An Early Trick or Treater

I had a pre-Halloween trick-or-treater this past Saturday afternoon, little Darth Vader!

My 4-year old neighbor was SO excited to come and show me his costume, he couldn't wait for the 31st.  Thankfully, I was prepared with candy even though I've not had a trick or treater in several years now.

Little does he know that as excited as he was to come show me his costume, that he actually made my day more than I made his.

He is quick with yelling "hi Steve" whenever he sees me out, which always makes me smile!  He and his family are moving to Florida in just a couple weeks and I will miss his greetings.

Some wonderful memories of Halloweens past with my kids came rushing back too. I miss those days. Time sure does go by too fast.

As Kenny Chesney sings, "Don't Blink"

Wax On, Wax Off!

I took advantage of the outstanding warm weather we had yesterday and took care of yet another Fall project!  One that I really don't like doing, which might explain why I procrastinated and waiting as long as I did to get it done - wash and waxed my car!

As much as I loath doing this task, I like to have it completed before the snow flies and the roads are covered with salt.  Plus it's a great feeling when it's finally done.

You can see the effects of what a nice coat of wax does to help protect the vehicle.  With this mornings rain, you can see how nicely the water beads up and rolls right off!  The snow does similar, plus the wax makes cleaning the snow off the car that much easier too.

On to the next chore...

Outta My Way, It's All About Me

At the market this morning, a car pulls up in front of the store, in the NO PARKING FIRE LANE section, throws his car in park and gets out with his car still running.  

He had two empty plastic Polar Seltzer bottles in hand and proceeds to return them both into the bottle redemption machine.  With his .10 cent receipt in hand, he goes into the store to get his actual dime.

All the time illegally parked with his car running.

I suspect it cost him more than .10 cents in gas leaving his car running.

Another perfect example of an entitled, lazy ahole!

Ready Or Not!

Indoor Sun Bathing

These two are too funny.

They often take advantage of the warm sun pouring in through the windows. Often times competing for the sunny spots.  Regardless of who gets there first, it's clear the victor stretches' out, zonks out and enjoys the warmth, content as content can be.

Cats, Not The Musical

These two cats have been visiting the ole homestead the last couple of days.

It's not unusual but uncommon, as I don't think too many feline owners let their cats out to roam these days for fear of them being snatched by a predator or even hit by a speeding car; Lincoln street is busy.

When I was a kid growing up, our cats were outside cats and seldom allowed in the house.  There was no litter box.  They were fed outside and did their business outside. Seems many of today's cats have lost some of their natural instincts from home confinement and all around laziness; they've literally become 'fat cats'!  Sadly, like many of today's kids - my opinion anyway.

I welcome them and hope they're on the hunt and helping to reduce the rodent population in and around my yard, too many rabbits, chipmunks and mice.

Fall Off My Deck

Not fall off my deck, rather Fall off my deck.

Foliage views from my deck!

#Blessed

Nap Time!

Naturally, Trixie has to go outside to do her business and she's really good at letting me know when it's time. Per usual, she likes to wait until I'm settled and comfy, then she comes to let me know it's time, UGH!  Listen, at the end of the day, as annoying as that might be, I'm thankful that she let's me know versus having an accident inside!

As I always do, after dark I flip the spot light on, step onto the back deck and do a quick survey as Trixie makes her way down the stairs. I like to check and make sure there's no trouble outside waiting for her.  I'm also in the habit of looking for garden raiders.

Last night, this youngster was taking a break!  She was content to have plopped herself down and curled up in the middle of my side yard.  Right out in the open too.  This was around 7PMish.  Pretty cool!

This picture was taken around 10:30PM, several hours later.  Still there but she had just stood up and was stirring -

Not too far away were the adults.  I'm sure they were keeping a close eye on things as junior was taking a break - 

I've seen this group on and off all summer long.  During the summer I'll chase them off but now with gardening season over I leave them be.  These pics are proof they're around but there is also quite a bit of deer dropping all over the front yard too, another indication.  I suspect they're out there chowing on all the acorns being dropped.

