Do You Know?!

Who remembers what delicious treat came in these vacuum sealed jars back in the 70's?

Bottled by Sun Giant

The treats needed to be shelled.  Remember?

The treats often turned your fingers red!  How bout now, anything?

The answer is PISTACHIOS!

Here's a Googlemachine blurb - 

Red pistachios became scarce by the 1980's because of a limit on pistachio imports from the Middle East, and a huge increase in American grown pistachios produced through advanced harvesting methods. There was no longer a need to dye the pistachios red because they no longer had unappetizing stains.

And now you know...

Mora Blue Birds...

There were a dozen or so Blue Birds visiting the other day.  Several were checking out the bird houses like they do; in and out, in and out.  Oddly, and all of a sudden, the scurrying about stopped and for the longest time the birds perched in groups just peacefully resting.

As I've been saying, hoping they decide to come back in the spring and setup house in one or more of the bird houses.  It's always nice to see them rear their young.

Jordan Marsh

Ah, the good ole days!

Who remembers Jordan Marsh?!

Shopper's World in Framingham, MA.?!

Downtown crossing in Boston?!

Their bakery chocolate chip cookies?!  To die for!!

Thirsty?

Good thing we have a safety cover...

At one point there were about 20 Robins sitting atop our pool cover the other morning, taking advantage of the melting snow to get a drink of water.

Relax!

I Feel "Thrush"...

One of my favorites, the Eastern Bluebird, comes and goes constantly throughout the winter.  Often times they come in groups and always to feed and always to check out the bird house we have about.  

Hoping their looking for Spring residence and staking their claims now.

Suet Feeder Visitors

A variety of overwintering birds take advantage of the feed we put out when the weather turns and the cold rushes in.

A European Starling -

A Wren and a Red Bellied Woodpecker -

A Wren - 

A  Chickadee -

A White-breasted Nuthatch -

Berry Gorging Time

This time of year is when we typically have Waxwing stop by.  The typically arrive in large numbers and gorge on berries, e.g. Bittersweet, Holly and ornamental pear.

Unfortunately, we removed our big, berry producing Holly shrubs but there's still plenty of the other berries, so obliged again this year and stopped in.

Zoom Zoom Zoom

A couple American Robins resting after filling their bellies on Bittersweet berries.

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the above photo?

Happy Holidays!

Wishing Family and Friend a Merry Christmas!

Wile E. Coyote Perhaps...

One night last week, around 10PMish, I watched a coyote cross the road and pass through our yard.  Walked right past our garden, milled around the bird feeder and then off into the woods.

Was the coyote tracking the deer that clearly made their way along the same route?  The picture below shows deer tracks on the left and coyote tracks on the right.

I bet the coyote would have better luck catching said deer if he had an Acme Deer contraption snare...

Ticked Off Vic: Gender-Neutral Santa Claus

"I wanna believe Santa Claus had a penis, okay?!"

I luv me some Vic!

Merry Christmas 2019

Merry Christmas!

Emilie and JoAnne did a fantastic decorating our Christmas tree!

Leaf Covered Snow

We have several oaks trees, and forgive me as I know not the type(s), that hold onto many of their leaves throughout the winter and into early spring when the new incoming buds finally force them to drop.  However, that being said, many also drop throughout the winter too.  The weather and conditions play a roll.  

As you can see below we've had some snow, followed by rain and winds, which forced a lot of the said oak leaves to fall and scatter atop the snow covered side yard.

I'm jonesing to rake them up...

Sing Me A Song (Sparrow)

Caught this young lady poking around where she didn't belong.

Back in the day I'd give "Booga", our awesome cat, a call and she'd come a running to lend a paw...

This appears to be a Song Sparrow, which is fortunate for her.  The outcome would have been entirely different had this been a House Sparrow...

Fly, Be Free!

Christmas Songs on Steel

Change things up a bit!

Just in time for the holidays! 

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

A

The Ice Bucket Challenge

"Be passionate, be genuine, be hardworking, and don't ever be afraid to be great."

 -Pete Frates

No Vacancies

Sorry folks we're all full!  Seats are all taken.  Try back in the Spring.

Just Sitting And Watching

Oliver has chosen a new spot for perching.

These pictures don't show it but he's sitting about 14' up above the ground.

He has a short memory and doesn't remember falling from the deck a couple years ago. The compost decking prolly isn't the best for grabbing and holding on to.  Compared to regular wood anyway.

He blends in well...

Color. Hue. Tint.

Fall into Winter is a blah time of year outdoors.  Most plants have shed their leaves and gone dormant for the coming cold weather, and there's very little color. However, if you look close enough you can still find some...

These red Bittersweet berries pop and stick out like a sore thumb.  However, they're disappearing fast, as the birds and squirrels are eating them up.

Snow Covered Garlic

Not too much happening in my raided garlic bed, other than a thick coating of snow.

Roof Repair

Looks like the roof repair, or rather roof replacement, I did on one of our bird houses is holding up nicely.  Seems the Thompson water seal I coated it with is doing it's job too.

Hoping the Blue Birds return this spring, approve and decide to stay for another season!

Who's Who Visiting?!

The covering of snow we now have gives some insight to the critters that visit and pass though our yard.  I was out and about yesterday and captured the following pics -

Bird tracks -

Two deer passed thorough, eventually hoping the fence, and making their way across the street -

A fox also passed through too -

The handsome homeowners boot print -

I'm sure the prints would have been much better had I grabbed the pics before things warmed up and melting began.  However, still interesting to walk around to see who visited.

She's A Machine Man

After seeing her TV commercials, I finally met Bridge IT!  This exclusive technology scientifically match you to the perfect mattress.

Mattress shopping took me to Jordan's Furniture in Natick last weekend!  One of the first thing the sleep technician did was introduce me to Bridge IT, where my measurements and sleep habits were captured to create a sleep profile. The report identified several mattresses for me to try and select from.

Yesterday morning, at 6:30AM, my new mattress was delivered and installed, and my old mattress and box-spring removed.

Cheers!  Here's to many good night sleeps!

And It's Begun...

 The snow has started falling here in Franklin around 4:00ish -

Let's see what Mother Nature has in store for us -

Hoping not too bad only because,and it's Murphy's Law, I have a doctors appointment in Needham at 9:00AM tomorrow, UGH!