Peony Week

It's a week of gorgeous peonies every day at GardenMaine.com. Starting with this beauty on Jan. 23 and continuing through the week on The Daily Plant.

Sprouts for the new sprout

I've written my first story for GardenMaine.com. Since it is just a sprout itself, I thought it appropriate to launch things for the gardening side with a story about sprouts.

You can link to the story here. I hope you wander around the site and read a few pieces.

And keep in mind that we are just a sprout, but great things come from one tiny seed. So please keep coming back for more for there are big doings ahead.

Kai's anniversary walk

We took an extra long walk today, since it's been a tough week with bad weather and it was the boy's anniversary. Not to mention, it was 40 degrees and sunny and felt like spring, not Jan. 2. Here we are at the start of the walk, heading past the greenhouses and hayfield.

Checking out Pine Ridge near the pond.

Sniffing, sniffing, sniffing near Cedar Brook.

On the loop-de-loop.

Back to the hayfield, which he promptly ran across and I had to chase him.

Kai's anniversary morning

It was up and snuggling this morning with the anniversary boy. Ain't he the cutest thing?

And a big grin!

Happy anniversary, Kai

Happy anniversary, baby Kai! Three years today since you came home to us.

Thanks to all his rescue folks near and far. We love you!

Merry, merry

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Not exactly camouflaged

This is the reason why Kai wears his "hunting jacket" all the winter long.

We'd walked down to the pond and were headed back toward the mill. It was snowing steadily and he had raced out ahead of me. I stopped, set the camera and hollered. He turned back to see what I could possibly want.

Just a picture.

The irrepressible pansies

Two snowstorms later and the pansies in the whiskey barrel are still blooming. It warms the heart, seeing those little faces in all kinds of weather and giving hope to keep on keeping on no matter the storm.

According to the Society of American Florists, the Victorian meaning associated with the pansy is loving thoughts.

They do look thoughtful, don't they?

A Sunday stroll with Kai

The snow was a-melting Sunday when we did the loop at the tree farm. By Monday morning all the snow on the path was gone.

The boy doesn't quite know what to do: first there's snow, then there isn't. Unfortunately he decided to roll Sunday - in the mud!

He got washed, his cute blaze-orange vest got washed and I just shook my head. He is such a boy!

Cold crop

After years of trying, I finally managed to grow Brussels sprouts. Not that they would have won any awards, mind you, but they were fun to watch grow.

Check out my column this weekend on bangordailynews.com to read more about my longtime obsession with the sprouts.