Another Stunner!

Another awesome sunset off my back deck the other evening!

What a great place to be!  You just can't beat it!

#Blessed

Look BOTH Ways Before Crossing!

This beautiful animal, a female, was hit and killed crossing Lincoln Street about a quarter mile up the road.

Earlier last week there was another one, a male and about a third larger, that met the same fate a half mile further up Lincoln.  However, that one was NOT one to be photographed, nope, very gruesome!

This one was wet from the rain so the pic doesn't do it justice but they're an absolutely beautiful, especially their fur!

For those of you who don't know, this is a Fisher Cat.

Franklin animal control was onsite Sunday morning to remove the carcass and much to my surprise he didn't load it into the truck and cart if off, rather he walked it about four feet into the wooded area off the sidewalk and laid it there.  Seems odd to me, especially placing it so close to where people pass right by it.  Would have make more sense to place it on the other side, non-sidewalk side, of the road but what do I know.  I'm still shocked to see a Franklin town employee actually out working on a Sunday morning! 

BIG paws! BIG pads and sharp claws -

Despite commonly being called "fisher cats," a Fisher is not a cat, nor do they catch fish. Fishers are the second-largest member of the weasel family found in Massachusetts, after the North American River Otter.

They are secretive and elusive by nature and like to keep their distance from humans - unless they're raiding your chicken coop!

Yup, I Agree!

Vulture or Buzzard, Take Your Pick

There are two different types of vultures found in Massachusetts, the Black Vulture and the one pictured below, the Turkey Vulture.  They are not birds of prey and don't have the large and powerful talons to kill prey like eagles and hawks, rather they're scavengers that feed exclusively on carrion; road kill and such, and they are a vital part of nature’s clean-up crew.

And that is precisely what one of these not so attractive visitors was doing in my yard the other afternoon.  The second one made a feeble attempt at trying to steal a meal but was chased off.

I believe the main entrée was that afternoon was grey squirrel; one that failed to look both ways before crossing busy Lincoln Street and paid the ultimate price, thus becoming a carrion meal.

Again, not the most attractive bird -

A second vulture flew in looking for some vitals -

Mmm, this rubbery squirrel is to dye for 🤢 -

Ironically, or perhaps not, but shortly after watching these birds jostle in the front yard, the below carcass magically appeared on my back deck, YUK!

Now, I don't believe the vultures were dining on this particular squirrel because from what I witnessed, their lunch was fresher looking. This carcass was much more mummified but suffice to say, it didn't climb up my 15 or so deck stairs.  Clearly, some thing dropped this item from above.  Trixie was extremely interested in it and spent a bit of time smelling and checking it out.

Kinda reminds me of Sid from the movie Ice Age...

Perhaps, this was a flying squirrel 🤣!!

Bubble Boy!

Yes sir, another fall project completed today!

The yearly bay window winterization shrink wrap installation project.

Before sealing things up I pulled the screens, washed the inside windows and applied a thick coat of gel wood furniture polish to the wood, targeting the base as it's getting dried out being in direct sun.  Added a thick blanket to the base.  Oh, and I washed all the window drapes in the living room too!  Can't remember when or if they've been washed since being hung but they look better.

Now, when to turn the heat on in this room, hmmm 🤔

Amazon Clowns!

Frick'n Amazon!  What a bunch of incompetent clowns, honestly!

This is what my Amazon package looked like when it arrived Thursday evening, oil stains!

Knowing what I had ordered, I knew full well what the issue was without needing to open the box and can't say I was surprised based on other, similar past experiences.

Here is what the inside of the box looked like, again oil stains - 

Here are the two items that were in the box; only these two items NO packing material included.  As you can see, the mineral oil is the culprit and what leaked; the cap came loose during the jostling of the package.  You can also see that it got all over the Dr. Scholl inserts too.  Thankfully, I didn't order something else that could have been effected worse, like a book.

