The first weeks back at home.

It was good to be back home ! 

The first weeks back at home are always very busy. 

First we assessed the damage the storm had done.

Garden fence and arbor damage after the winter storms

There was not so much around our house, 

only the garden fence and arbor were battered, 

but that we can fix again.

But on our first walk around the natural area we saw a lot of downed trees. 

Storm damage in the woods nearby

Workers will be busy a long time cleaning 

all the hiking trails for the coming summer season. 

Second: The trailer had to be cleared out and, for a while, 

Everything has to be cleared out and cleaned

there was chaos in both trailer and the house until everything was stored away again. 

Chaos everywhere for a while

Then followed a week of deep cleaning, 

Soon - to be cleaned up again

with toothbrush and Q-tips for the nooks and crannies. 

Soon the first summer renters will arrive and everything has to be squeaky clean.

Two days after we arrived I sowed a few tomato seeds. 

It seemed very late to do this year.

10 days after seeding tomato seeds

Today, I potted them into individual pots and 

16 days after they moved into their own pots

within the next six weeks 

I hope that they will be ready for transplanting into the garden. 

Outside the temperatures have been like in late February. 

Nothing is really green yet. 

But some of the migrating birds have found their way back to our area.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, singing (Kronenwaldsänger)

On May 4 we documented the arrival of the first Hummingbird of the season, 

three days ahead of the usual arrival time. 

Poor thing was freezing in the chilly morning air!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird has arrived (Rubinkolibri)

A few Daffodils are blooming too, spring will be here soon.

Daffodils 

Despite being busy I found time to visit my favourite spot,

 a view point call Friar's Head.  

View from "Friar's Head" 
US: Eastport, Maine to the left, Canada: Campobello front and right, Deer Island in the background left

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Translation for my German readers

Nach der langen Reise war richtig gut wieder zuhause zu sein! 

Zuerst einmal haben wir uns die Schäden angesehen, 

die die Winterstürme hinterlassen hatten. 

Wir sind glimpflich davon gekommen, nur der Gartenzaun 

und der Arbor waren umgeweht. Aber das läßt sich leicht reparieren. 

Im nahegelegenen Wald sah es allerdings schlimmer aus. 

Da hatten die Sturmböen viele Bäume gefällt. 

und es wird noch Wochen dauern bis die Arbeiter alle Wanderwege 

wieder ganz in Ordnung gebracht haben. 

Als nächstes wurde dann der Campingwagen ausgeräumt 

und es herrschte Chaos im Haus bis alles wieder seinen angestammten 

Platz gefunden hatte. Dann kam eine Woche Intensivreinigung, denn Ende

Mai kommen schon die ersten Sommergäste und

da muß alles wieder super sauber sein.

Zwei Tage nach unserer Ankunft wurden 

noch schnell ein paar Tomatensamen gesät. 

Besser spät als nie!

Jetzt, nach guten zwei Wochen wurden sie heute 

in einzelne Blumentöpfe umgepflanzt. 

Jetzt haben sie noch etwa sechs Wochen 

bevor sie in den Garten umziehen können. 

Das Wetter ist noch recht kühl, zeitweise 

gab es sogar noch leichtern Bodenfrost. 

Doch Boten des nahenden Frühlings sind zu sehen.

Es blühen die Osterglocken und die 

ersten Zugvögel sind auch schon da. 

Am 4.Mai kam der erste Kolibri an. 

Sie überwintern in Mexiko. 

Von seinen roten Halsfedern war 

vor lauter Kälte nichts zu sehen. 

Er sah ziemlich verfroren aus, das arme Vögelchen. 

Trotz allem fand ich doch die Zeit

 meinen Lieblingsplatz zu besuchen. 

Die Aussicht von dort ist immer wieder wunderschön.

This and That

The other morning it was just a delight to walk Dixie 

along North Road (view of Lubec, Maine) and up around to

the cemetery. Everywhere the birds could be heard singing.

The dampness drying off made this look a bit eery.

Flocks of Palm Warblers have arrived 

looking for the first insects.

They arrived with lots of

Yellow-rumped Warblers 

a few days ago.

At the edge of a small inlet I saw 

a Greater Yellowleg.

At home it looks quite different:

The first bed is filled and Dixie was a great "helper".

She saw that I shovelled dirt and had to do the same.

With gusto!

It looks like a bomb has exploded.

*

In the house I have some small tomato plants

and basil seedlings growing.

I have my work cut out for me.

Translation

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Nach dem Regen kommt Sonnenschein, wie wahr. Der Morgenspaziergang war besonders schön mit Aussicht auf Lubec in Maine. Die Strassen waren so früh am Morgen noch leer. Auf dem Friedhof dampfte die Erde was ein bisschen gespenstig aussah. Überall singen jetzt wieder die Vögel. 

Die Palmsänger (Palm Warbler) und die Kronwaldsänger (Yellow-rumped Warbler) 

sind erst vor ein paar Tagen angekommen. Am Ufer eines kleinen Brackwassersees 

sah ich einen Grossen Gelbschenkel (Greater Yellowleg) durch das Wasser stolzieren. 

Zuhause dagegen sieht es anders aus. Eines der neuen Beete ist schon mit Erde gefüllt. 

Dixie hat dabei kräftig geholfen und mit voller Hingabe gegraben.

Es sieht aus als ob eine Bombe explodiert wäre!

Im Haus wachsen schon Tomatenplänzchen heran und in einem anderen Behälter 

spriessen Basilikum und Petersilie. 

Es sieht nach Arbeit aus! 

Green thumbs

"Long time no see", and that's a fact. 

I have been absent for quite a while. 

Not that I couldn't have posted about something, 

but I thought nothing was worth while writing about.

Now, gardening is important, at least it is important to me. 

That's what has happened:

This year my gardening season started early in March. 

That was possible because we stayed at home this winter.

I soon found out, it was not early enough. 

I should have started some of the seedlings in February already. 

Well, that will be the plan for another spring.

As I said, I stared out in March. 

Searching the internet I found several "hacks" that I tried. 

One was this: glue tiny seeds on kitchen paper or toilet paper and be ready when the season starts. Just a little dab of flour/water paste keeps the seed in place. 

After several hours of drying the seed rolls were marked and stored in an empty coffee container. Ready to roll out when the time is right.

I was very lucky to get 2 special small green houses this spring. 

They are a generous  gift from one of my neighbours. 

Thanks to that it was very easy to keep the tiny plants 

warm and cosy during the cold winter days.

In April I started out in the out door green house, that hubby build for me last fall. 

Some of the plants survived the cold nights there under an extra layer of plastic 

and on top of a heating mat. 

Now, at the end of May things are really looking somewhat like a nursery.

Lots of vegetables and annuals are crowding for space. 

Our camper awning was re-used for shading the new plants. 

They easily can get sunburned.

I also created new window boxes from last years plants 

that over-wintered well in our house. 

See, that's were I found out that I could have started out in February.

That way the plants would be blooming already by now.

Now I have to wait another couple of weeks 

before I see the flowers.

Others plants are already transplanted into the garden beds. 

This year I use a fabric cover to keep out the beetles and 

protect the young plants from the still cool nights. 

Tomatoes, melons, beans and corn have to wait until the middle of June. 

They stay inside the green house for another couple of weeks.

Better play "it safe than sorry."

All in all it has been fun and that's how it should be. 

More about my "hacks" and the results in a different posting.