Demolition Derby

1977 vintage Demolition Derby Krazy Krash-Up game by Lakeside

My Veggies Keeper

Came across this Common Garter snake the other afternoon while puttering around the yard.  All coiled up and enjoying the summer sun amongst the Kale and Broccoli plants.

Like the name implies they're quite common around these parts.  However, that being said we've not had that many here around the ole homestead since we moved in, which is a little unusual.  Typically, I would see one or two each time I cut my folks lawn and they were always around when I was growing up.

Of course these slithering dudes are more than welcome in my yard!  Would prefer if he stuck to a diet of worms and insect, instead of toads, which there is an abundance of this year.  Toads are insect eating machines, especially slugs. so push comes to shove the toads would win.

You Look'n At Me...

Check out the Fly Catcher checking me out!

She was taking a break of tending to her chicks and wanted to keep a watchful eye on the new guy, me, to make sure I wasn't there to cause any troubles.

Her nest was inside my farmer friends animal trailer.  She picked a perfect location for nesting with all the animals he has in that area flys and insects are plentiful for sure!

Name The Dropping

Okay people, new game - "Name The Droppings"!

What critter produced this mess?!

The Battle Is On!

So, the last couple of three or four days it's been a scorcher here in New England - hazy, hot and humid with temperatures dancing around 100!!  Driving home the other afternoon, around 5ish, my cars outside temperature read 99!

Needless to say the electric company is getting a lot of our business with our fans and AC's continuously running but you gotta do it.

As a matter of fact with the AC in our bedroom running, it was so cold that the heat on the second floor kicked in!  The thermostat is in the master bedroom, so it was that cold.  Anyway, since money is no object, and to cover all bases we had the AC and furnous running...#FAIL

Kenner's New Rotodraw

1970 New Rotodraw by Kenner's

Beauty's In The Eye of the Beholder

Check out this monster I came upon when visiting my mom at the cemetery!

This is a Northern Water Snake - quite common around here.

This dude was stretched out in the roadway, perhaps soaking in it's warmth, as it was early morning.

He made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be bothered with - but who am I to listen.  As I approached he coiled up, as like hey dude stay away, and as I got closer he began lunging and striking. Clearly, he didn't realize who he was dealing with.  Actually, had I not driven by it's very possible that someone else would have simply driven right over him never realizing it was something live, so I saved his grumpy, slithering butt.

In the end his tactics didn't work and it was over quickly.  He was captured and bucketed in short order.  The only props you might give him is that, as snakes typically do, he pooped as soon as I got a hold of him and some hit it's mark, which smelled horrendous, YUK!

The 10-years old girls seemed to enjoy him safely locked in the bucket.  You can see his cool underside colors in the top photo.  In the end, I returned him to the little pond at the cemetery where I caught him and hopefully out of harms way and the safety of cars.

Weego - A+ For Effort!!

Same breed.

A+ for effort!

But needs more work and focus on Miller Lite.

Rapper 50 Cent might approve however.

For those of you unfamiliar with "Weego", check out this Youtube Bud Light Super Bowl Ad - Rescue Dog - Weego commercial

Apparently, Rules Are For Some, Not All!

The driver of this BMW SUV clearly has NO regard for the handicapped!

I checked and there was no handicap tag on the inside of the front windshield either.  Rather a blond woman sitting in the passenger seat thumbing through a magazine with a snotty look on her face.  You know, the look that aholes sport because they think they're better than everyone else - that one.

Apparently, the need for breakfast took precedence over doing the proper thing.  Heaven forbid the douche bag had to walk a little bit farther.

Really, is there any need for this, ever?!  Has society become this fat and lazy?  One can only hope that there is such a thing as karma and that what goes around comes around!  That and I hope they each spilled hot coffee in their laps.

All Aboard!

Took the commuter rail train into Boston this morning, as my presence was requested in our PO Square office.

I do NOT care for the train experience in general.  The whole hurry up and wait and herding aspect, BLAH!

Also, I don't need to be that close to people I don't know and quite frankly don't give a flip about.  People are just plain weird and I'd prefer they stay away from me, far, far away...

Of course the petite woman doesn't sit next to me, rather the larger (and I'm being nice here) dude with a backpack and laptop case has to sit next to me.  The seats are built for two; two normal sized folk.  Besides the fact that they're worn, super uncomfortable and all slant downward and towards the center.  Point being is that two complete strangers don't need to be so close.

