May 18

We have breaks in the clouds today and every time the sun pokes out I turn my head and stare out the window. The lake is still and deep green, reflecting the thick trees at the banks. Algae has grown up around the edges due to the recent heavy rains and high water. A fish jumped. I'm told there are small mouth bass and bluegill among other fish in the lake. Yesterday I spotted a big ugly muskrat in my brand new garden. I watched as he chewed off a branch of the forsythia I had planted last month. The little dog started barking and I agreed. We won't be having any of that in my garden. So, I put on Wellies and marched out to face the big rat. It ran away, ducking under the fence and slipping into the lake. I then sprinkled the garden with cayenne pepper. Hopefully it will deter any further marauding. We will see. But for now the sun has disappeared behind the clouds and I turn back to my computer to write. Cheers~