Preparing for Spring

Wood Duck boxes is what you are looking at. Wood Duck boxes and their creator.

There are people who follow plans and then there is Ted. There's always room for improvement. Do some research, think like a duck, and go for it.

These boxes are scheduled to be installed at Northumberland Land Trust properties in March. The Laurie Lawson Outdoor Ed. Centre, the Wilkinson, Jack van Nostrand, and and Chub Point nature reserves will get one each, and Lone Pine Marsh will get 3.

Things don't always go the way you hope for. The entry holes were supposed to be consistently in line with the sides of the box. OOPs! Ted was disappointed with this "error". I quite like it. I think ducks might resonate with irregular entry holes. It seems a lot like nature to me.

Oh and.... those little cuts under the opening? An outside ladder. You never know when you'll need a ladder getting into your Wood Duck house.

At the front is a clean-out door. A little indentation was made so that volunteers will have an easy time of opening the door.

Inside - another ladder - this time for fledglings. Wouldn't it be cool to have a remote camera inside this box? You could watch the little ducks trying to climb out. And, tumble down, and try again. And then, if only you could understand duck talk. "Whoops! Darn! Get out of my way!" Yellow - because it's a duckling talking. Get with the program.

The final touch was a closer that is offset so that it always stays closed. Of course it is, this is Ted.

Meanwhile back in the dining room, there were more preparations for springtime. 12 Kale, 18 Napa Cabbage and 34 Mesclun Mix seeds were planted. Well, it's really double that - 2/pod. The heating pad was turned on, the light too. We are hoping they will be ready to transplant in the outdoor Vegepod sometime in late March or early April to get an early start of the season. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We'll see how it goes.

I'll leave you with these thoughts for springtime:

“Only someone who is well prepared has the opportunity to improvise.”

Ingmar Bergman

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“Sorrow prepares you for joy.

It violently sweeps everything out of your house,

so that new joy can find space to enter.

It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart,

so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place.

It pulls up the rotten roots,

so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow.

Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart,

far better things will take their place.”

Rumi

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