Back Road AM Grid Lock!

A rafter of turkeys crossing Ridge street this morning brought traffic to a screeching halt!

All females with their young'n showing them the ropes of how to safely cross the street.

You'll have to take my word that there were about 6 or 8 adults and their babies. I was too busy enjoying the show live and slow on the draw with my camera, so only able to capture the trailing pairs.

Sorry You Can't "Stick" Around

It's blackberry picking season, YIPPIE!

I picked my first batch the other day with oodles of them to come!

While picking I noticed one of the berries had a stick or something stuck to it but upon closer inspection it was no stick, rather a true "Inchworm".  Very stoic for sure, as it was most definitely trying sell itself as anything but a tasty treat for a toad or bird.

After some prodding I was able to get the dude to move, click the link below to watch -

These caterpillars are accordingly called "loopers", "spanworms", or "inchworms" after their characteristic looping gait.

Check it out live - Inch Worm on Blackberry

I eventually removed the critter and placed him in a different area of the yard, then ate the berry!

OMG, they are SO sweet and tasty!

#Blessed

Passerine Songbirds

I mentioned in an earlier post about an extremely upper class neighborhood that I deliver mail to in Millis.  The development doesn't have a name, as so many do. Rather just known by their street names; Evergreen Terrace, Beech Road and Frontier Lane, with the latter containing the BIGGER and nicer estates, see below -

I'm guessing that this area was farmland at one point; fields and forest.  One indication that there isn't a single tall, older tree on any of the properties.

Anyway, I digress from the main reason for this post and it's kinda a "find the critter" type post too.

Can you find the critters in the two photos below - 

Look closely over the door and windows.  Care to guess at what these critters are?

Different house, same critters congregating over the windows -

I took another picture today, Tuesday August 11, see below.  Look over the doors and windows, oodles of them -

They're Barn Swallows!

I see them flying in and around this development each time I deliver there.  Recently, I noticed how they'd flock to and perch on just a couple houses around the same area; the more open areas.

They are a beautiful bird for sure and SO fun to watch they soar and dart in the open spaces.

As Dr. Seuss said, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"...

Pretty In Pink

 I planted an old favorite this year in the pool area, Cosmos, and they've done great!

The flowers are a variation of pink and there are oodles of them.

The bees absolutely love these flower and I'm guessing they come from near and far to enjoy them.

I love how the plants and flowers in my yard pop and come alive, and how they attract SO many bees and insect, including Hummingbirds!

#Blessed

His Test

Find The Critter

Can you spot the critter in the below picture?

Clue and apologies - my watermark is kinda in the way...

A very chatty Red Squirrel -

That remain extremely calm and still as I neared and took these pics -

Admittedly, I am NOT a fan of the Grey Squirrel but luvs me the Red Squirrels!  I hope this doesn't make me as an animal bigot.  The Grey Squirrels are nothing but a nuisance, digging holes everywhere, raiding bird feeders and there are just too many of them.

** UPDATE - Red Squirrel Alerting, listen

Vine Ripen Love Apples!

OH, this is happen'n!

My tomatoes are finally starting to ripen and pop!

I can see oodles of tomato salads and BLTs in my very near future!

As a matter of fact, I made a tomato salad last night!  It's chill'n in the fridge and I'm already, at 6:55AM, looking forward to digging into this salad when I get home from work this evening!

#Blessed

Signature Required!

I had my first package delivery with cremated remains the other day. Thankfully, they were someone's pet remains but it was still sombering and I handled them with extreme care.

They're shipped certified, which requires the homeowner to sign for them.  If there is no one home, we leave a delivery reminder slip (form 3849) directing them to the post office for pick up.  In my case they were not home, so I drove my route all day with the remains along side me.

If I'm being honest, I will tell you that when I first saw this package it shook me up.  It brought back the memory of a notice I received in my mailbox one day of a package being held at the post office for me.  Having NO idea what this package was, off I went to the PO.  I went inside, handed the clerk the delivery reminder slip, then signed for the package - still unaware of the package content.

It wasn't until I got back in my car did I realized that I was holding the cremated remains of my dad 😥.

Driving back home I had to pull over and park.  It hit me hard and I broke down and couldn't drive at that moment.  It was a VERY emotional and surreal moment.

Just A Tad Dirty...

This is what my hands looked like after Saturday's mail delivery!

Once a week we deliver the local market sale fliers.  These fliers are stamped with addresses and need to be delivered to each and every mailbox on the route, which means a required stop at each mailbox. Often times, without these foolish fliers, there isn't mail for every stop and therefore I can drive by many of them.  Stopping and delivering at each box makes for a longer day.

The BIGGEST problem I have with these fliers is shown in the pics of my hands below, GROSS -

They're dirty and gross!

How am I supposed to scratch an itch or eat my grapes with hands like this?!

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?!

Harmony

What A Way To Go

Even though this dude was on the kitchen window screen, inside my house, it didn't prevent it from catching and dinning on a meal!  Perhaps, it was a take out meal and it accidently flew in the house when I opened the screen door to water Trixie.

This is a Robber Fly, also called an Assassin Flies, and it had some sort of bee in it's grasp. They use their sharp, pointy mouthparts, called a proboscis, to pierce their prey and inject a combination of neurotoxins and digestive enzymes. These toxins paralyze the victim, while the enzymes begin to break down its internal tissues. The robber fly then sucks up the liquefied contents of its prey. 

