Oak Apples Anyone

The Merriam-Webster definition of an oak apple is, "a large round gall produced on oak leaves and twigs by a gall wasp (especially Amphibolips confluenta)".



These pictures are two of the many oak apples that we have dangling from the oak trees in our yard. I've recently learned that JoAnne enjoys squeezing and popping these things and used to do this as a kid too. Perhaps, there is some therapeutic value in this. Who would have thunk...



Oak Apples Information from the Internet -
Oak apples or galls are spheres, about the size of golf balls or slightly smaller, green and mottled with red. Galls are the protective nurseries for young insects, usually given the quaint name "oak apples." The mother insect enlists the help of oak trees to shelter her growing offspring. Known as the oak gall wasp, the tiny non-stinging insect deposits her egg in the flesh of an oak leaf. Along with the egg is a hormone that induces the oak tree to form a gall around the wasp egg. The larva develops within a shield of plant material, a capsule suspended in the center of the orb. At least 200 species of organisms use oak trees to form galls of one kind or another. Galls cause very little damage to the host plant, and gall wasps are not considered to be serious pests. The gall is not an impregnable fortress, and many predators recognize wasp galls as sources of food. If the gall wasp larva escapes all these predators and survives to adulthood, it chews its way out, leaving a small neat hole in the papery gall, which falls with the leaves of autumn.

Star-nose Mole

This little feller, a Star-nose mole, is known to be a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. However, he met his match when he decided to take a dip in our pool. As you can see from the picture above he didn't fare too well.

The Star-nosed mole is not a rodent but rather one of the most distinctive mammal species. The startling nose appendages immediately set this mole apart from the five other North American species. This odd-looking mammal sports a grotesque crown of 22 fleshy tendrils around its snout, which can detect and gulp down its prey at a speed too fast for the human eye to follow, even though the animal is virtually blind.

From the moment that it touches insect larva with its proboscis, it takes just 230 milliseconds to check that it is edible and gobble it up. This is the fastest known reaction time in the animal kingdom, taking less than half the 650 milliseconds that a human driver needs to brake for a red light.

Place Your Bets

Emilie has been collecting Eastern Tent caterpillars and Forest Tent caterpillars the last couple of weeks. We make multiple trips each day out along the trees to see just how many more we can find. She has them all crammed into a small bug container mixed with leaves and sticks and stuff. Looks more like the making of a shepherds pie than anything else.

She loves to take one or two out and name then and hold them and talk to them and play with them. The other day as we were sitting in the driveway watching her with these caterpillars I had an idea that just came to me, you see "I'm an idea man, I get ideas, sometimes I get so many ideas that I can't even fight them off!" (Bill (Michael Keaton) from the 1982 movie Night Shift), anyway the idea is races; caterpillar racing!

We wasted no time in testing this idea and quickly created a chalk race track, see picture. Our prototype only had two lanes, but once this catches on we'll have six or eight or even ten lanes with patent pending. We just need to figure out how to attach numbers to these fury, defoliating, leaf eating pests.

Another idea - "What if you mix the mayonnaise in the can, WITH the tuna fish? Or... hold it! I got it! Take LIVE tuna fish, and FEED 'em mayonnaise! Oh this is great." (another Bill quote from Night Shift).

Name the Bird

Participation for 'Name the Poop' wasn't what I thought it would be.

Perhaps, this was a result of the icky poop topic.

Therefore, I've come up with more user friendly 'Name the ' game.

The bird nest pictured above was built in the rhododendron just outside our playroom window.

Can you 'Name the Bird' that built this nest and produced these eggs?

Finders Keepers

Crows - The American Crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos. You know the big black bird that caws and carries on.

I recall when I was a yute (a line by Vinny Gambini from the movie My Cousin Vinny) that you couldn’t get close to these birds. The minute you’d try off they’d go. I’m not talking about sneaking up and trying to grab one or put salt on its tail but rather trying to open a window to get a shot at one. The littlest sound would send them off even the opening of a window.

Now a day’s this simply doesn’t hold true from what I’ve seen. For example, the last couple of times that my dad let me cut his lawn (weeds and dirt) there’s been a flurry of crow activity. What surprises me is how bold they are these days and of course I no longer have armament to get a shot at one.

I am cutting the lawn yesterday and notice a crow not more than 15 – 20 feet away picking at something. From my vantage point, perched atop my tractor, I see what the dude is pecking at and spring from the tractor into action and make a b-line right to him. This didn’t scare him off right away and he kept picking. I closed the gap between him and me to less than 6’ before he took off and before he left he made one last grab at what he was picking at and flew off with some of it.

