I got 75 trees through Oneida County Soil and Water Conservation District this year – 25 white pine seedlings and 50 white spruce transplants. The seedlings were foot and a half to 2′ in size from root tip to branch tip. The transplants were 3-4 feet tip to tip. The seedlings were easy to plant using the tree planting bar that my dad had made each got set in with an adjoining fertilizer tablet. The transplants required a hole to be dug with a shovel. With all the rain that we received on Saturday the ground was moist and easily dug. 40 of the trees went to form a double row along the north side of the pasture with 10 in the NW corner to protect the house and another 20 forming a double row along the west side of the pasture.

Our neighbor has had a small flock of geese on his farm pond the past few years and they have recently begun to cruise one of our ponds as well. They haven’t ever been shot at as their solution to dog or people threats is to merely jump in the nearest water body. Effective vs coyotes, but not against armed threats. Trey can barely be seen on the opposite shore.

Eric has been into having puppet shows done for and with him.  He started off just being a spectator but now is starting to take some roles in the shows.  The shows are structured only in that Horse is the emcee and introduces the play and says “The End” at the end.  The rest is all free lance, but sometimes entertaining.

I have been planning a couple of canoe trips:

The first weekend in May I am planning a trip with Skip.  Originally I wanted to canoe/portage from Goodluck Lake into Spectacle Lake, but I have decided that my hip isn’t quite ready for carrying a pack and canoe over 1.8 miles of uneven ground yet.  So we are considering an alternative trip: either down the Jessup River to Indian Lake or down the West Sacandaga and spend the night in a camp.

June 17-19 I am planning a trip down the Chenango River from Sherburne to Chenango Forks – about 46 miles.

On Thursday of this week I started walking without a cane. I still use it occassionally if I have been sitting for a while or if my muscles are sore. I sometimes have a bit of tip or lean, but it is coming along well. Yesterday at PT I stepped on a stair climber for the 1st time. I struggled to make the 5 minute mark – I am out of shape and my legs are weak. This Tuesday I go back to work……

This morning we colored eggs. It was a miracle – no spills, no broken eggs!

Eric helped Kathryn make chocolate pudding last night and here he is reaping the rewards.

A sure sign of spring is the increase number of deer coming out of the woods below us to browse on new green grass.

It was four weeks ago today that I entered Hamilton Hospital for my hip replacement surgery.  As of yesterday I began walking with a cane – at least for part of the day.  I am still careful in making certain movements and don’t tolerate hard chair surfaces well, but all things considered it is rehabbing fine.

We got a small tricycle for Eric yesterday and he tooled around on the deck learning how to make it move, ring the bell and steer.  He had a blast and it was a lot of fun watching him enjoy it.