The Old Crow's Nest

A little of this, a little of that

2012-02-10T10:46:00.001-05:00

I received a lovely surprise in the mail ~ thank you Mom! She made this beautiful stained glass, I love the way the colors glow, a welcome respite from winter's drab palette.

Another new decorating touch in the living room ~ an old type setting drawer makes a wonderful display case for my smaller treasures.

Juju keeps an eye on what's going on below him ~ plotting his next mischief, I'm sure!

Hello Moon, shouldn't you be in bed?

I spotted this red tail high up in a tree top. He was adamant that he was not going to look at me.

I tried to get closer, but off he went, no luck.

A big turkey vulture soared casually over me, I guess he was considering if I was edible or not.

Off he went too, I guess I seemed too lively for his lunch.

Baby it's cold outside....

2012-01-19T12:50:00.001-05:00

At least there are a few rainbows floating around even on a cold winter's day.

For Kris ~ you asked below about Mr. Rabbit

2012-01-05T16:19:00.000-05:00

Here he is in all his almost creepiness, lol!!

My second favorite part of the house

2012-01-04T15:14:00.003-05:00

is the living room. My absolute favorite, of course, is our wonderful porch but as we are in a deep freeze right now even a fire wouldn't keep you warm out there!

Anyway, finally the living room is just about done. I still need to transfer the office back over, but I've been dragging my heels on that as I hate unplugging all the computer stuff and then hooking everything back up again. I'll get to it.

Our living room is a difficult shape to work with, kind of "U" shaped, so it doesn't lend itself so readily to an easily planned seating arrangement. I choose to look at it as slightly eccentric, and what could be more fitting for David and I, lol?

I love the old beams and the stonework, brings elements of the outdoors inside.

Do you see Jubal Lee? He has staked out his own perch way up high where he snoozes and feels superior to the rest of us.

This wood stove was given to us by a friend. When we first got it, it was pretty rusty and disreputable looking. David did his magic on it and I think it is perfect for this old house!

The problem with the walls in here is that they are plaster, and plaster is fiendishly difficult to hang stuff on. Once again comes David to the rescue, he figured out how to hang these shelves securely for me. They really are level, I guess I wasn't when I took the pic.

This is my own creation, I took an old tool organizer and hung it from the beam with chains. I love old skeleton keys, so it seemed a good spot to display them along with a few other treasures :)

I took this picture right before I took the tree down, I just noticed Mr. Rabbit lurking in the back room ~ I thought that was funny :)

Last of all ~ what a crazy winter! A few days ago I still had stuff growing in the gardens, but not after this morning! I sure wish we had snow cover to help insulate the plants.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to You!!

2011-12-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

Another possum tale

2011-11-15T12:02:00.002-05:00

A few nights ago David went down into the basement to check on the boiler. I heard a yell, and him come thumping back in.

When he had opened the hatch and started to go down the stairs a flash of fur and movement caught his eye. At first he thought it was a rat, but then realized it was a baby possum. He did admit that it scared the hell out of him, lol.

Apparently, word on the street is that if you are a young, wayward possum just come to our house and you'll be put up for the winter. Sigh. I really don't want to deal with another possum, but he would not stand a chance of survival over the winter months as he is so young.

Allow me to introduce you to Houdini ~ so named after his brief escape from his cage and romp around our living room after he ate a bellyful of food.

Storm Alfred

2011-10-30T15:20:00.001-04:00

What a crazy storm! Record breaking snowfall, and record amounts of people without power. Woohoo. I don't think we'll have power for many days, we are low priority out here due to lack of population density.

This storm has wreaked havoc in our state, we've heard that gas stations are closed and out of gas. Many roads are impassable due to fallen trees ~ it was a very heavy snow, and the leaves on the trees only weighed them down more.

It is supposed to get below freezing tonight, so it's going to be a rough night for those without a generator, or gas to run it. Fortunately we have enough to get by for a few days.

Last night David measured 23" of snow that had fallen so far, and it's not even Halloween yet! I sure hope this isn't an indicator of what this winter will bring.

The bullies were totally confused when I let them out this morning, their normal balls to the walls charge down the path quickly turned into a hasty retreat back onto the porch, at least until a proper path had been cleared for them.

There is a jeep in there somewhere.

It was absolutely beautiful this morning as the sun came up.

Tank, however, wasn't impressed.

It's so strange yet lovely to see the colored leaves peeking through the snow.

Honeysuckle buds in the snow.

I've never seen snow like this with the leaves still on the trees.

Looking down my road.

Well, I'm going to sign off for now as the generator can be fickle and I don't want to press my luck. Hope all is well with all of you :)

Getting right to the point

2011-10-26T08:21:00.000-04:00

Two days in a row I spotted this little porcupine grazing beside the road. He's a young one, and I hope he makes it through the winter.

He wasn't much impressed with me, and clearly sent a message by keeping his back towards me.

Finally he wedged into a hollow tree trunk and I left him alone.

The next day there he was again. This time he looked at me as if to say "You again?!?!"

He quickly climbed up a tree.

Then studiously ignored me while swaying in the branches.

I'm hoping I annoyed him enough that he will stay away from the road and retreat further into the safety of the woods.

One last bouquet from the garden

2011-10-25T08:18:00.002-04:00

Dog Day Afternoon

2011-10-24T09:39:00.004-04:00

Saturday I volunteered at a little local pet expo for Bandit's Place. It was set up at what must be one of the most beautiful farms in Connecticut.

I really like working for this rescue ~ Liz, the blond in yellow, is the woman who runs it. I like her a lot, and it's good to find kindred spirits that share your love for animals.

This little dog is Monkey Face. She's available for adoption, along with her puppies. Anyone looking for a little dog with a really big heart?

The day started out sunny, but soon dark clouds came rolling in.

It was so beautiful ~ the dramatic sky against the fall colors and rolling landscape.

I loved this silo ~

The bottom of the silo had a lively mural of farm animals.

Back in West Hartland, I drove around to see if I could spot any wildlife, no luck there but I did enjoy this peaceful little spot.

A lovely stream in the woods ~

At Howell's pond I spotted a bunch of bubbles popping up ~ was it a fish? Turtle? Our own version of the Loch Ness Monster?

To reassure you that no cats were harmed in the photo shoot...

2011-10-22T18:19:00.002-04:00

Jubal Lee really didn't mind the hands :)

Fall chores

2011-10-17T09:20:00.000-04:00

With the hint of chill in the air comes the time to put the garden to bed for the winter. Yesterday David & I spent the day doing various chores outside.

My first chore was to tackle the compost bin. I have to admit that I haven't stirred it in a while, so I was delighted to see that despite my neglect it has been steadily going about it's business and I have beautiful, rich compost!

I don't want to spread it on the garden now, so I decided to switch it over to the other side and add more layers to cook over the winter.

I placed a layer of the compost, then a layer of leaves, and I raked up some big buckets full of wood chips from David's chainsawing out back. I alternated these layers throughout the new pile.

I've been saving some kitchen scraps ~ some apples that have gone past, veggies, coffee grounds, and potato skins. These got mixed in throughout the layers.

While David was working out back on the woodpile he spotted lots of worms beneath the wood. I gathered up a few to add to the compost ~ just a "spoonful of sugar" to sweeten it up :)

Finally all done, hopefully by next spring I'll have even more wonderful compost for the gardens.

Next I had to pull out all the filtration medium from the pond, including the ones in the waterfall. This is a sloppy, gloppy chore as the medium is laden with slimy algae and goo that has to be hosed out. Mr. Frog kept a careful eye on me while I worked.

Most of the Old garden is cut down, what a tedious chore this is!

David mowed down the Iris swath.

I have most of the beds along the house cut down. I still have to cut that ornamental grass down, I like it's fall color so I'll leave it for a while longer.

I haven't yet started on the New Garden, oof what a jungle it is! I'll start on it today after I walk the rescue dogs.

The final blooms of the gardening season ~ Monkshood

And these Mums.

The absolute last plant to flower is this Clematis, and I'm wondering if it will have a chance to bloom before we get a killing frost. It is later than usual to reach bloom this year, another little quirk in this strange season.

Halloween Shenanigans

2011-10-14T14:52:00.003-04:00

As most of you know, Halloween is my favorite holiday of all. Today is a rainy, dreary day so what else to be done but open up the Halloween Trunk of Horrors and start rummaging about.

I have been really busy lately with walking the rescue dogs, and apparently while my attention has been diverted Tank has gone down a bad path ~

Going to have to keep a closer eye on this naughty boy!

Jubal Lee got into the Halloween spirit ~

And Miss Tallulah Tippy Toes ~

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

2011-09-14T09:58:00.001-04:00

The bullies soaking up the sun, and storing it away for winter.

Be careful when you go to smell the roses :)

The poor female dragonfly has to lug the male around when she flies.

Another dragonfly.

Had to take a break from stacking wood ~ the tendons in my left hand are hurting something fierce! I'll rest it for a few days and then get back at it.

Some of the creatures I've spotted lately ~

2011-09-13T08:49:00.000-04:00

When the sun finally made it's appearance after those days of rain we had I spotted this garter sunning itself on top of the cypress next to the waterfall. It's getting ready to shed it's skin, that's why it's eye is opaque.

I was amazed to spot a second garter in the cypress, and then later spotted a third! This one snuggled up to the first, then looked over at me as if to say "Excuse me, can I help you with something?"

This dragonfly sought refuge from the rain beneath a leaf, and spent a half hour vigorously shaking his wings to dry them.

With the sun came the butterflies, I'm very happy to have spotted many monarchs fluttering about :)

This little garter was keeping a close eye on that spider.

A hungry Monarch caterpillar munching on milkweed.

Another shot of the Monarch caterpillar ~

These Eastern Spotted Newts are everywhere, evidently all the rain agrees with them.

This big fellow was trundling down a stream alongside the road.

He would spin around to face me where ever I moved. Look at his claws!

A closer look ~

One evening I spotted this little porky, as soon as I approached he quickly scrambled up a tree.

This is a Northern Water Snake, and I won't lie, I was nervous taking this shot!

He was big ~ his girth was larger than my wrist.

Summer is winding down

2011-09-13T08:33:00.001-04:00

and so is the garden. Soon it will be time to cut it all down and start fall clean up.
The roses offered up a final hurrah, along with the Hibiscus

The Sedum is blooming ~ such a pretty color.

I finally dug up that bush in front of the pond. In it's place I planted some Forget Me Nots, I thought the blue flowers will look pretty next to the water and the Lavender.

Still learning the new camera

2011-08-25T12:20:00.001-04:00

I've been getting a bit frustrated with it, I miss the ease of my old D40. Oh well, I just need to keep practicing so I gain a comfort level with it.

Starting to see a few more butterflies about the garden, but still not half as many as I had last year.