And do you want to know what he was picking at, hmm? Of course you do, this is a riveting story and I have you sitting at the edge of your computer desk with sheer excitement and awe, admit it.

Anyway, I digress. The dude was picking at a folded piece of paper, a receipt, with some singles folded along with it. You know singles, ones, dollar bills, dinero, bread, cabbage, clams, dough, loot, moolah… That S.O.B. grabbed two singles as he took off and I swear he flipped me the bird too. I can’t be certain of the amount but the receipt listed $4.51 as ‘change due’ and two singles were left behind – you do the math.

The good news is that I made $2.00 for cutting my dads lawn yesterday and the bad news is it could have been $4.00. In any event my cup of coffee this morning was free and a BIG thank you goes out to Mr. Crow for without him I would never have spotted the cash and come into such a windfall.

This find has also renewed my desire and compassion to continue mowing my dad’s lawn - I’ve been invigorated with the possibility of finding more cash and riches as I mow !

Kindergarten Concert 2008

The (5) kindergarten classes in Emilie's school held their end-0f-year concert on Friday morning.

The kids came into the cafetorium and up on stage by their class and sang the (7) songs below:

The kids were adorable and did a fantastic job. Of course Emilie was the cutest one of them all and had a blast. She was ALL smiles up there and fortunately for us she was in the front row, as were we, so we could see her clearly and get some good pictures.

She had a great school year and has come a long way in her learning, loves school and made a lot of friends. Now off to grade 1...

1 - One Small Voice
2 - ABC Rock
3 - Number Rock
4 - Spanish Counting Song
5 - What a Wonderful World
6 - God Bless the USA
7 - Together Tomorrow

Name the Poop

It's time for another game of, "Name the Poop".

This poop was found in our driveway the other morning.

A single poop; no pile of poop and no multiple poops, just a single poop.

Can you identify the critter responsible for this poop?

If so, Name the Poop...

P.S. JoAnne took this poop picture.

Toof, Toofs, Toofies

These 4 baby teeth of Emilie's just did not want to leave her mouth on their own. Not sure why but whatever the cause her dentist knew just how to resolve this issue - he pulled them, all 4 of em. All are or were her front bottom teeth. She's had a new permanent tooth that has been coming in for some time now but due to the lack of space it's pointing towards the back of her mouth. This new tooth should have pushed out one or two of her baby teeth but it didn't, anyway there's plenty of room now and is expected to correct itself and straighten up as it should be.

Emilie knew she was having 4 teeth pulled but since she's never been through this before she really had no idea what was in store. However, JoAnne said she did EXCELLENT only a tear or two and that was from the weird, uncomfortable numbness she was experiencing from the novocaine, as well as the experience as a whole - overwhelming for a six year old. We won't mention this to her but this 'problem' could happen again since she has such a tiny mouth. If it does, the same course of action will occur, yikes! Kudos to the doctor and staff for how they handled this entire process. They took care of the issue without scaring or traumatizing her, which is a plus for getting her to and from the dentist in the future, even for simple cleanings. The tooth fairy even came last night and left her some cash!

Now, some of you may be asking yourself why I didn't take her or at least go with her for this appointment. That's a very good question and all I can say, and I'm being brutally honest, is that I simply couldn't handle it - a pantie-waist perhaps. I would rather have traded places with her. Plus, I've had some bad experiences with my two older kids, and hospital ER visits and passing out and such. Weird how somethings have that effect on you and other things you don't bat an eye at.

New Neighbors of Sort

We have a pair of House Wren's that have taken up residence in one of our bird houses. They have been very busy building their nest with both going in and out, in and out but never going in without something in their beaks. If we disturb them they chirp and sing and carry on until we move away.

We're fortunate in that this bird house is hanging on the fence just outside one of our windows so we can and have been watching these little dudes work and it's intriguing. One of the things that amazes me is their intelligence. For example, we watched as they returned with sticks for their nest, however, these sticks are carried in their beaks as you'd image - like a dog carrying a large stick. The problem with this is that the birds are unable to enter the bird house while carrying these sticks - most simply do not fit through the hole. Think of the dog again with that large stick in his mouth and now picture him trying to walk through a doorway, BAM stopped in his tracks and unable to. The wrens would try several times to enter and like the dog couldn't. However, they're smart enough to know that the sticks need to be turned and they would turn them and enter.



Wren Fun Fact #1:
House Wrens are feisty and pugnacious animals considering their tiny size. They are known to occasionally destroy the eggs of other birds nesting in their territory by breaking the eggshell. They are also known to fill up other birds' nests within its territory with sticks to make them unusable.

