I know, I know--who wants to see a picture of a dead mouse--but here's proof that there IS a jumping mouse (aka kangaroo mouse). This one was neatly deposited, in a perfect pose, by Dot. Snotty Dotty the cat. How long can a mouse's tail be? you might well ask. I don't know why these critters have such long tails, but it's impressive.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
What a difference
I'm hiring the son of a good friend (as opposed to a bad friend) to do outdoor work for me. Yesterday he mowed the lawn, the driveway, the "field" I hadn't mowed this year. Wow does it look great. Thursday he's coming back to weed whack. I can't imagine what it's going to look like, but I'm thrilled to have found someone enthusiastic and YOUNG and STRONG who will do this stuff. When he & his mother came last night I said my place looks like Tobacco Rd. Forgive me, residents of Tob.Rd., but my deck looks sort of trashed right now. I haven't put my flower pots out in any order and there's spilled dirt on the deck, and a big pile of stuff that needs to go to the dump but has to be moved with a shovel. Getting rid of that will make a huge difference. Come on, girlie, get to it.
Water is no longer an issue--I heard the joyous sound of my sump pump running, meaning the water table is very high. We had lots of rain, which was a drag but was also fantastic. I stayed in the boat house one night during the weekend, and it was about 45 in the morning so I fled to higher ground. This morning it was exactly 40. A good temperature to walk the bog but wearing a jacket. Holly & I walked the bog last night while her son mowed--the 2nd time for the dogs & me that day, so this morning the dogs were very reserved in their walking. No running, no chariot-pulling, just trotting along slowly.
I'm heading to Keene Vall. later this week to start work on their map collection. Was supposed to go last week but didn't get there. It's a really pretty spot, tucked into the mountains.
Social life is humming. Dinner with friends tomorrow night, dinner with friends Monday night, trip to LkPlacid next Friday to meet a friend for dinner. And I'm trying to lose weight, counting my points. So far it's working but it's slow, very slow. Everyone says that's the best way to lose weight, so I guess I'm doing the best. Patience, lady, patience.
There was a joke told long ago and the punchline was "Patience, little jackass." The joke wasn't very funny, sort of like the knock-knock joke about "orange you glad I didn't say orange?" I always think of the phrase when I talk of myself, or want to tell someone else to be patient.
Must move along, have to come up with personal goals for the year. Work goals, that is. My own personal goals are pretty much the same every year. Where I used to work, if you didn't achieve your goal the first year, you could repeat it the next year, but if you didn't achieve it that year you couldn't carry it over. So far no one here has caught on to that. But, really, for how many years to I want to list unachieved goals?
Water is no longer an issue--I heard the joyous sound of my sump pump running, meaning the water table is very high. We had lots of rain, which was a drag but was also fantastic. I stayed in the boat house one night during the weekend, and it was about 45 in the morning so I fled to higher ground. This morning it was exactly 40. A good temperature to walk the bog but wearing a jacket. Holly & I walked the bog last night while her son mowed--the 2nd time for the dogs & me that day, so this morning the dogs were very reserved in their walking. No running, no chariot-pulling, just trotting along slowly.
I'm heading to Keene Vall. later this week to start work on their map collection. Was supposed to go last week but didn't get there. It's a really pretty spot, tucked into the mountains.
Social life is humming. Dinner with friends tomorrow night, dinner with friends Monday night, trip to LkPlacid next Friday to meet a friend for dinner. And I'm trying to lose weight, counting my points. So far it's working but it's slow, very slow. Everyone says that's the best way to lose weight, so I guess I'm doing the best. Patience, lady, patience.
There was a joke told long ago and the punchline was "Patience, little jackass." The joke wasn't very funny, sort of like the knock-knock joke about "orange you glad I didn't say orange?" I always think of the phrase when I talk of myself, or want to tell someone else to be patient.
Must move along, have to come up with personal goals for the year. Work goals, that is. My own personal goals are pretty much the same every year. Where I used to work, if you didn't achieve your goal the first year, you could repeat it the next year, but if you didn't achieve it that year you couldn't carry it over. So far no one here has caught on to that. But, really, for how many years to I want to list unachieved goals?
Friday, June 04, 2010
June
Hard to believe that May has ended and we're moving on to June. June is a great month here, if the black flies aren't too bad. Usually May is the best month of the first part of the year, but this year May had plenty of bugs--black flies, mosquitoes, punkies (no-see-ums) all at once. Those punkies are mean little suckers. They bite, nasty bites.
