Good news!
The Great Blue Heron has returned! In fact, there were four of them on the lake a few days ago. They are magnificent creatures!
Yesterday morning there were 5 or 6 deer in the back yard when I raised the blinds. At first my eyes didn't even see them as they fit into the landscape so well. Then they moved and I saw some white. One stag was quite large and he left right away. Finally there were only two left - a female looking straight at me and not moving, and her younger son (or daughter). We stood quite still, both of us looking at each other for the longest time. Her son moved a bit as he was noshing on something on the ground, and get this! she raised her foreleg and actually gave him a shove! I thought I might have imagined it, but there! she did it again! It was just like a human mother giving a push to her wayward son! Amazing! Then they both trotted off.
Lots of ducks and geese on the lake, too. Spring is surely here, even if it doesn't feel like it!
If March continues to be cold, at least we can count on April. My seedlings are growing along. I keep transplanting them in bigger pots and soon I will run out of room. Yikes! The weather better warm up early this year so I can get my tomatoes, peppers, etc. into the ground early!
I'm still working on the Spray Drift pamphlet. It's turning out really well. The Illinois Organic Growers Association website is up now. Anita and I are co-chairs of the spray drift sub-committee. All these committees and subcommittees are something else! If I start speaking in "bureaucratic speak" then slap my wrists!
Seriously many feel that spray drift incidents are 'way underreported, because most people don't know how to go about reporting an incident. In fact, one retired Univ of IL ext gentleman suggested only 10% of the spray drift incidents ever get reported. With the aid of our "Pesticide Drift in Illinois: How to Report a Pesticide Drift Incident" pamphlet, affected growers and citizens will now know what to do. We think Illinos Dept of Ag should be aware of the extent of the problem.
If you know of anyone who might be interested in this information, or want to give a copy to your library to use as reference material (as Paw Paw Library is doing), please contact SDEN (Spray Drift Education Network) at 815-988-2628 or go to our website at www.spraydriftillinois.com
Have a wonderful partly sunny day, dear Reader!