Mud Season Is Upon Us!

The snows are melting and the flooding has begun! The road in front of our house is alternately massive puddles or deep wallows of mud. But it's all good, because it means spring is just around the corner!

We live on one of the few dirt roads in town. It's also "technically" a private road, which means only limited amounts of town money can be spent on maintaining/upkeeping the road. The alternative is to pave it but that means widening (and we'd all lose a great deal of our yards). So we put up with the mud in the spring, the dust in the summer and the ice in the winter.




Below is a picture of the pond on Brickyard Road, so named for somewhat obvious reasons. About 200 to 250 years ago, this section of town was involved in the business of making bricks. This pond was once a brick pit - where clay was dug for use in making bricks. Now beavers have moved in, bringing new life to the once almost-still pond. In the spring the water comes within milimeters of overflowing the road.

 



It won't be long before the trees leaf out and flowers start blooming. Then, driving further along Brickyard Road you'll see this green-canopied lane.

Spring Is Here

It's truly spring when the apple trees bloom! My camera doesn't do justice to the beauty of the blossoms. The pics below are of Brookfield Orchards, in North Brookfield.



This is one of the older sections. In the fall, the orchard opens up these rows of trees to "Pick Your Own" - an annual tradition for many families around here. Way off in the distance are the hills of Spencer, MA.

Across the road from the section shown above is this field of younger trees (below). Notice the stonewall running parallel to the pavement. Typical New England, including the daffodils!
The birds are singing all day. At night, the peepers keep up their incessant racket. The maple trees are blooming and leaves are unfurling everywhere. SPRING IS HERE!