Yes, the mineral oil was in it's own plastic bag but why was there NO packing material also added?  I'm fairly certain that would have helped to minimize the bottle being tossed around, which intern would have been enough to prevent the cap from loosening.

I was finally able to find an Amazon support telephone number on Friday, called and am happy to report that they're replacing both of these items at no cost and without the need to return these damaged items.

Suppose it's something but would have preferred to have had the original items packaged properly to avoid all of the hassle and frustration.

Amazon has clearly taken a step back recently in terms of their overall offerings, in my opinion anyway.  Too many issues like this one and SO many of their products are subpar, have all sorts of issues (read the reviews on products your interested in to get a sense!) and are coming from overseas; China.  It's frustrating, especially when they're planning to increase their Prime subscription rates. 

Adventures of Trixie & Oliver

A couple things about these pics - 

First, please ignore how bad the linoleum looks. I know it's bad, alas!

Second, Oliver is forever sitting close to Trixie when she's sleeping.  Not sure if he's keeping guard or worried or senses something, perhaps he's simply waiting for the opportunity to jump in that bed. I like to think he's keeping a watch because he's concerned about his buddy. 

Third, ever since I pulled out the winter pet blankets and placed them in the pet beds, Trixie is forever wrestling with hers. She'll scratch at it, flip it here and there with her nose, all seemingly to arrange it to her liking and comfort.  It's comical to watch but what's even funnier is where her bad ends up when she's done.  The picture below is just one example and as you can see it's in the middle of the kitchen and she's perfectly content and napping away, HA.  I'll move it back to where my OCD wants its, even when she's in it, and I'll usually open the blanket and drape it back over her bed when she's up and she will then go at it remake her bed to her liking before settling back in.

Seems Trixie just might have picked up some of my OCD tendencies, the poor thing...

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below photo?!

I spotted this dude on my afternoon walk yesterday.  Yup, as well as it blended in, I noticed the crawling, otherwise I very well might have stepped on it.

Not that I am a caterpillar aficionado but this is the first caterpillar I've seen where it's stripes run from head to tail.

 

This well camouflaged caterpillar is called, Turbulent Phosphila, and is a species of cutworm. It turns into a rather blah, typical brown month, nothing too exciting and one we've prolly all seen flutter around lights at night.  You'd think with it's unique colors as a caterpillar it would turn into something with a bit more wow factor.

Timberrrrrr

It's that time of the year again, so this happened.  Another fall chore completed -

My ornamental grasses did just ok this past season.  They didn't get as big and full as in years past.  The three pictured here were the biggest, so I used a similar method to cut them back.  The last couple of years I would tie each plant nice and tight, then I'd use my hedge trimmer to lop them off.

This year, instead of using the hedge trimmer, I used my hand pruners. More work but my OCD drove me to it, HAHA!  I laid the twine out on the lawn then cut handfuls at a time, laying each across the twine until the clump was all cut back.  When done, I tied the bundles up nice and neat for easy moving and removal.

The other clumps of grasses I have were small enough that I used the hand pruners again but instead of bundling, I cut them up into smaller pieces to fit into my landscape barrel.  More work for me but cleaner and a tad easier to manage.

Kudos to my neighbor who trailers my yard waste to the town recycle center.  I'm fortunate and very appreciative that he's willing to cart my waste away.

Heartbreaking Actually

**This is NOT related to a cheating ex-wife!

Making Changes; Improvements!

The More You Know!

I'm tossing my plastic, and perfectly fine, cutting boards!  Why you ask?  Well, let me tell yeah...

Plastic cutting boards could expose you to putting millions of microplastics into your food!

The USDA actually recommends using a wooden cutting board for everything including meat, fish and poultry.

