Joe vs Joe

Hearing about poor 'Joe the Plumber' during last nights presidential debate peaked my curiosity. I wondered if the reference to 'Joe' was nothing more than a fabricated way for the candidates to try and connect with average America. After all, Sarah Palin referred to 'Joe Sixpack' during her debate. See the trend?

So I did some poking around on Google and found a picture of, both, 'Joe the Plumber' and 'Joe Sixpack' . Apparently, they do both exist; they're not fictitious or fictional characters created by the political talking heads, my bad...

can, tin, put up, preserve, keep

This is the last batch of our 2008 tomatoes.

All in all we did good, or rather the tomato plants did good.

JoAnne canned: 52 1/2 quarts and 48 pints!!

Bumper Sticker

I saw the below bumper sticker this AM and thought I'd pass it along...

"Horn Broken. Watch for Finger."

The Winter Predictor Worm

Here is a picture of the Wooly Bear caterpillars that Emilie has caught, so far, this fall. Each time she finds one in the oven it goes. Oh, don't be silly, not a real over - heaven forbid! She has one of them there Little Tyke, plastic, kitchenette thingy that has been relegated to the pool area. The oven unit is on top, has a clear door and makes for a perfect critters holder...

Wooly Bear Fun Facts and folklore:
Woolly worms have very tiny eyes and a limited range of sight. They pass through up to 6 larval stages before reaching the stage most see in the fall; during which the color and size of its bands on the 13 body segments may change. It is those 13 bands that folklorists use to help predict the weather. According to folklore:

• The amount of black in the fall varies proportionately with the severity of the upcoming winter.
• The longer the black bands, the longer, colder, snowier and more severe the winter will be.
• And the position of the bands indicates which parts of winter will be the coldest.
• If the head is dark, the winter starts out severe.
• If the tail is dark, the end will be cold.
• Since the Woolly Bear has 13 body segments, folklorists believe that each segment corresponds to one of the 13 weeks of winter. So reading each band could conceivably forecast each week of the winter.
• Also known as the Fuzzy Bear, Hedgehog Caterpillar, Wooly Worm and Wooly Bear (approved name of the Entomological Society of America).

Other signs include thicker coats meaning colder winters and if they seem to be traveling south, they are trying to escape the cold conditions of the north. If they are traveling north, however, it indicates a milder winter.

Through the years, research has shown us that the Woolly Bear caterpillar’s coloring is actually based on how long the caterpillar has been feeding, its age and, of course, the species. The better the growing season, the bigger it will grow and this results in a narrower red-orange band in its middle. So, the width of the banding is really an indicator of the current or past season’s growth, rather than an indicator of the severity of the upcoming winter. And as these caterpillars may molt as many as 6 times before reaching adult size and the colors will change with each molt, they become less black and more reddish.

Find the Insect XI

Can you find the insect in the above picture?

Actually, it's not an insect, not right now anyway.

It will be, and more than one, but not until the Spring.

You're looking for a Praying Mantis egg case...

Taproots

We picked our remaining carrots last weekend and were surprised at just how odd some of these looked. Even though they're strange looking they sure are mighty tasty! Our rabbits go absolutely coo-coo for the tops and simply devour them. However, at this point in the season they're all gone, so they'll have to wait until next years crop.

These are "Danvers Half Long" carrots. I ordered the seeds from Gurney's, which is where I also bought my "Yukon Gold" potato and "Early Contender" bush bean seeds. All were very successful!

Privacy Please II

and not to be out done by New Honey, Ethel got into the act and also laid an egg the other day. Actually, (3) eggs were laid in one day- three hens and three eggs, not too shabby. However, as I pointed out in an earlier post, the changes in the New England weather along with shorter days will have an impact on these old ladies and their egg production.

Quote for the day

"Whatever you give a woman, she's going to multiply.

If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.

If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.

If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So, if you give her any crap, you will receive a ton of sh**!"

and that's all I am going to say. I dare not add comments...

Harmonia axyridis

Can you guess what this black and red insect is that's eating a small cabbage white caterpillar? I will give you a clue - it's in it's larvae stage...

