Soapy Water!

I don't believe you'll find this tip on Pinterest, so here you go.  You can thank me later!

I used this Windex product back in the spring to spray the outside of all the windows of my house.  It did a pretty good job at cleaning them and they were streak free as claimed.  The key part is this bottle has the ability to stream long distances.

So, instead of recycling, I saved the bottle with the following specific fall use in mind and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint; worked like a charm.

Every year around this time in the fall, the south and west sides of my house attracts Box elder bugs and stink bugs, see pics below, GRRR!  They amass hiding under the clapboards, behind the shutters, wherever they can.

They're not dangerous and don't do any harm to me or the dog or the house, with one exception - their poop!  They poop everywhere and it stains the house, double GRRR!

However, here's the good news and why I saved the above bottle. The Box elder bugs can be controlled and killed simply by spraying them with soapy water!  SO, every couple of days now for the past several weeks, I pour a generous helping of Dawn liquid soap into the bottle and fill up with warm water.  Attach it to my hose and spray the sides of my house, behind the shutters and under the clapboards.  This bottle does a terrific job at reaching the second floor windows, nooks and crannies from the ground and has some good force with it also. AND boy-o-boy does it flush these dudes out good.  Although, mostly effective, it doesn't kill them all but does well enough and helps to spray their poop off the house too.

If it's not the deer or the rabbits or the woodchucks, it's these darn insects.

It's a battle and I'm holding my own!

It's Official!

We had our first hard, killing frost of this fall last night!

Fortunately, I'd been keeping an eye on the local weather anticipating this was coming, and earlier this week brought in all the plants I wanted to over winter inside, so they're all safe.

Just Saying!

If the shoe fits...

It's GO Time!

Another fall chore completed!

The setting of mouse traps in the pool house and the garage.

With the colder weather moving in, mice and other rodents are also trying to move in.

The dirty, destructive vermin are NOT wanted or welcome here.

They don't stand a chance...

If I Could Turn Back Time

Tight As A Drum And Toasty!

I continue to make progress and crossing items off of my fall "to do" list!

Another one completed this afternoon and another one that I also loath doing.

It's just a thing I've been doing for years now, as we head into the colder weather.

It really makes a big difference and helps keep the cold air from chilling the living room.

In order to install the plastic kit, it's easier to take the curtains down so they're out of the way.  Since they were down, I tossed them into the washer because why not.

I also removed the window screens and washed the windows inside.

I also have a special wood wax that I smeared on the base and let sit for a couple hours before rubbing the excess off.  It helps to keep the wood from drying up too bad an cracking.

Also, as I usually do I lay a holiday themed blanket down, again to help with the chill.  This year I double it up and laid a thick fleece blanket down first, then covered with the second one so it can't be seen.

The completed project -

The last step in this process is to bring Oliver, the cat, down and show him that the plastic is up and that window sill sitting it prohibited.

Crock Pot Season Is Upon Us!

Made a crock pot of chili yesterday, first of the fall!

It was a typical fall day yesterday but also rainy and blah, so the perfect day to make a batch of turkey chili, YUM!

I timed it just right, as it was ready for the Patriot's 1:00 kickoff.

Too bad the game wasn't as good as my chili was.

It's Here...

Country singer Justin Moore released a new album on October 12, titled "This Is My Dirt".

I'm a fan of his and enjoy many of his songs and this album is no different.  Although, I tend to stay away from listening to music these days, as the songs tug more than I like on the ole heart strings.

This morning I happened upon one of his new songs of this album called "You Know It's Coming" and boy-o-boy did it hit me hard, just like Kenny Chesney's song "Don't Blink" did and still does.

I didn't listen to or believe it when I was younger, I wish I had, but let me tell you, someday has arrived...

