A Flash Back

Out delivering mail yesterday afternoon, I stopped to have myself a snackie.

While sitting there I noticed that this mail truck LLV still had it's ashtray intact.  I've driven about a dozen different LLVs to date and each ashtray had been long removed from each vehicle.

What make it more interesting than still having it's ashtray, was that it STILL had old, stale and gross cigarette ash in it, YUK -

 

This will give you an indication of; a-the age of these vehicles and b-how clean and well kept they are NOT!

Plant Tomatoes - Check!

Today turned out to be a beautiful sunny day!

It was also my day off of work!

So, after running my errands this morning and finally being able to enjoy a nice sit down lunch, I headed out into the yard and garden - my Zen!

I got my tomatoes, basil and several marigolds planted!

From front to back and left to right, I planted (3) Brandywine. In the middle (3) Better Boy and on the outside (3) Early Girl.  All planted in fresh compost, then using the grass clippings from mowing the lawn last night, I mulched around each planting.  This to help hold the moisture in and keep the weeds away from the base of each plants.

Once they settle and start growing, I'll set the stakes but for now I will sit back and enjoy my handywork!

#Blessed

More Planting In Queue

With all the rain we've been having and what's anticipated for the rest of the week, I chose to take advantage of yesterday being dry and mowed my entire lawn after work.  SO satisfying once done! It always looks SO nice and SO green with all the rain we've been having.

I was planning on planting my tomatoes - (3) different kinds; Early Girl, Brandywine and Better Boy, herbs and marigolds, after mowing but ran out of both time and steam.

Perhaps, this afternoon, if there's a lull in the scattered rain we're supposed to get today.

Cicindela Sexguttata

I came across this unique, neon green looking beetle the other day. It stands out on it's own but especially on the old log it was crawling across.  It was crawled super fast when I reached out towards it but then it took flight, very cool.

It's called a Six-spotted green tiger beetle. They're known as voracious predators of small arthropods, so very beneficial to have around.  They do not bite humans unless handled, so good thing I didn't reach out and try to grab this dude.

Although, difficult to see in the pic I took, above, both the common name and the species name of this critter refer to the six small white spots on the beetle's metallic-green to metallic-blue-green hardened forewing.

Black Mamba

Check out this stunning Petunia that my farm friend surprised me with - a Crazytunia Black Mamba Petunia -

The black is SO deep, which looks incredible against the green stems, leaves and flower pot!

I can't wait to see how this does and hoping it thrives.

Happy 100th Heavenly Birthday Mom

2025 would have been a milestone year for you, the century mark.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I miss you each and every day 😢

2025 Veggie Season Has Officially Begun!

And we're off!

I spent the morning and early afternoon visiting my farmer friend Tim down in Marshfield; a LONG overdue visit.

Per usual I never leave his place empty handed, rather always with plants and work to do once I get back home and today was no exception.

He sent me home with oodles of plants, veggies and flowers!

Once home, I planted (8) California Sweet Bell Peppers and (12) Cucumber, see above.  The cucs were too small to try and separate, so I simply planted them in the groups they were in.  I will cull them back once I see which ones look the best after getting settled.

More planting work to come and more pics and postings too...

 

Ghosting Is A Choice!

If you're a grown adult, you know this is cruel and wrong!

"Rural" Norfolk MA

My official postal job title is Rural Carrier Associate (RAC).

Here's a pic I took illustrating the 'rural' piece!

Unfortunately, there are NOT too many of these farm sites around my area, so I do enjoy when I do this route and get to see these critters, as well as the chickens that also run around.

Super "Kleen(ex)"

Did you know that putting Kleenex in a washing machine can cause the tissues to break down and leave residue or small pieces on your clothes?!

Of course then, when transferring the cloths from the washer to the dryer, inevitably Kleenex pieces fall to the floor undetected at that time, only to keep turning up scattered about days later.

It's REALLY best to check all pockets BEFORE washing to avoid this issue.

Live and learn, alas...

Bag It!

I'm trying a different approach this spring to discourage and run off the dreaded house sparrows...

Instead of stuffing the hole with a plastic bag, as I've done in the past, I opted to cover the entire bird house with the plastic bag.  This allows me to tie the bag nice and snug. Stuffing the bag in the hole works too but the sparrows pull and tug on it trying to get in and often times pulled it out but NO more with this approach.  Also, they don't seem to know what it is or like the bag and therefore they're no longer perching on the roof and hanging around.  This seems to have chased them off, HORRAY!

The sparrow claiming these two bird houses as their own end up chasing off the Bluebirds.  Yes, now no birds can take up residence in them today but I will remove the bags in a couple weeks and monitor to see who comes poking around.  Fingers crossed it'll be the Bluebirds.  The Bluebird is one of my favorite birds, hands down - there is NO comparison.  Sparrows on the other hand, well I despise them and would prefer they NOT be here at all and the last thing I want is them nesting in these boxes and raising more.

Follow me for more "Backyard Tips and Tricks"

Reuse and Repurpose.

