Good Omens

If you found these structures clustered around your kitchen floor, what would you think?

Rusticating Rednecks Return

Moving fast as striking cobras, they skim along the crowded sidewalks. All skinny, all toned, all tanned and prettily polished.....except for the fashionably pale ones that is.

They are relentless in pursuit of the fastest path down the sidewalk, but seem to see little else. Every single one of them is skinnier than I am, fitter, swifter, and a whole lot shinier.

Like thousands of freshly groomed Standard Poodles compared with a shaggy dog like Finn. They were not impressed with the contrast....

Not quite A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but
A Weed Grows in Manhattan....

..... home never looked so good. 

See, Alan needed to go to the Big Apple yesterday to take refresher training in how to act when working in the dangerous climate of the city subway. He didn't want to make the many-hours-long trip alone and wanted his lovely girlfriend, Amber, to accompany him. However, he had to stash her somewhere during the class.

34th Street and 6th Avenue was the chosen location. As an afterthought he suggested that I might join her so there would be two innocents abroad rather than one...perhaps not the worst idea in the world.

So picture two women, one of whom was walking the earth when early hominids were pounding rocks into little bits to make dirt, pretty much utterly unfamiliar with the area, not inclined toward city life, accustomed to the relatively slow pace of a rural locale,being  turned loose at at quarter to six on a weekday morning a few yards from the Empire State building.

Scary, huh?

We decided to find a Dunkin' Donuts and sit inside reading until somebody besides street sweepers and homeless people were awake.

But oops, the local Dunkin' was just a window on the street, through which sugary fat bombs were passed. No seating.

So we rented space in a Starbucks. I paid for a spot at a table with a caramel frapucchino, she had water and a muffin.

In the city where no one notices anything people stared at us....all the other patrons gave us a good ogling. Eh, it bought us half an hour of a place to sit that was off the streets. Well worth it.

We wandered some more and found a little two-story McDonald's with air conditioning and sanitary facilities. Amber rented us a booth with the purchase of a couple of parfaits, which we consumed at the speed of Galapagos tortoises at the zoo when confronted with heads of lettuce....slow, sleepy, turtles with sloppy dentures.....

Another hour went by. We began to attract glares from a manager, and so returned to the streets, which had awakened during our furlough.

We toured assorted stores just to get off the street and out of the heat. I was personally accosted by one of these guys, who had a placard in my hand and a bracelet on my wrist faster than I could say, "shoo." Little creep.

We spent an hour or so walking faster than is natural and avoiding being trampled before we almost literally stumbled onto a little square near Macy's with CHAIRS!!!

We nabbed a couple. They were razor-thin instruments of posterior pain, but never has a sight been so welcome.

Guess what I did while we sat......Yes, you are right, of course..... I made an eBird list on my phone. 90 Rock Pigeons. 1 Herring Gull....which was flying around and around the block terrorizing the pigeons on each pass. 1 European Starling. 2 House Sparrows, which hopped eagerly around our feet looking for crumbs. They had to be quick, because with all the passing people feet any crumb was obliviated in seconds.

And two, yes, two, Peregrine Falcons, flying up and down the city canyon. I only had my phone camera so no photos, but I had not left my enthusiasm at home. I pointed them out to Amber, watched them land on a window ledge near Macy's, and decided it was worth all the madness. Not that I have never seen peregrines before or anything, but these were the first of the year for the state. It was cool to watch them using buildings as cliffs and city streets as canyons.

Eventually Alan finished his class and we returned to the relative sanity of home. Ahhh.....

Bad

This is the view from our porch. A business right by our library is on fire.

Becky was supposed to go to a library board meeting there tonight....

A Gripping Surprise

Packages arrived today for Becky.....Books for friends and relatives with whom she would like to share the wonders of favorite authors. (I have read both of the ones she received and can vouch for their sheer amazingness.)

Among the collection of stuff delivered by the boss after a trip to town to the Post Office was an envelope with my name on it. I was so surprised! I hadn't ordered anything.

However, my dear friend Linda from Colorado had sent me a truly thoughtful surprise gift.

Clothespins! Real, spring-loaded, two-part, wooden clothespins of the sort that is very hard to find these days, although the arrival of Amish has made it a little easier.....sometimes.....

Anyone who has a clothesline knows how eagerly wasps chew the clothespins up for wood for their paper nests. And weather is hard on them too.

I am so delighted to have a share in this wonderful garage sale find from my very kind friend from the west.

Thanks, Linda!

