So we're relaunching this here blog. Ain't she purty? I had some inspiration.
A few things I just don't understand:
_ At the Stop & Rob Dunkies I ordered an unsweetened iced tea with lemon.
"Um, we don't have any lemon," the clerk said.
"How could you not have lemon? They're three for $2 down the hall," I replied, trying to sound helpful.
I ordered iced decaf instead. I think she left out the Splenda on purpose. Or maybe they ran out of that, too.
_ Why do political candidates plaster polling places with signs? Here in the Nutmeggiest state, unlike Massachusetts, signs are allowed practically right up to the polling place door. I suppose folks want to show just how doggone much they love their candidate, just in case you're wavering on your decision because you haven't seen enough lawn signs for your candidate of choice. But it smacks of impulse purchase marketing -- the same reason they put candy bars, soda, batteries, tabloids, gift cards and subprime mortgages in the checkout aisle.
I would hope -- *hope* -- that voters don't choose candidates for higher office the way they choose fast food at the drive-up window. "Hmm, who do I want for attorney general? Oooh! Baconator! ... and a diet soda."
_ Why would you put your sign in the exit lane of the access road to the polling place? That was the situation outside North Stepford Falls High School. Just in case maybe you didn't select a nominee for governor, here's a helpful reminder of who you should have voted for. "There's still time .. turn around and vote for Tom Foley!"
Not that I'd vote for Tom Foley under any circumstance whatsoever.
_ Half of our fair state chose the wrasslin' promoter as its nominee to be U.S. senator. To which I offer the following list: Owen Hart, Chris Benoit and his wife and children, Eddie Guerrero, The Ultimate Warrior, Rick Rude, Davey Boy Smith, Curt Henning ("Mr. Perfect"), Miss Elizabeth, Crash Holly, Big Boss Man, Bam Bam Bigelow. Just sayin'.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Monday, January 29, 2007
Blame Me
Look outside. It's January, nearly February.
Where's the snow?
We've had seperate snowfalls of barely an inch, twice, this winter.
And it's all my fault.
I bought a snowblower. Yup, a nice Honda two-stage number with electric start, plenty of horsepower and kung-fu grip.
And it has not snowed since.
Well, maybe our making a mockery of this planet had something to do with it...
Where's the snow?
We've had seperate snowfalls of barely an inch, twice, this winter.
And it's all my fault.
I bought a snowblower. Yup, a nice Honda two-stage number with electric start, plenty of horsepower and kung-fu grip.
And it has not snowed since.
Well, maybe our making a mockery of this planet had something to do with it...
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Wild Wild Life
The neighborhood and our surroundings are multiple shades of green again – the trees have sprouted their buds and opened into leaves, the grass – depending on the owner’s attention to detail and/or ability to hire the Lawn Wranglers – has bounced back to its usual hue, and plants are sprouting out of gardens everywhere.
It’s invigorating to see all this renewal. In spite of everything we’ve done and are doing to our poor planet, the cycle of life continues -- or at least it tries. It reminds us what we have to lose if we keep poisoning our atmosphere and our oceans.
As for our yard: I’ve been trying to repair the damage done out front over the winter, when the tree in the front yard fell, and in back, where the grubs feasted late last summer. The seeds have finally started to take hold and peek up from under the straw I put down. I’d hope so by this point; they sure got enough rain.
Along with the flora, we have fauna.
We’ve noticed since moving here that there are quite a few animals sharing our property with us. There’s a big family of squirrels that sprints through the canopy along the side and back perimeter of the yard. They did OK this winter – one we spied taking a rest on one of our daughter’s toys was big enough to feed a family of four. When it rained hard here a few weeks ago, their warren must have flooded out, because Michelle saw them carrying their babies in their mouths to safety.
Also on the scene: chipmunks. They’re cute, too, but they’ve dug up part of the front yard. I’m willing to let it go, especially when they let us take pictures like this.
And then there’s Flick.
Michelle noticed Flick and his girlfriend last year and looked them up. Turns out they’re Yellow-Shafted Northern Flickers, a breed (apart) of woodpecker.