Tiger Swallowtail ~

Monarch ~

A Katydid ~

Not the greatest of shots but kind of neat to see such a young male hummer, he's just starting to get his fancy neck kerchief :)

A Tussock Moth Caterpillar ~

Finally the frogs are returning to my pond, including this fine fat fellow.

It's that time of year again

2011-08-22T08:31:00.000-04:00

David had a huge load of log length wood dropped off. He then uses the chain saw to cut the wood into a more manageable size and runs it through the splitter.

I'm in charge of stacking ~ today I'm going to to try to get caught up, David's splitter goes much faster than my old bones, lol.

Oh Deer!

2011-08-19T12:48:00.000-04:00

I spotted these two deer as I was driving home from the grocery store today. As my old camera is out of commission I had my new one with me. It definitely needs support on the telephoto shots, as these pictures attest. It is just too heavy to free hold.

Ah well, it still was so fun to watch these two. Apparently the grass beside the road is quite scrumptious to deer.

After taking these shots I hollered and honked at the deer. They were just too tolerant of my presence and hunting season is right around the corner.

I also saw a momma turkey taking her young 'uns for a stroll alongside the road.

The turkeys were much more alert to me and quickly melted into the woods and disappeared.

A peek at the peak

2011-08-11T09:21:00.001-04:00

It's peak blooming time in the garden ~ from here on out we start the inexorable slide into fall. Slow down, Time!! I've noticed acorns are already scattered across the ground.

Happily, only a small percentage of the coneflowers were afflicted with that little parasitic worm, I ended up having a nice bloom this year. They are such great flowers to have in the garden ~ long lasting and then they help feed the birds through the winter months.

These lilies are so lovely, they perfume the air and attract all sorts of moths and such.

The Stargazers bloomed nicely this year, and so far (knock on wood) I've been able to keep the lily leaf beetle away from this area.

Dave mounted the little weathervane atop the garden shed, I got it free using the points off of Dave's business credit card ~ woohoo!

Look at all the apples!

One of the little pumpkins growing out of the stump out front.

I ended up hauling the fountain up by the porch. It's not running yet as I don't have a pump for it, but I was thinking eventually the hummingbirds will enjoy splashing in it's gentle trickle once we do get it going.

A Dahlia I threw in this spring ~

The hummingbird moths love the white lilies so much they actually will sit still on them.

Love is in the air :)

I picked up a cheap set of lights to line the pathway, I'm really happy with how they look. Now the path isn't quite so treacherous after dark.

This little skipper has claimed a lily for itself, it will drive away any interlopers. It's very dedicated, in fact I've seen him take off after a hummingbird!

Every year I say I'm going to clear out some of the purple beebalm, and every year it creeps a bit further into the garden, lol.

I'm happy to report that the clematis I cut down due to it's being afflicted with wilt has grown back and I even got a second bloom from it. For awhile I was worried that I stressed it too much and thus lost it.

Did I say the snakes were all gone? (Sorry Lori)

2011-08-08T10:03:00.001-04:00

Two posts down I had commented on the lack of garter snakes in my garden. I then grabbed my camera and wandered outside. Within 10 minutes I encountered three garters out in the new garden.

This little one was nestled in the rock wall. He studied me as intently as I was studying him, but he never acted aggressively.

When I stopped to think about it, it makes sense that the extreme heat we've experienced this summer would drive the snakes into cooler areas and thus they wouldn't be as easily seen.

I was so happy to see this old gal ~ when I lifted the stones off of the pond filter there she was, Heebie!! Dad initially laughed at the thought it could be her, but when I emailed this pic to him, he had to concede it sure looks like the same snake due to her length & girth.

There was even a brown garter coiled up with her that maybe could have been Jeebie, but I'm not so sure about that. Regardless, it made me happy to see Heebie in her old favorite spot looking hale & hearty.

So, all in all there are at least five garters in the garden...so much for my keen observational skills, lol!

Jubal Lee the Devil Kitty

2011-08-08T09:26:00.002-04:00

"Yawn...I'm bored...what mischief can I create?"

"Hey, Bulldog, c'mere!!!"

"I got a question for ya~ what did the paw say to the face??"

KAPOW!!!!

"Don't you worry, I saved some for you!"

Garden visitors

2011-08-05T10:39:00.003-04:00

It has been a curious season in the garden. From the intense heat, plants being out of sync with their normal bloom times, the crazy amount of apples and seeds on the trees, to the lack of my normal garden inhabitants and the appearance of new species.

Normally I have a huge population of Tiger Swallowtails, and a good amount of Monarchs. This year I've only seen a handful of Tigers, and maybe 2 or 3 Monarchs. And then I had this fellow show up yesterday ~ a Giant Swallowtail. I've never seen one of these before.

He was fiendishly difficult to photograph, in fact I have about 100 pictures of a black & yellow blur.

What a lovely butterfly! I guess he was just passing through as I haven't seen him since.

I have my usual huge amount of these Clearwing hummingbird moths. This one obliged me by actually perching on a lily. I've never seen one sit still before.

This is a new visitor ~ a White-lined Sphinx Hummingbird Moth. I've never seen one of these before either. They are almost twice as big as the Clearwings, with such pretty coloration.

Such a delicate, pretty shade of blue!

I have many of these Red Spotted Admirals this year. Unlike the Giant Swallowtail they will actually sit still so I can get a decent shot.

Another look at the Red Spotted Admiral.

Normally I have a whole posse of frogs hanging out in my pond. For a month or so none could be found in my pond, finally this little fellow has shown up, and I've seen one of the big Green Frogs.

I spotted a huge hawk flying off the roof this morning overlooking the pond ~ perhaps that's why the frogs are all gone? I wondered if it was the same hawk I photographed a year or so ago perched upon the arbor. I've also noticed that the snake population is down. Last year I had garters all over, this year I've only spotted two.

That was one hail of a storm!

2011-08-02T08:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we got spanked by a thunderstorm ~ we even got a bout of hail. Nik and Dave made it home and up to the porch just in time.

Some of the hail was pretty big ~ the biggest I've ever seen.

This hemlock took a bad hit from lightning. Pieces were blown all the way across the road, and there's a split running the entire length of the tree.

Mr. Bear is getting bolder

2011-07-31T10:04:00.001-04:00

My usual habit is to enjoy the early morning shenanigans of the hummingbirds while sipping my coffee on the porch, but from now on I will be more cautious when I step outside.

David had started some bacon cooking, and I came in for a few minutes. I had opened the exhaust fan and I guess the smell of cooking bacon was irresistible to a certain brazen black bear.

When I stepped back outside I was surprised to see wet, muddy tracks all over the porch. The bear followed his nose right to our door!

He then wandered back down the path. I cautiously peeked around but did not see him, and could only imagine if I had stepped out a few minutes earlier ~ that's a little too close for comfort!

I'm sure it's the same bear I've spotted in the yard before, he is becoming increasingly bold and I think I'll keep my bear spray handy while working out in the garden.

This little porky was grazing beside the road, isn't he cute?

He decided he had enough of my photos and gave me the porcupine equivalent of "Talk to the hand!" by presenting his back to me and lashing his tail.

A cool drink of rain

2011-07-25T10:27:00.000-04:00

Thankfully we're getting a respite from the heat. Yesterday we had a steady gentle rain, and today the tormenting sun is veiled by clouds. What a relief!

The garden already has perked up and no longer looks wilted and dispirited.

While wandering this morning I noticed this combination of flowers ~ the rudbeckia self sowed next to this particular lily, and I couldn't help but admire the complementing colors of both flowers.

A wander through the garden...before it withers away!

2011-07-22T15:52:00.003-04:00

What a scorcher today is! This past week has been a cooker, but today beats all. My garden is looking rather limp right now, even though I've spot watered I haven't been able to give it a good soaking as I don't want our well to run dry.

Move over fish, I'm coming in! That raspberry wine beebalm alongside the waterfall gets two thumbs up from me. Not only do I love the color, but even though it constantly gets spattered from the water not a bit of powdery mildew has appeared on it, unlike the purple beebalm elsewhere in the garden.

One of the few annuals I grew this year ~ a little pot of Bachelor Buttons.

This is the elephant ear that Kris gave me ~ it seems to love the tropical weather and is thriving.

Every time I let Boo out he heads straight for this coneflower ~ note the nibbled off leaves along the bottom.

The lavender also seems to thrive in the heat.

This is one of the plants gifted to me last year and I don't know it's name. While the bloom resembles an Astilbe, the foliage is much different, the flowers are twice as big, and it's quite tall. I have it behind the waterfall.

It's so hot that even the hummers aren't bickering, here are three ladies all together.

The winner of my favorite plant of the season goes to the Hydrangeas, after three or four years all three have finally bloomed.

The soil must be alkaline alongside the porch as this one is pink. My theory is that the old concrete porch probably leached into the ground making it alkaline. Note the wisteria vine ~ growing profusely, still no bloom. Maybe next year, lol.

These two hydrangeas down by the road are blue, and such gorgeous shades of blue they are! Love these bushes.

Another happy heat tolerant plant ~ the Yucca.

The town guys were nice enough not to mow down this row of tigerlilies across from my house, or perhaps it was fear of facing my wrath, lol. I give a pretty fierce stinkeye!!

Pretty campanula & rudebeckia.

Lots of Fritillary this year.

The Hosta have filled this area nicely.

This particular robin made her nest in the arbor over at Solace, and she's a feisty bird ~ she will swoop right over your head and give you a piece of her mind if you get too close to her nest.

This is the parent to a second nest of catbirds out back. The catbirds love to splash in the birdbath, and I love to watch them.

The summer riot of color in the Old Garden.

Here's a pretty little sedum.

What is this mess? Well, it's my organic method of killing the grass and weeds that are invading our driveway...instead of toxins I burn 'em out!

I love these little skippers, such cute little things :)

This one took a break from his busywork and sat on my hand for a few minutes.

Uh-oh, the grass is starting to brown out. I can only imagine what it will look like after today.

Last night you could almost hear the garden take a deep sigh at dusk ~ ah, such a sweet relief to have the sun slip down behind the trees!

A look at the New Garden cooling down from a long hot day.

Nik's back!!

2011-07-22T10:17:00.001-04:00

It's so good to have him home :) He looks great, the military did him good. He'll be staying with us for awhile, and in the interim will be working with David.
He couldn't wait to go for a spin on his dirt bike, lol. Here you can see that his face is still a bit swollen from having 4 wisdom teeth pulled out a few days ago, but he's healing up quickly.