I've noticed another of our bird houses, that's not too far away from where these wrens now call home, has signs of someone moving it - a lot of sticks that look to be randomly placed inside with no order to them. Perhaps, it's the wrens working at making this house unusable!?!? Hmm, I will have to keep a closer eye on this development.

Wren Fun Fact #2:
This bird's rich bubbly song is commonly heard during the nesting season but rarely afterwards.

Wren Fun Fact #3:
These birds forage actively in vegetation and are among the most prolific of all our songbirds, and about 98 percent of their food is injurious insects: grass hoppers, crickets, beetles, bugs, caterpillars and weevils.

Mashed & Smashed & Rotted Potatoes

Here is a picture my Yukon Gold potato's that I ordered from Gurney's Seeds and Nursery Co. As you can see they're not in very good shape at all but rather on the wet and rotted and stinky side (of course you can't smell them but trust me they're stinky). Unfortunately, this is what I was presented with when I opened the bag, which also happened to be at the time I was going to put them in the ground, alas.

The good news is Gurney's is going to replace these right away and all it took was an email to their customer support folks. They should be here in a couple weeks, which is in plenty of time to plant for fall harvest - hmm hmm good!

Batter Up

Here's our lawn figurine line up for this Spring/Summer.

These little gnomes of sort have spent the winter on the bench

Just need to find the perfect spot for each and then off they go to grace our flower beds.

Bear Remover

A man wakes up one morning to find a bear on his roof. So he looks in the yellow pages and sure enough, there’s an ad for ‘Bear Removers.’ He calls the number, and the bear remover says he’ll be over in 30 minutes.

The bear remover arrives, and gets out of his van. He’s got a ladder, a baseball bat, a shotgun and a mean old pit bull.

‘What are you going to do?’ the homeowner asks?

‘I’m going to put this ladder up against the roof, then, I’m going to go up there and knock the bear off the roof with this baseball bat. When the bear falls off, the pit bull is trained to grab his testicles and not let go. The bear will then be subdued enough for me to put him in the cage in the back of the van.’ He hands the shotgun to the homeowner.

‘What’s the shotgun for?’, asks the homeowner.

‘If the bear knocks me off the roof, shoot the dog.’

You Know I'm Getting Older When...

I tell you that I just got off the phone with my oldest daughter who called to let me know she just passed her written test and now has her driving permit!!

You know driving; a car; like in automobile (think of the foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong, aka "The Donger", from the movie Sixteen Candles when saying automobile).

Softball: Frye on fire for the Rebels

Posted May 14, 2008 @ 03:27 AM - The Daily News Transcript:

Stephanie Frye isn’t showing any signs of cooling down. The Walpole High sophomore had another huge day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and knocking in five runs as the Rebels maintained their edge in the Bay State Conference Herget Division edge with a 10-3 win over Weymouth.

Walpole improves to 12-4 overall and a 10-2 in the BSC, still a game ahead of Milton.

The Rebels stormed out of the gate with five runs in the first. After Weymouth got a run back, Frye’s homer was the key blow in a four-run fifth that broke it open. Yesterday’s three hits gave Frye 13 in her last 16 at-bats.

“She’s been pretty hot,” said Walpole coach Jim Duffy. “She’s really seeing the ball well. She started the season 1-for-12, I have to give our hitting guru Chauncey Smith some credit for helping her straight out her swing.”

Wascally Wabbits

Q: How do you keep rabbits from eating pansies?

A: Place dried sulfur, available at farm and garden supply stores, around the edge of your garden. You could also sprinkle bloodmeal around your pansies after each rainfall; it will also benefit the soil by adding nitrogen. However, don't try it if you have dogs that roam the garden. They may be attracted to the scent and start digging.

Courtesy of The Old Farmer's Almanac

Cut Flower Tips

Q: Any tips for making cut flowers last longer indoors?

A: Do you have foxgloves? If so, add them to any bouquet, and they'll make the whole arrangement last longer. Copper pellets or pennies in the water will increase the effect. Daffodils should be kept alone in a vase, as their stems secrete a fluid that promotes the wilting of other flowers. If you must combine them, soak them by themselves for as long as possible, then rinse them and add them to the arrangement last. With any flower, clip back leaves that will be immersed in the water, for they will contaminate it and make for a shorter duration. Changing the water daily also will increase the longevity of blooms. Some people claim that an aspirin in the water is beneficial. Add a bit of sugar for delphiniums or larkspurs. Start chrysanthemums briefly in very hot water, then switch to very cold.

