Every Spring is Different - Nine Years of Blogging

Nine years ago I wrote my first blog post. Easter was late that year but spring was in full swing. Much has changed in nine years. The garden continues to evolve, the gardener's pace has slowed down a bit and the weather, never a sure thing here in New England, continues to challenge the spirit. Many perennials are emerging as are the leaves of some of the early flowering shrubs. The lilacs are well into green buds. The scene is set for a nice slow spring but, no. A good six to eight inches of snow arrived on Monday and Tuesday the low temperature was 15F. The snow cover served the perennials well providing inches of insulation but there is cold damage on the lilac leaves and flowers. The magnolia stellata was just beginning to open. Time will tell if the unopened buds will drop or unfurl. No matter, most plants will survive. Heavy rains arrived on Wednesday to wash all that snow away. We are back to April weather this morning. Garden cleanup can continue and the lawn continues to brighten to a rich shade of green. The first flowers of spring which include dandelions are again visible. Spring is such an active time in the garden for plants, wildlife, birds and the gardener. Gibbs, the new Job Supervisor in the form of a chocolate lab,  is growing big and strong. He seems to have a bit of a penchant for digging which will have to be curbed a bit. At five months old, he has wrapped himself around our hearts even on those rainy days when he whines to go outside seemingly oblivious to the heavy rain. He has helped to once again establish the routine of walking around the garden each morning, coffee in hand. I check out the plants and he checks out all those scents on the ground. All is right with the world. Thank you for reading this blog. Many of you have been reading for nine years. Blogging has provided a outlet for sharing my garden with a big world. I plan to continue as the garden is ever changing.  

Introducing L.J. Gibbs

I think I have perfected it. The 'it' being the perfect way to start the new year. L.J. Gibbs! Gibbs came home to Ledge & Gardens on January 1, 2016. He now weighs 15.5 lbs. This Gibbs has no TV fame but we hope he has the longevity of that long running TV show NCIS. We already know that our Gibbs is much more emotionally responsive than the one on TV. Gibbs is 8 weeks old. He was born on November 6, 2015. We did consider adopting a pound puppy but Tucker and Cooper, the past canine residents here, came from the most wonderful home, Tonmar Kennels in CT. They breed Labrador Retrievers. Tucker and Cooper were both yellow labs. Tucker lived to the ripe old age of 16 and he was a dignified dog. Cooper came home with us in 2010. Cooper was a bit of a 'honey badger'. I introduced him in a post here. He was top dog from the day he arrived. Tucker was too dignified to argue that fact. Cooper should still be with us but he developed complications from Lyme disease and went over the rainbow bridge just a few weeks after Tucker in May of 2014. As you can see, Gibbs is a chocolate lab. Who doesn't love chocolate?  I am finding it a bit more difficult to photograph him with his dark face and eyes. If the snow ever arrives, I am sure it will be a bit easier.We have been without a dog for over a year and we have missed that companionship. A dog is four legged love. Unconditional love! I just read that the Dalai Lama has said that "Love is the absence of judgement". While I am sure he was talking about people loving without judgement which, as we all know, is difficult. Dogs don't judge. They just love. Gibbs will teach us the way as did Tucker and Cooper before him. He is the new Job Supervisor. He is too young yet for the responsibilities of that title but as he grows he will learn to oversee all garden tasks and provide a bit of deer management. We hope. Don't tell him just yet. For now, he is just providing endless entertainment. He is adjusting to his new home and so far loves the leaves, the fields and his meals. He also likes a good cuddle. He is mildly inquisitive. On his second day here, we went for a walk and I took him over to the fish pond for the first time. I was watching closely but I was unprepared when he just stepped off the edge. Labs love water but they cannot walk on it any better than a human. I should have been prepared since Cooper did the same thing although it was summer and it was a dunk into the swimming pool. Puppies need a more gentle introduction to water than total immersion. It was a chilly 25F. Needless to say, we both had a bath and there was a bit of shivering and whimpering. Gibbs got me to stop that pretty quickly with a lick and a kiss. Winters can be so long here in New England. I think that Gibbs will keep us pretty busy until the garden beckons. Whoever he is, top dog or lap dog, the EM (Equipment Manager) and I will love him without judgement.