Trees bend, sway and flow across the windows as a stiff yet persistent gale drives a week-old low pressure system that has produced nearly three inches of rain out of the region.  Trunks bend in unison to the mounting wind giving the illusion that they are moving by as if through I'm staring out the window of a speeding automobile.

It's nearly the end of May and yet I'm still splitting firewood instead of planting my onion and potato sets.  We finally planted our new strawberry patch.  There are one hundred newly-planted red pine seedlings scattered throughout the property.  Large leave aster has just begun to poke it's stem out of the ground.  Signs of summer continue to emerge yet the temperatures are hard-pressed to breach 70.  Most nights are in the 40's- tonight it will freeze.

The last touch of light left me crouched over a small hole planting red pine samplings on the far corner of the land.  The woods were still when the gentle patter of a small foot on dried poplar leaves startled me.  I didn't have to search long to see the handsome male ruffed neck grouse ambling within an arm's reach.  He clearly wasn't aware of his surroundings.  Once he realized that I was there he abruptly flew up to the upper branches of a nearby tree where he proceeded to feed upon the budding poplar.  I watched for a few minutes in the diminishing light and then carried on planting the last couple of trees.