All the Birds and Little Fishes

As a born nature girl, there are few things as much fun as spending a week at camp.... catching and releasing exciting fishes, looking and listening for new birds, finding cool plants, and living right with the weather. When I was a kid I had to find and catch all the frogs, toads, and salamanders. Now it is enough to look and listen and know a bull frog from a green, a Green Heron from a Black-throated Blue Warbler, Heal-all from Partridge Berry.

 It is always hard to come home....not that we aren't surrounded by nature here, but home is all about chaos and work and dealing with....stuff.....up at camp, all my time is my own. Guess I'm just greedy....

Odd duck, an apparent American Black Duck, but with those odd, white feathers
We saw him last year too, but this year the white is even more extensive.

At least this year, the hideous weather late week made the idea of being home and warm and dry downright appealing. Each year I force myself to pack warm clothes, even if it is ninety down here. There is always mental debate...do I need this flannel? Nah. Sweatshirt....no....

Oh, heck, I  put 'em in anyhow...plus my warmest hoodie...but no sweat pants. Big mistake that.

With the flannel shirt AND the hoodie I still about froze on Friday. Had to wrap up in all my inadequate blankets and shiver for a while...got wet moving the boat to the lee of the dock. Wet and cold wind are a recipe for discomfort.

I have lots of warm, dry clothes here at home. However, the birds do not include such exotic wonders as Barred Owls and there are no Black Bass or Fall Fish to wonder over.

There were however, bunnies in my beans last week, despite a liberal dose of repellent before I left. Laundry in epic proportions. Dog number two, Finnbar, whom I missed, although Mack and I had a fine time walking the woods roads, and chaos. Lots and lots of chaos.

I was kind of gloomy yesterday when I went over to the cow barn to deal with some cleanup. I know we have to be grownups and can't play ALL the time, but that doesn't mean I don't want to. 

However, there in the lane was a Carolina Wren...kind of my most special breed of special birds. He was accompanied by a whole litter of fledglings, cheeping and peeping all over the place. 

Nice. 

Welcome home...

My buddy in woods walks, Mack

The Song Sparrows had kids too...everywhere....here a sparrow, there a sparrow, everywhere a lot of sparrows.

However, the crowning delight came when I was taking out yet another clothesline full of towels to hang them up...mostly not from camp either. I am easily distracted so.....While we were gone my pond pump took a dive. Something in the impeller I think, but it is not in good health. I started taking it apart and noticed a single Rosy Minnow swimming among much dimpling of the water.

Not only had the minnows survived the grackles, they had spawned. Dozens of little pink or grey babies. I was so excited. Going to bring some of them into my little 10 gallon tank just for Peggy's and my entertainment. And no worries about them out competing native fish. My "pond" is a Rubbermaid watering trough, well isolated from natural waters.

As an added bonus the many plants have cleared the water up nicely and the water lilies are in bloom. All righty then. I will put away thoughts of big, wild, water, and wilderness wildlife and birds and get back to life on a small family farm in Upstate NY, home, sweet, home.

A very rare bird, rarely found either in the mountains or the valleys, the Red-crested Chef Bird
If you were one of us you would know just how amazing this photo really is

National Ice Cream Day

This is an American Black Duck.
It has nothing to do with National Ice Cream Day
But it is a cool duck just the same.

...is a holiday I can get on board with. Seeing the date pop up in my Facebook feed reminded me that we have some that Alan brought to camp and then got called away and didn't finish. We could take care of that for him.

Or we could go over to Sammonsville for a cone.

Either way, I'm not fussy. You can't go wrong with ice cream!

And if you download the McDonald's App and get the coupon, you can go pester Becky for a free cone. She will love you for it.

Last Day

Time to go home. After so many years we are fairly good at packing in and packing out. The only thing we forgot was my sangria and that was quickly remedied. Hopefully we will manage not to leave anything behind when we go....

Best bird of the week...Barred Owl. Only heard it once just before four AM, but once is enough.

Best fish....a good-sized Fall Fish. My, how they fight.

Best day..... Thursday

Worst day...yesterday. I nearly froze and almost went home early. It was nasty.

So now home to paying bills and cleaning house and all that fun stuff. One good aspect of aging is that time flies. Next year will roll around soon enough I guess.

Storm

Close all the windward windows.

Move the boat to the leeward side of the dock.

Tie it up good.

Even the ducks are getting out of the water

Rogue Weather

Last night the wind got up and it rained every which way and was not nice.

Something made me bring everything inside...even chairs and "drying" bathing suits.