He's really committed to staying physically fit, in fact one of the back bedrooms is being fitted out as a small gym. He's really inspiring me to get back into shape, in fact this morning I took a few whacks at that punching bag myself ~ it felt good!! He made me a protein smoothie this morning, it wasn't bad at all. Watch out world, soon I'll be fit & trim again. It's so nice having him back around :)

One of the reasons I haven't posted much is that I've been steadily working on the living room & back rooms to make it ready for Nik's return. I'm happy to report that we have a functional living room now! I still need to finish decorating, but I'm really happy with the way it looks

I'll post up a garden walkabout later today, I have to run to town and I want to beat the worse of the heat. It is already pretty brutal out.

A wander through the garden

2011-06-21T10:28:00.002-04:00

Such a lovely day ~ low humidity, blue skies, and gentle breezes. Tomorrow holds the threat of more rain, as do the following 2 days after that, but at least for now it's a perfect morning to wander about the garden.

Knock on wood ~ the fish pond water has stayed clear, even without a UV light. I'm debating removing the shrub that is to the right of the pond next to the path. It's a vigorous grower and is resistant to my attempts to keep it low so that it doesn't obstruct the view into the water while standing on the path. What do you think? Should it stay or go?

Oh my the fish are greedy guts, as soon as they spot me they start acting like begging puppies. I did lose one fish this spring ~ the little bubblehead goldfish disappeared without a trace. I wonder if perhaps a raccoon got it?

The wisteria along the porch is growing like mad this year ~ maybe it will bloom this year? Earlier this spring David brought me home a little shoot from a wisteria that was profusely in bloom. I planted it on the two arbors behind the iris swath, and I sure hope it takes off ~ in my head I visualize walking underneath a bower of gorgeous purple flowers embraced by the deep blue iris.

The clematis on the arbor by the fishpond has bloomed and is now giving way to Alfie's rose. This is the best bloom I've had from this rose.

Unfortunately the two clematis on the other side of the arbor were severely afflicted with wilt so I made the difficult choice to cut them down. Hopefully they come back stronger and healthier.

I spotted this dragonfly in the grass ~ both soaked with dew. At first I thought the dragonfly was dead, but he surprised me with a flutter of his wings ~ he was just waterlogged. He looked like a jewel lying in the grass, with his rich colors and the light sparkling off the dew on his wings. I picked him up and placed him on Alfie's rose in the sun so he could dry off easier.

I love these little JohnnyJumpUps ~ such a cheery presence throughout the garden.

A quick peek into the catbird nest, I can't get too close now as they are old enough to be startled out of their nest and I don't want that to happen. You should hear Momma catbird fuss and complain whenever I'm near the nest. Three seems to be the magic number this spring, three out of four robins hatched, and three out of five catbirds hatched.

I've spotted a few more nests, this one is a robin's nest tucked beneath the arbor of honeysuckle. There's also a smaller one in the honeysuckle, I think it's a wren's or sparrow's.

Every year there's a robin's nest in the apple tree, here's this year's model.

I've been tucking retired nests up in the rafters of the screened garden room. When I gathered up the robin's nest in the azalea bush I was surprised to see that the fourth egg is still in there.

I can't say enough about these Knockout roses ~ this is only their second season and look at those blooms!

I suspect that is a pumpkin plant growing in the stump next to the iris. One of the pumpkins I had ringed the stump with last fall fell victim to some critter's appetite, I guess not all of the seeds were consumed.

Ah, much better! The mudmaiden has been returned to her former self, now if only I could get my figure trimmed as quickly.

The mudmaiden had a fearsome looking guardian. He was lurking next to her and had quite the pugnacious attitude towards me. Look at his jaws!

A large part of the joy in gardening to me is the surprise appearance of plants popping up in unexpected places. These daisies took it upon themselves to grow in the stones of the culvert, and I think they are quite lovely there. There is also a milkweed growing.

The foxglove is finally starting to get established, it does take time but once they have a foothold off they go.

All these little lupines were a surprise this spring. I couldn't believe how many babies there are, next year this will be a lovely display of flowers.

Another colonization going on ~ the Jack in the Pulpits have taken over this niche along the back of the old garden. Look at all those babies!

I wonder how many chickadees hatched from the original seven eggs? How ever many there are, they sure make a ruckus when Momma or Poppa appear ~ they chatter and scramble inside so much that the house sways upon the pole.

A bright cheery splash of color amidst all the cooler tones that prevail in my garden.

A pretty pink lupine.

This is a fancier variety of echinacea I planted this spring. Apparently it is quite tasty as something came in and nibbled half of it away. I suspect I have a rabbit lurking about, perhaps the one that stayed beneath the porch during the heavy snows of winter. Boo also loves to eat echinacea, he bolts down the path and grabs a mouthful hastily before I have a chance to holler at him.

One of two interesting and unusual things I've noticed this spring ~ this tree is absolutely laden with seeds, I've never seen so many on it before.

And the apple tree is covered in little apples, hundreds of them! Last year there was only a handful, in fact it's been many years since it produced a notable amount of apples and never this many before.

Finally this clematis has gotten over it's sulk from when I disturbed it by moving a rose planted with it. It is covered with buds and growing vigorously.

Maureen's sundrops are doing well.

Despite the evil red lily leaf beetles best efforts the Turkscap is hanging in. I've been waging a war with them and keep a sharp eye out for them, especially on my orientals up by the porch.

Another tag sale treasure ~ I've found this same fountain for sale online for $752, I paid $30. Now I just have to figure out where to put it ~ and it is heavy!

Wander over, back up to the house I go as the inevitable chores await. I stopped to check on the dragonfly, right after I snapped this shot off he flew. Have a good day Dragonfly, and good day to all of you :)

Tales from the road

2011-06-20T12:02:00.009-04:00

While driving one day I saw a turtle slowly and laboriously crossing the road heading towards a pond on the other side. I stopped my car and went over to carry him safely across.
As I bent over to pick him up I spotted a strange carbuncle attached to his rear end. After puzzling a second I thought "well, perhaps it's a tick??".

Oh how horrible! I realized it was a leech! In my childhood I had a nightmarish experience with big black leeches, ever since leeches can reduce me back to that moment of terror and revulsion when I tried to knock one of them off and it stayed attached. Oofah!!

I set the turtle down and grabbed a stick to remove the leech. I had to marvel at the leech attaching itself to the turtle's shell ~ it wasn't deriving nutrients from the shell I don't think, merely going along for the ride.

As I stood musing over the leech's hitchhiking ways suddenly it started whipping about and stretching itself towards the turtle in an attempt to climb back on. It's burst of activity startled me ~ that was one determined leech! Does a leech have eyes, how did it know where the turtle was?
This was more than I could take and I quickly dispatched the leech and bid the turtle good luck on his adventure.
This wasn't one of my most photogenic critter encounters, that's for sure.

While driving along the Farmington River I spotted this porcupine standing out in a open grassy area. I quickly pulled over and approached him. He made my heart ache, as I got closer I could see that he must be a very old porky, while very big he moved like an arthritic old man, and he had the sunken in look that aged animals get.
He wearily looked over at me and I felt so bad for disturbing him that I just snapped this picture then retreated. When I looked back he had gone back to grazing peacefully in the grass.

Saturday found me driving down a back road returning from a trip to see Cara. It's approximately a 45 minute trip primarily spent on bumpy unpaved country roads deep in the woods.
Ah, finally I hit paving as I neared Granville State Forest. I spotted something trundling down the road ahead of me ~ what is this?

Slowly I pulled alongside and the pigeon never broke stride. It glanced over at me as if to say "Yeah, can I help you with something?" but never slowed down or faltered in it's determined trek down the road.
Oh geez, I knew that this little pigeon should have taken flight when I was alongside so that told me something wasn't right. I was still in the woods, and the woods are filled with so many predators that this goofy bird wouldn't last long marching as he was out in the open and straight down the road.

I pulled over and caught him easily. I could feel his breast bone, he was fearfully thin. Seeing the bands I figured he was a homing pigeon that had exhausted his resources trying to get home.

"What am I going to do with you, little bird?" I wondered as I held him in my hand. Suddenly I had a thought ~ one of my neighbors has chickens, and from the little bit I've gotten to know of her also seems to have a soft spot for animals.
She did look rather bemused when I pulled into her driveway with a pigeon in hand, but she kindly opened up her coop and let the pigeon in. The pigeon proceeded to eat heartily, and she has since let me know that the pigeon is still hanging out with her chickens and seems quite content.
I learned from my sister that this is a common and sad occurrence with homing pigeons, they get lost, waylaid, or succumb to exhaustion while racing and due to their prior existence as coop birds have no instincts towards obtaining food while out. A lot of the owners if contacted don't want the birds back, and exhibit little care for their fates ~ they don't want a homing pigeon that can't find it's way home as it is a very competitive sport.
I am grateful to this woman for offering the pigeon food and a safe haven.

That's it for now with our little adventures, the Road Dawgs & I hope you have a good day and that you enjoyed these small tails...oops, I mean tales ;)

My koi are confused...they think they're salmon

2011-06-07T08:25:00.001-04:00

Actually I had just topped off the water and they seized the opportunity to graze upon the algae growing on the waterfall. You should hear the noise they make slurping it up, lol!!
Look at the little frog watching them ~ I imagine he's thinking..."These fish are addlepated!!"

A Garden Stroll

2011-06-06T08:16:00.000-04:00

That clematis is my favorite, love those glorious purple blooms.

Notice on the other side of the arbor however ~ I'm losing this clematis to wilt. I have to research how to treat it :(

This flower bed has filled in so nicely, and I'm really being strict with myself to not overcrowd it like I usually do in my garden.

The first peonies are opening up.

I love this little vignette ~ poppies, geranium, and centaura.

The little hydrangea seems to have settled in.

I better start making some concrete leaves ~ the rhubarb is huge!

I had stuck these iris in the stump last year as I wasn't sure what to do when the tree was taken down, they seem happy enough.

I bought the garden lantern at a tag sale a few days ago ~ $15.00. Not bad for a metal lantern :)

Oh my!! Just like me the mud maiden has totally lost her figure. We both have some work to do.

Any day now the robins are going to be gone. I'll miss them.

Where the Wild Things are

2011-06-02T18:41:00.000-04:00

I spotted this deer beside the road today. I cautiously pulled over, and instead of the deer bolting off she just stood there looking at me! I slowly got out of the Jeep, and incredibly she stayed. I actually got maybe 20 feet or so away from her, and when I said hello to her I could see her ears twitching at the sound of my voice.

She let me take some pictures, then slowly moved off into the woods. What a wonderful encounter :)

With all this stormy weather I was worried how all the nests were doing. We had really blustery wind today, so I feared that some of the nests might have been blown away.
First I checked on the catbird nest ~ all five eggs still intact.

Then I peeked in the chickadee nest and was surprised to see seven tiny eggs!

The little robins were snugged in safe and sound, and looking much more like birds today versus little gargoyles.