This little feller and all it's family and friends, both larvae stage and adults, are more than welcome in our yard and gardens. After all, I would rather see this taking place versus having to hand pick the bad insects off our plants to get rid of them. The kale plants were not only hosting destructive insects but also many, many of these beneficial insects too.

Give up?

How bout another clue - it is an effective biological control agent in agricultural and landscape environments.

Anything? Give up yet?

OK, one more clue - it has become a major nuisance to homeowners because of its habit of invading houses and buildings in large numbers while searching for protected sites to overwinter in the fall (mid-October to early November) and appearing again on warm, sunny days in February and March.

Well, how bout now, anything?

Take a stab at it, guess.

Very well, it's - Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Garden Winter Prep

Allium California Soft Neck - Jumbo garlic

I finally found the time to plant my garlic - Allium California Soft Neck - Jumbo garlic. I planted two rows of 18 cloves each for a total of 36 seeds. We'll have to wait till next growing season to see how they do but I have my fingers crossed and feel pretty good already.

I put my big garden to bed too - pulled and composted the remaining tomato plants and tomato’s, turned the soil, raked smooth and planted 3lbs of winter rye.

I also built another raised vegetable bed 4’ w x 8’ l x 10 t”, placed in line with the other two and filled it with a combination of compost, top soil, fresh chicken and rabbit droppings and mixed. This dude will be ready for planting come spring, however, not sure what the planting arrangements will be yet but there is plenty of time and it’ll come to me over the winter. Nighty night...

Find the Insect X

Can you find the insect in the above picture?

Pumpkins Harvest 2008

Here are the results of the great Westwood pumpkin patch.

We picked the above pumpkins earlier this week - six good size, beautiful pumpkins. These are a result of the seedlings we planted at my dads earlier in the season. There were two others but the deer had their way with them so they were not salvageable. We have yet to weigh them but all except one is larger than a basketball, so I can only guess they're well over 10 pounds each.

Privacy Please

Fall is here in New England. The days are shorter now, the leaves are beginning to change and the weather is considerably colder too, especially over night and into the mornings.

These changes have had an effect on Lucy, Ethel and New Honey or rather on their egg production. This is normal with the sorter days and cooler temperature. Their age plays a role in this too and they're no longer young pullets but rather old hens. Lately, if we're lucky we'll get one or two eggs a week, uugh! Their days just might be numbered...

New Honey is pictured above earning her keep and in the process of laying an egg. Don't tell Garelick Farms that we're "borrowing" one of their milk crates for a chicken nest box...

Beer versus Water

A public service announcement to my family and friends who enjoy beer...

As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 4 cups of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 2 pounds of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces.

In other words, we are consuming 2 pounds of poop.

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquors) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

So remember: Water = Poop, Beer = Health. Therefore, it's better to drink beer and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.

Creative Cooking 101, Part Deux

Once again I got a little creative in the kitchen tonight in that ole Victory Garden & Rachael Ray kinda way and 'kicked it up a notch', a.k.a. Emeril Lagasse. Although, none of the ingredients came from our garden it was tasty just the same. No question, in my mind anyway, that I hit it OUT of the park with this dish!

From the market: (1) red pepper, (1) green pepper, frozen cooked shrimp, (1) package of oriental noodles,(1) bottle of sesame ginger marinate sauce & some garlic.

In the kitchen (prep): cut the peppers into chunks and added with shrimp and garlic into the pan and simmered over high heat with some olive oil and sesame ginger sauce. Once these items were browned I added the noodles, a little more olive oil and sesame ginger marinate sauce to give some color and fried until the noodles were 'pan fried' - BAM! - BAM!

Serving: A nice glass of 2007 Alamos Caberbet Sauvignon wine and BAM two thumbs up, way up - YUM YUM YUM! Unfortunately I ate the entire dish, no leftovers - BURRRPPPPP (Homer style)!

Find the Insect IX

Can you find the insect in the above picture?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This is a Small Cabbage White caterpillar that is hiding in and eating our kale. This particular caterpillar is probably the most destructive of all of the caterpillars, devouring cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and kohlrabi. We also have Large Cabbage White caterpillars - you can see one in the picture below. It's surprising just how many caterpillars there are. However, there were an abundance of their associated moths all over our yard this summer, so I guess it stands to reason why there are so many caterpillars now.

