For the past week or so, Dave & I have been listening to Whip-poor-wills singing their songs. They are to be heard in the evening, and last a long time. According to A Guide to Field Identification Birds of North America (1983), the song lasts 55-60 minutes! We have never seen this bird, but enjoy its song, as a sign of spring, year after year. The song can be quite loud as the bird gets closer, and one blog writer described whip-poor-wills as “unshut-able.”

On another topic, I have mentioned how much I enjoy reading the police & sheriff’s reports in the Logan Daily. Here’s a sample from the Thursday paper:

Andy Ucker, Cox Road, reported that he found a roofing nail in his driveway on Saturday, April 29. A deputy talked with a neighbor who said he didn’t see anything suspicious in the area.

There’s probably more to this story, but don’t you WISH you lived somewhere where this is considered an important reason to call the law?

Have a great weekend!

Mary at Marsh Hollow

Yes, the lilacs are in full bloom as are the dogwood trees. They’ve been blooming for a week, but this weekend must have been the peak. The redbud trees are starting to leaf out, so the blooms are fading. I really can’t decide which is my favorite of these three – guess I don’t have too!

Even more exciting news: Dave saw a single hummingbird earlier this week. I’d better get the feeders washed, filled and hung up. Those little birds are very demanding.

Our Eastern phoebes built their regular nest on our front porch. I haven’t checked for eggs yet, but mama and papa phoebe are always around. Little Six (our black kitty) loves to sit on the window cell and watch them fly back & forth. They’ve picked a good spot – Six cannot climb up to the nest.

Our friend Sandy came over yesterday to hunt for mushrooms (morels). In past years, we have found a few, but expected better results ’cause we thought Sandy, being a born and raised country girl, would give us an edge. Not so. She told us we had lots of prime locations, but we found no mushrooms. Even the usual little patch had zip. We’ll try again in a few days, after we get the next rain.

However, we found a lot of wildflowers, among them Bluets, Violets, White Violets, Wild Sweet William, Large White Trillim and Golden Ragwort. The May Apples are sprouting everywhere, but the flowers aren’t open yet . Dogwood blooms appear to be floating at the edge of the woods, and the Redbuds are really putting on a spectacular display this year. Speaking of Dogwoods, there is an absolutely gorgeous old, pink Dogwood on Route 56 in Laurelville, just east of the Apple House. It blooms beautifully, year after year.

While not wild, our crabapple trees are heavy with flowers this year. And smell wonderful. The lilacs should pop open in a few days! My favorite.

Just a quick post – this morning I heard a lot of gobbling (as in many gobbles) from the pine grove near our Marsh Hollow cabin! Turkeys are very clever and we don’t see any around our home because of our dog patrol (Juice, Mac & Boede). It’s spring in the Hocking Hills.

I can’t take credit for this headline. It was in last Saturday’s Logan Daily News, which is the quintessential small town newspaper. I love reading it every day, especially the police and sheriff reports. And obituaries for some reason.

Anyway, turkey vultures are back in Hocking County doing their best to keep county and township roads clean. Clean of dead animals only – they leave the rest of the trash for someone else to pick up. They arrived in March, a sure sign a spring. The goldfinches are also starting to turn yellow. They’ve been in their drab winter dress, but dating season is upon us so the boys will be be bright yellow and black before long.

The Hocking County Tourism Association has a “birding” web page at http://www.1800hocking.com/birding. It includes a link to the Hocking Valley Birding Trail site, which includes a checklist to use during your visits to the area. It also points you toward great places to go watch for birds.

I’m about ready to go out to feed the girls (goats) and boys (horses). While I always enjoy it, the birds will be singing up a storm this morning making it even better.

Just about everybody we know could see this coming: we’ve decided to keep “Bode” since no one has come forward to claim him, and because he is a very nice dog. He’s been to the vet for shots and “fixing” so now he’s definitely a keeper. Dr. Roll thinks he’s about 2 or so.

When I went over to Pinewood Cabin to clean today, our pet goats Crystal and Stormy were there to greet me (not a good thing). Bode was a little too helpful rounding them up, so we’ll have to work on dog etiquette around goats. Mac did a wonderful job of keeping himself between Bode and the girls. He’s a real protector and doesn’t hold any grudges: Crystal and Stormy have horned him a couple of times in the past, when he got a little too close.

Mary at Marsh Hollow

We are not sure what to call this stray dog. He’s been with us since January 31, when we noticed we had 3 dogs on the front porch instead of the usual 2. He needs a home:

He’s a young, un-neutered male dog, very friendly and non-aggressive with other dogs. He hasn’t shown any interest in chasing the horses and goats, and since he got zapped by the elecric fence has no further interest in going into their fields.

We have been feeding him outside, so I am not sure if he is house-trained. He would LOVE to come in and I have a feeling he has been in a home before.