Click the link below to listen on YouTube -

Justin Moore - You Know It's Coming

Here are the lyrics -

From the moment a man paints his guest room pink

He can't help but think

About the reason I'm cleaning this gun tonight

Sitting here on the front porch swing

Waiting on a shined-up Chevy emblem

To show up in my driveway

I've been dreading this for sixteen years

Three months and a couple of days

Even though you know it's coming

Like a freight train humming from a mile away

You think you'll be ready

With life's lead foot leaning on the clutch and off the brakes

'Til what's down the line ain't down the line no more

That's how time does it

You just crack a beer 'cause someday's herе

And dang if you can't do nothing

Even though you know it's coming

You figure the man that taught you how to fish

Is madе of steel and bricks

It's just strangers' and a few good buddies'

Grandpas that wind up sick

And then one day, you're wearing all black

Crushed behind a Cadillac

Even though you know it's coming

Like a freight train humming from a mile away

You think you'll be ready

With life's lead foot leaning on the clutch and off the brakes

'Til what's down the line ain't down the line no more

That's how time does it

You just crack a beer 'cause someday's here

And dang if you can't do nothing

Even though you know it's coming

As sure as Pawpaws pass on

And baby girls grow up

Can't even think about the day

What the preacher's gonna say

The rice, the tie, the tux

Even though you know what's coming

Like a freight train humming from a mile away

You think you'll be ready

Life's lead foot leaning on the clutch and off the brakes

'Til what's down the line ain't down the line no more

That's how time does it

You just crack a beer 'cause someday's here

And dang if you can't do nothing

Even though you know it's coming

Yeah, even though you know it's coming

Soak It In!

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day, sunny and warm, and not a cloud in the sky!

This was my afternoon view, sitting in my front yard, taking a break from my chores -

I even have one new hydrangea bloom flowering, this late in the season.  This one plant was loaded with flowers this summer, as you can see the older ones still there.  That's one happy plant, which means I'm one happy homeowner -

I'm enjoying it while I can.

#Blessed

Garlic Planted!

Busy day today and making quite a bit of progress on the ole "to do" list!

I got my garlic planted this afternoon!

(33) cloves planted - (3) rows of (11).

I used a half dozen of garlic bulbs that I grew and harvested this past fall!  Just look how beautiful those cloves look in the first pic and they're SO delicious too!

I gave the bed a good watering before calling it quits for the day.

Now we wait!

Wax On! Wax Off!

I completed another pre-winter chore today! A chore that honestly I loath, waxing my car.  Actually, I really dislike any sort of car detailing, inside and outside, just don't enjoy it.

However, that being said, the waxing of my car heading into winter is a requirement for me. I want to protect it as best I can from the ice, salt and the New England weather but also I find it helps to repel, to some degree, snow and makes it easier to clean off the snow too.

DONE and look at her shine!  The marks shown along the side, below, is just a reflection.  She looks good!

Let it snow!

** UPDATE**

It's Sunday morning and it's been raining off an on.  Just look how the water just beads off the new wax job, so nice -

Fall Perennial Cut Backs and Prunings

My fall yard clean up is well underway with the majority of the plant cut backs completed.

All my ornamental grasses, which I keep adding to each year, have all been cut back.  I also prune back all my butterfly bushes.  Not all the way, rather about a third, so they don't get to long an squirrely.

All the cuttings have been loaded in the trailer, see pic below, which will go to the town recycle center shortly -

 

I soaked with bleach and scrubbed good my (3) bird baths and flipped them over for the winter.

Really all that's left to do is rake and rake and rake, as the leaves continue to fall.

It's a process I have down to a routine.

"What's Up Doc?"

The only vegetable I have left in my garden are the above carrots!

I've cut and removed all other veggie plants and remnants from my gardens and moved them to the compost bin.

This carrots are my third planting of the year.  The rabbits did a number on my previous plantings, UGH!  Hoping I get enough to fire up the old crockpot to make a nice beef stew.

I'll do a closer inspection this weekend to see if there are in fact carrots under those tops.

Tis Been A Tad Chilly

BIG day and a bold move on my part, one my dad might not approve of just yet - I turned my first floor heat on last night!  Yup, I caved.  Not going to freeze my arse off to save a couple bucks.  With the money I spent to replace and upgrade my boiler, spending a few extra bucks to be comfortable is what I intend on doing.  Well, that plus I've been curious how my new gas boiler is going to do and I've been getting the stink eye from Trixie.