Courtesy of The Old Farmer's Almanac

Oops

Emilie's Sunday afternoon meal - one grilled cheese sandwich...on white bread (LOL). A little on the well-done side wouldn't you agree! I can't imagine why she wouldn't eat it, can you?

Veggie Gardening 2008

The temperature still drops down into the 30's and 40's some nights here in New England but it's getting closer and closer to planting (in the ground) time.

I've already hit the local nurseries and picked up some of the veggies that we'll be planting and giving a try this summer. Of course these little fellers need special attention and TLC to make sure they don't fall victim to a Mother Nature surprise frost, so they're in at night and out in the morning.

They've been transplanted into individual pots to allow them to do some growing while in the TLC phase.

We have two kinds of tomatoes: Big Boy & Jet Star, two kinds of lettuce: red leaf and green leaf, zucchini and broccoli. We've also ordered from Gurney's - Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots and bush beans seeds. All we need to find now is kale. Now don't be fooled, we will NOT be eating the kale but rather we'll be growing it for the rabbits and guinea pigs, they love it!

Stay tuned to see how this turns out and if I earn my green thumb!

Rebs reject Marauder miracle

Posted May 08, 2008 @ 03:32 AM - The Daily News Transcript:

WALPOLE — Stephanie Frye was unable to end yesterday’s game against Dedham with her glove, but the Walpole sophomore certainly didn't miss the opportunity to end the game with her bat.

Frye’s sharp RBI grounder to short brought home Lauren Johnson with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth as the Rebels survived a near Marauder miracle with a 4-3 triumph.

To read the entire story click, Rebs reject Marauder miracle

Robin 'Shock and Awe'

Has anyone else noticed or is it just me that the American Robin's are pulling a George Bush type 'Shock and Awe' this Spring? It must be the diet of earthworms but these red-breasted, feather balls are dropping poop-bombs the size of the average persons head - I kid you not! This is just one example - look out below!

Getting Ready: Raspberries 2008

Here are our two rows of raspberries, each row approximately 50' long.

I've spent a couple days in our raspberries doing some spring cleanup and getting the beds and plants ready for their summer production. We have two different kinds of raspberries; one is red and the other is orange. Both are tasty, with the orange ones being sweeter. However, I do not know what kind of plants these are, so that's next on my list; determine the raspberry types.

I cut out the old, dead stocks and topped all remaining plants to remove last years dead growth. I also weeded as best I could and spread compost throughout giving them some good, rich organic food. There are no excuse now for poor performance unless Mother Nature pulls a fast one.

Remember, raspberry plants are biennial, which means that the first year they are vegetative only and don't produce fruit.

Proper Care of Raspberries

Rebels Set Pace

Posted May 05, 2008 @ 02:42 AM: The Daily News Transcript -

The Walpole High softball team heads into the second half of the season alone a top the Bay State Conference Herget Division.

With rival Norwood breathing down their neck a game back, Haley Smith made sure that the Rebels kept the division lead to themselves by tossing a two-hit shutout against Wellesley Friday in a 4-0 win that improved the Rebels to 6-1 in the BSC and 8-3 overall.

Smith struck out three and walked two in picking up the win. Stephanie Frye powered the offense with three hits, two RBI and a pair of steals for Walpole, which scored a run in the fourth, two in the fourth and one in the fifth.

Mimi Theodore had a pair of hits while contributing to a terrific day by the infield at third base, along with shortstop Michaela Cosby, second baseman Kellie Duffy and first baseman Meg Johnson.

“The infield made the plays all day,” said Walpole coach Jim Duffy. “We played a solid defensive game.”

Hen with Chicks

550 piece Warren Kimble, Reminiscent Series, 'Hen with Chicks' puzzle - finally done, hooray! This puzzle took a lot longer to complete, as compared to the last one, than I'd expected; the black areas was the toughest.

Coincidental, we have this same 'Hen with Chicks' picture hanging in our kitchen, although the chickens are facing the opposite direction, see pic above. Who would have thunk? Truth be told we have a fondness for Mr. Warren Kimble's work and have other pictures of his hanging throughout the house, for example we have (6) hanging in our family room.

The Ultimate Act of Sportsmanship

I came across this article about the ultimate act of sportsmanship involving two teams in Division II softball programs in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference - Western Oregon and Central Washington.

I found this story very inspirational and thought I'd post and pass along for others to read -

The Ultimate Act of Sportsmanship

Car Wash Fundraiser

The WHS girls softball team is holding it's annual car wash fundraiser.

This Saturday, May 3, 2008

Come one, come all!

Autographs available upon request - mine too.