This nest I had thought was another catbird, but now I suspect it's actually a Flycatcher's. I could barely see two little babies peeking up from the nest. It's so high up I can't really get a good shot, but I was happy to see them.

Such a relief that all the nests and their inhabitants made it through our bout of boisterous weather :)

Love tolerates all things...

2011-06-02T17:57:00.000-04:00

Dozer and Jubal Lee taking a catnap together.

After the storm

2011-06-02T08:52:00.000-04:00

Thank goodness the bad weather has passed. What a pressure cooker it was yesterday, all that heat and oppressive humidity finally blew into tornadoes and thunder storms. The tornadoes steered clear of us, but unfortunately Springfield Ma. wasn't so lucky.

The cool colors of Spring

2011-05-31T09:10:00.000-04:00

Springtime is my favorite in the garden ~ I love all the blues and purples that predominate the gardens. So pretty and soothing against the fresh green of the leaves.

The lupines have spread beautifully, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how many have sprouted throughout both gardens.

These Iris are everywhere!

I lost a couple of alliums over the winter, but these made it through.

I bought this little hydrangea at the church plant sale ~ I'm hoping that the soil is acidic enough to keep it blue.

Some iris from Lori's garden.

What a happy surprise ~ that magnificent (and expensive) hosta has propagated, look at all the baby hostas at it's feet :)

Yesterday I got caught up on some of my garden chores including finally finishing mulching this garden.

The fish pond.

The baby peonies I transplanted last year are coming back strong, in a few years this little oasis will put on such a pretty display.

I love the moss that has spontaneously grown on the waterfall. Sometimes gardening is a happy accident :)

These two Centauras are going to help fill out the Gaylord gardens ~ they spread nicely so I have many plants to dig up.

When I was working in the garden yesterday I went into the shed to grab something and spotted this plastic canister stuffed full of tatertots. What the heck? Then I remembered throwing the tatertots in my compost bin for Ma & Pa Crow a few days ago..usually they quickly fly away with any morsels but I guess some little critter was quicker on this day. I'm supposing it was a chipmunk.

The Town Green & the Gaylord House

2011-05-27T09:24:00.001-04:00

Maureen and I have been fixing up the town green. You can imagine our dismay to discover one morning that someone decided to take a shortcut and drove right through the green.
They destroyed a huge chunk of the azalea...

And drove through one of the beds Maureen and I had put in.

Oh well, nothing to do but get to work. And here it is as of yesterday ~

I'm really pleased with how it's looking now. In the background is the crashed into azalea, now past bloom. We did our best to shape it back into a respectable looking bush :)

As our wallets permit, we are going to continue putting in plants to fill out the beds.

I can't wait until the morning glories grow up the center obelisk. It's been a lot of hard work, but I've really enjoyed it, I think Maureen and I make a good team.

My next project is redoing the Gaylord House flower beds. Here's some shots after my first afternoon of work...still so much work ahead of me!

Yesterday I got a good lick of work done clearing out one of the beds. They are a tangled mess of weeds and overgrown plants, and it's going to be a long process getting them back in order. I look at it as a real challenge to my abilities as a gardener :)

The birds & the bees...and the toads too

2011-05-24T11:30:00.002-04:00

I peeked in the robin's nest and lo and behold ~ we have hatchlings!

I wonder if that last egg will hatch? Seems that if it does that little nestling will have a serious disadvantage getting food with it's older, stronger nestmates.

They are such goofy looking things at this stage.

I've been watching a chickadee go in and out of this birdhouse, so today I took a quick peek inside ~ what a comfy looking nest with all that soft moss tucked in it.

There are two pairs of nesting catbirds out back. I wonder if they are the babies that were hatched back there last year. This nest is in the Quince which is beneath the bay window. The devil kitties are entranced by all the activity right below their noses :)

Momma or Papa Catbird kept a close eye on me while I photographed the nest.

Good Grief!! Forgive the pun ~ but it seems like Horny Toads are everywhere!!

Almost stepped on this little turtle when I was mulching around the pond. I have yet to figure out if these turtles are hatched in/around my pond or are heading to it. Every year though I find 2 or 3 right in the pond's vicinity.

Duck... duck... goose!

2011-05-22T17:53:00.000-04:00

This evening I wandered over to the beaver pond. I've been looking for the beavers all this spring but have yet to see them ~ I know someone was illegally trying to trap them, and I've been worried that they were successful. Sadly I didn't see them this evening either, but I'll keep going back to check.

From the beaver pond I wandered over to Howell's Pond, and spotted two geese at the water's edge. Slowly I crept close to them, and was surprised when they stayed put, albeit keeping a watchful eye on me.

Finally they decided they didn't much like the looks of me, and I was surprised when Momma stood to see two little fluffy chicks pop out from beneath her.

They swam out a little ways, all the time casting me dirty looks and clucking what I'm sure were disparaging comments.

I watched them for a few more minutes...

Then bid them thanks and good night. When I drove back by about 5 minutes later they had climbed out of the water and settled back into the grass.

David truly is a Renaissance Man

2011-05-22T10:21:00.001-04:00

He never ceases to amaze me with the vast amount of knowledge and skills he possesses. How many people do you know could drive a huge old bucket shovel like this one, much less steer it through the woods...

And load it upon a trailer that was narrower than the treads of the shovel?!

David made it look easy and had it loaded up in minutes.

Some more delicate maneuvering got the bucket nestled in securely.

A few final instructions for the new owner, and then goodbye to the old Bucyrus Eyrie.

After much thought David decided to sell it to a young man who came knocking one day. It had been parked back in the woods and not in use for years now, and this fellow wanted to put it to work. David decided better for it to be used than to molder and rust out back. We both were a little sad though to see it go.

A boxed set

2011-05-15T20:17:00.000-04:00

Jezebel & Jubal Lee have taken over the box Mom sent up to me. I had it sitting on the chair with a warm fleece shirt still folded up inside and it's become their napping spot. I haven't had the heart to put it away yet as they love to snooze together in it so much.

When they aren't using my Christmas Cactus as a kitty litter box I have to admit they can be pretty darn cute.

Springtime brings flowers... and babies

2011-05-15T19:43:00.003-04:00

I spotted this robin's nest a few days ago while weedwhacking. It was empty then, but when I checked tonight there were four eggs in it.

I noticed two catbirds hanging around in the back yard for the last week or so, and went to investigate. Sure enough, way up high on top of the gutter spout was Mama Catbird sitting in her nest. Papa Catbird took umbrage at my attention and fussed at me from the Quince, so I quickly retreated back inside to leave them in peace.

A small wander through the garden

2011-05-14T09:05:00.001-04:00

Except for a few bare spots, the mud maiden has exploded into growth. After the Dianthus blooms, she'll regain her figure with a good trimming. I have to work on her arms and make some hands for her still.

Violets violets everywhere! I like them nestled at the base of this stump, just wish they didn't invade the gardens so vigorously.

I planted some annuals to brighten up the yard, this was such a long hard winter I needed some instant flower gratification.

I moved the copper trellis and transplanted the two roses out of this area. I like the simplicity of the blue birdbath against the rich colored foliage of the fig tree framed by the rhubarb leaves.

The very first bloomer ~ Hellebore. Almost as soon as the snow melts it puts forth it's flowers.

This year I intend upon extending the other side of this oasis, then I'd have a spot to put a Walking Stick tree :)

Those lovely blue flowers behind Boo are Forget Me Nots, and I have fallen in love with them. A friend gave them to me last year, and I didn't know what to expect from them, what a delightful surprise! They have spread beneath the lilac tree and are a beautiful compliment to the purple blooms.

The Quince is in full bloom, the hummingbirds love this shrub. If you look carefully you can see Harley peeking out at me in the window.

I wish I had planted the mud maiden with Creeping Phlox, it is such a nice tight low grower. Unfortunately, it's expensive & slow growing, so I went with the Dianthus instead as I had it in my garden already. Maybe the next maiden I make I'll be able to use phlox.

An update on the living room

2011-05-14T08:43:00.000-04:00

David has finished the floor, and now all we have left is paint & trim work. Woohoo!

At long last ~ things are growing!

2011-05-03T08:46:00.000-04:00

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz...I wonder where the flowers iz??

Ah ~ here's some! While I'm not too fond of daffodils, I do like these white ones.

I always am amazed at how the garden explodes into growth.

Some of these are for me, and some I'll plant at the Gaylord House.

A male hummer has already staked out the feeders, and he stands guard atop the Rose of Sharon tree. I have so far seen two hummers, both males.

A few days ago there was such a cacophony coming from beneath the filter box lid. When I peeked in ~ oh my!!

This weekend Dave and I drained out half the pond water, and look what we spotted in the lily pot ~ toad eggs!

The garden is coming to life

2011-04-26T20:39:00.005-04:00

Today was the kind of day that sweeps thoughts of bitter winter far from your mind. Gloriously drenched in sunshine and hot enough that the black flies quickly retreated to the cool shade of the woods.

My projects today included transplanting three rose bushes to new spots, more cleaning up of leaves, and while I know it might be premature ~ planting Dahlias around the roses in the stone box by the road. I rebuilt the side of the waterfall that the snow had caused to tumble down, and relocated some Iris that were overreaching their boundaries. All in all a busy day that has left me content and a little bit sore, but in a very good way.

I was happy to see a red winged blackbird (I love their pretty calls) this morning, and even happier and very surprised to spy a hummingbird dart around the bushes. I quickly made up some sugar water and placed a feeder out for it. Sure seems early for hummers but I'm not complaining.

My chores in the garden were made more pleasant by a familiar song coming from the pond. Ah, Mr. Toad's heart is full of love and sunshine! He joyously trilled all day long in search of a receptive lady toad, and even I thought he sounded quite dashing and irresistible.

I saw another toad at the pond's edge, and I spied one of the big Green frogs underneath the draping branches of the shrub by the waterfall. Could it be Beowulf, or perhaps one of his progeny?

While digging up the roses next to the rhubarb I spotted a flash of movement by my feet. A little Northern Red Bellied Snake was trying to hide beneath the rhubarb's sheltering leaves. He allowed me a few photos with good grace.

I then tucked him back beneath the rhubarb. Funny, that is where I found the slightly larger Red Bellied snake last year. Plenty of bugs like to chew on my rhubarb, so Bon Appetit little snake!

While planting a rose in the Peony Oasis I spotted this wee little Spring Peeper, how cute is he?? I love listening to the peepers singing in the evening, in fact they are in full voice as I type this.

A few days ago I wandered down the road to the small pool that is created next to a stream. I hope to find an Eastern Spade Foot Toad one day, and thought perhaps I'd be lucky. No Spade Foots were found, but I did get to see this Wood frog.

