www.singingfalls.com/seine

Lambs are being born two at a time. The weather isn't cooperating very much. The snow and rain have come in the nights when the young ungulates least need it. I always marvel at the resilient buoyancy of the lambs and kids. They'll hunker down in the night with mama at their side. As soon as the flock stirs they are up and running. Shortly they are exploring the volcanic rock formations testing their new found legs and hooves. They go about in pairs romping about and skip jumping sideways. They are full of life and their body language screams to all the world that life is precious and worth living.

As for me, it suits me just fine to watch from the indoors within eye shot of the Russian Masonry Furnace. It wasn't too long after the truck accident that I came down with a severe case of the creeping crud. Actually I came down with it twice in a row. This is one of the great benefits of being consistently exposed to the public. For many years living as a recluse I rarely became ill. This was a nasty bug that has been closing down the local schools and send many of all ages to the hospital with pneumonia. Antibiotics of the most intense kind reserved for the mean bugs don't seem to be dealing with it. But now I am on the rebound and grateful for it.

I have been planting in the riparian zone again. This time I am placing 50 Blue Elderberry Trees and 50 Pacific Dogwood Trees. That will be the final phase of the planting regime in the riparian area. My plan is to place 50 concord grape vines in the old garlic bed area. They are hardy and native to North America. It seems the pioneers went to great lengths to plant many of them in this region. I hope to harvest a hand full of slips this week and get them in the ground.

Alexandra has purchased a claw foot tub. Several years ago my brother Casimere visited with his wife. Using the shower was "quite primitive" in his words. So this spring will have a remodel job of the bathroom to make any guest feel clean when using it. The cedar paneling has gotten very bleached and mold stained. Kind of creepy looking actually, even for a crusty old granola like me. So inside work project too.

Over the last few months I have endeavoured to get a handle on the concept of AGW (Anthropogenic Global Warming) and global warming in general. As is my custom I start from the place of the skeptic and seek to understand various perspectives associated with differing views. And as usual my ideas on the matter do not fit neatly into anyone particular camp. Suffice it to say these are very unique times and the politicization of ideas is nasty business.