Look what's guarding our garden

So that Monday swim sucked big time according to the clock. Good thing I wasn't fussed about it. My legs felt really heavy and slow from the weekend ride, I think. Twenty trips up and down stairs carrying seven heavy wine kits, and 15 cases of bottles had nothing to do with it, I'm sure.

The Meglioli Moscat white that was taking forever to settle was dealt with firmly. I got out the drill and whipped the bejazzes out of it. I guess I didn't do a good enough job the first time because I got some more froth and tiny bubbles. Then I added some Isenglas I'd picked up, then stirred some more. In less than 24 hours it settled more than it had done in the previous month, and a day later even more progress is being made. At last.

Our little plum tree has buds on it, and I suspect blossoms will be soon. Photos then. I shouldn't, but I sometimes chuckle at Linda. She has a great green thumb with her plants, yet she worries that nothing will come up. She feared the back garden would be a frozen wasteland with 3 dead trees and lots of plants just lying there. Of course, everything is coming up gang-busters! Since we've fenced the back yard, put in the patio, and sheltered the garden with the lodge, it warms up much quicker, and the plants seem to like it. Even though gardening here is risky before May long weekend, she is out, hard at it. She's been itching for weeks to get started.

I spent this evening setting up the two rain barrels we got because it's supposed to rain soon. I'd only done one of them last year for complicated reasons. What's funny is the kit includes threaded joiners that don't fit the size of threaded openings. I don't know why. At least I got enough of ones that fit.

Linda had found this beautiful dragon to hide the end of the downspout, and I installed that as well. I need to fiddle with the base a bit more but I want to see exactly how the rain barrel settles when it's full.

Curtis was underfoot, trying to get into my lap every trip back and forth to get tools. Even when I was in the bathroom. When I looked like I was actually thinking about sitting down in my easy chair, he was RIGHT THERE! It's tough typing on a lap top, when your lap is full of cat. The struggles I go through for my blog readers.