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I understand the whole "mercy of the frost" effect.

You wish you could talk the fruiting tree's bushes etc into holding off a bit sometimes.

No kidding. We had ours wrapped in shirts and tarps and whatever we could get around them for 4 days in pretty strong winds. I think we saved a bit of it, but the paw paws are totally shot for the year and at best we will get maybe a dozen apples and plums.

The commercial guys are the ones that really took the hit.

You could see this one coming and nothing could be done. Most of the fruit crop guys in this state have no crop insurance so they are going down hard. The corn/bean guys didn't plant because insurance brokers wouldn't sell them coverage to start before a given date.

We are going to have brown oaks and hackberries this year. I'm hoping they will releaf. Not sure if they can though.

The oaks are more robust up here and seem less effected by the tricks of mother nature in the spring.

I see it more in our wild blueberries, they flower too early. Plums and pincherry trees flower too early too, chokecherries seem a little safer, highbush cranberry seem pretty safe too.

Although winds will wreck any of the high stuff, and of course you need water...

It's all got to come together to give a good crop of anything but early bloom can really end it before it can start.

We might have saved 1/2 of our blueberries. With luck the basswood will bloom well this year. My honeybees make the world's finest honey when that tree blooms hard. Right now, all the marbles are on the basswood bloom coming in hard.

Yeah, we need water bad too. Supposed to get some tonight through the weekend. Good soakers I think.

The upside to weather so far is that there must have been great overwinter survival for hen turkeys and pheasants. If we have a nesting/brooding season with moderate rain we might get good productivity heading into the fall. Pheasants have been hammered by hen-killing winters for 5 yrs running til this one, and then followed up each year with flooding rains. They really need some luck.

What's the prospects for grouse up there? I know they sometime crash hard in snowless winters. Any sign of that? I need to head north with Gus and chase a few again.

Numbers were down last fall (ruffed and sharpies)

Actually sharpies were way the hell down.

I havent been out enough this spring to know anything other than that the resident house grouse made the winter and he drums hard day and night close to the house. The silly bastard does it all year long.

Well my drainage problem is taken care of. The roto rooter guy was there and got a huge hunk of roots out of the pipe. Works great now.

The plumber was there and ran the gas line for my stove and hooked up the dryer. Fridge and stove are being delivered Saturday, so the electrition better get there and put the outlet in for the fridge.

Good deal, bathroom first, kitchen second, the rest falls into place.

Tzone, I'm looking for the pictures of that boat. And yes a fishing trip would be great!

Well how about that....

I'm so glad I hung in here for a few more minutes.



An uncle dusty post just sort of hit the spot tonight.

Same report I'm gettin too.

Uncle Dusty. You got it.

It's an 04, she's pretty clean. My bro in law thought it was new. No scratches, carpet has seen some use, but not much. I haven't had time to set it up yet, but I might get to it this weekend.

wow Tom, she's purty!

I won't likely make it out fishing for a while. work has been keepin me really busy. is that an old pic or are the lakes still froze up there?

Awful good to see Unk Dusty chiming in.Glad to see you back,sir.

Hey Brent,you keep mentioning conditions where you are but your avatar space shows eight states.So where exactly are you?I'm confused.

Here in South Carolina we had a low yesterday morning of 34 degrees.This morning it is 38 degrees.We have had such an early spring.The hen turkeys seem to already be on the nest and the gobblers and jakes are grouping up again.Veddy strange season.

Beau,the new dog and the pup,Charlie have really bonded in the week or so we have had Beau.They are almost inseparable.I'm very very pleased with the new dog.Probably one of the best animals I have ever had the pleasure to be around.Just as the pup seemed to bond more to Linda,Beau goes everywhere I go and when I sit in the recliner he is right there in my lap.

Stan in SC

That's a really nice boat Tom, I still haven't gotten ours wet. Supposed to be low 60's tomorrow and LOW is wide open, no ice left...

Thanks guys. The only time this one's been wet since i've had it, was when it rained.

I need to do a shakedown run before I take the kids out in it. Rumor has it we're supposed to get snow on Monday...fun.

Coolest thing happened last night...I looked in my garage and there was a boat! I prolly need to get that sucker out! I use it as a storage unit all winter, it is fun to climb in and see what is in there.

Spring here is a little early, but within the realm of normal I would say. When we get some rain (today?), it will really pop and the grass will explode. Nasty weather here today; coldy, rainy, and windy.

That is a sweet lookin Pro V Tom!

I'm confused though. Didn't you just buy a different Ranger? What am I missing?

OH I think I got it. Someone said "Hey Tom! You have a nice big Yammy!"

And you thought hmmmmmm......

Nice boat Tom, be a dandy for catching sturgeon right now. Hello to you Uncle Dusty! Good to here from you!

It's a loooooooong story rooster, but yes, I did.

So you had a big Yammy and now you have a little Johnson!!!