Merry Christmas

From our family to yours all of us here at The Platz would like to extend our best wishes for a blessed Christmas holiday.  

And may you find a new chew toy in your stocking...

 

Getting Better

Blonde Dog had a surgical procedure yesterday morning to remover a growth, mass, tumor from hear ear.

From last evening there was this.

Improved today and on the mend.  This dog is the epitome of the stoicism of the Labrador retriever race.  A real trooper.

Merry Christmas

The staff here at The Platz would like to extend their best wishes for a blessed Christmas holiday.  

And may you find another new chew toy in your stocking...

 

TIme Travel

Recently I was taking a walk down memory lane while looking at photos of our black Lab taken over the years.  We sure had some adventures - that is for sure.  Anyway, there was this photo taken thirteen years ago  - October of 2007.  Almost to the day.

That's our Inky dog on the porch checking-out the pumpkins from the garden.

And a similar photo snapped the other day of our Queenie dog taking in the sun on a beautiful autumn day.

 

As a test of your powers of observation - can you ascertain what time of day these photos were taken?

Other than the addition of the blonde Lab and loss of the black Lab what else has changed over the last thirteen years?

Walking the Dogs

The Dowager Retriever is 103 years-old yet kicks-up her heels at the start of a daily walk - if only for a few moments before she is winded.  Gonna miss this stinky dog when she's gone.

From our walk today we noted this...

Stiff Goldenrod is beginning to come online

An ocean of big blue stem (this stuff is 6-7 feet tall and you can get lost in it)

Joe-Pye Weed in the rain garden out back

Blue Vervain in the rain garden too 

 

Strawberry Moon

 

 

 

Let the girls out for a tinkle just before 11 PM.

 

And there was this. 

Strawberry moon rise over the ancient pump house.

Progress Report

Talk about a busy day here at The Platz.      

From our walk this morning evidence conditions are slowing drying-up and greening-up.        

And if you look closely the wild strawberries are blooming in the turf.      

Labs and Hoomins 1.1 miles.    

Meanwhile - While we were on our walk we also live-streamed granddaughter’s high school graduation occurring in Hattiesburg, MS.   

And then there was garden work.  In keeping with my German influence I planted two rows (each) of German Butterball taters and Stuttgarter yellow onions.       

These are terrific root veggies with incredible staying power.   Kept in the crisper of the garage fridge just about the time we make use of the last of them from the 2019 garden the harvest will be nigh from this year’s garden.      

Finally I made a plan for where to locate and reestablish the spargel patch.  Next week I have to fetch composted manure and potting soil – followed by the excavation for the bed. Backbreaking labor but likely the last time I’ll have to do in my lifetime.

Downward Dog

The ladies under my roof are big yoga aficionados.

And while this is not the Downward Dog pose - it comes close.

Blonde dog with Jill doing online live-streaming yoga via zoom in the sunny, upstairs yoga studio.....

Life With Labs

It's bad enough that the dogs have to be rinsed following our daily walk.  Such are the tribulations that come with mud season.

Her Highness was on the receiving end of a complete shampoo following today's walk.

The poo rolling has got to stop.....

Shaggy

From one of the trail cameras there was this long-haired, hippy freak and his dogs.

Need a haircut .......

Walking the Dogs

From our walk today there was a mighty wind.

And a snow day.

Wisconsin spring after all.....

Status

From our walk today.          

Deployed a couple of rebuilt nest boxes, swapped SD cards on five trail cameras. Blue birds and king birds are back. 1.3 miles for the hoomins. Mileage for the Labs is anybody’s guess.            

Still mud season.

Porch Setting

Following our daily walk the girls got their daily bath and underbody flush.  

And the sun came out!


Porch setting and bird watching with the Dowager Retriever.

Spotted were:  goldfinch, chickadee, robin, redwing black bird, brown creeper, hairy, downy and red bellied woodpecker.

More Signs of Spring

From our walk today we found evidence of this in the understory of the forest...

Pinus Strobus

Picea Glauca

White pine and white spruce.

After planting 40,000+ trees two and a half decades ago - we've noted lots of natural regeneration in the past half-dozen years.

The ash are doomed and spring arrives with more reasons to be hopeful.
 
Incidentally, it happens to be mud season here at The Platz.  The girls got a pre-rinse in the creek on the return leg home. 

 

Daily Recap

From our walk today we cleaned out 15 nest boxes including several that are going on their 23rd year of service. Built with pride by my two hands three houses ago.  Two additional boxes came home for a workshop rebuild before they’re returned afield.        

We put the seat down on the outdoor shitter. The stump and the hole are filled with water so it is officially a flusher.       

My first deer stand is not fixing itself and if it wasn't for all the green treated lumber would quickly return to the earth.         

And the girls will tell you they love mud season and kicking-up doodle birds.                 

Jill and I logged 2.2 miles - the Labs mileage is anybody’s guess. 

And I may dodge Covid-19 by complying with the quarantine but have likely contracted Hantavirus evicting white footed deer mice from bird boxes.        

Yee haw!

Walking the Dogs

With the frost beginning to go out of the ground, melting snowpack and rain the flooding down at the creek has been impressive. Nevertheless, in last 48 hours the waters have receded significantly.

From our walk we could see that the previous ice level stood more than a foot higher.

That is not the creek in the second photo - that’s a trail/firebreak - yet the water that flooded it laid the turf down in the direction of the flow.

It appears that the deer have eaten most everything except the emergent white spruce.

And we returned with a prize.

Raising a toast to mud season…..