There has been no response to the flyers we distributed up and down nearby roads.

If you are looking for a large, sweet dog with a big appetite (for love & food), please contact me at marshhollow@direcway.com or 740-332-9202.

Mary from Marsh Hollow

Update: Sadly, the Grouse Nest and Etta’s are now closed, but Glenlaurel and the Inn Cedar Falls still provide the most elegant dining in the Hocking Hills.

Within the last month, Dave and I have dined at the 3 top restaurants in the Hocking Hills. This is unusual behavior for us, but we need to keep on top of the dining situation for the sake of our current and future Marsh Hollow guests. It’s a a great job.

Last week, we did a double whammy: dinner at Glenlaurel Inn on Friday night, followed by lunch at the Grouse Nest on Saturday after a long hike up Long Hollow. Glenlaurel has undergone a change in management. The previous proprietor, Michael, was a wonderful innkeeper, and had more poems in his head than anyone I’ve ever known. I can reassure you that the new owners and innkeeper have followed in Michael’s fine tradition. We enjoyed an excellent 5 course meal. Speaking for myself, the Mahi mahi was excellent. And the dessert was a chocolate molten thing that was to die for. Plus, it’s a dry township, so we got to bring our own wine. “A+” for Glenlaurel Inn. The inn itself is lovely and out in the middle of nowhere!

On Saturday, along with our friends Diane & Sherwin, we mapped out a multi-stage geocache which we hope to post at geocaching.com. Needless to say after all that hiking around in the woods and through streams, we were hungry. Dave suggested the Grouse Nest, and it turned out to be a great suggestion. We all enjoyed our meals, but I can report that the butternut soup was DELICIOUS. It was served with a hard roll and butter. That actually would have been enough for lunch, but I added on the turkey wrap – also quite tasty and big enough for 2 people. Diane took her 2nd half and mine, so that she and Sherwin could have a quick lunch before they left for home on Sunday. “A” for Grouse Nest lunch. We have been here for dinner quite a few times. Give them an “A” for dinner too! The restaurant itself is nice, but kind of generic. Well, the cathedral ceiling is nice. Friendly staff, of course.

Earlier in January, we decided to drive over to the Inn at Cedar Falls, which has always been a favorite, particularly because it’s in an old log cabin, which has been expanded into a nice size restaurant. Among the 3, the Inn at Cedar Falls wins the ambience contest. Rustic & charming. The food was also very good, especially the chocolate mousse! Very fine dining, indeed. Give the Inn at Cedar Falls an “A” too.

Etta’s General Store & Lunchbox Cafe is not “fine” dining (and I’m sure the restaurants above are confused about being included in the same article as Etta’s), but it is a great place for lunch and a bit different than any other restaurant around here. I was there on Tuesday with friends (Beth, Beth, Julie & Kathy) and we all had great homemade lunches. I had chicken corn chowder – wonderful. And a BLT. Where did they get such good tomatoes in the middle of winter? I understand that they will also pack a lunch for you to take on your hike. Hundreds of lunchboxes are on display. We sat near “The Man from Uncle” lunchbox, and with the combined brain cells of all 5 of us, were able to name the actors and the characters they played. Not immediately, but after much deep thinking. And to think I was so-o-o in love with Illya Kuryakin. But who wasn’t!

It’s a little bit out of the way, but if you’re going to Lake Hope via Route 56, Etta’s is a great place to stop. Be aware: it’s funky! But it gets an “A” in its own little category.

There are plenty of other great places to eat in the Hocking Hills, but the 3 “inns” are very special. And Etta’s is unique. Come down to Marsh Hollow sometime, and splurge on a great restaurant or two.

Mary at Marsh Hollow

Just a quick post to let you know that the transformation of our well water is complete. If you’ve stayed with us at Marsh Hollow before, you have experienced some pretty strong well water. I just cleaned the cabin, getting ready for our next guests, and there were no stains, no spots to remove from ANYTHING.

I could actually smell the orange aroma in my dishwashing liquid. And one of our guests this week reported that she developed shiny hair, after washing with, yes, our well water!

So the already fabulous Marsh Hollow vacation log cabin experience just got better.

Now all we have to do is get the trench graded and re-seeded. Probably not til spring.

At last! Our new filtering/sanitizing water system is good to go. While we think our Marsh Hollow cabin offers just about the perfect Hocking Hills vacation, the well water has left a lot to be desired. And filling the hot tub with it has always been a tiresome experience.

But Bob of Hill’s Services has installed a pretty nifty system that promises to keep the pretty water flowing. He had to dig a pretty long trench to complete the project so now we have some grading/landscaping to do – after it thaws and dries out a bit.

Come visit us at Marsh Hollow and check out our new improved water!