2017 Spring Yard Improvements Underway

I figured it was time to address the bare spots in the front yard and take advantage of the spring showers.   This area was home to two spruce that we took down back in the fall of 2015.  They were getting too big, both tall and in circumference, and growing up into the electrical and cable wires running to the house and taking up too much area, so down they came.

Before -

(3) yards of loam delivered, which worked out to 15 heaping wheelbarrows full, and a sore back -

 (15) wheelbarrow loads piled -

 Raked smooth and level and Pennington grass seed sowed -

C'mon spring rains and grass sprouts!!

Chilly Soccer Game At Gillette Stadium

Scored (4) Putnam Club tickets to the New England Revolutions third game of the season.  A home game at Gillette Stadium against the Houston Dynamo.

It was a chilly, overcast day but a good take nonetheless.

Emilie and her friend braved the cold and grabbed a couple great front row seats overlooking the field, while JoAnne and I wisely sat inside, warm, and took it all in from a comfy pub table 

Not only did the Rev win 2 - 0 but I found a ten dollar bill and Emilie found twenty-five dollars!!  A win win for all!

Birds of The Snow

Our March snowstorm caught everyone by surprise.  Many birds were our during the storm to visit the feeders and fill their bellies - 

Crows foraging beneath the feeders -

A Morning Dove waiting for the crows to leave -

A Blue Jay darting in an out - 

Crazy Pool Cover Designs

The above picture is not only cool but also a good sign.  The snow is not sticking to the section of cover that is laying atop the water underneath.  This makes for some unique designs and means that all precipitation we've received since I lowered the water level to close the pool back in the Fall has so kindly refilled it to the brim!  This also means we don't have any leak issues, phew!

Backyard Critter Shenanigans

All kinds of activity in the backyard in early January.

This black cat was attempting to stock these three turkeys.  The turkeys didn't seem too afraid of the cat rather more curious. They'd take turns approaching one another as they moved from right to left.

At one point the turkeys chased the cat up a tree.  Watching all the shenanigans from a safe distance high above was a crow  -

Two On A Roof

The Blue birds are back!

They've been visiting off and on since early January.

Not sure if it's the Red squirrels or woodpeckers that have been working on widening the bird house entrance hole.  Whomever, they're doing a fantastic (destructive) job at it.

Feed The Bee!!

Received, in the USPS, yesterday my free package of bee friendly wildflower mix seeds from Cheerios.  Not sure yet what wildflowers seeds are in this package but I'll get them planted soon and we'll see what pops up...

Good News Bad News?!?!

We began the Fall with four visiting deer but looks like we're down to a lonely single this Spring.  I'm sure there are others out there, but we had the same two mother daughter pairs for quite some time.

Although, as compared to other Winters it wasn't too bad, apparently the conditions were ripe for Mother Nature's thinning of the heard.

It's a good new, bad news kinda thing.  I enjoy watching them visit especially in the early summer when the babies are frolicking and darting in and out without a care in the world.  However, they wear their welcome out when they start eating our plants.  Hoping that since we're down to a single visitor the damage won't be as bad but only time will tell.

Garden Prep 2017

This Friday and into Saturday was hovering around the freezing mark with rain turning into snow and back again.  A rather miserable, blah kinda day.

However, Sunday bounced back and was near 60!

I took advantage of that and the long winter we've had and got out in the yard for some R&R.  One of the last chores I completed was the turning (tilling) of our BIG garden.  I tackled this task while I still had some energy.  Turned the winter rye and chicken coop compost into the soil and raked smooth. A good couple of months of composting and enriching the soil just in time for tomato planting!

Of course it's Tylenol every 4-hours on the hour.  This is allowing me just enough relief so that I can stand (eventually) and get moving.  Ouch, man am I outta shape...

The Frye Loads...

Oliver has hit the wall...

and so has Trixie dog!

Wonder what they do all day that tires them out?!

Good Morning Spring!

Not a bad commute into the office!

Bath Time

HAHAHA, Oliver's not a fan of tubby time in the sink.

Bunk Buddies?!

Don't be fooled by this picture.  Trixie is NOT happy with sharing her crate and bed with Oliver.  However, he doesn't care what Trixie thinks!

Here We Go...

alas, we're heading back to snowy, cold Massachusetts...

So long Miami.

Thank you Florida Frye's!  We had a great time and miss you all already!

My New Brooch

These critters are all over the place in Miami!

Fun to watch and catch...

