Welcome Back Thomas

A happy reunion took place here when Thomas was reunited with Ralph. If you do not know who they are, Ralph and Thomas are mice we captured here in the house, and decided to keep until the Spring before we release them outside. Thomas returned after their encounter with Callie. "Yes, The boy named a mouse after himself." We also added one more mouse, and his name is Mushu.
I moved Ralph, Thomas, and Mushu down to the cellar, and into a new cage. They really are entertaining to watch, with those big black eyes, and all 3 immediately took to the wheel in their cage. Ralph cranks out so many RPMs, I think he could produce electricity.

In the past year we have come a long way dealing with mice. In the past if a mouse was spotted in the house, the room involved would quickly be vacated, accompanied by a sound best described, as a air raid siren, in 3 part harmony.

This past week while cleaning out Bluebird houses, I disturbed a nest of mice. Jordan insisted we bring them in the house. Out of fear for my well being, I stood firm with her and explained, If I bring mice into the house from outside, I would be sleeping in he cellar until spring.

I have fond memories of keeping pet mice as a kid. I remember saving up the 40 cents to buy a mouse and then talking my friends older sister to drive us to the pet store.
I remember the scream, when my mother was taking a bath and one of my escapes peeked out from under the radiator.
I remember my buddies father venting about the chewed wires in his car. His mechanic blamed mice and we never told him we had one escape in his car.
And recently, my older brother Ken, who never had, or wanted a pet, was caught leaving pieces of cheese in his car for a mouse that took up residence there.

Fingers Crossed

When the forecast is for heavy rains, sometimes at rates of 1 inch or more per hour, and the river is already at a high level. This causes some concern.

I believe we will not have any issues with this rain event. The river at this point is handling the rain and runoff like a trooper.

Last night before midnight the river peaked at 5.61 feet. This morning the river had dropped to 5.29 feet. The direction will change again with today's downfalls, but we do not believe we will have any major issues.

This is a fine example of the importance of the River Gauges. When you look out over the river, you do not notice these small changes. These are important indicators on how well your day is going to go, and indicates if you need to break out the blood pressure medicine or not.

Some numbers to ponder.

At 7 feet, the low areas through out the woods, along he river fill with water. This happens a few times a year and the ducks and geese enjoy swimming up to the backyard and swimming through the woods.

At 8 feet, the water has turned the house into a island. Most of the yard is underwater and the water flows deep over the road. The ducks and geese swim up to the house for lunch.

At 10 feet, the cellar is filling with water and since my hair is already grey, it now falls out.

At 12 feet. As it was on 10/15/05. All is lost, and the ducks and geese are taking a leisurely swim Through the house.

Crazy Nights

Why is it, when at 2 am, and the house is rocked by a loud crashing sound of broken glass, I am the only one to hear it?
Why is it, when the boy comes into our room at all hours of the night, and whispers,"Moma", Jeanne wakes instantly? But when I try to wake her, nothing works until I whisper, "Moma" ? She said something about being zoned in on the kids. I guess it is what they call a mother thing.
Once I foolishly colored her nose with a green magic marker while she slept. She never woke, and I NEVER did that again.

Up until a couple hours ago, we had been keeping 2 little mice that we caught in the house. We had what I thought to be a secure and safe environment for them. A 10 gallon aquarium with a fitted wire screen top.

Yes we had it on the floor, but I never in my wildest imagination thought that Callie, our cat with a case of night crazies would go crashing through the glass to get at the mice.

We have had this setup for a number of weeks, and to be honest, it was somewhat cute watching Callie stare down the mice as they went about their business in what appeared to be a relatively safe haven.

So now Callie has a nice cut on her nose, and she looks like Rudolph. She appears unfazed and is eating drinking and chasing Zoe around.
We will keep a eye on the nose, but the last thing we want is another $1000 vet bill.

I cut my finger cleaning up the glass. I only found 1 mouse, and I am willing to bet, as soon as I fall back to sleep the kids will be waking me for breakfast.


