Frequently Bought Together...What?!

I was doing some online research to get pricing on 5-gallon driveway sealers.  I checked out the websites of The Home Depot, Lowes and BJs Wholesale Club to see who offered the best price.

BJs Wholesale Club presented me with the below "Frequently Bought Together" items list, which is both confusing and hilarious.  I'm not sure what their algorithm is to generate such a  list but it's weird -

By the way, The Home Depot has the best pricing on 5-gallon buckets of driveway sealer AND they offer an even lower price per bucket when you purchase (4) or more.

Who wants to come help seal my driveway with me?!

I'll Huff And I'll Puff - UPDATE

Here is an update to my previous post back on Wednesday, July 24 titled, "I'll Huff And I'll Puff" -

So, I thought it unusual that after only a couple of days the yellow jackets stopped swarming around their access hole into the wall of my living room.  The first couple of days there were oodles of them flying and buzzing around the area, then there were none.  Also, around the same time, I was no longer finding bees inside my living room. Foolishly, I thought I had won but oh contraire!

While doing some grilling out on my deck this past Saturday I once again spied bees coming and going from the side of my chimney!  However, THIS time they were doing so on the deck side of the chimney, which is the exact opposite side of where their original access hole was!

Those sons-of-bitches found another way in AND out, UGH!

The good news is I have easy peasy access to this new spot with plenty of room to run if necessary 😉.

This time around, I chose to grab my Craftsman shop-vac and using the extension pieces I was able to stand at a safe distance while holding the hose end just below their access hole.  Let me tell you, it was the funniest things to see the returning yellow jackets flying towards the hole AND WOOSH down the hose and into the shop-vac they went!  I stood there for a while, in the hot sun, holding that hose and counting each bee that got sucked up!  I stopped and moved on when I hit 40!

Later that evening, after dark, I performed the same steps I had on the original hole and stuffed cotton balls soaked in bee spray into the holes, then blocked them to prevent access.

There are two holes in the below pic that they were using -

In the pic below, the red left arrow shows where the original hole was and the blue right arrow, opposite, is where their new holes were -

This first video below shows the bees coming and going into and out of the new holes - 

Yellow Jackets entering and exiting

And this video below is poor Trixie limping along after being stung in her left paw, the poor thing!  She was minding her own business, napping next in her bed when all of a sudden she sprung up and ran towards me.  She didn't yelp or cry or whine, not a peep but I knew immediately what just happened and saw her holding her paw up, which still had the bee attached!  Since a single yellow jacket is able to keep stinging and stinging and stinging, I don't know if she was stung more than once but flicked the dude off and squashed it.  I don't think Trixie knew what happened but she was hobbled for most of the afternoon.

Trixie limping after being stung in paw

Although, like the first time, the bee activity has but ended.  There has been a couple outside still trying to get in and I'm still finding one or two here and there inside the house but hopeful I eliminated them this go around, time will tell...

A Great Sunday!

What an incredible day yesterday was weather wise, absolutely perfect!  It was made even better with an 131 mile motorcycle ride with friends and a delicious lunch curbside!

The weather was SO nice that I capped the afternoon off with a 3.37 mile afternoon walk (disregard the "run" reference in the screen shot below), see my route below - 

Ended the day with fresh sheets on the bed, a couple loads of laundry done, a nice relaxing shower and a bowl of cereal while watching Goliath on Prime Video.

#Blessed

First Of The Season!

Seems like I planted my tomato plants several weeks ago but in reality it's been several months!

My hard work, hand watering and dotting is starting to pay off with signs of the fruits (pun intended) of my labors.

Here are the first tomatoes of the season, picked yesterday evening!

Can't wait to dig in and enjoy these bad boys but undecided on how, BLTs or a play on the Greek tomato salad (feta and red onion) that my mom used to make...

Insect Camouflage

These Katydid's, also called Bush Crickets, blend in so well and are tough to spot, and perhaps they thought I didn't see them, but I did and snapped these pics!

This female is perched atop a seed pod from a spent Balloon flower -

This female is sitting on and dining on a grape leaf -

These dudettes are out there, along with SO many others, you just need to put the cell phone and spend some time outdoors and you'll be amazed at what you can spy.

"Let Them"

I could add SO much more to this posting but it speaks for itself.

It's a VERY difficult thing for me to do, especially for the ones I love and care about but actions speak louder than words, so I've begun to embrace "Let Them"!

