Big Brother's Watching!

I spent a couple hours yesterday tending to and working on the pool, which is a love-hate type of relationship.  As much as I loath it, it was a beautiful day, so I flipped on the radio to a local country station (more thoughts to come on this in a future post...) and got to work.

The weather has been so hot and humid the last couple of week, with little rain, the water level in the pool has been slowly dropping due to evaporation.  So, as I worked the vacuum, I turned the hose on and threw it in the pool to raise the level.

Seems I added some 320ish gallons and received the below 'high use notification' email from the Franklin Water & Sewer Superintendent, OOPS!  These emails are generated and sent automatically, so I'm not too worried about being called out on my usage.  However, that's not to say that they're not alerted or flagged when high consumption is reported.

Franklin has a water ban in effect and as a matter of fact they have had one each of the 20+ years I've lived here.  I hate to do it but it's a necessary evil of pool ownership.  Ironically, I didn't need to add a single drop to the pool last year, as Mother Nature helped me out.

The pool is looking So much better now!  Stop over for a swim anytime!

The Knot's Been Tied!

CONGRATULATIONS Stephanie and Audrey!

My oldest daughter got married this past weekend, Saturday June 21, at the Oceanview of Nahant in MA!

It was a magical wedding!  The weather cooperated and was beautiful, the events all went off perfectly without any glitches, both brides were stunning and everyone truly enjoyed themselves!

Most of the wedding party stayed at the luxury landmark InterContinental Boston hotel located in downtown Boston on the waterfront -

The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum was directly next door to the hotel.  You could see the visitors reenacting throwing boxes of tea overboard -

The Night Before Welcome Party, on Friday night, at the Bostonia Public House was great! It was great to see everyone and mingle.  The food was absolutely delicious and the drinks were tasty and cold -

Father of the bride, that's me!  My boutonniere -

The flower bouquets held by the brides and bridesmaids, then used as the table center pieces were beautiful -

View of the brides, with their photographers, looking down from my daughters suite on the 10th floor -

The nuptials on the ocean was perfect!  The driftwood altar adorned with wedding flower and the ocean backdrop was also perfect! Kate (KB), a friend and fellow Sacred Heart alum, officiated the wedding.  The nuptials she wrote were terrific and SO creative, capturing both brides love for sports - WELL DONE KB!

Another beautiful touch, the brides acknowledged the family members who are no longer with us, both during the service AND with a special table setup at the wedding hall with pictures of each -

There was a very cool, unique yummy espresso martini bar following the dinner -

A memorable one-of-a-kind espresso martini each adorned with the brides pics -

YES THEY ARE!

Class from beginning to end -

The wedding was made even more special by having close family and friends to celebrate with.

I couldn't be happier and more proud!

Stephanie, you've grown into an incredible woman - strong, kind, compassionate, and full of grace.  I'm SO proud of the life you've created and the love you've chosen.  Marriage isn't about perfection, it's about choosing each other every day, through the easy and the hard, with laughter, patience, and faith.

Know that no matter where life takes you, I will always be cheering you on!  All my love 💗!

A Bee Magnet!

My friend Tim gave me this Hollyhock back in the fall and I planted it per his instructions.

It survived the winter and boy-o-boy did it take off as soon as the weather started warming and just look at it now!

It's FULL of  beautiful flowers with oodles more on the way!

The bees are going crazy in the flowers -

It got beat up a little, like the Milkweed plants, during a very windy day we had a week or so ago but otherwise doing great!

No Regrets!

That's A Lot Of Warts!

Look who was hiding under my recycling barrel, Mr. Toad!

Seems like an odd place to hide to be honest.  With all the plants grown out, nooks and crannies and better (to me anyway) places to safely hide why hide under a barrel on the concrete?

A good looking critter, as far as toads go -

It's always fun to find these critters around the yard and knowing they're on the prowl for most unwanted insects like slugs and ants.

I moved this dude under a big hosta where it can continue it's daytime siesta, so it's bright eyed and bushy tailed come evening.

 

Blooming Memories

Here are several plants from my folks yard in Westwood that I transplanted here in my yard years ago before we sold the Westwood house.