Life is an adventure.

Thanks Neil

First let me say this, " Our Chickens are pets and will never meet the chopping block"

After a couple years of laying eggs, a chicken's production drops off, and many folks will introduce the flock to the fry pan. Not here, our chickens will live out their lives naturally.

We have spotted a very large, beautiful fox in the area, and I want a photo of it. I have set out the Plantcam with very high hopes of capturing a picture. The problem is the bait. The chicken legs I swiped from our freezer do not appear to be appealing enough. Same thing with the pork chops.

I was lucky to run into my neighbor from down the road. I explained to Neil, what I was doing, and how I needed a deceased whole chicken, feathers and all.
Well after a couple of hours, I had a knock on the door and to my surprise, there on my door step were a couple of dead chickens. Neil was thinning out his flock and decided what I was doing was very cool, and it would save him the time of plucking and cleaning the birds.
The only thing he wants in return, are some prints of the Hawks and of whatever I shoot.

Its great to be back in business!

Flood Zone Update

Great news from the flood zone.
Below is a excerpt from a email I received from,
Douglas Glowacki.
Emergency Preparedness Program Specialist
Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

"Good News, your grant is fully approved and you may begin work at any time. The grant was sent to the town of Mansfield on January 15th. I have copied John Jackman on this email so that he also knows that the grant is approved. I have also attached the subgrant to this email for your information."

After digesting the 28 pages in the subgrant, my next step will be meeting with town officials this week. Our goal is to break ground in May.

Far Out.

Jordan insisted on painting a Bluebird house, and I know all the books say don't paint your birdhouse.
But this is, by far, The coolest birdhouse I ever hung up.

Who is to say, a Bluebird will not use a psychedelic House?


Maybe we have the coolest bluebirds in town.

I Can Dig It

OK.. maybe I jumped the gun.

I Thought, because Jeanne had the kids tie dye t-shirts, and then they built this groovy snowman.
Maybe, just maybe, I could say,
"Groovy, Far Out, and Solid Man".

They ignored that, but when I said, " we can be the hippie family"

Jordan gave me one of those teenager looks.. She looked at me like I was a goober, rolled her eyes, and said, "NO".
And for one short moment, I thought, maybe I am a goober.

I went back to my basement.

Social Skill ?

Chickens, Ducks, Guineas, Geese, Quail, and Cricket eggs, have been hatched here. Now we are attempting to add Leopard Gecko eggs to the list.

Jordan's gecko laid 2 eggs and we placed them in the incubator. If we incubate the eggs between 79- 82, we should produce females. If we wanted males, 87 - 88, would be the temperature.

About 2 years ago, I came across a Spotted Turtle laying her eggs out in the field. After she finished I fenced off the area to protect it from predators. Now I wish had moved the eggs to a incubator, they never hatched.

Something I read recently, has me getting anxious for Spring. Not that I need another reason to want Spring to sprang, or sprung.
If you take 8" flower pots, bury them upside down and half way into the ground along a hedge row, rock wall, or fence line. Snakes will use them to lay their eggs. To me this is so exciting I cannot sleep.

From,
The Waterman and Hill-Traveller's Companion, a Natural Events Almanac

"Hatching reptile eggs is one of those obscure social skills you're almost never called upon to use but which is an excellent skill to have if the occasion should arise"


I wonder, should I list this as a social skill on my Résumé ?

Six Acre Life List

I can now add a Turkey Vulture to my Life List photo album.

I have been fortunate to have witnessed a great deal of wildlife during my lifetime. My Life list is long, and it is a magical feeling I get when I observe something for the first time.

I have traveled many miles, and have witnessed wildlife in places from Costa Rica to the High Sierras , from the Allagash in Maine, to the Florida Everglades. I have snorkeled with Barracuda and Manatees, and I have hiked in the desert. Viewing wildlife is my passion and it always has been.