Insect Damage!

Here are some examples of the damage being done to plants in my yard this summer by critters, which I alluded to in an earlier post.

My Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) and in this example you can see the flower pedals have been eaten on almost all the blooms - 

My Monarda (Bee Balm), the leaves on most of these plants have been destroyed -

My Sunflowers, the lower leaves have been eaten away -

My Clerodendrum Trichotomum (Harlequin Glorybower) leaves are riddled with holes and their edges destroyed -

My tomato plants -

My pepper plants - 

The above examples are all being done by insects, e.g. Japanese beetles, tomato hornworms, slugs, etc.  I don't recall this much damage in years past.  This year has been unique.  I do my pest to manage these pests without the need for chemicals.  It's a battle for sure but also a part of the process.

Since we're on the subject, it's worth mentioning again that the wild rabbits and deer are also causing damage to various plants in my yard and gardens, ALAS...

Consequences To Ones Actions

Frye's garden NOT McGregors but same rules apply!

Although, this youngster was not the one responsible for eating my carrot and bean plants, see below, I can assure you it will never have the opportunity to do so in the future -

I even installed a fence around my raised vegetable beds specifically to keep the rabbits and deer out, which makes the damage and loss that much more frustrating!

One section of my beans and one example of the damage done, GRRR -

Similar example but with my carrots, double GRRR - 

They even do a number of my Rose Campion plants, triple GRRR -

For such small critters, it's amazing the damage they can do and in such a short time.  I can look out off my back deck and often see 2, 3, 4 or 5 rabbits at a time.  There are oodles of them this summer, far too many.

I'll Huff And I'll Puff...

Eating dinner on my back deck the other evening I noticed the comings and goings of bees from the opposite side of the chimney from where I was sitting, so I investigated.

Sure enough the bees or in this case, Vespula vidua, known generally as yellowjackets, had made their way into the wall of my house where the chimney meets the clapboard, which put them approximately just over and to the right of the fireplace mantle from an inside perspective.

This is not the first time this has happened either!  Several years ago, same issue and in the same general area.  I thought I had caulked the holes sufficiently but perhaps time and persistence finally paid off for these pests.  Part of the challenge is the location of their entryway, which is about 25' to 30'  up from the ground, see pic below (the red square shows where one of those grey paper wasp nests was being built.  Using the garden hose, I was able to spray that apart months ago and drove them off!) -

Just like the previous time, when you placed your ear against the drywall, in the general area of where I assumed they were, sure enough the wall was A BUZZ!  Yuppers, you could hear the humming and buzzing clear as day!  

Good news, if there is good news, I had relatively easy access to their entry hole via the window, see above.  Bad news is that I'm dealing with flying yellowjackets that are known for being very aggressive!  So, I waited until dark and made my move.  I presoaked several cotton balls with bee\hornet spray, which I then pushed into their entry hole before using one last piece to block access in or out, easy peasy.  I was hoping the fumes from the presoaked cotton balls would work to kill the bees trapped inside - I believe this worked to some level.

However, and which amazes me because it happened the last time I went through this, with their access hole blocked some of these dudes began getting into the living room!  I must have killed 20 to 30 that made their way in, see pic below, UGH! Why had I not been seeing bees in the house long before hand?

Anyway, my approach seems to have worked and I've successfully destroyed the hive!  It's been several days now and I've not found any more inside, nor do I see any flying around and trying to get in, YAY!  Seems I have some more caulking work to do to prevent this from happening again but I'll wait until cooler weather...

Today Marks Another Year

 

Mom,

Another year has come and gone. 

Still missing you, especially today.

May the angels in heaven celebrate your beautiful soul today.

This Looks Like A Good Spot...

I'm confused...

For reasons I'll never understand Trixie chose to piddle smack dab in the middle of the walkway yesterday morning!  It's not that she had to go really really bad, as she sniffed around a bit first before copping a squat.

It's SO weird to me.

She has always done her business on the grass just a mere foot to the left.  This pic doesn't show it but the grass in that general area is all brown and dead...from her peeing there, so why the sudden need to go there on the concrete?

Of course, and even though I hosed that area off just after taking the pic, last night and again this morning she stop, sniffs that same area and does it again.  However, these subsequent pees appear more like she's marking the spot versus relieving herself, as they're much smaller deposits but still STOP IT!

Squirrel Boo Boo

This dude greeted me when I returned from my walk yesterday afternoon!

