earth until it becomes saturated.  At that point, water is expelled back, filling up wetlands.”  Those of us who love Minnesota’s lakes and ponds are praying for a cool, abnormally wet and refreshing May.


Even in the best of springs,  April is always  bittersweet around Bon Bon Pond.  With a catch in my throat and a tear in my eye, I must bid adieu to my beloved winter birds.  The Juncos and Redpolls and sweet Pine Siskins have pulled out and I am lonely already. Thank goodness for the Red-winged Blackbirds who always lift my spirits with their friendliness and songs of pure joy. The sociable cowbirds have also returned, as well as the lil’ tailwaggin’ Eastern Phoebes and the female Redwings, who always come well after their mates.  The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Orioles can’t be far behind. And then,  the pièce de résistance, those flying jewels, the Hummingbirds will arrive.  And so goes the circle of life around Bon Bon Pond. 

Monday, April 29, 2013

Unwelcome Visitors




The dreaded deer ticks are out.  I found my first bloodsucker tonight . . . crawling behind my ear.  The Lord must have been with me to find it, much less get it off, as they are so incredibly tiny.  This close encounter frightened me as I’ve never had one in my head before.  My worst fear is one getting into my dark hair filled head.  Hello Lyme Disease. 

Thanks to my beloved birdies, and turkeys, dog ticks are nearly a thing of the past around Bon Bon Pond.  Incredibly, this new deadly disease-carrier has made me yearn for the good old days of their larger relatively harmless cousins. 

Tomorrow, the Permethrin comes out.




Thoughts for the Springtime Work Week Ahead


Sunday, April 28, 2013

Fun at the Office


Boy, I really want to work in this office!  Are they hiring?