I have started a new obsession. I want to photograph every living creature on our 6 acres. I do mean every living creature, (minus plants and trees). I will photograph everything from, a Ant to a Zorro (fox).

Every Picture will be taken here. I will not photograph the animal anywhere but here. I might take the picture in a controlled environment. This would be a custom built enclosure - so that I could take a picture of something small and fast, like a Snake or Mouse.

Today I got a shot of a Turkey Vulture. I am very excited about my Turkey Vulture. I have seen many Turkey Vultures in my lifetime, but getting a picture of one here is like seeing a new species for the first time.

In all probability, this project will take the rest of my life.

Jeanne; sorry about the 3 chicken legs I found in the freezer.

Red Tail Hawks

Another great day with the Plantcam and Red Tails.

The only problem, I need another chicken. I might have enough for one more day.

I wonder if Jeanne would miss the roasting chicken in the freezer?

Plantcam Update

What would most folks do with a dead chicken that was killed by a fox?

The past couple weeks I ventured out early each morning, with my dead Buff Orpington hen, and my Plantcam. I would tie the chicken to a tree or large branch so that nothing could drag it away. I then setup my Plantcam, and would leave it until dark. Each evening when I returned, I saw no sign of visitors, the chicken was untouched and no tracks in the snow, but I would scan approximately 1100 pictures for any sign of life.

Finally, one evening as I approached, I saw feathers everywhere. My excitement was soon diminished when I noticed the LCD screen on the camera, "memory full"

On most days I set the camera to take 1 picture every 30 seconds, with the resolution set at medium, 2048 x 1536. For some reason, I decided to set the camera to take 3 pictures every 30 seconds on the high resolution setting. 2560 x 1920. With a 2GD SD Card, 2048 x 1536 = 2397 pictures, 2560 x 1920 = 1536 pictures. I have a 1 GB SD Card, so cut the number of photos in half.
Sure enough, I filled the memory card up before the mysterious visit.

The following day, I set the camera up in the same spot, using what was left of my bait. "BINGO" I got the pictures.

The Plantcam by Wingscapes, don't let the name fool you. There are many applications for this easy to operate, weatherproof camera. I use it as a day time trail cam, and I plan to use it to document the house raising in time lapse. It also could be used as a security camera, and if you really want, a Plantcam.

Wingscapes also has more advanced BirdCams
http://www.wingscapes.com/

This time lapse video revels a Red Tail Hawk, feeding on my chicken. He flies off and returns 20 seconds in. At 34 seconds in, you will catch a quick view of the mate. I am learning how to edit video on my computer, but until then I hope you enjoy my rough experiments. I also posted a still shot of the hawk in our Life List Photos column.
There is no audio.

I can only imagine how much fun I could have with at camera that shoots at night.

Mr Stubs

Mr Stubs is a regular visitor at our feeding station. Looking at him you might think he donated the tail Callie was playing with.
Unfortunately this explanation does not work, the tail Callie had, came from a Red Squirrel, and Mr Stubs is a Grey.
So the mystery grows, we have a squirrel missing a tail, and a tail missing a body.

I also have a one legged mallard hen who stops by daily, and I once found a 3 legged wood turtle on the river.

I believe this might be some type of conspiracy,
involving appendage eating extraterrestrials.

What In Tarnation!

I must admit, Callie is a super sweet, happy cat. She gets along with everyone.
BUT..when night comes, and we are all tucked into our cozy warm beds, Callie gets a case of "night Crazies".
I am sure anyone who has had cats, has witnessed a ballistic cat. All night long you hear her run at speeds of 75mph, from one room to another. She will stop in front of a wall and stair at it, as if 100 invisible mice are walking up it. This action is quite amusing, as long as you do not mind missing a good nights sleep.

As the "Manley Man" of the house it has become my job to investigate all those sounds that go bump in he night. Most of these noises are Callie, except for Kopper's occasional bad dream.
Last night was a extremely active night with the crazy one.
I DO under stand the fun she was having at 1am with the dead mouse she caught. She would fling the poor lifeless body in the air and chase it, as if she was reenacting the hunt.

