A Tettigoniidae Family Member

Seems I'm on an insect themed posting streak here recently, so I might as well continue...

I spied this female katydid, also known as a bush cricket or long-horned grasshopper, Sunday afternoon while out on my back deck. She was making her way up the downspout and onto the roof.  She was out a out a tad early, being they're nocturnal, but perhaps she was just making her way to wherever katydid gather in the evenings...

They're not a very speedy insect when crawling.  Kinda remind me of how a sloth seems to move in super slow-motion.

Even though the evening temperatures drop to the chilly side, these katydids are still a chorus singing away at night.  These dudes, along with the crickets, will lull you to sleep if you sit and listen to them long enough.

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below picture  -

I pulled the LLV up the long driveway to deliver a package to the front door this past Saturday and this Montauk Daisey was the first plant along their walkway.

I always check out the plantings when delivering up to houses.  Call me nosey but I like to see how and what others plant and how it all flows. This Montauk Daisey caught my attention because of how full and symmetrical it is, as mine are long, leggy and sagging. Mine kinda look pathetic this year but for sure the wild rabbits eating them isn't helping...

Anyway, I spotted this lady almost immediately! She just stood out.

Perhaps, a bit like Ray from the movie Rain Man, where he quickly counted the toothpicks that fell and scattered on the floor, sometimes I possess a similar ability when it comes to spotting critters, like this beauty -

I had another package to deliver to the same house yesterday but this lady had moved on.

** UPDATE **

Here's another "Find The Critter", that I came across yesterday and under the same conditions - walking a package up to a front door.  This one too, I spotted immediately -

This lady was on the hunt! There were bees coming and going on this sedum and her head was moving about trying to select her meal. She noticed me and my camera, turned her head as if to say "buzz" off, I'm working here, so I let her "bee" and off I went -

I wish these ladies were in my yard.

All Eyes On Me

This cicada was keeping a close eye, two bulgy eyes at that, on my mail delivery technic -

The dude hung onto the mailbox door securely and remained stoic when I carefully opened and closed the door. Perhaps, thinking I hadn't noticed it.

Clearly I passed with a buzz...

Small Wings, BIG Impact!

This Bumblebee has been hard at work and now taking a breather and well deserved rest on my deck banister before getting back to work -

Keep pollinating my friend, thank you!

Fighting Back The Tears

It's A Geyser I Tell Yeah!

I spent a couple hours the other late afternoon tending to my pool.

With the lack of rain we've had these last couple of months and the heat and humidity, I've lost quite a bit of water to evaporation.  Even though I hate to do it, I needed to add some water to ensure the skimmer intake had water flowing into it.

I dragged the house down and tossed into the pool, then turned on the faucet.  After a couple minutes of the hose whipping around like a snake, it finally settled and created an awesome water spout -

I let the water run a bit longer as I took in the relaxing site and sounds of the splashing water.

Ans not to be outdone by the cemetery's fountain I referenced in my previous post, here's a video I took of my homemade pool fountain  -

Perhaps, I let the house run a bit too long, as you can see my water usage for Thursday 9/11 was a tad high -

TSK, TSK, TSK to me...

Gobble 'Til You Wobble

Let's talk turkey, shall we...

These three Tom's were hang'n out in the front yard of 254 Orchard Street in Millis the other afternoon when I pulled up in the LLV.  A beautiful rustic historic house, just off the street. The boys were a bit skittish and camera shy but I was able to snap these pics before they got antsy and scurried off -

I even got a shot of the historical societies sign showing the age of the house -

I asked ChatGPT to tell me more about this house and Dr. Abijah Richardson and the below is what AI came back with, interesting -

Maura Tom turkeys!

I see them everywhere these days.  This flock was hang'n out in the Westwood cemetery yesterday late morning. Following my dental appointment in Needham, I stopped in to visit my parents grave.  Just before I stepped out of my car I was greeted with "gobble gobble gobble gobble".