My water crises seem to have reared an ugly head again--while I was walking the bog this morning the pump refused to shut off. This usually means the well has run out of water (I prefer that phrase to "has gone dry"). Or there's a problem with the pump/plumbing. That would be the worst. When the well runs out of water it usually refreshes itself pretty quickly. Not much water at once, but some--enough to do the dishes, flush the toilet (maybe) and water the dogs. It's a terrible, terrible thing to begrudge your dogs a bowl of water.
This morning I washed in the lake, lucky to have that as an alternative. The water is, well, let's see: brisk? refreshing? too cold? Temp must be in low 60s at best. It's not that bad to swim in but it takes your breath away at first. I swam on Sunday with my friend Linda. We spent the afternoon sitting on her dock--our docks aren't in yet. Really, really nice. No one on the lake this early.
I'm going to have the son of a good friend do some work for me. I think I'm getting pretty clever in my old age. I'll pay him, plus give him gas money. I'm figuring he'll mow my lawn (how lazy can I get?), move firewood around (again, how lazy?) and maybe paint the trim in the living room. If I have him do that I'll have to pick out a color, though. oh dear. I really want to paint the whole living room, but that's a question of money. always money.
I've been sleeping in the boat house off & on. When it's 50 or colder in the morning I stay at home. I was almost asleep the other night when the loon started screeching. Scared the poop out of me. It's great to have loons every year, makes us all feel everything is right with the world.
There are some summer people here now, only a few of them. I'm trying to adjust to the change in the neighborhood. Getting ready for the real onslaught. The bog is still empty of people, and belongs to Chances and Tess. We walk it pretty much every morning, it's exactly a mile so I like that. There's no one around at 6 so we have it to ourselves. It's greening up quickly, some wildflowers in bloom now.
Supposed to rain all weekend. Excellent opportunity to sort clothes and PUT THEM AWAY. When I was in high school my mother told me that our house was "not the sort of place where we put clothes on the floor." All I did then was close my closet door. I have no closet in the bedroom where I'm sleeping right now, so I just have piles of clothes. I'm doing my best to keep them off of the floor, but the piles tip over. Dealing with clothes has been a goal for, oh, many months at least.
I had a nice long weekend--from Sat. through Weds. It was great. Every year I try to take extra days off around Mem. Day. I pretend to clean my house. Each year I get less and less done. More lists, longer lists, a new list every day, pared down to something reasonable (like, do the dishes). This year I got very little done and the house looks as if I didn't clear off a single surface. Which is pretty much true. I did make a dump run, though, and accomplished a few other things. Well, maybe one or two things. I spent a lot of time visiting with Linda and others, which is really nice.
My water crises seem to have reared an ugly head again--while I was walking the bog this morning the pump refused to shut off. This usually means the well has run out of water (I prefer that phrase to "has gone dry"). Or there's a problem with the pump/plumbing. That would be the worst. When the well runs out of water it usually refreshes itself pretty quickly. Not much water at once, but some--enough to do the dishes, flush the toilet (maybe) and water the dogs. It's a terrible, terrible thing to begrudge your dogs a bowl of water.
This morning I washed in the lake, lucky to have that as an alternative. The water is, well, let's see: brisk? refreshing? too cold? Temp must be in low 60s at best. It's not that bad to swim in but it takes your breath away at first. I swam on Sunday with my friend Linda. We spent the afternoon sitting on her dock--our docks aren't in yet. Really, really nice. No one on the lake this early.
I'm going to have the son of a good friend do some work for me. I think I'm getting pretty clever in my old age. I'll pay him, plus give him gas money. I'm figuring he'll mow my lawn (how lazy can I get?), move firewood around (again, how lazy?) and maybe paint the trim in the living room. If I have him do that I'll have to pick out a color, though. oh dear. I really want to paint the whole living room, but that's a question of money. always money.
I've been sleeping in the boat house off & on. When it's 50 or colder in the morning I stay at home. I was almost asleep the other night when the loon started screeching. Scared the poop out of me. It's great to have loons every year, makes us all feel everything is right with the world.
There are some summer people here now, only a few of them. I'm trying to adjust to the change in the neighborhood. Getting ready for the real onslaught. The bog is still empty of people, and belongs to Chances and Tess. We walk it pretty much every morning, it's exactly a mile so I like that. There's no one around at 6 so we have it to ourselves. It's greening up quickly, some wildflowers in bloom now.