A nice reminder each year of my folks, the house and yard I grew up in and a time gone by but NOT forgotten.

My mother's Poppy -

There are a couple and they comes up faithful each each with beautiful blooms too -

My mother's Dutch White Iris -

Originally a small clump that has grown and spread over the years.  A nice contract to the oodles of the similar purple Iris I have all over the yard - 

My dad's Rhubarb -

It's been in a couple different locations over the years but has taken off here in my main garden.

#Blessed

Ms. Trixie, aka Crash...

Ms. Trixie took a tumble down the back deck stairs on Sunday afternoon.

Thankfully, she didn't get hurt too bad, just a bloody fat lip and a tad embarrassed -

I'm not really sure what happened.

She was about halfway down the stairs and stopped, looking out towards the backyard, when all of a sudden she stumbled and down she went.  It looked like she fought the fall and stumbled versus going ass over teakettle but hit her face on the landing.

She's definitely showing her age and turns 14 this fall!  For the most part she's doing fine but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about her.

 

She's my BFF!

#Blessed

Green With Envy!

I volunteered to work again yesterday, another Sunday, delivering packages.  Last Sunday I delivered 36 packages and was expecting a similar amount yesterday, however, that was NOT the case!  Instead I delivered 69 packages, some very big and some very heavy too; the LLV was full, UGH!

I was a bit discouraged with the number of packages and the prospect of being out delivering for hours but focused, numbered each package in order of delivery, then organized them in the truck and off I went.

BTW, and not that it's a competition, but I was the first carrier to depart to PO and the first to complete all deliveries and return back to the PO, all in about 3-hours!  Which isn't bad at all seeing that the route was rated with a "duration" of 4-hours and 42-minutes!  I'm getting better at this...

My reward for working on a Sunday was this BIG awesome green ceramic flower pot! These pictures don't really show how BIG this pot is or do justice to how purdy it is!  It was curbside with many other plastic pots and miscellaneous stuff free for the taking, so I banged a U-turn and loaded this beauty in the back of the LLV, which was almost empty by the time I came across it -

A Happy Father's Day gift to me from the universe!

Hmmm, now what plants to plant in it?!  I see a nursery run in my future!

Grrrr! Snarl! Fear Me!

The saying goes, "curiosity killed the cat", a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation...

Well, this cutie is not a cat, nor was it killed but his curiosity got him trapped at some point last night.

He acted like a big toughie but he was too darn adorable to take seriously.

I propped open the cage door first thing this morning to let him work up the courage to scoot on his way and at his leisure.

Opossums are super beneficial to have around, as they help control populations of ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, and they also consume other pests like slugs, snails, and insects, they're a valuable part of the ecosystem.

Till we meet again my friend.

Snug As A Bug

Ms. Trixie luvs her new bed!

Seems, with my OCD, I washed her old bed too many times and ruined it.

The Wonders Of Mother Nature

Continuing with the turtle postings, here's another one -

I was heading back home from running an errand this morning before work, when I saw what I thought was another BIG snapping turtle about to cross the road.

However, as I got closer I was amazed to see that she wasn't about to cross but rather she was in the process of digging a hole to lay her eggs, right there on the edge of the road.

As much as I wanted to get out to inspect things, the last thing I wanted to do was spook her, so I threw the car in park, climbed into the passenger seat and took the below pictures.

Hoping she was able to complete her mission without anyone bothering her or trying to move her and that she made it safely back into the water.  However, I'm not sure how the littles will do when they hatch and emerge, as I suspect some will wander into the road and surely get run over.

I find these BIG monster turtles SO awesome and truly amazing!

Food For Thought!

Turtle Save Wednesday!

On the way to my third delivery stop of the day, and as I rounded the bend, this MONSTER was crossing the road! And I am NOT exaggerating when I say she was a MONSTER!  I've never seen such a BIG turtle except for the Galapagos tortoise and maybe a sea turtle at the aquarium.

She was moving from my left to right and was smack dab in the middle of the other lane. Since there was no one behind me, I slammed on the brakes and stopped in my lane, threw the LLV in park and jumped out.  Fortunately, an older man in a pickup truck heading the opposite direction, saw me then the turtle and stopped traffic in that direction.