Looks like he was lounging and enjoying the day in my driveway, however, that was NOT the case.

Nope, sadly this dude was injured.

I'm guessing at the cause of his injuries, which I can only imaging in the squirrel world is quite the embarrassment!  I would wager that this dude simply fell out of a tree, which broke his back, as he had NO use of his backend, absolutely none.  He was crawling and pulling himself along with his front legs, the rest just dragging uselessly behind it.

I reached out to a local wildlife rehabilitator via Facebook to see if she could assist, however, when I final received a reply it was suggested that I take the animal to get xrayed, yeah NO!

The duded was cute, no doubt, but other than struggling to move around he didn't appear to be in any pain.  I did move him to a cool, shaded area with plants for him to hide amongst.

The below video shows the dude scooting about some -

Hurt squirrel scooting along driveway

He was in the same general area this morning when I checked in on him.  I was really hoping the wildlife rehabilitator would have taken him and put him down humanly versus him slowly passing on.

Trying to look at things more positively these days, so that being said - I have one less squirrel digging in my front yard and flower beds and raiding the bird feeder...too soon?! 

**** UPDATE ****

The wildlife rehabilitator texted me yesterday, Saturday, to inquire about the squirrel.  After exchanging messages and some pics of the critter, she swung by.  We boxed him up and she made arrangements to have someone bring him to Tufts Wildlife Clinic, some 20+ miles away, for xrays and further evaluations.

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the above picture?!

This summer I've noticed quite a bit more of the plant leaves in and around my yard, and in my veggie gardens, being eaten.  Plants from my peppers above to my sunflowers, basil, broccoli, hostas, butterfly bushes, harlequin glorybower, etc.

I've been finding more critters than in the past on the above plants. Critters like; Japanese beetles, cabbage moths, aphids, slugs, and others too.  They've all been very destructive too, alas!

I am not a fan of using pesticides and chemicals in general, instead I try other methods like sprinkling Diatomaceous Earth around the base of the plants, beer in saucers, sprinkling spicy\hot spices on leaves, spray plants with warm water with Dawn dish soap, etc.  Some of these work, some not so much, however, the one that never fails in squashing those I can get a hold of between my fingers!

The tomato hornworm caterpillar youngster below, the critter dining on my peppers, was small compared to the size it would have become had I not found it and it was left to continue gorging.  In the past I would feed these dudes to my chickens who would gobble them up.  I would do the same when skimming my pool, too offer the insects to the chickens!  This time of year the pool is a magnet for beetles, oodles of them in there all the time, which takes time to skim, stop and squash each one but that's what I do.  It's a war!

Ah, the joys of gardening!

No Closure Is Your Closure

Passed With Flying Colors!

Awww, someone was feeling queasy and just wasn't herself yesterday afternoon and into last night following her annual visit to the vet 👩‍⚕️

She received (3) vaccination 💉; rabies, distemper and Lyme, plus a blood draw to test for heartworm.  So, she was poked four separate times and in four different locations, ouch!

The doctor said she'd be sore and lethargic and sure enough that was the case.  However, the BIG sad eyes, pathetic look AND her unsteadiness and noticeable limp certainly pulled at my heart.

She was so unstable that I carried her up and down the stairs and outside to do her business, even at 4AM.  I even thought she was going to need my help steadying herself as she had a difficult time squatting.

I'm happy to report that she is much better this morning.  Still lethargic but more peep in her step and no limping.

Good news too, she got a clean bill of health from the doctor!  Now if there was a way to stop the aging process...

Phone Addiction

More people need to practice this!

Credit @jonathanhaidt

Attempted Stealth Mode Pic

I heard this senior gentleman the other morning just after sunrise.  He wasn't "gobbling", as turkeys do, rather it was a quick throaty sound, which I'm assuming was still geared towards letting nearby hens know he was in the vicinity.

I will tell you, as I'm sure turkey hunters are well aware of, turkeys have incredible eyesight.  He noticed me in the window instantly and immediately picked up his pace, always keeping one eye on me.  As he turned the corner of the house, I was able to go to a different window that had the blinds down which kept me hidden a little better but he was still very leery and kept looking for me.

Skittish and ever vigilant he kept moving, he slowed and was picking and eating things off the lawn, which I am hoping were beetles and other insects.  I would have preferred he hangout a while and eat more bugs but he had other plans and slowly made his was into the wooded area out back.

They're always welcome, as I could watch them for hours.