Northern Flickers are common throughout North America. They build nests in trees up to 90 feet in the air. They find ants delicious. Here’s more:
But Flick isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
Michelle heard a jackhammer noise the other day and had no idea where it was coming from. Were they working on the next road over? Was it the home addition going up down the street? She followed the noise to the back yard .. where she found Flick, attempting to drill through the lid of our gas grill. You can see it here … the quality isn’t the greatest, but wait for the payoff at the end, where you’ll hear his call and see (and hear) his attempt to drill through steel.
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When it rained and we put a cover over the grill, he tried the same thing on our roof.
It’s invigorating to see all this renewal. In spite of everything we’ve done and are doing to our poor planet, the cycle of life continues -- or at least it tries. It reminds us what we have to lose if we keep poisoning our atmosphere and our oceans.
As for our yard: I’ve been trying to repair the damage done out front over the winter, when the tree in the front yard fell, and in back, where the grubs feasted late last summer. The seeds have finally started to take hold and peek up from under the straw I put down. I’d hope so by this point; they sure got enough rain.
Along with the flora, we have fauna.
We’ve noticed since moving here that there are quite a few animals sharing our property with us. There’s a big family of squirrels that sprints through the canopy along the side and back perimeter of the yard. They did OK this winter – one we spied taking a rest on one of our daughter’s toys was big enough to feed a family of four. When it rained hard here a few weeks ago, their warren must have flooded out, because Michelle saw them carrying their babies in their mouths to safety.
Also on the scene: chipmunks. They’re cute, too, but they’ve dug up part of the front yard. I’m willing to let it go, especially when they let us take pictures like this.
And then there’s Flick.
Michelle noticed Flick and his girlfriend last year and looked them up. Turns out they’re Yellow-Shafted Northern Flickers, a breed (apart) of woodpecker.
Northern Flickers are common throughout North America. They build nests in trees up to 90 feet in the air. They find ants delicious. Here’s more:
But Flick isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
Michelle heard a jackhammer noise the other day and had no idea where it was coming from. Were they working on the next road over? Was it the home addition going up down the street? She followed the noise to the back yard .. where she found Flick, attempting to drill through the lid of our gas grill. You can see it here … the quality isn’t the greatest, but wait for the payoff at the end, where you’ll hear his call and see (and hear) his attempt to drill through steel.
Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing
When it rained and we put a cover over the grill, he tried the same thing on our roof.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Home Improvement
January brought changes to the homestead -- some more subtle than others.
Early this month, the wet snow and ice storm took out the tree in the front yard. It came down with a crack at about 7 a.m., falling just short of the house.
"I was going to hang the hummingbird feeder on that tree," Michelle said.
Our neighbor Bob was nice enough to come over the next morning with a couple of bowsaws and a chainsaw, and we made short work of things. Later I bought some nippers to cut the branches into smaller segments, and they'll eventually go for a ride to the town compost heap, now that we have the truck running again.
The heavy wet snow also made me think about the trees that provide such a lush, shady spot for our house .. the same trees that now hung over the house weighed down with snow, looking like cotton ready for harvest.
Add to to-do list: have trees cut down.
That same storm kept the electricity off for about, oh, 12 hours. Now I know conditions made things difficult for our friendly neighborhood electric utility, but half the neighborhood had power about two hours before we did. Turns out the neighborhood is on two separate portions of the grid.
And for what we pay CL&P per month, well... let's just say they have infrastructure issues.
Needing to stay warm when it got cold and dark, we used the fireplace for the first time.
So you're from the Berkshires and you think you know what you're doing, eh, Mr. Frontiersman? Mr. I Grew Up In The Woods?
For about half an hour, the only thing I was able to get burning was newspaper.
Finally, the logs the former owners left behind for us caught, and we had a nice, cozy fire.
Either the fire was too big or I didn't have enough of an updraft going, because for more than a week afterwards, the living room smelled of smoke. This is charming on a cold day when a fire is roaring away, keeping people warm and drying out gloves and boots. This is annoying a week later when you're tired of living in a barbecue pit.
So yes, we're so much smarter and more advanced than our forebears in the 19th century. Who lived without electricity and knew how to set a fire.