I ran up to her, picked her up - OMG, she must have weighed 25-30 pounds, SO heavy, and I carried her in the direction she was headed and placed her on the side of the road -

These pictures do not truly show how BIG she really was.  I can't imaging anyone hitting her with their vehicle and walking away unscathed.

What a beauty!

I would have liked to take more pics but traffic was backing up, plus the mail must be delivered, so I jumped back into the mail truck and off I went but not before the older gentlemen in the pickup gave me a thumbs up and yelled "nice job" as he drove by.

Find The Critter

Can you find the critters in the below photo?!

Give me an "A" -

I spotted this frisky pair while delivering packages the other day -

 

This One Could Have Been A Stinker!

Here is precisely the concern I had with channeling Carl Spackle and moving forward with the olde homestead deportations, Mr. Skunk!

I knew it was inevitable that a skunk would wind up getting caught in one of my traps if I kept it set and baited overnight, so WAHLAH, and my own fault!

I heard something in the trap last night when I put Trixie out to do her business, so I grabbed my flashlight and went to investigate. DRAT!  Wouldn't you know it, a skunk!

He was oblivious to my presence and was focused on trying to escape, but then again I didn't announce my arrival.  He was gnawing on the sides of the trap and I was able to get the below pic showing his very healthy and sharp teeth -

I didn't want to leave him in there any longer than he'd already been in there and certainly not overnight either.

The nice thing about the older Hav-a-heart traps in they have solid doors on both ends, which let me easily walk to the trap without Mr. Skunk seeing me.  I was then able to flip the metal brackets holding the doors closed and by the time I made it back into the house, he was already out and making a beeline for the neighbors shed and he did NOT spray!

With all these animal related posting recently, I'm feeling like a mix of Marlin Perkins (Mutual of Omaha)\Jack Hannah (zookeeper and director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)\Steve Irwin-esk (Australian environmentalist, conservationist and zookeeper)

CRIKEY!

Fire In The Hole - A Successful Pool Pump Start Up!

So, after working all morning delivering packages and saving a BIG turtle, I was able to finally spend a couple hours on my pool.

Since removing the cover, I've added (10) bottles of liquid shock to the water, which did a great job a killing most of the algae however, the dead algae, leaves and "stuff" sunk to the bottom and was a filthy mess, YUK!

This afternoon I fired up the pump, with fingers and toes crossed, and vacuumed most of the YUK off the bottom and straight out the drain pipe.  That also allowed me to lower the water level to it's appropriate and desired level.

Once that was completed I pulled the filter apart and cleaned all the YUK off, put back together and fired her up again, this time recirculating the water through the filter and back into the pool.

Here is what the water looks like some 3 hours later - 

However, the filter needs to be pulled apart again and cleaned, as it's now running too high with all the YUK stuck to the filters.

I'm at least making progress.

I will tell you that it's "shocking" at the prices of both liquid and powered shock this season (see what I did there?!?!)!  I may need to get a second job or perhaps I'll try a GoFundMe page...

I Named Her "Postal"...

I worked this morning delivering packages to Franklin residents.  While driving back roads and side streets, I came across this BIG lady just sitting in the roadway, TSK TSK!

Fortunately, an older gentleman in a van was already stopped, which helped block and protect her so other passerby's didn't hit her.

I pulled over immediately and jumped out to assist.  It was clear that the older guy didn't know what to do and had no intentions of getting too close to her.  I on the other hand just walked over, picked her up  -

and walked her to the other side of the road, in the direction she was headed in and down a small embankment, then safely put her down.  I gave her the same speech I've given the other turtles I've rescued and hope she takes heed -

She was none-to-happy with me when I picked her up and lunged a few times trying to get a piece of me, silly girl.

Hoping all's well that ends well!

More Car Ride Fun!

What a nice surprise, a "twofer"!

Seems the word is out here at the olde homestead that I'm offering fun, adventure filled car rides.

They're stacked and queued and rearing to go!

Please keep in mind, if they all had respected the boundaries, I wouldn't have channeled Carl Spackler (Caddyshack (1980))!