Garlic Garlic Everywhere!

Time sure is flying...

That being said, it was time to pick my garlic; the garlic I planted back in November.

And they look and smell DELICIOUS!

I planted 33 cloves in the fall and just last night picked 28 BIG beautiful bulbs!

They're hanging in my garage per usual for a couple weeks to dry.

My Canna

My Canna Lily is finally flowering!

This plant was given to me by a friend back in the fall, at the end of the season.  It was a potted plant and one I chose to bring indoors and care for over the winter.  I planted it outdoors once it was safe from frost and although it's not grown incredibly tall, it certainly has filled out quite a bit and is sending up new growth.  It very much prefers being outdoors and in the ground.

More flower bud are showing, so hoping to see many more in bloom soon.

Beetles!

Admittedly, not the best pics, too blurry, my apologies.

There seems to be a lot of these Green June Beetles this years than in years past.  They're about the size of a US quarter, so very easy to see, plus they "buzz" when flying and look like oversized Japanese Beetles. You can't miss them.

I'm guessing the mild winters we've had the last couple of years and the plentiful rains in that time too could be contributing to an overabundance of critters.  For example, I don't recall seeing SO many wild rabbits as there are this year! Squirrels, chipmunks, deer, cabbage moths, ants and on and on and on...

It's that time of year too, with the pool up and running I am constantly needing to skim beetles out! There are scads of them that make for a messy looking pool - oriental beetles, Japanese beetles and by far the most, the May beetles, aka Junebugs, and others too -

I squash as many as I can but they keep coming, so I'll keep squashing!

You Won't...

Me Me Me Me Me!

Welcome to another example of entitlement, of selfishness and of inconsiderateness.

Believe it or not this is more common than you'd think, at least in the neighborhood I walk in.

In this particular example, the driveway is wide enough so you could park three vehicles side-by-side and three vehicles front-to-back before blocking the sidewalk, I kid you not!  Yet, they opt to park and block the sidewalk, GRRR

People just suck!

Another day, another example!

Lily Assortment 2024

Here are some pics of the Day Lilies that are currently blooming at the ole homestead - 

This is a double-bloom, which I have oodles of -

Too bad the flowers don't last longer.

Floating And Chilling

It's been SO hot and humid even Trixie got in the pool!

Well, not in the water, rather took a spin on the boogie board.

I gave her a bath just a few days earlier and didn't want her getting wet with pool water so soon after.  I want to enjoy her NOT smelling like a dog for a little while anyway...

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the above picture?

I came across her on my early morning walk today.  She let me get a bit closer than normal, as she was preoccupied with a dog that was in the fenced yard off to her left.

She seemed a bit confused on what way to go but eventually chose her only real option which was an about face.

I snapped these pics of her but in hindsight wish I hit the video button instead because you could clearly hear her clip-ity clops, much like a horse, as she ran down the center of the street and off into the wooded area in the distance.

SO cool and a big reason why I enjoy my early morning walks; getting to see this AND the human mutants haven't yet stirred and ventured out.

The stare down - 

Hi Ho Silver Away -

And away -

What Was Broken In Them

“What's up, doc?"

There are scads of wild rabbits this year here in New England!  I don't recall ever seeing SO many.  Guessing it might have something to do with the mild winters we've had the last couple of years.

As many folks view these rabbits as cute, I find them a nuisance in general but more so when you're having to battle with them to keep them destroying your flower and vegetable gardens.

There are about a half dozen of these vermin in my backyard alone.  They disappear during the day but come out in the evenings and early mornings when it's cooler and do constant damage, GRRR

This Rose Campion is one example, where they eat parts of it snapping the flowering stems off -

They like to give themselves dirt baths, so any bare spots are attractive to them.  They'll get in those spots, dig and roll around making a mess, especially if in one of my veggie gardens.  Smaller, up and coming plants like my carrots and beans don't stand a chance.

If they survive that onslaught, well then its the taste that attracts them.  I even installed a separate fence around my raised beds specifically to keep these vermin out but they still find a way in, and once in they make short work of eating plants to the ground.  You can see what they've done to my bean plants - 

But fear not for my persistence has paid off, GOTCHA!

This trapped pest was the one who had an acquired taste for my bean and carrot plants, which proved to be his downfall!

One down and SO many more to go and like Carl Spackler said in Caddyshack (just replace "gophers" with "rabbits") - 

"Licensed to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. A man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."