I left the dude alone and didn't bother it, after all I don't like to be interrupted when eating either.  The following morning the dead bee was on the window sill and it did actually look as if it had been sucked dry.

The Robber Fly was also still there on the screen, so I gently grabbed it and set it free outside.  The slim, pruned up bee, well it went in the trash can.

The circle of life...

Psst! Hey You!

Seems I have a couple voyeuristic sunflowers spying on my through my office window -

All these sunflowers self-seed from last years plants.  They randomly popped up, so I transplanted them in a row at the back of the garden and they all took off.

The Gold Finches, Titmouse and bees are in their glory!

I get an up close and personal seat to watch these critters forage.

Pictures to follow...

Homesick!

I came across this quote yesterday and it resonated with me and I 100% agree!  Perhaps, this explains the aches that overcome me at times these days -

It's eerie how the above quote ties into a Facebook posting I saw last week, which I saved because it too struck a cord with me -

As I get older I find myself reflecting on the past more and more.  They were a wonderful time with wonderful memories and all seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye.

There is NO doubt that I am homesick and miss the times and people who were a part of it but I am SO grateful and thankful for ALL the memories I'm able to revisit.

#Blessed

My Platycodon

My Balloon flowers are in full bloom and the bees are in their glory!

I have both white and purple AND they've crossed over the years to give me some interesting and unique color combinations.  Really, no two are the same.  I've seen pink balloon flowers on the Google machine too, which would be a nice color to add to my garden one day.

Here is how they got their name -

Here's one opening but not quite there yet -

Tada, fully open and ready for "beesness" - 

Here are some pics of the random and cool color combinations - 

Some folks, my kids when younger, liked to "pop" these flowers, which made the gardener very upset...

#Blessed

This Is One Hot Mailbox

How's this for a fancy mailbox?!

After seeing this mailbox and if you asked me what profession I thought the homeowner might be in, I would guess firefighter.  However, the home where this mailbox resides is in a VERY exclusive neighborhood.  The Google machine is telling me the homes in this development have a, "median price range appears to be between $1.11M and $1.63M."!  

Zillow has the value of this specific house listed at $1,503,300, so, that rules out a firefighter...

Just look at the slab of granite that the mailbox is mounted on!  That alone has to be worth thousands!

It's good to be the king!

** UPDATED 8-10-2025 to include the following - 

How To Open This Cool Mailbox

Honestly, people SUCK!

** UPDATE **: Here's an update to my posting from Thursday, July 17, 2025 titled, "Press Release - For Immediate Release"

On my walk yesterday afternoon I see that someone moved the trash can lid off the grass and out of the way.  It's still unsightly AND now an ideal breeding ground for mosquitos, of which there are mosquito larva swimming around in the collected water - 

In the picture below, you can also see a fresh BIG pile of dog poop that some selfish, lazy, inconsiderate POS couldn't be bothered to pick up!  It's only a kids ballfield at an elementary school so clearly there no need to remove this -

Dollars to donuts the owner of this dog is one that touts how much of a dog and animal lover they are and one of the first "keyboard warriors" to jump on to defend any negative social media posting about POS dog owners who refuse to clean up after their animal.

May the dog's owner get violent and uncontrollable diarrhea when standing in line at the grocery store check out counter!  Karma's a bitch...

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the first picture below?!

Be Still My Beating Heart...

It's been a couple years now since I've seen one of these beauties here at the ole homestead and I was shocked and extremely excited to spot this male praying mantis!

Up on my deck no less, some 15' high.  With all the flowers in bloom just below, why this dude was up there by the mint plants is beyond me.

Where there's one there are more!

I need to step up my I Spy game to see if I can spot others.

SO exciting!

#Blessed

Why?!

Would you ever?!?!?!

I award this person the following merit badge -

That's all.

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish!

Alas, as much as it frustrates me to see how the town of Franklin is spending our tax dollars, it does give me some satisfaction to vent about it here.  I don't have the patients or desire to call or try to reach out to the town directly on this issue, simply because I don't care to hear their excuses...

The parking lot at the grade school a mile down the street recently had the parking lines repainted.  However, as you can see in the few examples below, there was little to NO prep work done to prepare for the repainting or to help extend the life of the pavement itself.

Whomever did the work simple repainted over the old faded lines, weeds, rocks dirt and all!  How shoddy is this?!  Who made this decision?  At the end of the day how much money did they save, in the short term, by not prepping (removing weeds, rocks, dirt, etc.) and sealing the cracks (to prevent the winter freezing from heaving and making the issue BIGGER)?

It's an embarrassment really but what I've come to expect from how the town of Franklin is run and managed.  

Side note to further illustrate how skewed the town priorities are - the Franklin town Administrator has an anticipated - annual salary of $245, 267 for fiscal year 2026!  How is the world can this be justified?! Perhaps a BIG reason why the $3.6 million dollar override failed to pass...

My First Red Ripe Tomater!

I picked my first ripe tomato this afternoon after work -

Immediately diced it up -

Added diced red onion, sliced black olives, feta cheese, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper -

Placed in the refrigerator for an hour or so (truth be told I couldn't wait any longer) to chill.  Then ate about half with my pasta dinner.

OMG, SO amazingly delicious!

I'm salivating knowing that fresh tomato BLTs are literally right around the corner!