The other two zone remain off and will stay that way for a lot longer...

Kousa Fall Care

Back in early summer I transplanted (3) Kousa dogwood trees along my back property line.  These dudes grew from seed beneath one of my larger Kousa trees and were quite tall, as you can see below. Hoping these dude take off and provide a little privacy in that back area.

I fertilized and hand watered them all summer long and they're all doing good.

In preparation for any snow this winter I staked them and tied them snug.  I'm hoping this will prevent them from breaking under any heavy wet snow we may get.  I'll loose the ropes in the spring, once safe from any further snow.

Even Trixie approves -

Looking good!

Chicago Road Tripp'n

My oldest daughter is the assistant varsity field hockey coach for Saint Ignatius College Prep, a private, coeducational Jesuit college-preparatory school located in the near west side neighborhood of Chicago.

It was founded in 1869 is an absolutely beautiful old, well maintained school and campus.

The field hockey team had game on Friday night, 9/27, which was also senior night, against Edwardsville, so Audrey and I went to watch the game and Steph coach!  As you can see in the picture below, it was a beautiful night and awesome sky - that's the old Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower, in the background. The Wolfpack trounced and won easily 12-1

We spent Sunday, 9/29, at home watching the Chicago Bears beat the LA Rams 24-18.

After the game we headed out to the Tripoli Tap sports bar, on W. Armitage Ave., to watch the Patriots take on the 49s!  The Tripoli Tap is a Boston sports sanctuary that have their TVs tuned to all professional Boston sport games.  Sadly, it was an ugly game for the Pats but the beers were cold, so we still won -

Although, the Tripoli Tap is known for it's wings, which looked delicious, we fought the urge to eat and instead headed to the Athenian Room restaurant for a delicious Greek meal!  Spanakopita appetizer to start with, followed by the chicken breast shish kebob, OMG SO SO good!

What a great way to spend a Sunday!

#Blessed

Energy Saving Upgrade

Sticking with the curtain theme, and with the cold weather upon us and winter fast approaching, I bought a new set of thermal insulated patio door curtains for the kitchen.

I never cared much for the dark brown of the previous curtains, too dark, so I opted for a lighter color, which brightens that corner up a bit.

I didn't iron these, too lazy if I'm being honest but did toss them in the dryer with a wet towel, which did a remarkable job in removing most of the wrinkles and creases.  Hoping they'll stretch a little from hanging to close the tiny space on the bottoms.

After with new curtains installed -

Before -

Unfortunately, I took down the old curtains and forgot to take a before pic, alas.  However, I found this below pic in my picture archives, so it'll have to do.

** Please pay no attention to my linoleum floor, it is a flipp'n mess and on my "to do" list! **

My Home Office Décor Upgrade

I spent the better part of yesterday morning cleaning and making some subtle changes to the room that I use as an office, and which doubles as my TV room.

Although, a subtle change, it was one I'd been thinking about for a while, so I pulled the trigger, placed an order and got her done - I installed brandy new farmhouse style valances to each of the three windows.

I then opened the 3-windows and removed most of the furniture and items from the room.  Wiped down the walls and baseboards, cleaned the windows and vacuumed the carpet. Polished the furniture and wiped down each item as I moved them back into place. Also, swapped some wall hung pictures from another room, which match the room colors and theme better.

Before -

After -

Before -

After -

The valances were needed and make a big difference!  I am very pleased with the outcome.

Note: I need to spot paint the wall hole patches; it's on the list.  Unfortunately, I do not have any more of this color paint available.  I'm not sure if the paint store can match the same color from a photo, as I don't have any other way of bringing a sample in.  We'll see.

Almost Winter Rye Planting Time

I took a ride the other morning to the Ventura Grain Co, Inc. feed store in Taunton, MA to pick up my winter rye.