I DO NOT understand the squirrel tail she was playing with at 3 in the morning. Callie is a indoor cat, so how did she come across a fresh squirrel tail.( my only guess would be a gift from Keek) She caused some much noise with this new found toy, I finally got up, and after a short struggle, I relieved her of this new toy.

Now she sleeps all day, preparing for another night of terror, and I sit here and wonder, Where in tarnation is the rest of the squirrel?

Return Visit

With the upcoming snow storm expected to drop a foot or more of snow, school was canceled today. Jordan and the Boy do not want to hear about all the times I walked 2 miles to school in deep snow, sometimes with a broken leg.

What started this morning as a quick trip to feed the ducks, turned into a 2 hour trail blazing hike around the property. Jordan and Tommy led the way as we followed the frozen stream bed that runs through the homestead. At times the path was entangled with prickers and thick vines, but they insisted on being the trail blazers.

When we approached the river, Jordan was first to spot the large adult Bald Eagle. What a beautiful sight first thing in the morning.
Unfortunately I had forgotten that I had a camera in my pocket, but it was great to see the Eagle has returned. I hope to get a picture of this splendid visitor soon.

Jordan thinks she should get $1.00 because she spotted him first. I told her I want $10.00 because I took them for the hike.

We are still in negotiations....

I Finally Did It

Sometimes, there comes an event in ones life that is so memorable, that you must share the news.
After a number of very disappointing attempts, I am extremely proud to announce I have successfully hatched my first batch of crickets.
Many attempts failed because the substrate the crickets laid their eggs in would dry out, or stay to wet and mold would grow.

They are so tiny, If I did not have my glasses on, I might have missed it.
I moved them from my custom homemade cricket incubator to a brooder, and fed them my own special Cricket Chow formula. The first 72 hours are critical.

For some reason, which I do not understand, I don't think Jeanne and Jordan are all that impressed with this major break through.

I think I will go wake he Boy so he can share in the glory of my accomplishment.

11:30 pm..Maybe if I know whats good for me, I will wait until morning.

Yankee Ingenuity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yankee ingenuity is an American English reference to the self-reliance of early colonial settlers of New England, United States. It describes an attitude of make-do with materials on hand. It is inventive improvisation, adaptation and overcoming of dire straits when faced with a dearth of materials.

"Make do with materials on hand" I like that..
I save stuff! I have always saved stuff. I can not throw out something if there is a slight chance I might find a use for it sometime in the next 20 years. Or maybe I might meet someone in the future that might need it.

I needed a heated seed propagator. This provides beneficial bottom heat to your seed trays.
With a bit of Yankee Ingenuity, I built this Heated Propagator, using a tiny bit of my allowance.
The box is 4' long and lined with metal flashing. I installed 3 light fixtures ($2.00 each) to provide the heat, and topped it with 3 - 16x16 floor tiles that absorb the heat. The clear containers act as a mini greenhouse and the lights overhead are 100 watt compact fluorescent bulbs which only use 23 watts. The light bulbs inside are 40 watt, and I may be able to drop that to 30 watts.

It is a great feeling when you build something, or fix something because you saved some stuff that normal people would toss out.

This Connecticut Yankee will continue to collect stuff, because you never know!!

One Man's Treasure

In the basement is a 2' by 2' sump pump hole cut into the floor.
Now and then, when I peek into this pit I find treasure. I found this little spotted salamander this week.
When I was a youngster in Elementary School, I remember one of my classmates bringing a spotted salamander to school. I was so mesmerised by this little creature, I think I would have traded my Squirrel tooth.

I have not lost my fascination for these little creatures and I no longer carry snakes in my pocket. (sorry Maryann ) so we will keep him until spring, and release him out in the wild, so that he might continue to propagate the species.

OK... maybe I do still carry snakes around, but I don't scare girls with them.

OK..OK.. It is not my fault if Jeanne is afraid of snakes.