Feed the Birds

As Western Mass. suffers through a long winter, and with several inch's of snow on the ground it is a good idea to throw out some old bread for the birds. I am not much of a bird feeder so to speak and we do not have one on our property. So we just throw out old bread and cereal and hope the birds get it before Sam the dog gets it. With no foliage on the trees and plants, now would be a good time to do winter pruning. Although it is a little early for some material, most trees would benefit from some structure and safety pruning while no leaves are on the tree. And you can see exactly what you are doing. In fact many tree companies will offer this service during this part of the year and usually at a discounted rate.

Our in door plants are really beginning to suffer. And many recommendations would be to place them in the shower to help with the dry air in the house. This would be good except our plants are the size of small trees. So instead we spritz them with a water solution in a small spray bottle. And when the grandchildren are over they like to do this with us and they play a game called jungle. They have a great imagination.

Even though it is the middle of winter I can see some small changes  to some of our outdoor plants. First, most are covered in snow. But some of the buds are changing in color and size. So with that I will hope for an early spring.

Finento
I plan on visiting a few green houses over the next couple of weeks to see what is brewing. They will all start growing soon if they haven't already.
The start of the horse racing season is upon us. That will give me something to do in my spare time. Now I know horse's run all year some where. But I generally only follow the 3 year olds. And you know the first Saturday in May can not come quick enough. Look for J.Ps Gusto and Uncle Mo to be early favorites. Yet I still think there is a underdog out there who has not shown it's true racing form yet. We will keep looking.
This is the time of year that my father would cook up a family style dinner for Sunday gatherings. Pasta, meatballs, chicken,pork,and salad all on one table. I can still see it. Until next time,

                 Eddie Pagliaro
                 A.K.A. The New Zeppelli King

P.S. Where have you gone Grace Slick