Perhaps the Wood frog is responsible for these ~ already the little pool was dotted with egg masses.

David had discovered this Spotted Salamander, still cold and lethargic from his winter abode. These creatures have glands along their neck and back that secrete a toxic substance, so handling them is really not a good idea. This fellow was so cold he barely moved, so I took my chance holding him for the photograph, then tucked him into a crevice in the stones of the waterfall.

The Woodcock is outside "meeping" his funny call, and on that goofy note I bid you good bye for now. It's getting late and apparently I brought home more then memories from Georgia ~ a chest cold is brewing and I'm all tuckered out. Good night :)

Things that go bump in the night

2011-04-25T07:49:00.006-04:00

Some of you may recall the young female opossum my daughter delivered to my doorstep this winter. While Trotsky (the starved and frostbitten little opossum I rescued the winter before) was in such dire shape he was quite content to wait out the winter caged as he regained his health, the little female I dubbed Tzarina was full of vim and vigor fueled by all the bagels she was pilfering at her former location.

Every night she desperately tried to escape, to the point where her paws and little muzzle were raw. I decided it would be best to release her and let her take her chances with the harsh weather versus being so miserable in captivity waiting for warmer temps. I released her beneath the porch after digging out a doorway in the snow, and every night I'd tuck a plate of food under there, which inevitably was licked clean by the next morning.

Curious as to her condition, I recently set up the game camera and placed her food on the porch. I have to admit I wasn't too surprised to see this little opportunistic fellow appear ~ in fact I suspect it was him that evidently differed with the placement of a recently transplanted lavender around the pond, the next morning having found it yanked out amidst a huge pile of dirt in the center of the path. It would take a clever pair of mischievous paws to wreak that little bit of havoc!

You can note the timeline beneath the picture and see that the raccoon had a leisurely dinner, even checking for fallen morsels beneath the plate.

Finally the little possum makes her appearance, sure looks to be Tzarina although I suppose there really is no way to be sure.

Not much left on the plate, off she trundles resignedly into the dark night. But what of the egg? She's clearly not interested in it.

A crumb may offer little sustenance to the raccoon and possum, but what a feast it presents for this wee beastie. As long as the mouse stays outdoors ~ I have no quarrel with it.

By now while reviewing the pictures I had assumed that the egg was destined for the compost bin as it had been summarily ignored ~ but I should have known better. Look who pops back up a few hours later eying the egg.

Rocky Raccoon quickly rolled it off the plate and out of sight. I spotted the shell fragments the next morning in the grass.

Unfortunately for these creatures the gravy train is leaving the station, maybe just for one more night will I leave a plate of food. I have no desire to entice Mr. & Ms. Bear to my porch! During a trial run of the camera I did capture this scary image ~ could it be, we have a Yeti in Hartland??

It's official, Nik has graduated from basic training.

2011-04-23T12:26:00.004-04:00

I posted up more pictures on my Flickr page if you'd like to see the set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18022439@N04/5646046131/in/set-72157626434897269/

Congratulations to my niece Jamie!

2011-04-13T09:18:00.000-04:00

She is graduating from the University of Texas having achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree! What a wonderful accomplishment! Watch out world, here she comes ~ incredibly smart, incisively witty, creative and strong. Congrats Jamie, I am so happy for you and very proud of all your hard work and determination :) Woohooo!!!!!!

Having computer issues....

2011-03-29T14:02:00.002-04:00

My hard drive is in it's death throes. Hope to be back soon.

Perigee Moon

2011-03-21T20:43:00.001-04:00

On Saturday I took the new camera and drove over to a high point here on the West side ~ for you local readers, the fields by the Blouin's house. As I waited for the moon to rise I spotted these deer way across the field. I was so happy to see these pictures ~ while the quality isn't the best they demonstrated to me the zoom capabilities I can now achieve. It was very low light and the deer were very far away.

Unfortunately even at that distance the deer didn't like my presence and quickly bounded into the woods.

And here comes the Perigee Moon! It was awash in color, and at first I was confused as to it's shape ~ why was it flat on top?
As it continued it's ascent I finally figured out there was a cloud that was blocking some of the moon from view. It was almost eerie looking, but I think rather perfect for a Perigee Moon to be so uniquely striking.

Once I was there taking pictures I realized I had made a major tactical error. I'm not familiar with the settings or even how to find them, and I did not bring my glasses. So I was fumbling in the dim light with the camera trying to change settings by guesswork and not being able to tell one bit if I was successful or not, lol.

Oh well, at least I have broken the ice with the new camera. And what a special moon to have done it with :)

Well, hello there! How are you today?

2011-03-02T09:14:00.001-05:00

An update on the kittens

2011-02-20T13:09:00.004-05:00

Ah, now here's a sweet, idyllic moment. Little Tallulah and Jubal Lee perched peacefully together on the back of a chair. But, do I see a hint of something lurking in Tallulah's gaze as she turns to look at me? Maybe just a glint of naughty intent?

Of course! I should have known...an attack is launched upon my feet.

Evidently my feet are a constant affront to the cats and must be taught a lesson!

Tallulah especially takes foot attacks very seriously, I frequently walk about with her clinging to my feet and ankles. I have to admire her dedication.

No amount of dousing by a squirt bottle will dissuade Jubal Lee from this window. He thinks that neither Harley or myself have spotted him in this picture. He's Incatnito ~ stealth kitty!

He waits until I have the squirt bottle in hand, then nonchalantly strolls away. I thought cats hated water?!

Well, not these cats. Tallulah likes to play in the toilet.

I shoo her away and turn around to see if the water has warmed up enough to take a shower ~

Only to find Jubal Lee perched upon the spigot.

Dang it Kitty! Out of the tub with you!!

I uncovered the bookcase to do some spring cleaning, and of course quickly had help with the dusting, or perhaps they were looking for some interesting catalogs.

Jubal Lee debates taking a swing on SammyBird's perch.

Whew! I sit down at the computer and here comes sweet Jezebel. Quietly she perches beneath the lamp and purrs at me.

All is peaceful, until I notice her starting to stare at the lampshade fixedly. Oh no, what is she up to?

Hmmm, evidently lampshades are just as tasty as ankles and feet! Who knew?

Got snow??

2011-01-29T10:33:00.002-05:00

We are running out of places to pile up all the snow! Yesterday David and Nik tackled the ice dams that are forming along our roof, and then shoveled the snow off of the garage.

Of course Nikolas couldn't resist slipping some snow down David's backside.

While David has a good sense of humor...

He did retaliate ~ note the snow on Nik's head and shoulders, lol.

Handsome Nik :)

Just to give a sense of how high the snow is piled up from David plowing the drive.

Boo kept trying to peer over the snow with little luck looking for Dozer and Tank.

Pretty soon the pathway is going to be like a tunnel!

Red Tailed Hawk

2011-01-29T10:16:00.000-05:00

Not the best of pictures, unfortunately I didn't have my zoom lens when I spotted the hawk so the quality is poor. I took these by the Look Out, what a big, beautiful bird he was!

If you look carefully center top of the picture you can see the hawk's red tail as he flew down the road.

How much mischief can three kittens get into?

2011-01-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

Plenty!!!!

Some children bring their mothers flowers...

2011-01-25T09:06:00.000-05:00

Mine bring me critters, lol. My daughter caught this little girl after she was repeatedly breaking into the bagel shop where she works. The management was going to take more drastic measures in her removal, so Cara caught her and brought her to me. This is another late season baby just like Trotsky was, but due to her having shelter in the shop she is in good condition with no frostbite. Due to our extreme weather she wouldn't survive long on her own and without a source of shelter and bagels, so here she is. Sigh.

She is a pretty little girl, and once again I don't have the heart to toss her out and let nature take it's course.

I've discovered that she loves oranges. I hope it warms up quickly so I can sing "Born Free" and send her on her way ~ I wonder if it's possible that Trotsky is still out there and upon releasing her she may cross paths with him? I've been calling her Tsarina, in keeping with the Russian precedent set with Trotsky and Lenin.

This is why I have a young possum camping in my living room...

2011-01-24T09:07:00.000-05:00

A sad discovery today

2011-01-20T18:31:00.000-05:00

One of the pheasants was taken today. I will miss him, I really enjoyed watching the two of them every day. I took this shot of them yesterday as they headed over to eat.

This evening I went to the feeding station and noticed feathers all over. Then I spotted within the trees a pile of them.

I couldn't see specific tracks, due to the ice we received yesterday the snow does not give up it's secrets like before. Instead of detailed prints, the snow just breaks under the weight of the animal without a distinct shape.

Unfortunately it was getting late and I didn't want to follow the trail into the dark woods, so I'm assuming it was a fox that got the pheasant. Ironically, today I saw a fox standing in the road on my way to Riverton, a gorgeous red one with a magnificent bushy tail.

I knew it was almost inevitable that a predator would get the pheasants, but I'm still sad about it. At least the bird was able to experience what it was like to be free for a little while.

The morning after the snow storm

2011-01-17T09:17:00.002-05:00

I waded through the snow over to where I've been feeding the pheasants. As I started shoveling out the area, I heard a fluttering and scrabbling coming from beneath the little trailer to the left.

I peered under it, and was surprised to see first a wing, then a foot, and finally a bright little head pop out and peer up at me. One of the pheasants had sought refuge from the storm in the little snow cave that had formed beneath the trailer.

Later when I went back to photograph him, he was gone. I followed his tracks and finally spotted him nestled in the snow and looking quite content. There was no sign of the other pheasant, and sadly I assumed that he didn't survive the storm. This morning as I went over to throw some seed he finally showed back up, and I was very happy to see him.

My little feeding station also attracts the expected birds and squirrels. As I checked out the myriad tracks in the snow I spotted some rabbit tracks leading to the station. David and I both had spotted a very large cottontail hanging around the yard last fall, I wonder if this was the same one?

I followed his tracks back, curious to see where he came from. This is looking back towards the feeding station.

Fortunately the wind had scoured the snow from my garden and thus it was much easier to walk through than other parts of the yard.

The rabbit had emerged from beneath the garden shed, perhaps to take a moment of rest from hopping through the snow. He also most kindly offered up some fertilizer for my flowers.

I then spotted where he had gone under the shed, and continued to follow his trail back. He also perfectly placed some more organic fertilizer for my rose :)

His tracks came from beneath the porch. The rabbit must have sought shelter underneath the porch during the storm. I've seen a few more tracks since, so I wonder if this has become his winter home. I think I will set up my game camera this afternoon at the feeding station, perhaps I'll get a picture of him.