Ah, can't wait to see what my evening commute has to offer, oh joy!

Cootie House Game

1966 Cootie House Game by Schaper Manufacturing

Barb Wire Dinner

JoAnne was leaving work the other afternoon and spotted this hawk dinning on some poor critter atop the prison wall.  It's hard to tell for certain but I'm guessing it's a Red Tailed Hawk.

So, if it's hard to be certain what kind of hawk this is, it's even more difficult to make out what being eaten.  However, and it might be hard to see unless you click the picture to enlarge it, I circled in red what looks to be the foot of a bird. That much I'm pretty certain.

Execution day perhaps...

I Could Prolly Use A Manicure...

Please pardon my grimy, dirty hand but I'd been working in the garden!

Emilie found this interesting beetle the other day.  Kinda cool wouldn't you say?!

Turns out this is a "Milkweed Leaf Beetle".

We have an area on the side lawn that has milkweed growing, which has been spreading over the last couple of years.  Being the Monarch caterpillars only source of food, we've let them be and take over the area and in return hoping to attract them to our yard.

Seems like we're always finding some new or unusual critter out in the yard.

Vintage Newspaper Photos

December 1957

What a deal from National Homes with terms as low as only $1000 down!

I'll take two for that price, even though they're in West Roxbury!

By The Dozens...

The ladies are laying like crazy!  Feathered machines they are.

or as Yoda would say -

Laying like crazy, the ladies are!  Yeesssssss.  They are feathered machines.  Yes, hmmm.

First Broccoli Pick of 2012

I picked two beautiful head of broccoli yesterday, see above.  They're each about the size of a softball.

This season the woodchucks did not bother our broccoli plants, as they did last year, but it's early yet and could still happen.  Although, I planted them in a different location this go around than years past. Closer to the house and farther away from the tree/wooded area, which is their comfort zone.

Yummy, yummy good!

Nope, NOT Alvin & The Chipmunks...

Well, the chipmunks have joined forces with the other pesky varmints around these parts (Grey Squirrels, Wild Rabbits & Woodchucks) that are trying to have their way with our vittles.  These SOBs are hitting our strawberries now.  It's so bad that they're not even waiting for them to ripen, nope.  They're taking them green and even before they've grown and gotten big.

Of course, you all know, this means war!  A little (no pun intended) more challenging but still fair game these chipmunks are.  I will and have already begun to exploit their weakness and am using it against them!

Stephan = 5 and Chipmunk = 0

Oooh Sooo Pretttty!

Although we only have a single Poppy plant it rewards us with what seems like endless flowers. Sadly, they don't last very long before the peddles start to fall.  Seems more so this year, as the flowers began to open about the same time as the heavy rains and winds arrived.  Still purdy!

Bumper Shot Game

1973 Bumper Shot Game by Ideal

Ouch, That Had To Hurt!

One of our chickens laid a very odd shaped, extra large egg, which was more square than it was oval.  We were thinking that maybe it was gonna be a double-yolker but alas no such luck.  However, it yummy just the same!

I Spy With My Little Eye

Friday night, when looking out the back windows, and much to my surprise, I caught a glimpse of my nemesis - a woodchuck!  This lady had made her way from the neighbors yard where they've been living (under their shed) and was sneaking around the backside of the chicken pen and along the wooded overgrowth.  She didn't stay long and nervously scooted back to where she came.

There was only one thing for me to do and that was to go on the offense.  After all I didn't want to sit and wait for her get up the courage to visit our gardens and eat it to the ground.  So, I pulled the trap out of storage and set it using a hunk of lettuce that I tied to the paddle that triggers the trap doors.  Well, VERY much to my surprise I awoke to this lady snared in the trap on Saturday morning!

Stephan = 1 and woodchuck = 0

Cuff and Link

Stopped and saved a snapping turtle last week that was attempting to cross a busy street, Rt.109.  In terms of the sizes these that turtles can get, this one was small.  About the size of a softball.  He joins our other tiny snapper that we've had close to a year now and wintered over inside our house.  Broke out the kiddie pool, so these dudes have plenty of water and space to move around.

The pollen has been terrible these last couple of weeks, which is what's covering the new turtles head and shell, it's everywhere!

Trixie dog was curious what these two creatures were and wasted not time in introducing herself.  I tried to explain to her that she's sniffing the wrong end and is really gonna be sorely sorry...