Pink Nail Critters of Miami

Some critters Emilie caught in Miami -

Here We Come!

Emilie and I heading to Miami for a long weekend to visit the Florida Frye's!

A MacGyver Fix

Hmm, I'm fairly certain this is NOT to code...

Doggie Spa Day

Trixie had herself a spa day!

A bath, haircut and nail trim.

Bag O Turd?!

Hmm, why is there a cat turd, in a plastic bag, on my work bench in the basement?!?!

Oh, Emilie!!!

Happy 80th Birthday Dad!

Happy 80th birthday day!  Quite a milestone!  Stay strong and keep fighting the fight!

Happy 21st Anniversary My Dear!

Heading Back to School!

Well, I've decided to go back to school.  Apiary school that is!

Classes started the end of January and are scheduled to run ten weeks to the second week of April.  Every Tuesday evening 7:00 - 9:00PM at the local agricultural school.

Fascinating to say the least!

An expensive hobby to get started, and one that requires quite a bit of time.  I can handle the time requirements, it's the cost that I'm not so sure about.  Me thinks I need to find less expensive hobbies.

A New Pecking Order

Oliver the king!

At just a mere 8-weeks he's already taken over and rules the roost.  Poor Trixie-dog, doesn't know what end is up...

Calcium Supplement

We continue to save our egg shells, and once dried, smash them up to be added to the chickens diet.  What a great way to re-purpose and reuse, not to mention the calcium benefit the ladies will get from them too.  It's a win win for everyone!

Spring Signs

The weather here in New England has been as crazy as ever!  We've hit new record highs in the mid-sixties and near record lows, all within a couple days of each other.  Ah, good ole New England!

The warmer temps have certainly had an effect on everybody and everything!

Two nights ago, when the temps were in the 50's, you could hear the Spring Peepers singing away down back.  One of my all time favorites!

The Snowdrops have popped up too, seemingly overnight, and dot the drab winter colors throughout our property.

Chicken Fingers?!

With warmer weather comes melting snow.  With melting snow muddy ground.  With muddy ground comes many a foot, paw and claw prints.

Welcome To The Frye Household Oliver!

Oliver is a 6-weeks old Maine Coon Cat.

He was Emilie's birthday gift.

YES, we need our heads examined!

Trixie-dog isn't too keen on this little guy.

We keep trying to tell her to befriend him now, as Maine Coon cats are known to get BIG.

We expect him to be bigger than Trixie-dog when all said and done...

My Garage Punishment!

The winter months is when we spend time adjusting, cleaning, waxing and even modifying our motorcycles.  My bike needed a good cleaning from top to bottom!  The last time I rode it we got caught in the rain and was covered with sand and dirt and water stains all over.  Well, it had been a couple months since I had been to the garage and my riding buddies were expressing their displeasure.

This is what I walked into last week when I made my first appearance.  Empty soda and beer cans and rags on, in and around my bike.  Empty boxes, used oil and oil filters all balanced on the lift.

So, the first hour of my first day in the garage was spent cleaning my lift and the area around it...

Yeah, I've Got Issues...

There's plenty of evidence of my OCD!  Sadly, it everywhere and this is just one example, the chickens and rabbits water jugs all filled and aligned neatly by cap color in the basement by the back door.

Fresh Coop Nesting Hay

The girls, as curious as cats sometimes, couldn't wait to checkout the new hay in their nest boxes.

They approve!!

Getting A Jump On The Garden

In total I removed about 2.5 landscape barrels (the big industrial size) of coop bedding. A nice mixture of chicken manure, rabbit manure, leaves, straw and hay, all nicely mixed.

I filled the barrel half way and made five separate trips, dragging it atop the snow approximately 100', to our main garden.  Once there I spread it all evenly on top of the snow covered garden.  Hoping to capitalize on the wet compost and melting snow to seep the nutrients into the soil ahead of the Springtime tilling.

Talk about a workout...

Snowy Stroll

Let the girls out for a stroll while I cleaned the bedding and nest boxes in their coop.

I had snow-blown a path out to the coop, as well as a circular path in front of the coop for the dog to run around on.  This worked out well at keeping the girls from foraging too far.  They like to go behind the coop but I don't like it.  Although, there is plenty of room, enticing leaves and underbrush to search in, it's also wooded and often times they're hard to keep an eye on.  I don't want them in the flower beds but would prefer they stay in front of the coop.

Happy Birthday Emilie 2017!

Ice cream cake for the birthday girl!

15 already, where has the time gone?!