NOT The True Definition Of "Heave" Ho!

I was awakened this morning, around 5AMish, to the sounds of Ms. Trixie heaving!

So, I bolted out of bed in the hopes of somehow controlling or containing what was about to come but alas I was too late.

Mind you, Ms. Trixie sleeps on my bed, on her own blanket.  Even in my stupor I was thinking if she vomits on her blanket it'll be fine but nooooooooo!

As Murphy's Law goes, she missed her blanket entirely and instead puked on my heated comforter, down the side of the bed, onto the white bed skirt, which then piled onto the carpet, OMG!

It all happened so fast, in an instant really.

Of course at this point and still half asleep, I am NOT happy, NOT AT ALL, so I quickly rush Ms. Trixie downstairs and put her outside, where she remained.

Okay, she had an upset stomach, I get it but why down the side of my bed?!  Why this morning of all mornings?! And here's the kicker, I have an open house this morning at 11:30AM, so instead of a relaxing Sunday morning with my coffee, I'm cleaning up dog vomit, stripping my bed, flipping mattresses and needing to do multiple loads of laundry, all in the hopes of getting everything washed, dried and the bed put back together and made before I need to be outta here for the open house.  On top of that, can you put an electric blanket in the washing machine, then in the dryer?  Chances are, because Mr. Murphy is a dick, the answer is no, no you can't, not without ruining it, UGH!

Trying to stay positive and on the bright side of all this.  It was time to flip my mattress anyway, which entails stripping all the linens from the bed, washing them and then putting everything back in place. The good news is that when all is said and done I'll have a nice fresh, clean bed to curl up into this evening.

The jury is still out on whether Ms. Trixie will be sleeping with me tonight on the freshly laundered linens...

Achy And Breaky And Sore!

A HUGE thank you to both Loriann and Bekah for recommending we stay at the Johnson City Red Roof Inn!

The 8.0 rating by Expedia, and the Red Roof Inn itself, was (not) spot on!

We truly enjoyed staying at this (not) "smoke-free" hotel.  Our room (not) being cleaned and smelling like cigarette smoke, the horrible flat pillows, (not) having the tissues and toilet paper replaced, missing out on the free coffee at 6AM because the office door was locked and there was no one working the front desk (even though the complimentary coffee ran from 5AM to 4PM) or even the "shady characters" hanging out and milling around at weird hours didn't dissuade us, (not) one bit.

Even today, a week later, the kinks in our necks and aching backs only serve as a reminder on what a pleasant stay (not) we endured at the Red Roof Inn.

Thanks again cuz, UGH!

A Country Wedding!

Tennessee weddings in the country are something special!

Congratulations to Maria & Kyle!

The wedding was beautiful - from the location, to the weather, to the views, to the décor and of course the bride, all spot on perfect!

Meet Oscar, the weiner dog, AND ring bearer! He performed flawlessly and on cue and even stole a bit of thunder when after delivering the rings to the groom he opted to lay down and curl up on the brides dress train instead of going back to his bed. A great moment and one that you couldn't have scripted any better if you tried -

Maria and Loriann made the cake and the cupcakes, what talent!

OMG, SO darn delicious -

The flowers were all stunning!

I don't know how David pulled it off or where he got all these lovely flowers from but kudos to him for tapping into his feminine side and pulling off this beautiful feat -

It was all perfect!

We had a great time celebrating and SO thankful for getting to be a part of it!

Chasing Sunsets

"Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully."

I took these first two sunset pictures below off my back deck here in Franklin, MA this past Wednesday evening, Oct 15th -

I took these next two sunset pictures while in Blountville, TN this past Saturday evening Oct 11th -

Eerily, similar and both beautiful!

The Sun Shines In My Kitchen!

The best refrigerator art ever by the talented Ms. Emma -

Finally, something wonderful to brighten up my kitchen!

Bless Your Heart, Welcome to Tennessee!

Our Tennessee visit was great!

Love Tennessee, love the Johnson City area, the open spaces and the farmland!

Most importantly was visiting and spending time with the family! To catch up, to celebrate - congratulations Maria & Kyle, to eat, to drink, to laugh and to cry. I cherish it all!

My cousin Loriann took us on a back road drive to the Nolichucky river to see parts of the area that was devastated by hurricane Helene just about a year ago.  One spot in particular, and the main reason for the drive, was to see where my Uncle Joe's ashes were scattered - what a beautiful and peaceful spot it is!

The drive itself brought back a rush of wonderful memories of times gone by, sitting in the jeeps passenger sit next to my uncle. Whether we'd be heading out to go fishing, running errands or just out for an adventure, those back road drives were something VERY special. The memories that came rushing back as we retraced and visited the area made me both happy and sad.

