Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Great Thaw


It's the last week of February and the teasers of spring are out (despite the forecast calling for three consecutive days of rain). I've been assessing the state of the yard, which entails quite a bit of standing around with my hands on my hips and a furrowed brow. Today I thought I'd throw a layer of hay/compost that had been tossed into a spare garbage can some months ago on the garden for some soil enrichment.

When I took off the lid I discovered that the can had filled up over 3/4 of the way with rain water and created a putrid smell that can only be compared to bodies being dismembered in lye. Not being able to deal with the heavy can myself, I went into the house and roused Jacob from the couch where he napped alongside a sick Vaughn (Jacob's spring plans have included fasts and joining a running group but today seems to be all about a last minute hibernation). Jacob had a hard time understanding the urgency until he got around the side of the house and his gag reflex also kicked in. Ah, the ghost of the goats still lingered. Or at least the ghost of their shit. After getting the water down the drain, Jacob retreated back inside to the couch and I dug up the yard to bury the rotting hay.

The picture embedded in this blog is Vaughn being towed around Trillium Lake on a sled. He fell asleep about 15 minutes into the journey. Rest is in his genes.