Snowmageddon 2011

2011-01-12T18:49:00.005-05:00

What a day! We got more snow than you can shake a stick at, if you could find a stick to shake! Here's a glimpse at what greeted us outdoors this morning~

Just a few minutes after this video was shot Dozer somehow managed to partially tear off his dewclaw. A slow careful trek to the vet's followed and once more poor Dozer must wear an e~collar, much to his dismay. His paw is bandaged up and he's dosed up with pain med, so now he's curled up on the couch trying to ignore the looks that the other bullies are giving him.

There is a pond in there somewhere.

David and I had to clear out a path for the bullies in the kennel for nighttime potty trips. I think we are all set with snow for awhile.

What is your theory?

2011-01-11T12:23:00.003-05:00

Do you think the shifting magnetic poles is the cause? The upcoming end of the Mayan calendar? Chemtrails? Anybody have any thoughts? What about you, my reader from Maine ~ any opinions? Here's my email address if you'd like to share them ~ dcanderson06@sbcglobal.net ~ it would be nice to finally hear from you :)

*On December 30th, the first of the dead fish surfaced in Rio De Janerio Brazil. Sardines, croakers, and catfish started to wash ashore dead. The total for the dead fish coming ashore was 100 tons over the next few days.

*On December 31st the first of the dead bird phenomenon’s were reported in Bebe Arkansas. Thousands of redwing blackbirds fell to their death from mid air flight.

*On January 1st Kentucky had hundreds of dead birds found near the Murray State university.

*On January 3rd, 100,000 dead drum fish found along a 20 mile stretch of the Arkansas river.

*On January 4th, 500 dead redwing blackbirds were found scattered along a quarter of a mile span of highway in Point Coupee Parish, Louisiana.

*On January 4th, hundreds of fish washed up on the shore of the St. Clair River in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

*On January 4th, in Orange Florida thousands of dead fish line the banks of Spruce Creek.

*On January 5th, Chesapeake Bay in Maryland saw 2 million fish wash onto the shore.

*On January 5th, 200 Dead birds are found in Tyler, Texas on a bridge on highway 155 over the Lake O’Pines.

*On January 5th , in Wilson Tennessee, 150 dead grackles found on the side of the road near Lebanon. (The birds had been there for several days)

*On January 5th, in Falkoeping, West Sweden, 50-100 crows were found dead along a street.

*On January 5th, Kent England, 40,000 velvet swimming crabs wash ashore dead.

*On January 5th in New Zealand, hundreds of snapper fish, many missing their eyes wash ashore on the Coromandel Peninsula.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-24T12:58:00.001-05:00

Pheasantly surprised

2010-12-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

These two pheasants have been showing up on a daily basis over by my compost bin. I was very surprised to see them, as I had thought the coyotes finished off any stragglers. I've been throwing seed down for them, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they survive the winter. They appear to be two males.

I did some research on pheasants in Connecticut and was surprised to learn that the state releases approximately 15,000 to 20,000 birds annually in an attempt to bolster and sustain the number of wild birds. Due to habitat loss and hunting the pheasants are unable to maintain the wild population without this support. If the birds I have come across are from this state sponsored program no wonder it hasn't been successful as the birds are pretty oblivious. I believe though that the hunt club next to me uses a private contract sort of situation to obtain farmed birds, and hope that the state is more careful that the birds don't become acclimated to humans.

Here's an interesting article regarding pheasants:
http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/wildlife/pdf_files/outreach/fact_sheets/pheasant.pdf

A Tale of Two Kitties

2010-12-08T10:43:00.009-05:00

There is nothing Tank loves more than to snore a winter's evening away comfortably ensconced in David's lap, but his best of times looked to become his worst a few nights ago. "What fresh hell is this??" Tank wondered as Jubal Lee suddenly appeared next to him. To his dismay, even his grumpiest glare had no effect upon Jubal Lee's ebullient spirit.

"Such cheek, such gall!!" thought Tank as Jubal Lee scrambled up his back. His ire soon melted as Jubal Lee kneaded his back. "Hmmmmm, that feels rather nice"

"Ok furball ~ as long as you keep your distance you can stay, but don't bother me none, not at all!".

As Tank slipped into slumber Jubal Lee inched closer and closer. After all, what kitten can resist a source of warmth to sleep against? And what an irresistible heat source a snoring bulldog is, all those wrinkles and folds and sonorous melodies!

Tickle, tickle....tickle tickle!! Here came little Jezebel not so politely announcing her presence.

AAACCCHHHOOO!! Tank's sleep was disrupted by a tremendous sneeze. "Hey, what in tarnation was tickling my nose?!"

"Whaddaya doing so close Furball??".

"And where the heck did you come from??!!"

Tank pondered the situation and gave his fiercest stinkeye. "Listen you two, there are rules and proprieties pertaining to dogs and cats that must be adhered to!!"

"No purring in my ears, and keep your paws to yourselves, or there will be trouble for you! For I am a bulldog, and thus must be respected!"

Both Jubal Lee and Jezebel obligingly waited until Tank slipped back into slumberous dreams before curling up next to him once more while purring and whispering in his ears ~ "It's a far, far better rest you go to while embraced within kitten paws than you have ever known".

(My apologies to Dickens)

Patience has paid off

2010-12-01T10:07:00.002-05:00

I finally got some decent shots of the beaver :) I've never been one to be able to sit quietly in the past, but have learned the benefit of doing so while trying to photograph this beaver.

He was well aware of me watching him, but as long as I stayed in the Jeep and didn't move he was ok with my presence.

He sat for over a half hour gnawing on a stick, you can see his stash of stripped twigs in the water beneath him.

I never knew how noisy beavers are when they eat. He chomped and smacked his food with great relish. I had to suppress my laughter at times as he was so thoroughly enjoying his tucker.

A few days ago while walking by the little pond with the bullies I spotted a second, smaller beaver. I had suspected there must be more than this one due to the amount of trees down but never spotted the other one before. I hope to get some shots of her (I'm assuming it's a female) when the weather permits.

When I tried to creep out of the Jeep for a closer shot I was treated to a hearty reprimand in the form of a magnificent tail slap. Back to the Jeep I went.

Ah, the best branches are always higher up!

That time of year again

2010-12-01T09:37:00.007-05:00

With the advent of hunting season comes the release of game birds at the hunt club down the road. Some of you have heard me talk about this before ~ but some of my newer lurkers haven't. The cost for your lurking is that you have to endure my small rant on this topic, lol. After all ~ nothing in life is free, not even the meager amusement my blog might provide!

I am not against hunting, but I see no sportsmanship in this particular form of it. This pheasant was wandering at the edge of my yard. When I approached it, it broke cover and came towards me. If I can whack the bird with a stick that is not hunting fairly ~ that is a canned hunt.

No true "game" bird of sane mind would ever leave the protection of cover to approach a human! I fail to see the hunting challenge of releasing birds that will come up to you looking for a hand out of food.

Every year some species of game bird wanders into my yard, seemingly clueless to the numerous perils of their situation. It saddens me as I know they have very little chance of surviving.

This fellow kept coming so close to me I couldn't get a decent shot as I had my telephoto lens on the camera. He even followed me into the open yard as I walked off to get some seed to throw down for him.

Is it only coincidence that the coyotes have been extraordinarily vocal and close at night lately? The last few evenings have been filled with coyote songs and conversation. One night I listened to a pack right in the woods beside the house joyously yipping and yapping over what must have been a kill, and I wondered if it were the pheasant as I haven't seen it since.

I taped this while standing in the dog kennel some nights ago ~ far off in the distance a coyote was howling back to the one you can hear on the tape, the quality is poor but you'll get the idea.

I know that Mother Nature can be a cruel mistress, but always with a greater purpose that balances it out. It sorrows me that people can be equally as cruel with only their own amusement as inspiration. Man is truly a "god in ruins".

Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-12-01T08:53:00.001-05:00

Nikolas and Tori made dessert, with plenty of shenanigans in the mix.

Is there anything sweeter than young love?

Cara talking to her Aunt Mikie :)

Cara's boyfriend Kyle really loves Sammy Bird.

Tallulah's thought for the day

2010-12-01T08:48:00.001-05:00

The simplest of things can provide the most pleasure...ah the endless joy and potential of a grocery bag!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

Nik's room

2010-11-22T09:14:00.001-05:00

As some of you know and some don't, Nik is enlisting in the National Guard. He is also moving out of Pete's house and will be staying with us until he goes for basic and advanced training.

I had shut down the back section of the house years ago, and while all the construction has been going on it had also become a catchall of tools, office stuff, all sorts of chaos and mayhem. I've been cleaning, moving stuff, and trying to restore order back there so that Nik has room for all of his things and a nice place to stay.

It was amazing how much stuff had piled up back there! After much hard work I finally got one room straightened up for him. Kris, recognize the chair and runners? The Lacrosse stick is Nik's decorating touch. Also, he added the drum and ukulele from the stuff being stored, he used to love playing both when he was younger.

The other three rooms are almost organized ~ he is going to set his drum kit upstairs and he will have storage space up there as well. The room right next to this one will be used for his exercise equipment.

I'm not really fond of this red color, Cara had picked it out years ago but it's not particularly my taste. The shelf itself is not the best of construction so Nik is going to build me a new bookshelf in it's place :)

Nik is also going to help finish the living room ~ woohoo!!!!

The Anklebiters

2010-11-22T08:57:00.002-05:00

They are turning into quite the handful. Evidently my ugly green garden shoes offend their delicate sensibilities and thus must be chewed upon and attacked.

Ms. Tallulah is constantly loaded for bear and looking for mischief. I've been slowly introducing the dogs one by one to the kittens. Upon meeting Boo she greeted him by hopping over to him and giving him a swat right on the nose. Boo reacted with befuddlement and restraint, while I quickly scooped her up before she got herself in trouble.

Dozer on the other hand is simply terrified of the little monsters, here he is hiding behind David.

Who is really the softie around here when it comes to critters??

The kittens are going on a road trip tomorrow

2010-11-15T15:27:00.000-05:00

Now that they are stable I called the vet's to have them checked out. They are too young for vaccinations, but they can be tested for worms & feline leukemia. I asked the receptionist if they offered a discount for rescued kittens and she just chuckled. I guess that's a no.

I'm really torn about these guys ~ I don't want more animals but I don't have the heart to drop them off at a shelter. Whenever I go in their room they come running and attach themselves to my socks and cling like velcro dingle balls, meowing the whole time. They were already disposed of once, how can I dump them off again? Sigh.

Here's the culprit

2010-11-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday at dusk I wandered over to the beaver spot, and there he was! He is the biggest beaver I've ever seen. Unfortunately I didn't get any good shots, the woods were shrouded in shadows as the sun was sinking down. I can't use my flash with the telephoto lens, and my regular lens wouldn't be able to pick him out of the gloom from that distance.

We watched each other for a few minutes until he decided he didn't particularly care for the looks of me and he slid into the water. I took the opportunity to creep closer and that earned me a hearty tail slap in disapproval. Note the turbulence in the water in this picture, it's a split second after he slapped the water.