The best solution is to remove the caterpillars by hand. This is what Emilie and I have been doing, as you can see in the picture below and this was just one picking session. We've done this numerous times and removed as many, if not more each time. Now, I bet your asking yourself what do we do with these pests once picked - well, Lucy, Ethel and New Honey absolutely LOVE them and devour them! We've also feed some to a couple frogs we found in our pool and kept for several days and they too loved them. I will need to make more of an effort to catch the moths next summer before they mate and lay their eggs...

Games and Puzzle Challenges

While vacationing in tropical storm riddled Marco Island Florida last month my brother got me hooked on doing, or at least attempting to do, newspaper games and puzzles, i.e. crosswords, jumbles, sudokus (my least favorites) etc. We’d pickup the USA Today newspaper each day and have at it.

Once we returned home this activity fell by the wayside. However, thanks to Al Gore and his Internet I now have 7x24 access to my favorite USA Today puzzles, which I've come to enjoy and have been fairly successful in doing. Word Round Up, Quick Cross and Up & Down Words are my favorites, booyah!

It’s good exercise for your melon and helps to keep it sharp - sharp as a marble in my case.

Click here to be taken to USA Today puzzles for online fun and excitement.

The "Blue Barrel"

And here is the aforementioned "blue barrel".

Used primarily to catch rain water.

* If you look close enough there is a Praying Mantis hiding in the Black-eyed Susan, just above the sedium.

Greek for "Fire-Lizard"

Eastern Newt - Notophthalmus viridescens

The eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is a common salamander of eastern North America.

Emilie found this little Eft floating in our pool this afternoon, see picture above. This is an Eastern Newt, also known as the Red-spotted Newt. We scooped him out, checked him out and took some pictures. This isn't the first time I've come across one of these little nickers in our pool. Several years ago I came across one in much the same way that Emilie did today.

There are three stages to the Eastern Newt's life, one being the "eft" stage, which is what we caught The eft is found on land and is bright orangish-red or reddish-brown. It grows to over three inches. The eft stage has poisonous chemicals in its skin so predators will not eat them.

Newts and Salamanders Folklore:

• Newts and salamander have been associated with evil and mischief. Salamanders have been linked to fire as far back as the times of Aristotle. The word salamander is of Greek origin, and translates roughly to "Fire-Lizard". It was believed that salamanders were immune to fire, and could extinguish fire with skin secretions. Although not proven indefinitely, it is believed that the correlation of salamanders to fire originated upon seeing salamanders flee from bonfires and fire pits when collected wood was set ablaze. Because salamanders inhabit cool, damp places, they may have been inadvertently taken home in collected fire wood. When the wood was kindled, the salamanders would attempt to flee to safety.
• Salamanders and newts were also used for medicinal purposes. They were often burned to ashes, which were collected and used in medicinal formulas and concoctions.
• The saliva of a salamander was believed to make hair fall out.
• Even today, the skins, bodies, and body parts of salamanders are used in traditional medicine.
• Torched newts are sometimes sold in Asia as aphrodisiacs, and the skins of certain species are said to cure illnesses.
• Salamanders and newts were also negatively associated with cows. It was believed that salamanders or newts would suckle cows if they were caught laying down, resulting in the cows inability to produce milk from that point forward. The origin of this myth is though to come from sightings of dead newts and salamanders who might have released their milky fluid upon being squashed by an oblivious cow.

Stanley Out, Chamberlain In

It's only taken like 8 months but I finally installed our new garage door openers, hip hip hooray! We bought them in early 2008 and they've been sitting taking up space just waiting to be put to use. Well, with winter fast approaching I simply couldn't postpone it any longer. That and the fact that the old openers were starting to flake out - the light and remote stopped working on one unit and the second unit began opening itself up all on it's own for some unknown and strange reason and at random times.

Stanley, before

Chamberlain, after

The Stanley openers were 1/2-hp, chain driven and in place when we bought the house. Also, they were VERY noisy when opening and closing, especially with our family room above the garage. However, we became accustomed to the noise but the new Chamberlain openers are almost silent. They're 3/4-hp and belt driven and make a tremendous difference. Perhaps, not the best time to make such a change with teenagers...