Good thing. I don't think it rained sideways but the fog is flowing everywhere and even the screens sheltered by the porch are rimed with water droplets.

Spider webs are dew strung floating on the rising wind like filling sails on spider ships.

I woke to fog this morning cotton candy pink, then orange, then green. But now just grey and chilly.

I will brave the porch for a while do a bird list...maybe fish a little, but then I'm going in I guess....Mack doesn't like it out here in the almost rain.

Scarlet Tanager for excitement this morning, singing in the woods behind the cabin.

Fishy

Caught a Fall Fish yesterday night during an entertaining visit from a favorite nephew.

Man oh man how they fight,  considering that they are just over sized minnows. They were biting thick and fast but it was hard to hook 'em. They tend to mouth the hook and drag out line and just let go.

My little pole got a workout though.

Alas Alan and Amber had to leave.....miss them a lot.

Mack is loving camp though. Lots and lots of walks while I try to get mt 10,000 steps.

Have a good one....

Just an Everyday Thing

Rainy morning but....walking back to the wee hoosie in the woods.  Right by the driveway a Veery is singing.

If you have never heard one it is worth a quick search. The song echoes off the cabin and rolls out over the lake rich,  and clean, and poweeful.

Then standing at the porch door, toothbrush in hand, as a loon goggles for minnows right off the dock. He is stark and serious against the hammered metal surface of the rainy lake.....

It would be impossible not to love the woods and waters even on a wet day....and. so I surrender.

Please excuse terrible formatting and all. Learning to do this on my phone, which is not so very elegant.  Thanks. And it is worth chasing tiny keys and missing buttons to sit here writing with a fishing pole in my lap and the waves tugging at the porch pilings...... I just got a nice bite but missed it...prolly cause I was holding the phone

Dawn Chorus

Awesome

Fish are biting.  It is all I can do to count birds with a line down. Was just reeling last night when a largish Rock Bass nailed with a splash.

Goodish birds.

Dog likes it now. Just one long walk with all the wild woods scents and he was as hooked as that fish.

I love this place.

Water Light.

We are here...at Cabin 2 on my favorite lake in the world.     There was thunder in the morning and rain and humid misery but now the air is sweet and cool, the wind is clean and soft, the light is pouring off the water...........and the birds are good.   However........                                                The very definition of folly....taking a Jack Russell Terrier camping.     He accidentally put himself in the lake thinking that it looked solid enough to him...alas it wasn't. Anyhow he is not a terribly happy boy alrhough I am sure he will get used to it.......in time.                                        

Happy Birthday, Mappy

If you see this guy...which is kinda unlikely, but always possible....wish him a wonderful birthday. Hope he and the family are having a great time.

By the way, he is the guy who will always come to the rescue whenever you need a knight in shining denim, an all around great guy, and a wonderful brother.

Love you, Matthew.

Thanks

Dancing moose with a tambourine and a kilt, with Christmas lights in his antlers,
being pecked by a crow so he can kick higher. He says thanks

For all those good thoughts. The boss got the hay baled and he and Liz got it unloaded just before it started to sprinkle. I can't say the same about me and the laundry, but that is not so very important.

Sun

Just a couple of hours worth plus some cooperation from the equipment and they will maybe have another couple of loads of hay. They got two yesterday. Good thoughts appreciated.

Hay, Man

Looks like today or tomorrow will mark the shakedown cruise for most of the hay equipment. We could use your good thoughts. 

Bobolink

Medicare

I'm eligible now.

And for my birthday I "got" a Scarlet Tanager singing right in the backyard. Thanks to the One what sent it!

Almanac

Still raining every day. Flooding up west and at least two tornadoes. The Chicory came in bloom today, just in time for July.

Today would have been my grandfather's birthday. He was such a good man...I still miss him.

I walked up back this morning; the roads are like quicksand, the hay over my head. You can barely see Alan's Warlock through it.

The Bobolinks have gone silent and secret. I only saw four. Guess this is what they do at nesting time. Hope they hurry up and get done, as the hay must come off as soon as the weather allows. 

For Linda and Boomer

Lots of fledglings around, finches, chickadees, and titmice among others. Just counted a dozen Chimney Swifts when the guys were loading out hay. There have only been two in recent weeks, but they may be done nesting and gathering up into larger flocks. Our nephew nearly stepping on a Dark-eyed Junco's nest up where we camp. I had no idea that any of them nested that far south.

Anyhow, I sure hope summer doesn't fly by as fast and and miserably as spring did. We are ready for some hay weather for sure.