Bob and I went to see if we could 'jump  start' J. Deere. Success! Bob mowed the yard, but high enough so that the beautiful purple violets are still visible. The trees are still tightly budded, but a haze of green promises leaves sometime soon! Speaking of green: the pond is that color too. I still didn't see any fish.
We spent some time pruning out the forsythia; I followed Jenny's advice and cut from the bottom and didn't give the bushes haircuts as we do in Gbury... I think you all will be pleased with the results! There's a bit more room to hang clothes, but still the drape of yellow flowers (soon to be green leaves). There has been no rain to speak of, yet tulips, and daffodils and the forsythia are in beautiful bloom. We may need to water soon if we continue to get no rain!

Bob and I did some spring clean up of the yard. Not much debris, but cleared some leaves from gardens and dead brush from front garden. J. Deere's battery won't start, expected since we never started this winter... Next visit will bring battery charger and see if that fixes it. Lawn not quite ready to mow...

March 30--
A wonderful family gathering for Eric V.'s memorial. Cousins from all sides, friends from near and far. Masters/Whitesides stayed at Thicut for reminiscences and ashes scattering. Rainy and cool outside, but warm and cozy inside.

Spring is coming! The daffodils have buds, the forsythia is about to flower, the quince, too.
The house seems chilly because it's warm outside! Furnace at just over 5/8ths.Driveway dry and not muddy, warm weather expected all week with little rain. The brook looks well within its banks, but the Connecticut river is high, so spring waters are coming from somewhere. We look forward to ARM's visit next week!

March 7
Daffodils up at Thicut! (not blooming, but out of the ground anyway). Pond murky but no ice. house fine. Snow last week was minimal and gone by today. The plants were VERY wilted but perked up after a healthy drink of H2O. I left the water on, ran the upstairs sink faucet until the rust was gone, same with kitchen, and flushed both toilets.
Brook looks great: not high, not low. Forsythia buds still tight...

The sun is shining brightly! and 35 degrees. Snow predicted for tomorrow!
Everything looks fine; a skim of ice on the pond. The oil tank reads just over 1/4 full, cold weather predicted for next week will bring it down some.

Feb 4

Bob and I checked things out; what a mild winter!
The oil tank registers about 3/16th and 49 degrees on the basement thermometer, 55 in the kitchen. A balmy day.
The pond is unfrozen, but of course, no sign of fish.
Bob sawed himself a cane from a thin maple tree near Lady Brook for a sprained ankle he sustained while running around our neighborhood: tripping on a rut formed by the October snow storm's fallen trees... no real snow since then!!