What's Wrong With This Story?!

and it's NOT the fact that this pecker-head took an 80% pay cut or the fact that my brother now has to sell #2 Dixon Ticonderoga pencils out of an old, chipped coffee mug at Miami International Airport and is unable to golf as much as he'd like. Mr. Angelo Mozilo should be forced to replenish the retirement savings for each and every Countrywide employee before he is able to touch a single penny of his stocks earning and before he goes to jail (he should go to jail, Marth Stewart did). Better yet, lets ship him off to Kinshasa...

Saturday April 26, 5:01 am ET
Countrywide CEO's pay cut nearly 80 percent to $10.8 million; earns $121.5 million in stock

CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) -- A securities filing shows Countrywide Financial Corp. CEO Angelo Mozilo earned about $10.8 million in total compensation and cashed out $121.5 million in stock options last year.

The compensation disclosed in the Securities and Exchange Commission filing released Thursday represents a nearly 80 percent cut from the 70-year-old's 2006 pay of about $51 million.

The Calabasas-based company reported a yearly loss of $704 million in 2007 amid the nationwide mortgage market meltdown.

It agreed in January to be acquired by Bank of America Corp. for $4.1 billion in stock.

The SEC has been scrutinizing the timing of Mozilo's stock sales. Mozilo has said he's cooperating with the inquiry and has denied making any improper trades.

Kinshasa

I feel it's imperative that I pass along this important information (legs tightly crossed as I type this) for anyone traveling to, or thinking about traveling to, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And I thought it was only very cold water (brrr) that caused this...

Kinshasa (Reuters) - Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft.

Nothing good can come from sorcerers and black magic and witchcraft...and of course, cold water.

To read the entire news story, click here - Penis theft panic hits city

Milky Spore Grub Control

I'm gonna try applying Milky Spores to my lawn this spring in an attempt to control the grubs. There are numerous areas throughout the lawn that have been damaged by grubs. This past fall there was a grub boom that hit many lawns in the area, including ours. Milky Spores is organic and a safe way to control grubs and will continue to grow and multiply for years to come. No more need to buy and apply pesticides, so everyone wins...except the nasty grub!

Milky Spore is a naturally occurring host specific bacterium (Bacillus popillae-Dutky). This product is lethal to a familiar destructive summer-time pest. It targets and discriminately works to attack the white grubs of Japanese Beetles.

Milky Spores are swallowed by grubs during their normal pattern of feeding; this starts the demise of healthy grubs. Milky Spore disease then begins to cripple the grub, and within the next 7-21 days will eventually die. As the grub decomposes, it releases billions of new spores.

Milky Spore is not harmful to beneficial insects, birds, bees, pets or man. The product is approved and registered with EPA, Milky Spore will not affect wells, ponds or streams.

Milky Spore Grub Control F.A.Q.

Little Pecker...

Stephanie's Walpole Rebels varsity softball team lost to the Franklin Lady Panthers varsity softball team today 8 to 3. The Rebels traveled out to Franklin for this highly anticipated, noontime matinee rematch of last year’s Division 1 South first round game between the two, read more of the story here.

Walpole coach Jim Duffy (left) waits for the umpires to make a call in the Rebels' 8 to 3 loss. Unfortunately the call didn't go the Rebels way, however, I made the local newspaper with this photo. That's me, circled in red and pictured between the two umpires, sitting on the tailgate of my truck. Perhaps, this is why I am sometimes affectionately referred to as a little pecker...

Night Putting

Here is a memorable quote from the 1980 movie Caddyshack. My previous posing about night gardening sparked this memory, which I now have stuck in my head. It's also about time to watch this movie once again -

Let me tell you a little story? I once knew a guy who could have been a great golfer, could have gone pro, all he needed was a little time and practice. Decided to go to college instead. Went for four years, did pretty well. At the end of his four years, his last semester he was kicked out... You know what for? He was night putting, just putting at night with the fifteen-year-old daughter of the Dean...

Night Gardening

Q: I've heard that turning soil in your garden at night might be a way to control weeds. Is this true?

A: Research indicates that weeds may be stimulated to grow by a sudden flash of light, which is what you give them when you turn the soil over during the day. A German study concluded that by turning the soil at night, weed germination could be reduced by as much as 78 percent. You can try this method by working during a moonlit night, or at dawn or dusk.

Courtesy of The Old Farmer's Almanac

PowerBall Wining Ticket

The multi-state PowerBall jackpot for Wednesday 4/16/2008 was $90 million, and the winning numbers were: 11-16-18-21-51-16. There were no jackpot winners; the next drawing will be this Saturday night 4/19/2008 with an anticipated jackpot of $105 million.

