Cock-A-Doodle-Do

Here are several roosters that reside at my farmer friends place in Marshfield. They oversee, protect and share custody of twenty hens and all get along relatively well. Although, there are times when they'll square off and fight over a hen or to reaffirm their position in the pecking order but nothing to damaging. I drove down for a visit this past Wednesday and hung out. Boy it's nice to hear the sounds of crowing roosters and cooing hens!

Rhode Island Red cockeral -


Buff Orpington cockeral -


Barred Rock rooster -


Mongrel mix breed rooster-

Halloween Turban Squash

Emilie's grandmother bought her the above Turban squash, at Emilie's request of course, for a Halloween decoration. At the request of my farmer friend in Marshfield, who saw it during his last visit up, I brought it to him today. His plans - to save the seeds for the 2012 gardening season, and to eat the rest! He claims it's very tasty. I'll just take his word on that but it's certainly unusual looking...

She Passed Baby!

Woohoo, my 1999 PU passed yet another Commonwealth of Massachusetts vehicle inspection. This yearly DMV requirement has had me very nervous for several years now, but knock on wood, my baby still passes and she didn't disappoint me this year!

Of course there are certain requirements that need to be met and out of your control, i.e. emissions. However, there are other requirements that are left up to the issuing service station, i.e. clouded headlights, or faded license plates. The later are really left up to the discretion of the person performing the inspection. Hence, why I worry come December when it's time to have my PU inspected. Some folks just love to have this type of power; you know the kind where you can pass blame onto someone else yet still hold your ground on enforcement because they get off on it, i.e. "yeah, sorry, your plate's too faded and I'm not going to be able to pass you. State law, Massachusetts license plates must be readable from 60 feet away. Sorry nothing I can do."

Anyway, I have twelve months before I need to start tweaking again...

More Feathered Visitors

Christmas Day visitors -

- Robin

- Turkeys

- Heron

- Gull

Trixie Elf

Santa's little helper

Merry Christmas 2011

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy 2012 New Year!

Our Recent Featherd Visitors

Here are some feathered friends that have been visiting the ole homestead recently:

-Blue Bird

- Cardinal

- Waxwing

Note: These pics were taken through the window, which is why they're blurry and fuzzy.

Calorie Logic, Doral Florida

If you're in the Doral Florida area stop in at Calorie Logic to get your metabolic assessment.

This information is specific to you and provides insight into how your body works, so that you can plan your diet and exercise programs accordingly.

Armed with this information, Calorie Logic will provide custom energy smart diet plans, exercise programs and healthy tips.

They folks at Calorie Logic are fantastic - friendly, helpful and professional.

You can find them on the Internet at Calorie Logic, as well as on Facebook at Calorie Logic, for more information and directions.

I highly recommend them!

The Hardy Boys Game

1969 vintage The Hardy Boys game by Milton Bradley

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the above photo?

Our 1st Anniversary!

Today is our one year anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Dear!

Thumbs Down

Thought I'd be wild and crazy this morning and mix things up some, so I popped in a Green Mountain Coffee Gingerbread flavored K-Cup into our Keurig.

It wasn't good, nope. Falls in line with the McGriddle, from my perspective anyway.

I would rate it as: K-Yucky!

Plant of The Apes Game

1974 vintage Plant of The Apes game by Milton Bradley

Cheez-It Anyone?!

Trixie is DEFINITELY fitting in just fine!

Just like daughter.
Just like father.
Just like grandfather.

A Cheez-It junky...

Gillette Stadium Blood Donation Day!

This past Saturday (12/10) the American Red Cross, Bob's Discount Furniture store and the 10 & 3 New England Patriots held their annual blood drive at Gillette Stadium. What a great take! The donation and all activities were held in the new "Putnam Club" luxury suite, which overlooks the playing field!!

I made my appointment for first thing in the morning, 8AM, to get there early before the crowd. While I was donating and hooked up to the double-red machine, JoAnne and Emilie were tooling around and taking in the other offerings, i.e. face painting, puppet show, getting autographs and taking pictures with some of the Patriot cheerleaders and retired New England Patriot players - Joe Andruzzi and John Smith.There were all kinds of snacks, hourly raffles to win furniture and autographed Pats items and a great view of the stadium and field.



Here is a picture of Joe Andruzzi's left hand, which is adorned with one of his Superbowl rings, WOW! The three of us each posed for a picture with him and each time he took off his ring and let us put it on, incredible! JoAnne was gonna make a run for it but thought better of it. Wouldn't want him running you down... He was a super nice guy, very personable, and extra special with Emilie when it was her turn for a picture - a class act!

It was an excellent take and all for a good cause too! Can't wait to do it again next year.

McYucky For Sure!

I tried a McDonald's McGriddle breakfast sandwich this morning and it McSucked!

Don't know what I was thinking but never again!

New Outside Light Fixtures

It's that time of year again when Lowe's extends an additional 10% discount to their employees (for one week). This, along with the regular employee discount, brings it to 20%! So, we took advantage and make some purchases. One of which was to buy (3) replacement outside light fixtures for the back of the house.

