A Young Ranger Rick Perhaps...

Caught this youngster using a piece of broccoli as bait.

Would much rather of nabbed a woodchuck but I'm happy just the same.

This little fella was carrying on screaming and yelling so loud that a neighbor came over to see what all the fuss was about.

Just Wanna Nibble A Little...

The deer visited our yard the other night.  Of course they helped themselves to our budding squash plants.  As you can see from the first pic, and I guess fortunately, they only ate from the plants on one side of the raised bed..

They should bounce back, as long as the darn deer keep away.

It's a battle all the time with the deer.  If they're not eating the hosta, sedum and coneflower, they're eating the veggie plants in the garden.

Annoying Floaters...

Looking out the upstairs window this morning I noticed clumps of weird debris floating in the pool -

Upon closer inspection it was ant; hundreds of ants floating in separate clumps and still alive -

I've noticed oodles more ants this spring than in years past - small ants, big black ants, flying ants and even red ants.  They're around the pool area, walkway and in weird nests throughout the lawn.

I left these ants floating and turned on the pump.  They've all now been sucked into the skimmer and some all the way into the filter, where I'm hoping they'll drown and die...

Um, Some Privacy Please...

Yup, and this happened, and on our new grass...

More Gardening Chores

Spent some time in the garden last weekend.  

Planted more Silver Queen and Sunflower seeds, as well as a couple different varieties of Marigold.

Staked all the tomatoes and peppers too.

We're off...

Where Do All The AHoles Come From?!

I don't know what is it lately but my commutes home from the office have been terrible!

Guessing the average ride home these last couple of weeks has been 1.5+ hours, UGH!

Fortunately, there haven't been any accidents, rather it seems like volume and the large semi-type trucks.  Well, let's not forget that most are frick'n aholes too, which adds to the utter madness and frustration...

Happy Father's Day Dad

Happy Father's Day dad!

Missing you each and every day.

New song by Luke Combs hits home -

Even Though I'm Leaving

The Majority Of Our Veggies Are In!

And we're off...

(8) California Wonders peppers planted in a raised bed -

(14) Beefstake tomato plants and (2) heirloom tomato plants: a "German Queen" and A "Mr. Stripey".  Along with (4) broccoli, (4) kale, (50) Silver Queen corn and (15) Mammouth sunflower in our large garden -

More to come too, stay tuned!

An Imitation Used by Hunters to Attract Others

Turns out the cabbage moth is apparently territorial.

These darn pest, if  unchecked, the caterpillars can seriously impact the quality of the developing plant. Usually, by the time you start to see the moths flitting about your brassicas, the eggs have been laid and damage is already being done.

So, I've reverted to providing "look-alike" or decoys among my broccoli and kale plants, see above.  The decoys work when made to look like the female moth, identified by the 2 spots on the upper wings.

I also keep an old tennis racket handy and swat them every chance I get.

It's a battle every gardening season, from the small, seemingly harmless moth, to the large and destructive four-legged Odocoileus virginianus or white-tailed deer.

Game on!

A Long Internode That Forms The Basal Part or The Whole of a Peduncle

Oh boy oh boy, it's that time of year, garlic scape season, which means we're about a month out from harvesting our garlic!

A garlic scape is the thin, curly-q, vibrant green stalks that come into season late spring and early summer, see pic above.  If left unharvested, the scapes eventually bloom flowers when the garlic plant fully matures. However, the scapes are usually harvested before they flower so the garlic plant can channel all its energy into producing the most flavorful bulbs. The resulting scapes taste mild and sweet, like chives or scallions, but with a hit of unmistakable garlicky flavor that's softer than its bulbous counterpart.

I can't wait !

America's Bird

Admittedly, not a very good picture but the best I could do with the iPhone of mine. However, at a minimum can we all agree that you can't find a better picture of a beautiful blue sky!

I believe the bird of prey soaring overhead was a Bald Eagle - spotted in Marshfield, MA. Again, it was hard to tell as it was so high up and really moving when catching the drafts.  There was very little wing flapping; almost none, just riding the drafts.

A Lady Slipper

My first Lady Slipper in quite some time, years actually.  A Marshfield Lady Slipper.

Unfortunately, you don't see many of these anymore.  Seems the population is declining.  Could simply be due to all the building and construction taking place.  There is a white Lady Slipper too, however, I've yet to see or come across one.

This flower reminds me of growing up in Westwood.  They used to me all over the back woods.

Interesting factoid I just learned, back in the 1800s and 1900s the root of lady's slipper was used as a remedy for nervousness, tooth pain, and muscle spasms.

Doggy Spa Day

Trixie-dog finally had her spa day last Saturday, long overdue after a cooped up winter indoors!  She looks like an entirely different dog with her high-an-tight haircut

You can see how long the fur on her feet got.  They look like booties -

Back home and chilling on the cool driveway.  You can now see her toe nails -

Here's a fun picture of her lounging on the couch as I worked from home. She laid like this for close to an hour - ah, a dogs life am I right?!

I See You There!!

I spotted this huge, as far as moths go huge, moth on the outside wall to my office building.  The dude blended in pretty well, for the novice anyway.

I believe this is a Waved Sphinx Moth.

They prefer Ash, Privet, Oak, Hawthorn and Fringe trees, and range from Maine west to Alberta, western North Dakota, and Colorado; south to Florida, the Gulf Coast, and Texas.  Their conservation status is common and widespread in forests, as well as urban street trees, however significant decline expected due to spreading Emerald Ash Borer.

Dude didn't move all day and was in the exact same spot when I punched out for the day.

My New (To Me) Ride!

Well, I finally pulled the trigger and bought myself a new (to me) vehicle!

I traded in my red 2003 Toyota Corolla for a 2015 black Toyota Corolla.

I had the 2003 since 2010 and put ~140k miles on her.  She was a great, reliable car but faced with some expensive repairs I felt it was best to move into something newer and safer.

Fingers crossed I get 5 to 7 years outta this Corolla.

Fade To Black Deer...

If you look close enough you can see a darn deer, which happens to have her head in one of my raised vegetable beds, UGH!

And They're Off...

Here's an update to the previous, "Oh Bother, (Christopher) Robin", posting from May 28 - 

All 4 babies have fledged the nest successfully.

All 4 babies fledged the nest when spooked by us adults - me when I brought the trash out; 2 took off.  One when Emilie when to check them out and the 4th when JoAnne walked by.  All followed by endless yelling and cackling by the parents.

Only 1 of the 4 didn't have enough umph to clear the pool fence.  This dude took a sharp right outta the nest and came to rest beside the echinacea.

The last I saw of him was on the far side of the pool hoping around and looking for a way out - 

The parents now have their work cut out for them - tending to each in different locations.

Puffed Up To Impress

This gentleman was showing off for the hen behind him, which happened to be right outside the cafeteria window at my office.  This allowed me to walk right up to the window to grab some nice closeup pics.  These birds are somewhat used to people, so he didn't seem bothered by me approaching.  He kept a watchful eye on me but also one, more importantly, on the hen.

I can't speak for her, but I was impressed!

Spring Perennials Popping Up

A tad late on this posting.

Pics taken back on April 27.

The top photo is a pic of our Lily of the Valley popping up and getting ready to open.

The bottom photo is a pic or our Soloman's Seal popping up and getting ready to open.

Of course today, June 13, both of these plants are fully open and have already flowered.