Back in the day and at the time I didn't realize just how meaningful and special these excursion would become and I'm forever grateful for the time I got to spend with my Uncle Joe and the memories I get to carry with me.

Loriann is a chip off the ole block without a doubt, except she drives those country back roads SO much faster than her dad 😁

Listen to Rodney Atkins - Take A Backroad

#Blessed

Alas!

Tennesseans Here I Come!

I'm headed to the Volunteer State!

Postings will be on a hiatus until my return.

Comfort In Chaos

It's difficult to see at times, especially when your in the midst of a storm, but I believe this to be true.

One of the hardest parts is surrendering and trusting to the process.

Not sure if there's a divine power behind all this but as the saying goes, the Lord works in mysterious ways!

More LLV Adventures

I had a certified letter last weekend to be delivered, several actually.  Certified letters requires a signature, so they're a pain in the behind quite frankly. If no one is home or no one answers the door we need to fill out a PS Form 3800, notifying the person we tried and that they now need to go to the post office to sign and retrieve the letter\package themselves.

I'm finding that my success rate for obtaining the required signatures is poor at best.  Most folks just are not home during the day.  Dismounting the LLV, going to the door and waiting to see if someone answers takes time. When they don't answer there's a process to scan the certified item, fill out the form, and leave form behind, again all taking time.  It's really more of an annoyance than anything else.

Anyway, being it was a Saturday, I was successful in obtaining the persons signature for one of certified letters I had!

When I pulled into the driveway, there was a woman with hedge trimmers going to town on pruning some bushes; working on her fall clean up.  I think I startled her because she didn't hear me approach due to the noise of the trimmers.  I introduced myself and told her I had a certified letter that needed her signature.

As I scanned the letter and prepared the scanner for her signature, I realized this woman was listening a foreign language song, which was very familiar to me!  So, as she was trying to sign the scanner in the bright sunlight, making it difficult to see, I asked her if that was Greek music she was listening to and she said yes. SO, when she handed me back the signed scanner, I thought I would thank her in Greek and said "efkaristo"

"Efkaristo" (ef-kha-ree-STO) is the Greek word for "Thank you". The word comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "I give thanks" or "I show gratitude," and is a combination of "ef" (meaning well/good) and "charis" (grace/favor), literally meaning "I give good grace". 

She was a bit surprised and with a BIG grin she replied with "parakaló", which is a dual purpose response to efkaristo, meaning both "you're welcome" and "please". 

Sadly, I admitted to her that I could not speak Greek but for a few words and that wished I had listened to my mother and learned it when I was younger, when she was still around to help teach it; a regret.

This woman told me that she's working on teaching Greek to her young grandkids, how nice!

I'm pretty sure I made new friend! We both departed with BIG smiles and to be honest, it made my day! It helped usher in some wonderful memories of my mom, all be it with a tear or two.

#Blessed

I'm No Werewolf But...

Pictures just don't compare to seeing all the the things I've posted in person...

I took this pic early this morning, around 1:30AM, while watering Trixie.

A stunning "waxing giving moon", with soft cirrus clouds floating about and airplane contrails crisscrossing the sky!

It had me mesmerized, as I stood upon my back deck in the chilly night air, in my skivvies, taking it all in, as Trixie let it all our, HEHEHE!

For those inquiring minds, here is what the Google machine has to say about the waxing giving moon - 

"The term "waxing giving moon" refers to the waxing gibbous phase, a period where the Moon's illuminated portion grows from being more than half full to nearly full. The "waxing" part means the visible light is increasing, and "gibbous" describes the shape, which is more than half but not completely full. This phase is seen as a time of growth and momentum, just before the peak of the full moon."

#Blessed

I'm Thinking Cold Feet, Brrrr

Can you find the critter in the first photo below?!

The last stop on route 10 sits next to a section of the Charles River in Norfolk, MA. I made my last delivery and was crossing over the bridge heading back to the PO, when I spotted this beauty, so I hit the brakes.  Suppose one of the benefits of being in a mail truck with flashing lights (fyi - there was no one behind me when I stopped), at least in my mind, which allowed me to capture these couple of pics.

From my experiences and observations, Grey Herons seem to be a bit skittish, so I was a bit surprised this dude stayed stoic and didn't take flight -

However, once I started moving about and making noise, off he went. I thought the pictures of him flying off were better than they turned out, alas.  I need to work on my transition from photo to video, maybe that would have been a better visual.  He's tough to spot, so I circled where he is in the two pics below -

They seem pretty agile and quick for such a big bird.