Supposed to rain all weekend. Excellent opportunity to sort clothes and PUT THEM AWAY. When I was in high school my mother told me that our house was "not the sort of place where we put clothes on the floor." All I did then was close my closet door. I have no closet in the bedroom where I'm sleeping right now, so I just have piles of clothes. I'm doing my best to keep them off of the floor, but the piles tip over. Dealing with clothes has been a goal for, oh, many months at least.
I had a nice long weekend--from Sat. through Weds. It was great. Every year I try to take extra days off around Mem. Day. I pretend to clean my house. Each year I get less and less done. More lists, longer lists, a new list every day, pared down to something reasonable (like, do the dishes). This year I got very little done and the house looks as if I didn't clear off a single surface. Which is pretty much true. I did make a dump run, though, and accomplished a few other things. Well, maybe one or two things. I spent a lot of time visiting with Linda and others, which is really nice.
spruce tree
This little spruce tree is having a good year--if it were a human we'd say it had a growth spurt. It's hard to see in the picture, but the pale green on the tips of the branches are all new growth.
mouse
This is what Kitty brought into the house last night. These are jumping mice (we call them kangaroo mice). yes, they jump instead of walking or skipping. When Kitty dropped her prize on the floor I thought it was dead enough to sweep into a dust pan. Wrong, oh so wrong. Mouse hopped about 2 feet and hid under the dinner table. I quit playing the game at that point.
Kitty seems to like threatened species--her favorites are this kind of mouse and pygmy shrews. During the night she brought a vole into the bedroom. That one was dead, all dead, so I threw it out the bedroom window. And told her to shut up and go to sleep. She did.
Kitty seems to like threatened species--her favorites are this kind of mouse and pygmy shrews. During the night she brought a vole into the bedroom. That one was dead, all dead, so I threw it out the bedroom window. And told her to shut up and go to sleep. She did.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
casey
Here's what the Casey Road looks like these days. Sunny in the morning, with trees closing in on it. On some parts of the road there will be a canopy of leaves covering the whole road. When I lived in Conn. the dogwood trees did that on some roads. It was really, really pretty, driving through a tunnel of dogwood in bloom.
casey
An abandoned farm along the road. It's really pretty and sort of makes you wish you lived there. I said SORT OF.
The farm is slightly more than half-way along the road, so it's great to see it in the morning when I'm hustling to get to work. Not such a joy on the way home, though. Still, it's always nice to see it.
The farm is slightly more than half-way along the road, so it's great to see it in the morning when I'm hustling to get to work. Not such a joy on the way home, though. Still, it's always nice to see it.
la luna
A luna moth, which was attracted to my outside light while I was at he boat house. There were 3, and I guess they weren't dead because they disappeared during the day. They come around pretty much every spring and are always a special thing to see.
misty mountain 004
Pictures of the mountain practically take themselves. This was this morning's sunrise.
Big storm during the night but I only woke up to hear thunder once, then went back to sleep. Guess thunder & lightning don't mean much to me. I was just happy to have my plants watered.
The storm pushed our hot, humid weather away and now it's sunny and clear. ahhhhhh.
Big storm during the night but I only woke up to hear thunder once, then went back to sleep. Guess thunder & lightning don't mean much to me. I was just happy to have my plants watered.
The storm pushed our hot, humid weather away and now it's sunny and clear. ahhhhhh.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
laurel 004
Sheep laurel in bloom in the bog. I think it's called sheep laurel because it's poisonous to sheep. So why wouldn't it be called "sheepless laurel?" Anyway, it's one of the signs of late spring, along with the Labrador tea blossoms.
I'm trying to look up, skyward, when I walk the bog. Usually I stare at the ground, which often leads me to think deep, dark thoughts. That's not why I walk there, I do it for the exercise and to appreciate & notice what's there. So I'm looking up, losing my fear of tripping on the boards. It's great, a whole different view of the bog.
Summer's getting here, zipping right along. So far, 3 dinner invitations--one last night, one for Friday and one for Saturday. And it's only Memorial Day. Linda arrives this week & friends with a camp down the shore are coming too. My cousin and her 2 great kids are coming.. Whew! Population explosion. It's always busy Mem.Day weekend, then quiet during June. Bugs are bad in June. Sometimes.
I mowed my lawn on Saturday, the maiden voyage of my new mower. Poor thing, the grass was way too tall and it stalled a bunch of times. Sort of like taking a brand new car through 4' of snow.