Above is a $100.00 winning ticket from Rhode Island. Not too bad for a $4.00 investment. Of course we're gonna parlay this into additional numbers, winning numbers hopefully, for this Saturday nights drawing. Keep your fingers crossed!

SFrye732 needs a new deck, a shed, driveway retaining wall, new driveway, new front walk-way, new front stairs, new in-ground pool liner, new stockade fence around the pool, several new replacement windows including a bay window, new garage doors and a new slider door just to name a few things...oh, and my trucks 'repair engine soon' light came on yesterday, alas...

Blackie and Honey Bunnies

Blackie and Honey

Here are Emilie's 2 new bunnies, both females and step sisters too. Blackie (l) is from Oreo's litter and was born 3/4. Honey (r) is from Salt & Pepper's litter and was born on 2/11.

There were a total of 15 babies in the two litters and with the exception of these two, all were adopted out.

Kindergarten Art

This is Emilie's art work, called 'Special E' and was made with playdough.

Tuesday night was art and concert night at Emilie's school. The art work was displayed throughout the cafetorium. A cafetorium is a single, large room that is used as the cafeteria and/or the auditorium, hence a cafetorium. Kindergartners and first graders were up first, from 6:00 - 6:30PM, and sang (3) songs and performed the chicken dance.

"Bunny Bath"

Yup, they exist, "bunny baths", as you can see for yourself. Most would have guessed that this was a "bird bath" with a bunny in it but they'd be wrong. They're hard to find and are somewhat expensive but worth the cost, as this is truly the only way to attract bunnies.

Pirates Paradise

1000 piece Jeff Wilkie puzzle from Mattel completed.

Banged it out over the weekend, no problems. However, I wouldn't have been able to complete it in that short time had it not been for the (4) pieces that Barbara put in place. They were the key pieces to gitener-dun...

Cottontail Rabbit Mishap - UPDATE

UPDATE

Sadly, I must report that the little cottontail bunny didn't make it and passed away quietly the other night. We tried having her nurse from Oreo several times but she was not interested and didn't even try. I'm guessing it had something to do with the different smells or lack of her mothers smell. Certainly not what I wanted to have happen and had I known the nest was there I would have let them be. However, in searching for some sort of silver lining here and as cold as this might sound, there are three less wild bunnies that I have to contend with; three less bunnies eating my Phlox and other flowers and vegetables plants.

In the words of Elmer Fudd from the Looney Tunes episode titled "Robot Rabbit" I must report that the, "The wabbit kicked the bucket!", "The wabbit kicked the bucket!"

Read the original Cottontail Rabbit Mishap entry by clicking the link here

Shōgun (novel)

Shōgun (novel) by James Clavell

It's been a while but here is the latest, a highly recommended book by Vladimir (a colleague of mine). He's been pushing this book and quoting some of the books meditation techniques for the last couple of weeks, i.e. 'Listen to the rock grow', 'Learn to sip tea from an empty cup' & 'Have you ever watched a stone grow', just to name a few.

The novel recounts a highly fictionalized version of the life of William Adams a British Pilot (Navigator) on a Dutch Trader & his life after he lands in Japan at the start of the TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE under Ieyasu Tokugawa (Tokugawa Shogunate's founder).

Golf Accident

Admittedly, I am not a golfer. I simply do not have the patients, the time, the funding and the fashion sense to support such a habit. However, this is a pretty funny joke...

Two women were playing golf. One teed off and watched in horror as her ball headed directly toward a foursome of men playing the next hole. The ball hit one of the men. He immediately clasped his hands together at his groin, fell to the ground and proceeded to roll around in agony.
The woman rushed down to the man, and immediately began to apologize.
‘Please allow me to help. I’m a Physical Therapist and I know I could relieve your pain if you’d allow me,’ she told him.
‘Oh, no, I’ll be all right. I’ll be fine in a few minutes,’ the man replied. He was in obvious agony, lying in the fetal position, still clasping his hands together at his groin.
At her persistence, however, he finally allowed her to help.
She gently took his hands away and laid them to the side, loosened his pants and put her hands inside. She administered tender and artful massage for several long moments and asked, ‘How does that feel’?
He replied: ‘It feels great, but I still think my thumb’s broken.’

Aphid Control

Gardening time of year is fast approaching...

Q: Can you suggest a homemade spray for controlling aphids?

A: Try this mixture to control aphids, white flies, and even destructive beetles: 2 parts rubbing alcohol, 5 parts water, and 1 tablespoon liquid soap. Spray the mixture on the foliage of garden plants that are susceptible to these pests.