I've finally found a functional use for the cat scratching\seating post\tree...

I'm now able to bring the plants up that I've been storing in the basement all winter. With the cat gone I no longer have to worry about him eating the plants...and vomiting them back up, YUK!

Now that spring has arrived I removed the insulation plastic I installed over the bay window back in the fall.  Seems like a pretty good spot to move my Philodendron plant to.  However, since it's SO big and the lower leaves SO full and heavy, I moved the car post over to keep the limbs up. Remove the temptation for Trixie to take a bite or two, as these plants are not dog or cat friendly.

Of course this is only temporary, as the cat tree is a going bye-bye very soon!

Now I can enjoy this plant all the time!

Turtle Save No.2

Another Painted Turtle save again today!

I was in the postal LLV, driving to my first stop, when I spotted this lady sitting in the road, YIKES!

I quickly banged a U-turn, blocked the road, hopped out of the truck and snatched her up - she was a tiny turtle.  I pulled into an area near a big pond, snapped the below pic, then took her to the water and let her free - after a stern talking to about safety and roadways. 

Jumped back in the LLV and drove onto my first stop.

A good way to start my day!

"Donut" Spare Tire

Testing out my spare tire...

I've owned the vehicle since October of 2019 and yesterday was the first time I pulled the spare out.  It's the first time in forever that I've changed a tire AND I got to do it in the rain too boot. 

Changing the tire was easy-peasy and I would have been all set and on my way but for one important detail that was missing - AIR!

I will "spare" you the details of how I came to have a flat but suffice to say my vehicle is NOT a postal vehicle!

🚗 Public Service Announcement 🚗

!! Please check your spare tire on a regular basis and make sure it's properly inflated !!

No Vacancy!

Honestly, I've lost track but believe for the last 5 years or so I've had American Robins make a nest under my back deck and raise a brood.  It's fun to have them there and watch them come and go and raise the young but it's also in a place where I come and go all the time, which scares off the adults and has in the past caused the young to leave the nest too early, as they get spooked too.

Last year they built their nest atop the ladder that is stored under there.  This is where that darn "Murphy" comes in. You see, like last year, once they build their nest, lay eggs and get settled I'm gonna need my ladder, UGH!  Last year I had to wait until the young left the nest before being able to use the ladder, which isn't cool.

So, this spring I've been removing their nest constructions every day or two.  I'm doing this so they'll get the point and move on to a different location, however, they are persistent, OMG!  They're working their feathered butts off and actually make quite a lot of progress with each attempt.  I feel bad but I want to break the cycle...

They can visit but NO lodging!

Mov'in On Up

It's with mixed emotions, and yes much to my surprise too, that Oliver is in the process of being "re-homed" 😢

The good news (for Oliver) is that he's going to live with Emilie.  So, although, yes, a new physical home, he's staying in the family. The bad news (for Oliver) is that there are already 3 other cats living at his new home.

He's never been around other cats, which might explain the first pic below, where he just looks miserable.

Here he is a couple days later looking better and a bit more relaxed.  Although, he's still being kept separated from the other cats.

To be honest, I thought I'd be more relieved and happier but that's not turning out to be the case, ALAS

Yes, I am ECSTATIC that I no longer have to clean hairballs and vomited cat food!  AND that I NO LONGER have a litter box to clean!  AND that I NO longer have cat hair from one end of the house to the other!

But I do miss him.  I'm pretty sure Trixie does too.  She seems a bit confused, and perhaps my imagination but seems she looks for him at times.  Tough timing too now that I am back to work and out of the house for most of the day, Trixie is now home all alone.

He had his routine and each night he could come find me just after dinner to check in and get a head rub.  Same in the mornings, both Trixie and Oliver would be there to greet me and encourage me to hurry up and get their breakfast served.

So, yeah, I kinda miss him.

This View Made My Day!

I took these pictures at a house on the mail route I did the other day.  I had to walk a large package up to the front door and was blown away by the incredible view they have - up high over looking a lake, with a pair of swans too boot!  Understand that these pics do NOT do the view justice as seeing it in person.

Guessing the homeowner saw me deliver the package and came out to fetch it as I was taking these pics, HAHA.  I told him I was in awe of his view and had to take a couple pics.  He told me to take as many as I liked and come whenever I'd like...HMMM 🤔

Who knew Norfolk, MA had such stunning lake side views.

SO Many Colors!

My flowering trees are in full bloom, as are SO many others in the area, and they all look terrific!

Peach tree -

Bartlett pears -

Weeping cherry -

Although, not a tree rather a shrub, my Azalea -

My pink Dogwood -

Everything is coming alive with the warmer weather we've been having! Perennials are popping through the soil, trees are budding and things are greening up.

Spilling Over

So true and sometimes it's difficult to see when emotions are high.

We all have our own struggles and demons, which sometimes get the better of us.

Tru Dat!

Honestly, this is true about ALL news media!

Don't believe everything you read.  Be better than "them", do your own homework!

💩