A Little Sumpthin' Sumpthin'
If the house wasn't freezing, on fire or in imminent danger of being crushed by overloaded trees, it was going to float away. Another strong rainstorm came along and filled the sumphole with water, requiring us to go downstairs every half hour to manually set off the sump pump that couldn't suck enough.
When another forecast of one-to-two inches of rain came along I decided I'd had enough. Called a plumber and had them come over look at the thing. Figured it would take a few hundred bucks and a few small repairs to get things where they needed to be.
Ha!
We needed a new sump pump, an entirely new hole, and oh yes, electrical work. Becuase all this time the old pump was plugged into an ungrounded outlet. Yes, that was me, manually operating a sump pump sitting in a pit full of water plugged into an ungrounded outlet. I was begging for a 120-volt quick pick-me-up and didn't even know it. Swell.
So Chuck the plumber came in with his jackhammer and brand new sump pump and one and a quarter inch PVC pipe and got to carving up the basement floor.
It was not a few small repairs and it was not a few hundred bucks. You could say I put my money in a hole in the ground.
But that afternoon when it poured as forecasted, that pump kicked on every five minutes and did its business in about 5-10 seconds. The peace of mind was entirely worth it. Because flooding the basement again was not an option.
Now if I can just figure out how we'll run the sump pump when the power goes out...
Early this month, the wet snow and ice storm took out the tree in the front yard. It came down with a crack at about 7 a.m., falling just short of the house.
"I was going to hang the hummingbird feeder on that tree," Michelle said.
Our neighbor Bob was nice enough to come over the next morning with a couple of bowsaws and a chainsaw, and we made short work of things. Later I bought some nippers to cut the branches into smaller segments, and they'll eventually go for a ride to the town compost heap, now that we have the truck running again.
The heavy wet snow also made me think about the trees that provide such a lush, shady spot for our house .. the same trees that now hung over the house weighed down with snow, looking like cotton ready for harvest.
Add to to-do list: have trees cut down.
That same storm kept the electricity off for about, oh, 12 hours. Now I know conditions made things difficult for our friendly neighborhood electric utility, but half the neighborhood had power about two hours before we did. Turns out the neighborhood is on two separate portions of the grid.
And for what we pay CL&P per month, well... let's just say they have infrastructure issues.
Needing to stay warm when it got cold and dark, we used the fireplace for the first time.
So you're from the Berkshires and you think you know what you're doing, eh, Mr. Frontiersman? Mr. I Grew Up In The Woods?
For about half an hour, the only thing I was able to get burning was newspaper.
Finally, the logs the former owners left behind for us caught, and we had a nice, cozy fire.
Either the fire was too big or I didn't have enough of an updraft going, because for more than a week afterwards, the living room smelled of smoke. This is charming on a cold day when a fire is roaring away, keeping people warm and drying out gloves and boots. This is annoying a week later when you're tired of living in a barbecue pit.
So yes, we're so much smarter and more advanced than our forebears in the 19th century. Who lived without electricity and knew how to set a fire.
A Little Sumpthin' Sumpthin'
If the house wasn't freezing, on fire or in imminent danger of being crushed by overloaded trees, it was going to float away. Another strong rainstorm came along and filled the sumphole with water, requiring us to go downstairs every half hour to manually set off the sump pump that couldn't suck enough.
When another forecast of one-to-two inches of rain came along I decided I'd had enough. Called a plumber and had them come over look at the thing. Figured it would take a few hundred bucks and a few small repairs to get things where they needed to be.
Ha!
We needed a new sump pump, an entirely new hole, and oh yes, electrical work. Becuase all this time the old pump was plugged into an ungrounded outlet. Yes, that was me, manually operating a sump pump sitting in a pit full of water plugged into an ungrounded outlet. I was begging for a 120-volt quick pick-me-up and didn't even know it. Swell.
So Chuck the plumber came in with his jackhammer and brand new sump pump and one and a quarter inch PVC pipe and got to carving up the basement floor.
It was not a few small repairs and it was not a few hundred bucks. You could say I put my money in a hole in the ground.
But that afternoon when it poured as forecasted, that pump kicked on every five minutes and did its business in about 5-10 seconds. The peace of mind was entirely worth it. Because flooding the basement again was not an option.
Now if I can just figure out how we'll run the sump pump when the power goes out...
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