Courtesy of The Old Farmer's Almanac

Cottontail Rabbit Mishap

In my earlier post I talked about tilling the garden and getting it ready for Spring planting. Well, much to my surprise and unknowingly I tilled a wild cottontail rabbit nest too. Had I not heard the squeaking from the little guy pictured above I would have never known. I had to dig him out of the dirt by listening to his cries. Sadly though his two litter mates weren't so lucky and didn't fare too well against the shovel I was using to till with.

Truth be don't I don't hold too much hope for this dude either. I was somewhat hopeful and thinking that perhaps Oreo, our domestic rabbit, would be able to nurse this little guy. However, he showed NO interest in nursing when we tried last night. We'll keep trying and if we're lucky he'll eat, otherwise the outcome doesn't look too good.

Garden Tilling

It's that time of year again, garden tilling time. Although the weather is still winterish and on the cold, chilly side it a good time to till the garden.



I removed 4 large rhododendron bushes from this area in the fall. They were too big and began growing out into the yard, so it was time for them to go. This area makes an ideal spot for our garden. We added compost, chicken and rabbit manure and worked it into the soil this past fall then planted winter rye, which came in nicely.



The winter rye was nice and long, so it should add some additional organic matter to the soil, which the plants will benefit from once planted. Stay tuned...

A School

The latest Milton Bradley puzzle that we've completed; 1000 pieces. Well, not exactly, we're missing one piece, which is strange because it's brandy new; we just opened it, so technically it's a 999 piece puzzle.

I sent the company an email about the missing piece and much to my surprise they're going to be sending us an entire replacement puzzle. It would be almost impossible to replace the exact piece that's missing, not very realistic. The replacement may or may not be the same puzzle but will be one of equal value, so we're hoping for one that we don't already have. In the words of the almighty Homer Simpson, whooo whooo!

Triplets, Finally Arrived

Well, I was only about 30-days incorrect on the arrival of these triplet piggies. They arrived on the afternoon of March 31st and are doing just fine.

I was guessing that Squeaky's litter of three and this litter of three would have arrived around the same time but that didn't happen.

These are the offspring of the recently departed Tootsie Roll...

Oreo Bunny Update

Here are Oreo's litter of baby bunnies. She had six and raised them all and is a very good mother. They were born on March 4th, so they'll be 4-weeks old this Tuesday and ready for 're-homing' next weekend, 4/5.



Of course Emilie doesn't want them to go and wants to keep them all. Well, we're not doing that but I make a deal with her... here's the deal, I said she could keep two of Oreo's babies if she agreed to let us get rid of the guinea pigs, all of them.


Much to my surprise she agreed and accepted the deal, yippie!! Here are the two babies that she wants to keep. I believe the brown one (r) is a male and the grey one (l) is a girl.

Presence vs Presents

"Children need your presence more than your presents." Jesse Jackson

If you agree with Reverend Jesse Jackson, please click the 'Sign the Shared Parenting Petition" icon to be taken to the American Coalition for Fathers and Children website and sign the Statement of Support.

R.I.P Little Buddy

Sadly, I must report that Tootsie-Roll, pictured above, has gone to the great big guinea pig cage in the sky.

Although, the most traumatic piece was that Emilie was the one who discovered ole Tootsie-Roll lying outstretched and stiff as a board. Needless to say she was VERY upset and still is.

I adopted this dude from Craig's List in early 2007 and never asked how old he was. He could have died of old age, could have had some terminal ailment or perhaps the cold New England weather from garage living was the cause or some combination of these.

He fathered (4) babies back in July 2007 with Riley, (3) babies March 1, 2008 with Squeaky (his daughter from July 2007) and Riley is due again anytime now, she's huge. So, there's no doubt he sowed his wild oats.

Alas, rest-in-peace old chum. It was difficult watching the trash truck haul you away...

Pineapple Angle Lush Dessert

Oh, it might look like the leaning tower of pizza but don't be fooled. JoAnne and Emilie whipped up this bad boy for Easter and it was goooooood! It's called Pineapple Angle Lush. The recipe can be found at kraftfoods.com or by clicking the link above.

And here is JoAnne and Emilie's handy work once again. Good ole fashioned colored Easter eggs. The dark colored egg is one layed by our chickens - either Ethel, Lucy or New Honey. The others are store bought. Our chickens are brown egg layers and as the commercial jingle goes, 'brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh' and you ain't gonna get eggs any fresher that ours. However, brown eggs are not the best or preferred for coloring and you can see why. One of the white store eggs came cracked, so we went to the bull pen (baseball term) or rather the chicken pen to have an even dozen.