The weekend was beautiful and warm, so getting them installed wasn't too bad at all. They look so much better than the old ones, plus these throw off more light.

New light fixture -

The old fixtures could use some cleaning like polishing the brass but otherwise they still work just fine, however, they're going to be recycled.

Old light fixtures -

The Hardy Boys Game

1969 vintage The Hardy Boys game by Milton Bradley

Shower Finally Fixed, HOORAY!

Yup, we finally made the call and the plumber arrived today and fixed the master bedroom shower drain! The PVC drain rim or lip, whatever the piece is that sits just below the shower drain screen, cracked sometime ago. As a result, the water wouldn't all go down the drain like it's supposed to. Instead, it would run outside the drain pipe and into the floor. Well, eventually the water softened the plaster ceiling in the kitchen below causing a hole to appear and water drip to the floor below and puddle.

The shower has been out of commission for about 6+ months now. As a result JoAnne and Emilie have been using my shower. Now that their shower drain has been repaired I get my shower back to myself again, yippee!

Before -


After -


Note: I will spare you the pictures from above, as they're kinda skive.

My Blond Moments

Maybe it's just me but it seems like I've been having what I refer to as "blond moments" more and more these days. In and of itself these are more comical and embarrassing than anything else, for now anyway.

As a matter of fact I had one just yesterday afternoon. Let me explain -

We have a baby snapping turtle that we're wintering over in the house due to my poor timing on setting him free with enough time to fatten up and find himself a good place to hibernate before the cold weather set in. He's in a semi hibernated state I would guess. Not too much activity at all and no eating. Yesterday, after cleaning his bowl I set him in the sun, which stirred him up and got him moving. So, I thought it would be a good opportunity to give him something to eat. Off I went to the garden with shovel in hand and dog in tow to dig some worms. Walla, three bigg'ns with the first shovel full.

So far so good. Everything is proceeding as you'd expect. Here is where my blond moment kicked in...

Of course, the worms we're all covered with dirt, right! After all they live in the dirt, underground. Well, before I plop these dudes into the turtle bowl they needed to be cleaned or rather rinsed off, so under the kitchen faucet they went. Does anyone know what happens to worms when they're wet, hmm? Anyone? I'll tell you what happens to worms when they're wet, they become slippery, very slippery and difficult to hold. OOPS, worm down! Worm down! And when I say down, I mean down the drain they went!! Gone! Well, not all of them, two of the three. See what I mean..

Note: No offense intended to any blonds out there, bleached or otherwise!

Bird Feeding Time!

Pulled out, dusted off, filled up and hung out the bird feeders. I don't like to keep them out year around. I'm afraid the birds will get too lazy and complacent, not to mention the expense. I want them to catch and eat the bad insects from our gardens instead and to earn their keep and in return, come winter time, out come the feeders. That's a fair deal I think!

It's amazing just how fast these feathered creatures discover the feeders. Perhaps, there's something in the bird world, i.e. a feathered gossip line, similar to the "twilight bark" that Pongo and Perdia used to ask for help in locating their stolen puppies (101 Dalmatians).

Anyway, this fall we've been having a boat load of Morning Doves visiting our feeders, pictured above. More than I've ever seen in one place before. They've been coming by the dozens! I counted 28 just the other day, WOW! Just hope they stick around.

The Six Million Dollar Man

1975 The Six Million Dollar Man game by Parker Brothers

Last Veggie Harvest of 2011...

Well, it might be November 30th but it's been unseasonably warm here in the Northeast, which is more than welcome. I just hope we don't pay for it later...

Anyway, most folks around these part have been long since done with their gardening but not us. No sir, we're still picking veggies, yes we are! Mostly it's kale for the rabbits, however, today I picked our remaining carrots and a handful of parsley!

Both delicious and it's that time of year when stews and soups are perfect meals and these two ingredients are welcome, hm hm good!

Happy Turkey Day Folks!

Wishing you all a Safe and Happy 2011 Thanksgiving

Vintage Kojak

1975 Vintage Kojak "The Stake Out Detective Game" by Milton Bradley.

Fancy New Dryer Vent Installed

I took advantage of last weekends 60+ degree weather and installed a brandy new dryer vent replacing the old, unsightly, incorrectly installed existing one. This one is designed better to keep the outside elements and critters out, while letting the hot dryer air out.

I cut the clap boards so the vent would sit flush against the house, chalked it good behind and then around all sides and edges once I fastened it securely to the house with four screws.

Inside, I installed new flex tubing from the dryer to the newly installed vent and fastened it so there are no holes or leaks. I then took the front panel off the dryer itself and shop vac'd the inside of the machine. It's now clean as a whistle and safe from the potential of catching fire. I'll paint it the vent come spring time to match the house.

In the end it all works like a charm and looks better to boot.

Ouchy Boo Boo

No, not Yogi Bear's Boo Boo (pictured) but rather Emilie boo boo!

