The weather has finally begun to change for the better here in God’s country. Over the last week the snow has disappeared and I’ve been able to get outside and breath some fresh air without a parka, hat, and gloves.  But as well you know everything in nature is a balance.  You get some good and right along with that you get some bad.  Now begins the actual work of cleaning up after Mother Nature once again.

The snow cover this past winter lasted much longer than normal which has it’s good points.  Most of my perennials in the herb garden survived the winter unscathed.  I normally replace twenty-five percent of my plants each year but it appears this year to be much better than that.  The downside is that any plant tall enough to stick up through the snow was damaged severely by the long term cold during February. I’ve cleaned most of the debris out of the raised beds and discovered other issues that weren’t easily seen before.

Yesterday my better-half was frolicking in the yard with the grandson and made the mistake of sitting on the edge of one of the raised beds.  There was a loud crack and the board she was sitting on snapped in half requiring an immediate repair job and a trip to Lowe’s for me.

We also were able to remove a downed tree we lost during the first snow storm last Fall. It was a struggle but we finally cleaned up the area and removed the branches and trunk to a nearby woods.  I may cut it up later for use in our occasional bon-fires since it’s been sitting for a while and dry as a bone.  It should burn nicely.

We have a set of steps at the rear of the house that were badly damaged when at least five tons of ice slid off the roof and crushed all of the railings and a few of the steps. Fortunately the main structural beams were unharmed. Another trip to Lowe’s for more pressure treated lumber to make those repairs. Along with the mailbox replacement this  has become an annual event and one I’m very tired of dealing with.  I’m in the process now of redesigning and reinforcing the steps and hopefully that will resolve the issue for new year.

I took a walk through my garden yesterday and discovered that the deer have found us already and appear to be eating my chives as soon as they sprout. It’s been a tough winter on the wildlife here in Maine due to the heavy snow cover. I’ve been told that the further north you go the worse it gets.  The moose and deer have had a rough winter and I ‘m sure many of them didn’t survive.  The good news is the small herd that hangs around our house looks pretty damn healthy.  As I walked through my back yard I found piles of deer turds everywhere.  This just tells me that I’m going to be battling the deer for control of my garden all summer.  They’ve been spending a lot of time close to the house which in itself is unusual.

A few weeks ago I was in my man-cave doing my exercises on the treadmill when I looked out the window to see four or five deer casually walking by. They stopped near the house and were standing in the yard as calm as you please. That’s very unusual for ten o’clock in the morning on any day.  I’m afraid they’ve become comfortable near the house which will eventually make for a real battle this summer. It’s not only the deer but also rabbits and freaking groundhogs as well.  I’m going to be busy, busy, busy.

I was able to run for my camera and snap a few quick pics of those deer before they scampered into the woods. Here they are.

Who needs dogs and cats for house pets when you can have a herd of deer?