I used to buy this right here in Franklin at the Agway but sadly the store went out of business and closed earlier this year.

The nice thing about the Agway, besides be just a couple miles up town, was that you could scoop and fill your own bag with the amount you wanted.  I always did 3-pounds, which was more than enough for me, The smallest bag that Ventura Grain had was a 5-pound bag, so I'll have extra and perhaps it'll last till next fall.

It's still a little too early to plant now but soon, as the evening temps have been dipping into the upper 40's, brrr....

"A multi-sensory destination of epic proportions"!

We stopped in at the Chicago Roastery on Michigan Ave, which is the worlds largest Starbucks and what a place.   The last time I was in Chicago, and we walked past this place, there was a literal line out the door and along the sidewalk just waiting to get inside but not this time.  There was no line, so we were able to walk in and took our own walking tour up and around each floor, each with a different offering. A very cool place that was actually quite busy and bustling.

Since it was late morning we reluctantly passed on partaking in and sampling martini flights on the fourth floor but it is definitely on the list to do for my next visit!! 

This wall was created using different Starbucks empty coffee bag, showing their labels, to spell out "Chicago", very neat and a popular spot for folks to take pics in front of.

We grab a couple coffees, hung out for a bit and watched the baristas in action and the endless flow of peeps.  A worthwhile take and one I'm looking forward to visiting again!

A Chicago appropriate billboard sign outside Wrigley Field.  However, we weren't swayed and opted to drink Chicago born and brewed Goose Islands Beer Co. 312 Wheat Ale.  After all when in Rome...

Fun times!

Gather Your Nuts!

I bought a new tool/toy, the Weasel Nut Gatherer, and it is amazing!

For years I've been picking the acorns in my front yard up by hand and raking them throughout the fall, my darn OCD!  But no more, no sir!

This tool, in my opinion, is one of the greatest inventions ever created.  Simply roll it over the acorns with a little pressure and they pop right into the cylinder and emptying it just as easy. 

I bought the medium size option, which is perfect for acorns.  However, I will tell you that it doesn't pick up the acorn caps too well but those typically get sucked up with the mower. Also, I found that it needs to be emptied sooner rather than later, as some of the captured acorns tend to pop out when you try to pick up too many but not a show stopper at all.  The long handle is perfect, no more pending and sore back and no more crawling around the front yard.  Fairly certain the neighbors wonder about me...

Here she is, just arrived -

Click this link here to see a short video I took using it for the first time, a test run - How Does It Work

Here is about a 7-gallon bucket just about full of acorns that I picked up using this awesome toy for the first time and it only took about 30-minutes -

Thank you to the woman I saw using one of these on my walk, who was more than happy to step aside for 10-minutes and let me use/test her Weasel.  I placed my order immediately after my walk and it was here the next day.

This is a game changer!

"Go Cubs Go"!

We went to Wrigley Field and took in the pregame festivities, followed by a Cubs game on Saturday afternoon.

It was a tie game going into the bottom of the 8th when the Cubs woke, rallied and scored 3 exciting runs, which was enough to win the game!

With their win, I was introduced to the official Cubs home victory song, "Go Cubs Go"!  Take a listen -  Chicago Cubs Win Song “Go Cubs Go” LIVE At Wrigley Field -

View from our seats -

Unfortunately, no foul balls came our way but we were ready -

Three zip -

Da Cubs -

Wrigley, like Fenway, is a terrific old, original ball field.  So much history.  The whole experience was fun, it was a great take but fear not for I will always be a Boston Red Sox fan!

Teacher Ms. Frye!

I received the below text message from my youngest daughter last night!

It's official, she's a teacher and she landed a job right here in Franklin, where she has always wanted!

I'm SO happy for her and couldn't be prouder.

#Blessed

The Windy City

A view of the city of Chicago from my daughter's apartment.

What a difference 24 hours makes.

I took this first pic on the first morning of my stay -

A day later grey, cloudy and overcast, with much of the city skyline hidden -

It didn't slow us down, nope, and did improve some.