Tonight I'm going to a friend's house to dig up perennials. She has a bunch that grow really well and need thinning. It's hot, very hot, so I'll burn energy digging and sweating. This year I'm planting a bunch of perennials. I bought some and have planted pretty much all of them. Quite an accomplishment. I also planted a stick from beach roses in RI. I'm not optimistic about ending up with a huge patch of roses--so not optimistic that I can't even remember where I planted it. I've made drawings to remember where the rest of the plants are. yikes--so conscientious! and organized! What's happened to me?
I'm trying to look up, skyward, when I walk the bog. Usually I stare at the ground, which often leads me to think deep, dark thoughts. That's not why I walk there, I do it for the exercise and to appreciate & notice what's there. So I'm looking up, losing my fear of tripping on the boards. It's great, a whole different view of the bog.
Summer's getting here, zipping right along. So far, 3 dinner invitations--one last night, one for Friday and one for Saturday. And it's only Memorial Day. Linda arrives this week & friends with a camp down the shore are coming too. My cousin and her 2 great kids are coming.. Whew! Population explosion. It's always busy Mem.Day weekend, then quiet during June. Bugs are bad in June. Sometimes.
I mowed my lawn on Saturday, the maiden voyage of my new mower. Poor thing, the grass was way too tall and it stalled a bunch of times. Sort of like taking a brand new car through 4' of snow.
Tonight I'm going to a friend's house to dig up perennials. She has a bunch that grow really well and need thinning. It's hot, very hot, so I'll burn energy digging and sweating. This year I'm planting a bunch of perennials. I bought some and have planted pretty much all of them. Quite an accomplishment. I also planted a stick from beach roses in RI. I'm not optimistic about ending up with a huge patch of roses--so not optimistic that I can't even remember where I planted it. I've made drawings to remember where the rest of the plants are. yikes--so conscientious! and organized! What's happened to me?
laurel 005
Boat house porch--ready and waiting. I've slept there a few times so far and the dogs just can't get used to the idea that we're in the WILDERNESS (which is where we live, but this is new territory that they haven't explored lately). Barking, barking, pushing through the screen, running off, pacing, panting. Hard to sleep through all of that, but waking up a few times during the night to see the lake isn't all that bad.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
mansion 006
I was in AuSable Fks yesterday, visiting the library, and I took a picture o this, "The Graves Mansion." It's an amazing building. I've never been inside, though long ago there were tours. It was built by the man who married the daughter of my great-great-grandfather. Family lore has it that the man, Henry Graves, wanted to marry the youngest daughter in the family. Since the elder daughter was not married, he wasn't given permission. He wasn't the most wonderful man, and he wanted into the family business, so--what the heck, he married the older sister.
Supposedly he had such contempt for his father-in-law that he built a chicken coop that was an exact replica of the father-i-l's house. Who knows if that's true.
It is true, though, that the couple both went mad in later years, dying at young ages. The cause of their deaths has always been reported as lead poisoning from the lead pipes in the plumbing. They didn't even have to eat paint chips--
Supposedly he had such contempt for his father-in-law that he built a chicken coop that was an exact replica of the father-i-l's house. Who knows if that's true.
It is true, though, that the couple both went mad in later years, dying at young ages. The cause of their deaths has always been reported as lead poisoning from the lead pipes in the plumbing. They didn't even have to eat paint chips--
mansion 003
Side view, where the porte-cocher is. A 2-story one, nonetheless. Maybe they had the servants stand on the upper level, waiting in -30 degree weather to announce that the carriage had arrived.
mansion 002
Labrador tea in bloom in the bog. Do you use this plant to make tea for Labrador retrievers? nah. I've never attempted to make tea from the plant. English Breakfast works fine for me.
apple blossoms
Here's what the apple trees are covered with now. It's funny that, some years some trees are covered with blossoms & produce plenty of apples, then the next year: nothing. This year the biggest tree, on the corner of the driveway, has hardly any blossoms, but this tree, farther down the driveway, is covered. This tree's apples are sweeter anyway. I don't eat many, but I use them for the pectin when I make jams or jellies. Which I hardly ever do anymore.
Friday, May 14, 2010
hords 008
They were really pretty this year, even if they didn't follow the sequence they were supposed to. They've pretty much gone by now, and they were really beaten up by frost and snow. Still pretty though.
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