Whitewater house needed a little attention after a month's neglect. About 15 gallons of maple samaras, mostly soggy and sprouted, clogging the gutters. The gutters here seem to require cleaning three times a year: late fall, early spring, and about now.

The sidewalk along the south side of the house was close to impassable without a machete—Vi's dogwood reaching in from the south and almost meeting the alpine current hedge sprawling away from the garage wall.

All is lush. The three mighty oaks in the back yard were leafless when we left the first of May. Now the trees are heavily clothed in green. Of course, that means we will be raking huge piles of brown come October.