He dove under and I lost sight of him in the dark. What a fun sighting though :)

Earlier in the day I drove by Golden Pond and sure enough the town had torn down a section of the beaver's dam. You can see the breach to the left in the picture.

The water level has gone down several feet, and I felt bad for the beaver ~ his lodge is now high and dry and no longer protected from predators.

Today's adventure

2010-11-12T19:04:00.002-05:00

I had noticed earlier a gnawed upon tree not too far from my house. I went to check it out this afternoon and was thrilled to see many signs of recent beaver activity.

There were plenty of large trees felled and chewed on, this led me to think this must be a good sized beaver. The water leads to a double culvert under the road and into a pool on the other side.

All over were freshly chewed trees, and I wandered further back into the woods looking for the beaver itself.

This tree was suspended in the canopy of neighboring trees. The beaver completely removed the remaining stump. It dawned on me that perhaps I shouldn't be standing beneath it.

About 40 feet into the woods I saw the main dam. There is about a 2 1/2 foot drop in height in the water level on either side.

This secondary dam is about 30 feet back from the road. It has a strong current of water flowing through it so I know the beaver will be working on that. Nothing inspires a beaver more than the sound of running water.

The beaver paused for some lunch, here you can see where he stripped a felled tree of bark and the underlying soft tissue. All that hard work makes a beaver hungry!

A closer look at the teethmarks.

I was so engrossed in exploring and photographing that I did not hear this gentleman approach. As I was hunkered over taking a picture of the teethmarks I heard a voice behind me say "You should be more careful wandering around the woods right now".

I jumped a foot and nearly fell in the water he startled me so. He then pointed to his orange jacket and reminded me that it's hunting season and I should have orange on. I hadn't even thought about that, so I thanked him and chatted with him for a few.

I raced home and tied an orange bandanna around my head and went back. I tried to spot the beaver with no luck, so I decided to come back in the morning. As I walked to the road there he was in the pool across the way. It was only a fleeting glimpse as he dove beneath the water, but he did look big!

I ran over there and could see the swell of water as he swam underwater towards me and the culvert. Back across the street I dashed just in time to see a swell of water heading away from me. Dang it!! Just then a road crew crack sealing the pavement came roaring up the road, what cursed luck. They just had to end their day on this particular street.

Oh well, I'll come back and hopefully be able to get some shots of the beaver building his dam. This is a much easier location to get to versus the pond where I took the pictures of the beaver swimming.

Kitten Update

2010-11-12T09:58:00.001-05:00

This little female I named Tallulah. She is indomitable and fearless, and is constantly looking for new mischief to get into.

Here is Jezebel, a sly, smart little wench . She likes to lounge about and watch for the perfect moment to launch a kitty attack on her siblings.

Here's Jubal Lee, a confident and supremely affectionate little fellow. He loves nothing more to attach himself to your clothing and purr away.

Brawling kitties!!!

I've started the slow process of acclimating the herd. Of course Tallulah marched right up to the bullies and scared both Dozer and Boo away with a fine display of bravado. Tank on the other hand held his ground, I'm going to have to be very careful integrating all these critters.

Finally, an answer to the age old question - "Do bears poop in the woods?"

2010-11-12T09:43:00.002-05:00

Not always, sometimes they poop in your yard. Discovered this fresh pile o' bear poo while taking Boo on his daily walkabout. Notice the birdseed ~ I had a feeling it was too soon to start feeding the birds.

Does anyone have any mittens?

2010-11-09T19:03:00.001-05:00

Because I have three lost kittens. David brought me home a present tonight ~ while working at a job today a little kitten came charging up to him from an open shed/outbuilding. This job is at a sprawling office complex with no homes nearby. He was startled by the little kitten and asked the property supervisor about it. He hadn't seen any cats or kittens about so they started looking and found two more huddled beneath some compressors.

It seemed fairly obvious that someone had very recently dumped these kittens back there, they are definitely not feral and seem in good shape, albeit very hungry. So David being the softhearted man he is bundled them up and brought them home.

Sigh. They are very cute but I'm not sure how well I can adapt three cats into our bullydog/parrot household. For now I have them tucked into the laundry room. If any of you fall in love with a pair of these blue eyes and would like to adopt please let me know!

Not sure about their gender yet, but the black and white one is definitely cocksure and cheeky. He/she has already utilized the makeshift litter box, much to our mutual relief.

This little one is growing on me ~ comes over to you, bats at your hand and starts purring...

Then launches into a full scale blanket attack.

The third kitten is somewhat shy and quiet. Well, until it got a bellyful of food and happily engaged in a game of "What did the paw say to the face? Kapow!!!"

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T19:24:00.001-04:00

Oh how I love Halloween :) Cara stopped over yesterday to dig through my Halloween Trunk of Horrors for a costume.

She had so much fun trying on all sorts of stuff: here's her version of an old gypsy woman ~

Rocking the turkey hat, lol ~

The werewolf ears ~

Here she is in my old prom dress, this actually made me a bit misty eyed ~

Here I am wearing the same dress...many, many years ago ~

Finally Cara decided upon the SheDevil :)

Here's Kris in the PumpkinHead, she looked good!

Come and get some candy, kids!!

As I was driving back home I spotted Brett, Maureen, and Caroline out on their porch. What great costumes!! Every time I look at this picture it gives me the giggles.

I hope everyone has a wonderfully fun Halloween :)

Almost finished with Pumpkin Head

2010-10-27T21:33:00.000-04:00

I offered to make a costume for Kris to wear on Halloween ~ a pumpkin scarecrow kind of guy. This was my first time making something like this, so it was both a learning experience and fun to do. Unfortunately I rushed the process and it caused his mouth to collapse down, originally he was going to have a smile full of sharp pointy teeth. Kris, if you decide you don't want to use this my feelings won't be hurt ~ it is a bit awkward, lol.

Boo's back in his comfort zone

2010-10-21T19:07:00.000-04:00

He still very groggy, but much relieved to be home. He was very anxious to get out of the vet's this morning, not that I can blame him. When I got him home and settled I was surprised when Tank lay down gently next to him, followed by Dozer.

They stayed with him for a few hours while he slept. I was touched by their seeming concern for him, and think that their presence comforted him.

Good news on the BooDawg

2010-10-20T13:38:00.000-04:00

I just talked to the specialist that operated on Boo today ~ he's doing well after the surgery. The doctor found that the implant had ruptured in his knee, and replaced it with several more implants that he feels will stabilize it better. Boo has to stay overnight, first thing tomorrow I'll go get him and then once again the rehab process begins. The doctor feels that he will heal up much better this time, I sure hope so!

I love Halloween!

2010-10-13T19:30:00.016-04:00

To celebrate the spirit of Halloween I decided to make a scarecrow. Of course, I had a lot of help from the bullies, lol.

Here's Jack all done and perched upon the hay rake offering passerbys a cheeky smile and wave.

"Hello Dere!!!"

Whoops ~ Jack also offers a cheeky salute from the back!!

It tickles me to see folks smiling and laughing when they drive by :)

Dozer's bad, terrible day

2010-10-13T19:19:00.006-04:00

I was stacking wood out back when suddenly I heard Dozer yelp. He promptly sat down and started scooting his bottom along the ground. After examining him, I realized he had been stung right on the tush by a yellow jacket. I spotted where they were going in and out of the siding along the house, and he happened to wander too close to them.

After giving him some sympathy and scritches I went back to my chore. Minutes later I noticed huge welts starting to cover Dozer's body and head. I then saw that his face was swelling right before my eyes. I didn't have any Benadryl in the house to help. I jumped into the car to bring him to the vet's.

I was starting to panic as his face was swelling so horribly that his breathing was becoming labored, I was so afraid that he would swell so much that he wouldn't be able to breathe.

Upon arrival he was given a steriod and antihistamine shot. The vet remarked that she hadn't seen such an intense reaction to a bee sting. I waited there for an hour to ensure Dozer was stabilized and that the swelling was subsiding.

Poor guy! He's feeling much better now, and the swelling has gone down tremendously. He still has welts but they too have diminished.

There still is some swelling predominately on one side of his face, and his tongue is still a bit swollen ~ but nothing like it was on that frantic drive.

Time for some serious snoozing for one tired out puppy. Tomorrow I wage war on the yellow jackets!

I've been working on the living room

2010-10-07T21:22:00.001-04:00

I had originally stained those large boards running along the bottom of the wall in an attempt to clean them up and give them a facelift. Unfortunately due to their age the stain didn't really do the trick and I was unhappy with how they looked.
I've always been against painting wood, and especially such old pieces of wood ~but~ I decided instead of sanding them all down I would paint them. I still had some of the brown paint I used in the mudroom, so I tried it out and really liked the way it looked.
You can see on the left the unpainted boards, and on the right the painted ones. I need to hit it again with a second coat

I think the painted boards give the room a cleaner, more finished look. The walls and ceiling still need to be painted, and then we are going to put small trim pieces along all the borders to clean up the edges between walls, ceiling and boards. I'm also going to oil the beams up above to enrich and revive their color.

After that, the floor will be sanded and refinished. Woohoo ~ and then we will have a living room :) What do you think of the painted boards ~ good idea or bad?

"Whaddaya mean I'm not a Lapdog?!"

2010-10-07T21:04:00.002-04:00

A few weekends ago Dad and Lori came to town. Boo especially took a shine to Dad.

Dad didn't think my bullies are lapdogs, but Boo happily demonstrated how, in fact, they are...or at least think they are, lol.

Boo's motto ~ "Boo sits where Boo wants!!"

A last hurrah from the garden

2010-10-07T20:48:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately, and thank you to those who kept stopping by to visit. We've had days of cold rainy weather, and while the water was desperately needed it surely dampened my soul.

I took all but the final photo last week, even with the terrific heat and drought the late bloomers put forth their flowers. I love this Cimifuga ~ it provides such a striking vertical accent.

Tiny and demure, yet pretty non the less ~ Lavender Verbena

Truly the harbingers of fall ~ Asters

I've spotted Mr. Cottontail a couple of times in the garden and yard, I'm assuming it was he that nibbled on some of the purple Asters.

I was amazed that this Clematis threw a second blooming. It had succumbed to Clematis Wilt earlier this season, but I cleared all the dead leaves off and left the vine. I guess the hot summer encouraged it to try again.

Glorious Clematis Paniculata ~ such a lovely and profuse blooming :) The rain unfortunately battered the flowers, but it was gorgeous in it's prime.

Today standing on the porch. The rain tapered off and the day warmed up. The grass has greened up thanks to the copious amount of water we received, it was looking pretty haggard before.