Frye-Alator Makes VARSITY Team

Breaking News - This just in...

Once again I am happy and VERY proud to report that Stephanie has made the 2008 girls high school VARSITY Softball team! She was one of only four sophomore girls to make the varsity team.

Also, on a similar note Stephanie's been asked, has accepted, will be going to and has already purchased a beautiful pink dress for the WHS junior/senior prom on May 9th. Yes, I know I know, she's only a sophomore, so you can understand my trepidation. Perhaps more on this later after I've had more time to digest the whole situation...

Visiting Tom's

We've had some wild turkey's visiting us recently. There were (7) one evening making their way from the backyard to cross the street, and more than likely go to roost for the night. A couple days later, first thing in the morning, we had three visiting and eating a breakfast of spilled bird seed from the bird feeders, see pictures.


Above is a strutt'n Tom striking a pose.


This picture shows what's known as the 'beard' hanging from it's chest. The beard is actually a tuft of feathers that grow from the chest. Both males and female turkey's have this beard but it's much more prominent on the males. The males are typically larger birds with spurs on their legs that get bigger with age.


Here's another Tom making his way along the side of the neighbors house on a chilly morning with smoke billowing from the chimney.

Determining Dog Life Expectancy

Popular myth suggests that "one human year equals seven dog years". This is inaccurate on two scores, since dogs grow rapidly the first two years; the first year or two years represent some 18-25 years and 4 years per human year after that. This ratio varies with size and breed.

No one formula for dog to human age conversion is scientifically agreed. Here is a rough approximation:

Morea Easter Bunnies 2008

Oreo has joined the ranks of motherhood again. She had (6) and they were born on Tuesday night March 4th, so they're 11 days old today and just starting to open their eyes. She had six babies during her last pregnancy so she's consistant and a good mother. These babies are going to be beautiful;their marking and coloring are stunning.



Here's mother and babies in their nest box. Yes, the cage is small but it serves the purpose for now and allows me to bring them in the basement (maternity ward) to the dismay of JoAnne.

Here is an updated picture of Salt and Pepper's litter of 9. They're getting big and up for adoption now!

The Shared Parenting Petition

Please participate in this new campaign and sign the SHARED PARENTING PETITION.

Click the "Sign the SHARED PARENTING PETITION" icon below to be taken directly to the petition.

Your help is needed to demonstrate the public support which exists for Shared Parenting. For years public officials have heard about the millions of people who support Shared Parenting and family law reform. Unfortunately they rarely see this sentiment expressed, which leads them to question it's existence. We need to demonstrate that support in a tangible way.

The goal is to generate as many electronic and physical signatures on the petition as possible. Thereafter ACFC will print and bind all the signatures into a book which will be presented to Congress as part of the DC Rally 2008 weekend.

Petition results will be further parsed for use in activities related to framing public policy not only at the national level, but at the state level as well.

Once you've signed the petition, please help PASS IT ALONG.

The American Coalition for Fathers and Children

New Lawn-Mowing-Machine

The ballots are in and the decision's been made - we're buying a new lawn-mowing-machine!

We've chosen the Craftsman 24 hp 42 in. Deck, DYS 4500 Lawn Tractor, see below! After you say Craftsman 24 hp 42 in. Deck, DYS 4500 lawn tractor you need to grunt like Tim Allen. You know what I'm talking about.

We chose this specific model because it has a 'Handy cup holder'. Cmon, I need to put my beer someplace. You have no idea just how much beer I spilled over the years using my other tractor simply because it didn't have cup holder. So you see I am actually saving money by stepping up into this new model...

Rock on - bring on the warm weather and grass cutting season!

They're Here! Well Some...

Guinea Pig Update:

Squeaky popped out three piglets one week ago today (03/01/2008). They greeted us on Saturday morning when we went down to check the maternity ward. She is doing a great job for a first time mom.

Riley is now a grandmother with the arrival of Squeaky's three. However, she has yet to have delivered her babies, which is surprising since she is huge and getting bigger. I was guessing the two would have their babies around the same time but I was mistaken.

You see in my previous post I wrote that the expectant mothers were approximately 63 days along in their pregnancies. However, 63 days is the approximate time that I put the male in the same cage as the females and not necessarily how long they've been pregnant. Apparently he took a fancy to Squeaky and hooked up with her first. Riley, having been through the pregnancy process before, prolly fought of his advanced knowing full well what was to come. Ah, but you can't fight mother nature and of course true love or perhaps animal lust. Stay tuned...