I'm learning that plastics items in general are just not safe, especially ones in the kitchen, as they leak microplastics.  So, no more plastic storage containers for me, glass only!

Other kitchen changes I've made - no more non-stick pots & pans and aluminum (tin) foil with their cancer causing PFAS, no more plastic bottles of water. I've changed my milk, cream, butter, ketchup, mayo to organic, even the type of bread I buy.  Changed the laundry detergent I use, as well as the dryer sheets; no more Bounce. Cutting out all the bad snacks too, e.g. Cheez-Its, Goldfish, corn chips, oreos, most cereals, candy, to name just a few!  All contain too much sugar, salt, dyes, nasty chemicals and much more.

All bad news and all very bad for you!  All gone from my kitchen, my home and my lifestyle.

No wonder there are SO many health issues today and why SO many are obese and overweight.

It's quite shocking that the FDA allows this.

Waxed and Ready!

Another fall chore completed!

Although, worn and beat up, my Cabela work boots are ready for another wet, slushy and snowy winter.

As I often do a couple times a year, and always in the fall in preparation for the winter, I apply a generous coat of mink oil to help keep the leather soft but more importantly to keep them as water tight as possible.  Nothing worse that wet feet in boots, especially when out shoveling snow and snowblowing.  I also ordered new Dr. Scholl's insoles to replace the old ones. Almost like new.

For the record, I nixed Timberland work boots; the company and their boots are dead to me.  I used to only buy and wear Timberlands back in the day, sadly like many things these days, their quality went downhill.  On several occasions, when I had issues, I reached out to the company and always were poo-pooed and told they couldn't help.  So, since there are too many other options, I gave Cabela a try and couldn't be happier.  I'll show them 😁

Bulbous!

The colors on my hydrangea flowers this season are awesome!

So much so that I cut and brought some inside to enjoy.

Chameleon like in the sense that they seem to be changing colors to match the vase they're in, cool right?!

I have (5) hydrangea bushes in my front flower beds.  They're big and full and beautiful, however, only one ever flowers.  Even when these plants were elsewhere on the property, same deal, only the one would flower.  I've tried leaving the old growth, nothing.  I've tried cutting them back, nothing.  Not sure what the issue is but would be nice if all five flowered.

Fall Is Crockpot Creation Time!

As a follow up to my "What's Up, Doc" posting, here are some pics on my crockpot creation from Sunday.

In hindsight I should have put in twice as many carrots, since I have oodles of them.  However, being that I have a smaller 4-quart crockpot, it fills up fast.  Also, the peppers (and broccoli too, not added with this creation) should really be added to the pot at the end of it's cooking time, as they get too soggy and become mush.  Still tasty though!

The carrots, beans and peppers, the potatoes and garlic too not shown, all came from my garden this summer and are delicious!

I pre-seared the pork loin to seal in the juices before adding into the pot, along with onions, butter, vegetable broth and teriyaki sauce -

Plenty of Yukon Gold potatoes -

The finished product, a pipping hot bowl of teriyaki pork loin and veggies.  With a slice of fresh buttered sourdough bread, mmm mmm good!

#blessed

A Reliable Cover Crop

With the carrots harvested and the raised bed now empty, it was time to plant my winter rye.  A task I've been doing each fall since I began my gardens here at the ole homestead.

My large garden is sloped, so the rye's deep roots helps anchor the soil preventing erosion, as well as the leaching of nutrients.  Come the spring time I'll turn the soil, which in turn helps to feed and add nutrients to the soil.  Winter rye grows quickly even in the colder temps and adds some nice green color during the drab winters months. Back when I had chickens and rabbits I would pick a handful every couple of days and feed it to them.  They loved it and always jockeyed and fought one another to get as much as they could.

4 pounds on Winter Rye seed, purchased from my local Agway -

My large garden with the seed sown -

One of my raised beds, where the carrots were, freshly tilled, raked and rye sown -

Watered and now I wait...