I think I need a better camera, as these photos just don't justice or could just be me and that my picture take abilities need some work. Perhaps, it's time to upgrade my iPhone.

Either way, enjoy!

More LLV Adventures Continue

Just getting going on my route yesterday morning, around 10:30ish, I spied what looked to be, two young foxes in the grass, by the edge of an open field!

To be honest, they caught me by surprise because they were just casually laying out and grooming themselves. It was a chilly morning and these youngsters were taking advantage and basking in the sun. It was cute how they were both laying next to each other when I first saw them, seemingly not a care in the world.

Of course that changed when I pulled over to watch them and take some pics.  As you'd expect, they got nervous and darted off but not before I snapped these two photos below, which unfortunately only captured one of the two -

Something to don't see everyday.

#Blessed

In Memoriam

Time Leaves Its Fingerprints In Rust

My old Kenmore Elite washing machine has seen better days, wouldn't you agree?!

The old gal is literally rotting away on me, geesh.

However, she still has some life left in her and continues to launder like a champ!

Franklin water is VERY harsh and has done a number of my sink faucets and tub fixtures, so no surprise it's beating up the washer too.  Of course, they don't make appliances, or anything really, these days that last.

I have my fingers AND toes crossed that she continues with my garment care...

Milkweed Pods A Plenty

I had oodles of milkweed this summer, with many of them growing in the flower beds within the pool area.  These plants did very well, got very big and have big seed pods, as they're big fans of direct sun.

I took the below pics a couple weeks ago.  These same seed pods have now begun to dry and crack open and will soon be blowing their seeds all over!

It would also appear that once milkweed gets established in an area they spread and sprout new plants via their roots too, not just the seeds they'll soon be sowing.

Frustratingly and sadly, I did NOT spot a single Monarch caterpillar on any of my milkweed plants.  Nor did I see any on the milkweeds plants I've passed on my walks or when out delivering mail, alas.

And I only saw a handful of adult Monarch butterflies visiting the flowers in my yard this summer.

But then again, as I've been saying, it's been a weird summer in general for plants and animals, from my perspective anyway.

Something To Snack On...

To the impatient POS who was riding my bumper and leaning on his horn this afternoon, while I was performing my federal job of delivering the mail for the USPS - 

Perhaps, the above is a tad bit too abrasive. Let me try again using a bit of Shakespearean flair -

"Good sir, I bid thee kindly — eateth a satchel of phalluses and choke upon thy hubris."

I would also like to extend this heartfelt sentiment to ALL the other impatient, angry, rude, POS drivers that act and behave the same way!

Have a nice day!

On Fire!

Last nights sunset off my back deck was stunning!

And I got to share it with my daughter.

#Blessed

Late Bloomers But Oh So Welcome!

My Montauk (Nippon) Daisy's have had a tough go of it this year.  The plants are not as full as in years past, they've grown "leggy" and not nearly as many buds. Oh, and let's not forget that for some reason, the wild rabbits did a number on them this year too AND are still at it, GRRR.

All that being said, the buds that are there are starting to burst with BIG beautiful flowers -

The honey bees, bumble bees and many other insects are making the transition from the sedum to these beauties -

What a beautiful fall flower to have adorning my yard!

#Blessed

Pool Season Is Officially Over!

So, this happened today!

Long overdue and spur of the moment decision, I found some motivation and spent the afternoon; a long afternoon, closing the pool down for the season and getting the cover installed -

A bitter sweet process, as this very well could be the last time I close and need to fuss with my pool.

I have the process down pat and have become proficient at opening and closing all by myself, right down to removing and installing the 22'x42' pool cover -

With the fall upon us, the leaves are beginning to drop with many finding their way into the pool, which makes for a mess and more work for me.  So, it's always such a relief when the cover in finally in place and I no longer need to worry about leaves and debris, the expense to run it or the time to maintain it.

She's all tucked in for the coming months - sweet dreams.

Just Call Me "Handy Manny"

My handy work still on display years later!

I don't recall exactly when I repaired the below mailbox post but guessing some 10-15 years ago! I believe my dad was still in his Westwood house at the time and this was a friends mailbox who lived around the corner.

In keeping up a yearly tradition of mine, I stopped in with some of my fresh tomatoes for her the other day and to say hi and catch up. The mailbox caught my attention, for some reason, so I snapped the below picture.

I also don't recall how the post was damaged, perhaps from a snowplow tossing snow and ice while plowing the main street. Anyway, the original post was damaged and needed to be repaired.

Instead of replacing the post, I simple sandwiched the original post between two pressure treated 2x4s and bolted them all together -

And taadaa, still standing and still solid after all these years!