Yup, received that call that all parents dread from Emilie's after school provider, "Hello Mr. Frye, this is so&so at so&so, Emilie had a little accident..."

The kids were outside playing on the playground and Emilie whacked her head on one of the pieces of equipment. It was bleeding pretty bad but the folks got it all under control, stopped the bleeding and had an ice pack applied when I arrived.

So, just as I did SO many a time growing up, off we went to the hospital to have it evaluated. I was thinking 3 to 4 stitches, however, and much to our surprise and relief, the ER doctor was able to use glue to, well, glue her wound shut! No stitches, hooray!

Now when I was a kid, they'd clean the wound with a rough SOS type pad, jab like an 8" needle in the cut to numb it, then sew it closed with a rusty fishing pin. Ah, but not today, these kids have it made. It's a completely different experience visiting the ER these days.

In the end Emilie was a trooper and did a great job under the circumstances. She is a brave little girl and I'm VERY proud of her but let's hope this was the first and last time we need to visit the ER because in the end I can't handle it...

Garage Parking...For One At Least

I've been making progress in getting the animals and yard put to bed for the winter. Actually, we're 99% complete with just a few more smaller odds and ends to tidy up.

One of the biggest accomplishments, and the one with the most dire consequences for me if I failed, was "reorganizing" the garage to allow JoAnne to park her vehicle inside. Unfortunately, and as you can see, I will not be parking my vehicle inside this winter, nope! I basically relocated everything to my side of the garage. I'm hoping I won't be needing anything from the back corner. If so, I'm SOL! Too much "stuff" - I need a shed. Also, gonna need a good ice scraper and snow brush, alas...

Le Coop Hath Been Winterized

The chicken and rabbit coop has been winterized. The critters are tucked in and comfortable for the long, cold winter ahead. The good news is that the Oprington pullets are beginning to lay; (3) eggs today. The older hens are in various stages of molt and not laying but no worries they're all snugged up.

Open House

The woodpeckers did the initial damage a couple summers ago and created access inside. The yucky, dirty common sparrows took advantage and nested in there this past summer. Here are two curious Blue Birds checking things out. Perhaps, they're visiting open houses for potential cribs come Spring 2012, which would be nice. Either way the two-legged homeowners appear to be completely oblivious to the ongoing damage - no surprise there.

Vintage Flash Cards

Late 50's early 60's vintage Flash Cards by Milton Bradley

2011 Lawn Mowing Totals

My 2011 grass cutting totals are in:

- Dad's Lawn = 16 Cuttings
- KMichelson Lawn = 15 Cuttings
- BCox Lawn = 13 Cuttings
- FPreisler Lawn = 1 Cutting
- My Lawn = 26 Cutting

SO very happy the season has come to an end! Shoveling snow will actually be a nice change of pace.

Happy Halloween (Make-up Night)!

It's our towns make-up Halloween night tonight thanks to the lovely Nor'easter we had one week ago, BOO!

Catnip Fix

Here's Gracie cat (closest feline) and Lila cat enjoying the awesome day and some of our fresh picked garden catnip. And boy do they LUV it! They eat it and roll all over it and become happy cats. I tried some too but it didn't have the same effect on me, alas...

The Rare "Hornet Cleome" Flower

I snapped this picture a couple weeks ago, before the frost and early Nor'easter hit. The Cleome is now dead, victim of the frost, and the hornet, well I can only guess he's a goner too.

This weekends weather, although a tad nippy, looks to be sunny and beautiful. The plans is to finish getting the yard and animals winterized, the spring/summer items stored and, at least, one garage bay cleaned so we can park a vehicle inside. A tall chore for sure...

Link Numbers

1958 Link Numbers by Milton Bradley

Jack 2.0

Things just were not the same out in the old animal pen since our beloved rabbit Jack passed away last month. Although, Jack will always be the king of our homestead, we adopted a new male bunny this afternoon. He's was advertised as a Holland Lop but I have my doubts, as they're supposed to be tiny and this guy isn't so much. No worries he's a handsome little man none-the-less.

His birthday is July 17, 2011, so he's still a young'n. He has BIG rabbits feet to fill but no pressure. The lady rabbits seem to approve and he's already settled into his new cage just fine. Several names have been tossed around, i.e. Gordon, Mark, Louis and even Tim Thomas (the Boston Bruins goaltender for those of you who are clueless, which is unacceptable by the way!). Until he is officially named I will be referring to him as "Jack 2.0".



Oh, he was also introduced to Trixie. Not so sure "Jack 2.0" enjoyed his initial meeting but I understand completely, after all how much fun can it be having your ear bitten, chewed and pulled by a dog that's smaller than you?! This bullying thing is getting out of hand...



Anyway, welcome to the ole homestead Jack 2.0!

First Snow Fall of the Season :-(

We had our first snow fall of the season last night, ugh! 32 degrees on the nose this morning according to our thermometer, brr! Too soon, way to soon for sure - it's still only October. Just hope it's not a sign of things to come. Here are some of our Halloween decorations with their snow hats on, kinda cool...