It was SO peaceful and serene there.  I was the only one there (well except for the deceased - yeah, bad pun) and it was a beautiful morning -

Here the six of them are marching off in a straight line -

I was in no rush, so I drove across the street to BiBi Cafe & Bakery, grabbed a hot coffee and an apple maple scone (OMG, SO delicious), then back to the cemetery I went.  There's a little pond in this cemetery with a spewing fountain, see below, so I grabbed a spot on a sunny bench nearby and took it all in.

Reminiscing about my folks, while enjoying my coffee and scone, and taking in the sights and sounds - a pair of red-tailed hawks circling above and screeching, a grey heron wading in the pond, the turkey's gobbling, blue jays carrying on like they do, a frog croaking and the splashing water of the fountain.

Of course a tear or two rolling down my cheeks but SO thankful for the wonderful memories I have, where I am and what I have.

Well, seems this turkey post took an unexpected turn or did it?

#Blessed

Oh The Perks Of Digging In The Dirt

Just so y'all know, I am addicted to these salads!

I've been making these salads every couple three days or so, they're SO delicious!

Although, I pulled and composted by cucumber plants several weeks ago, I still have about a dozen cucs in the fridge!  Home grown cucs, with my fresh homegrown tomatoes too, red onion, black olives, feta cheese, oil and vinegar, all makes this dish that much more scrumptious!

Of course I share the cucs with Trixie and she gives it two paws up!

#Blessed

Seems I'm "Screening" My Guests...

I know I shouldn't be making fun, so forgive me, but it was funny...

I've circled in red, in both pictures below, a wet spot on the screen to my sliding back door -

Care to take a guess at what made this wet spot?!?!

Here's a clue - 

Here initials are Trixie, hahaha, and the wet spot was made by her nose!

Yup, Ms. Trixie came bounding up the deck stairs all happy and giddy and proceeded to pull a "Ralou" and leaped smack dab into the closed screen door, nose first, ALAS!

I say "pulled a Ralou", because my aunt Ralou did a similar thing years and years ago at my folks house!  She was walking, NOT giddy, out from the kitchen and onto the porch and didn't notice the screen door had been closed.  I don't recall her getting hurt, except a bit of embarrassment but as you can imagine, the screen door was NEVER the same.

Again, I shouldn't have laughed, as this is just another sign of her showing her age, which is breaking my heart.  I'm fairly certain the younger Trixie would seen the screen.  Fortunately, she didn't hurt herself, just maybe a bit of her pride like Ralou.

I told her not to worry, that I wouldn't tell anyone...so, I'm clearly a liar.

My Sad Sedum

Is it just me and my Sedum plants or are others experiencing the same?!

Seems this year each of my sedum plants are thin, lanky and ununiform, see examples below - 

If my memory serves me correctly, in past years, they've typically been a fuller plants and much more symmetrical and with bigger flower heads.

It's been a weird summer around these parts weather wise, hot and humid and not much rain. I'm sure this has something to do with it.  I'm noticing it elsewhere too, smaller blooms, smaller perennials in general and blooms that just don't last too long or as long as I remember.  Perhaps, this is contributing to the lack of honey bees and other visiting insects and critters this year.

Suppose time will tell if things bounce back.

More Wildlife Adventures Of A Mailman

On Friday afternoon, I was delivering a large package to one of the houses in the ritzy neighborhood of my route.  As I was walking up the driveway I noticed something tiny moving near the garage doors.  Even from a distance it caught my attention, perhaps it was my spidey-senses, and I knew it was some sort of critter.

So, I picked up my pace with excitement and lo and behold looky what it was! A very tiny, new born I'd guess, snapping turtle -

Still covered in the dried dirt it crawled out from -

Just look at how tiny!  Not much bigger than my thumbnail -

So, I immediately started looking for others in that general area.  I was a tad leery since I was now at their garage area and poking around looking under their bushes and the car parked in the driveway but whatever I didn't care and unfortunately I didn't notice any others.