Soon I need to cut back the plants growing in the pond and sink the pots to the bottom for overwintering. The warm temps really had an impact on the water plants, I've never had them grow so lushly.

Hope everyone is well.

No denying it ~ time to say goodbye to summer

2010-09-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

The old and new garden are pretty much spent. The extreme heat and lack of rain really took a toll, and they are ready to be cut down. I couldn't water them because I was worried about running the well dry, so they did suffer. Hopefully next summer will be more gentle.

Fortunately the plantings up by the house have handled the stress better. They aren't exposed to as much sun as the other gardens so they have hung in there and are still producing blooms.

The clematis on the arbor is just now exploding into bloom, I was amazed how much this vine grew this year. It is covered in buds and pretty white flowers :)

Woohoo! My pumpkin harvest :) I had to cut them off the vine as the vine was starting to die. Next year I'll try gourds in this spot for birdhouses.

I still have a few sunflowers here and there, I was surprised they made it this far as usually the squirrels make short work of them.

I found this Spotted Salamander under a tarp, I've never seen this type in my yard before. Cute little bugger, isn't he?

No more procrastinating, I've vowed to at least get the old garden cut down today. Hope everyone is well, and having a good day :)

A Quick Hello ~

2010-09-08T12:48:00.000-04:00

Been busy stacking wood out back, just about halfway done. Then it's time to cut and clear all the gardens down. Hope everyone is well, I'll be back soon :)

Hartland Traffic Jam

2010-09-01T08:50:00.001-04:00

I followed this flock quite a ways down my street yesterday until finally they decided to wander off into the woods.

Another dam post

2010-08-29T15:28:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Dave and I took the S.S. Guppy over to Hogsback Dam to paddle about.

We passed a kayaker who told us he had spotted two bald eagles up ahead, but we didn't see them.

Oh well, it was a lovely time anyway. Dave did a fine job rowing...

And I navigated, lol. "Let's go thataway!"

Dave spotted this little bear in a small clearing by the woods as we were leaving the dam. Dang my fumble fingers again!! By the time I wrestled the camera out of the bag and quickly tried to change the settings he had disappeared. He popped back out of the woods ahead of us so I did get these lousy shots.

He started to cross the road but didn't much like us stopped nearby so back into the woods he headed.

He's a homegrown little bear, no tags and extremely wary of people. His caution is a good thing though, it will keep him safe hopefully.

On Golden Pond

2010-08-29T14:38:00.000-04:00

A few evenings ago Dave and I went over to the little pond where I had photographed the osprey long ago. Much to our delight we spotted the beaver heading over to work on his dam.

He spotted us too, and started swimming back and forth alongside his dam. The dam is right beside the road, and right next to where we were sitting on the guardrail.

I was hoping that he'd come out of the water, but he was too nervous about our presence.

Every now and then he'd stop and just stare at us, as if to say "Hey, I've got work to do, and you two are wasting my time!".

I want to go back and see if perhaps I can get some pictures of him out of the water.

I took a wander along the river this morning

2010-08-27T12:45:00.003-04:00

to see what I could see. I loved the way the reflected color of the trees seemed to glow in the cool shadows along the banks of the river.

I spotted a heron, and had to climb up and over some huge boulders to get closer.

He seemed pretty intent on finding some breakfast.

I was hoping to get some shots of him catching something but no luck, for me or him.

He decided to wade off to a more private location, and as I didn't feel up to more rock climbing I bid him goodbye.

Playing with slower shutter speeds and moving water ~

I need to become faster at changing shutter speeds and the f/stop. While I had everything set slow for the above shots I suddenly spotted a hawk (I think) across the river in bright sunlight.

While my fumble fingers were figuring out better settings for those conditions he was already off again.

Oh well, maybe next time I'll get some better shots :)

One more peek at the hummingbirds

2010-08-25T11:07:00.003-04:00

After all, they will be gone soon enough. I have never had as many hummers as I do now. I wonder if it's because I stopped buying the premixed red food and have been making my own nectar for them?
***(1 cup sugar to 4 cups water, boiled, and cooled).
It is such fun to sit on the porch while countless hummers zip and dive all around you. They have become quite used to my presence, and thus much bolder in fighting their battles above my head. Maybe next year I'll be able to get them to feed out of my hand.
We had a spell of rainy, chilly weather and thus the activity has been escalated at the feeders.
An interesting side note to these pictures ~ see that scratch in the middle of the feeder? That was made by a bear's tooth earlier this spring.

Hummers definitely don't like to share. I watched these two hummers battle it out for ownership of this particular feeder.

Initially they spent more time chasing each other than feeding.

Here she comes again ~

And is quickly sent packing.

She tries to approach from the left ~

Then back again from the right.

They are endlessly amusing with their antics.

Finally worn out I suppose from all the dueling a compromise was achieved and the feeder was shared.

Reaching an accord didn't prevent them from every few seconds giving each other a good dose of mutual stinkeye.

I can only guess that the cooler temperatures also cool their tempers.

Notice that Napoleon is nowhere to be seen in these pictures. He used to rain holy terror on any hummer that dared to visit any of the three feeders. I wonder if it's his age, or perhaps the sheer number of other hummers has lessened his pugnacity. He now will choose just one feeder to guard, with only an occasional run at the other feeders as if to remind the other hummers of his sovereignty.

The Great Blue Heron Take Two...

2010-08-22T18:54:00.001-04:00

As I wasn't happy with the quality of pictures I took before I decided to try again. It was an overcast day so I wouldn't have all that harsh sunlight bouncing off of the water, and this time I used a better lens.

I drove over to the river and asked some fishermen standing beside the road if they had seen the heron. They laughed and told me there were about 7 or 8 of them down there, and all I needed to do was walk along the river's edge to spot them. In retrospect it really doesn't make sense that there would be only one like I had been assuming.

I pulled up a ways, and parked the Jeep. Down through the woods I went and started wandering down the river. It wasn't long before I spotted a heron perched upon a bramble of branches up ahead.

I waded into the water, the river is only about 2 feet deep here, and sat upon a boulder and started taking pictures. He didn't seem perturbed by my presence, he'd preen a bit, take a gander at me, then go back to preening some more.

Emboldened by his nonchalance, I decided to wade out to another boulder that was a bit closer to him. So intent was I on watching him that I didn't notice a lurking rock under the water and somehow my feet got all tangled up in it and down I went.

Ha!! I ended up totally underwater except for one arm, thankfully my camera wasn't harmed just a bit splashed. I sputtered up out of the water and gratefully noted that no fishermen had seen my impromptu baptism. The only victims (besides my dignity) were my shin that sported a fine blooming knot and a banged up knee.

I sloshed up to the Jeep ignoring the alarmed looks of folks driving by (Yep, that's right people...Swamp Thing is alive and well!!) and dried off the camera and attempted to wring out my clothes. I did have to giggle a bit, how the heck did I wipe out in such shallow water?!!

Ah well, I decided to try again, but I approached from further down river and there he was. I was surprised that he had actually stayed, I suppose he was curious as to what this crazy woman would be doing next.

I was able to get about 15 feet away from him, and I found a nice (dry) spot on the bank to sit upon. What a great feeling to be so close to such a beautiful, wild bird.

At one point he balanced upon one leg while watching me. I wondered if he was challenging me to perform more acrobatics for his amusement, lol.

The problem I ran into is that when he stretched his long neck out I couldn't fit all of him into the frame due to my proximity and the telephoto lens. If I backed up, the bank's angle and low hanging branches blocked him.

What a long, snakelike neck herons have!

I'm much happier with these shots, I only wish I could have taken some better ones of him in flight and with those magnificent wings outstretched. He was so accommodating to my presence I didn't want to spook him into flying away, so maybe I'll try for more another day.

I finally photographed the Great Blue Heron!

2010-08-19T16:25:00.001-04:00

I spotted the heron as I drove to Riverton today. Some of you might remember I've been trying to photograph this wary bird for ages with no luck at all.

I was amazed that I was allowed even this close, always in the past he's flown away as soon as I've taken a step into the woods from the road.

I crept ever so slowly to the waters edge, and he stayed! Unfortunately I just had my utility lens on the camera, and I was shooting into bright sunlight so the pictures aren't the greatest. But, oh what a thrill to be able to get as close as I did :)

I'll come back another day with the better lens and try my luck again, maybe he'll allow me close once more.

Finally he had enough of me, and headed over to the far side of the river.

With his wings out he looked huge.

He landed on the bank, and I thanked him and retreated back into the woods and up to my car. What a gorgeous bird, and what a happy moment :)

Napoleon & Josephine

2010-08-18T17:50:00.002-04:00

Napoleon has started accepting a female to sit upon the arbor with him, as long as she stays beneath him. He won't tolerate her taking over his perch on the cherry tree though, and quickly sends her packing when she dares too.

Together they chase away a pack of what I suspect are young'uns including a male. Possibly their own progeny? The end result is that the last few days my porch is Napoleon's waterloo, lol. There are hummingbirds zinging all around. The following video is Napoleon, and then Josephine. If you listen carefully you can barely hear above the noisy waterfall all the hummers' wings and chirps as they zip about.

The dog days of summer...

2010-08-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

Tank and Boo love nothing more than a good old fashioned game of tug~o~war. They will stay locked together on a toy forever, eventually I have to intercede and make both of them drop it.

They take this game quite seriously, this is bulldog tenacity exemplified. In the old days they would be hanging on a bull with the same implacable obduracy.

Dozer on the other hand...well, he's not your typical bulldog, lol.

Yep, he's special alright...

"I haz a new hat!!"

Boo is my guardian boy, he always has to have me in sight. He's concerned here because I'm by the road and he's not allowed past the stone wall.

It can't be true....

2010-08-15T08:35:00.001-04:00

Ah, but it is. Cara turned 21 on Friday. My gosh does that make me feel older than dirt! We spent a fun afternoon celebrating her birthday by taking her clothes shopping. I splurged a bit, but 21 is a special birthday and I wanted her to feel spoiled, at least for one day.

She has such a beautiful smile :)

The ever vigilant, ever pugnacious Napoleon

2010-08-10T10:24:00.000-04:00

He has shifted his look out point from the arbor to the small cherry tree as it offers a better view of all three feeders. He still is smaller than the other males, but twice as fierce so he has them all cowed.

The females are quite crafty with him though, one will draw him off and another will slip in for a quick sip. The other males just try to bluster their way in but Napoleon always sends them packing.

Kris, I noticed that Napoleon's throat looks orange in these pictures too, must be the way the light reflects off of the feathers. It's funny how depending on the angle the throat feathers go from brilliant red to dull brownish gray.

Such a little greedy tyrant he is! Often Napoleon will engage the others up under the porch, instinctively you'll hunker down while these feisty little devils are buzzing around your head, lol.