Across from their garages, about some ~30', the lawn pitches upwards quite a bit. The slope, which is all mulch, runs the width of that side of the property, from street to wooded back area out back. In the mulch I noticed the mulch disturbed and that something had been digging - 

Upon closer inspection, sure enough, it was the snapping turtle nest!  Sadly, it looked as though a predator had located it and dug the nest up, and looking at all the egg shells guessing left with a full belly -

Here's my theory - of course there very well could have been others young'n survived the attached and that hatched along with this dude but I'm thinking most of the eggs were eaten and the egg this little fella came out of was spared.  Whether the predator simply missed it or ate it's full and left or was scared off before digging up and finishing ALL the eggs.

Snapping turtle eggs typically hatch between late August and October, so this little fella is right on time.

Although, the area these homes are in does appear to abut what looks like wetlands with reeds, cattails, Golden Rod and Purple Loosestrife throughout, I've never seen a pond or standing marshy water.

Being SO tiny and with no water nearby I assumed this little guy was facing some insurmountable odds if I left him where he was, so I opted for relocation and in the LLV we both went.  He kept me company in the truck for the next couple of hours -

I brought him to a nice watery, marshy wetland spot about a half mile from my house. Trudged through the overgrown brush and thorns and poison ivy, placed him on a rock as close to the water as I could get, gave him a safety lecture about staying out of the street, and released him -

I hoping his chances of surviving improved and that he likes his new home!

Beehave You Two!

Beelieve it or not, there was a Bumblebee battle for the best pollen spot in this Hollyhock flower -

Thankfully, they were able to work out their differences.  They took what they could carry and each made a beeline outta there. The dispute was handled as you'd expect adults works bees to beehave!  There was NO spitting on each other -

Beeutiful pictures too, if I do say so myself...

Hawk Tuah Disgraces!

 This is why we can't have nice things!

Actually, this right here is why I have little desire to watch this upcoming football season and sports in general these days.

Eagles player ejected for spitting on Cowboy's quarterback BEFORE the first play of the season

Where has sportsmanship and professionalism and pride gone?  Today's sports and athletes (not all of them) are cut from a different <cheap> cloth than the ones I watched growing up. 

Many of these athletes are overpaid egotistical, spoiled, entitled, crybaby sore losers

HOLD THE PHONE, this just in -

Not to be out done and less than 24-hours later, a college football player from the Florida Gator's says, "hold my beer" -

 Florida Gator player spits in face of opponent

and does the same disgraceful thing, POS!

Antics like these are not limited to football, it's ALL sports and seems to be happening more and more AND at ALL levels of play! Also, it's all BIG business now with over paid players, over priced tickets and merchandise, as well as commercials and advertisements forced down our throats. My time and money is worth SO much more than to be spent on this foolishness!

I bet you all dollars to donuts, if disciplined at all, it'll be a slap on their wrists.

Sorry, NOT sorry, there should be zero tolerance for this sort of behavior, which is basically assault, and both should be kicked off their teams and out of the league!

Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox now, as you were.

Here's an example of the crazy prices for a hotdog at NFL stadiums -

Need I say more?!

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below pic -

This piece of property is a tree farm according to a sign at the end of their long driveway.  A quiet peaceful area, which I'm guessing is why this doe was out and about without a concern in the early afternoon -

Although, I sat and watched her for a couple minutes, she stayed there in the roadway unfazed by my presence. I was hoping to see some littles pop out and join her but I was in the last hour of delivering my route, so off I went.

Another beautiful day! Here's another similar find the critter from a week earlier but in a different location on the other side of town.  This looked like a loan young'n just slowly walking about without a care in the world.  This area is where the exclusive homes are, so plenty of open space and relatively quiet from what I've seen -

It's always nice to see these critters out and about, especially when they're NOT in my yard eating my plants.

Udderly, Today's Best!

Who doesn't luv youngster Holstein cows?!

I realize this is a typical everyday sighting in some parts, e.g. Tennessee, however, around these parts, NOT so much.

These two were a bit skittish when I first approached the fence -

But it didn't take them long to work up the courage to come closer, with some coaching on my part of course, but still outside of arms reach -

One of the perks to being outside delivering mail.