Little Red School Bus

The only way in or out is by canoe. I wonder, when the kids are old like me will they recall going to school by canoe?

After very little sleep last night, I paddled out early in the am and waited for the Home Depot to open at 6am. I was not the only one waiting for a sump pump. As I walked in the phone was ringing off the hook, people looking for sump pumps. I was very lucky because they ran out of them, but thanks to the management they traveled to other stores to re supply and I am sure they ran out by 8am.

The water has stopped rising, but is receding much slower then anytime before. We are far from out of the woods.
The danger now is sump pump failure. If the pumps fail, the basement will fill so fast, it will be a total loss. I spoke with some folks this morning at the Depot, they worried about getting 4-5 inches of water in their basements. If my pumps fail, we will have 5-6 feet of water, and that is no exaggeration.
Jeanne and I take shifts monitoring the pumps.
I really need some sleep.

This is not just a home...It is an ADVENTURE!!

2:30 AM Water Update

The water has be holding at 9.30 feet for the past couple of hours. I am waiting to see the water start to drop.At this point the water is touching the foundation on 3 sides of the house and my driveway is half covered. The road has about 3-4 feet of water.

My biggest concern at this point is the basement sump pump. I had bought a second pump as back up, and I burnt it out. My older pump is smoking, but still working hard to keep up with the flow of ground water. Its 2:30 am and I have a baby monitor in the basement so I can hear it kick on. If it fails, we lose the basement very fast. I must not go to sleep!!!

The store opens at 6, and I will be there.

We Are A Island

It is official, we are now proud owners of a Island Home. The only way in and out is via canoe, and I have to go out for milk.

The top photo is the right side of the house from the playroom window.
The bottom photo is he left side of the house out our bedroom window.

The water is still rising, but I believe it will peak soon.. I HOPE!

The Water's High When!!

After a night of waking every hour and a half to check the river.
At sunrise I found this parked in our field.

I'm thinking, maybe it was a dream.

Please Not Again...

Our endurance will be tested this week.
With the very good possibility of more then 7 inches of rain coming this way, we will be severely flooded. We have started to evacuate the basement,and I feel the chances are extremely high that we will lose the basement and the playroom during this event. We are moving items through out the house to higher shelves and the attic.
Tomorrow night Jeanne and the kids will stay in a Hotel until this one is over. I will stay as long as possible to keep the pumps running and the generator in the event we lose power.
I have received email alerts from John Jackman, Mansfield's Director of Emergency Management, warning of devastating potential of what may come.

I hope for some sleep tonight, because I doubt I will see much sleep for the next couple of days. We try to play it down for the kids, staying in a hotel is an adventure.

Myself... I am already feeling the stress of the next couple of days, The thought of losing the cellar, "furnace, water pump, water heater, Oil tank" and what ever I cannot find room for, is very discouraging.

But we love this land, and the bright side,( although I am having trouble seeing any bright side), is knowing that we will be up above the water in the near future, and will not be forced to endure this again.

If we lose the cellar and everything in it, this will be devastating, if the cellar survives, then this is a little bit of a inconvenience.

Lets Hope!

Flood Zone Update

I had a great meeting with officials with the Town of Mansfield.

I had the pleasure of meeting again with, John Jackman, Deputy Chief / Fire Marshal / Director Dept of Emergency Management.
And it was my first time meeting and talking with, Fran Raiola, Assistant Chief / Deputy Fire Marshal / Assistant Director, Dept of Emergency Management.

Fran will be administering the grant on behalf of the town of Mansfield, and I look forward to working with him on this project.

The grant is 28 pages, and Wednesday evening, when I walked into the meeting with John and Fran, I had a number of questions. Without asking any, they answered all of them in the first 15 minutes, and I came away feeling, that they are working hard to keep the process as easy and painless as possible for me.
My biggest challenge is rounding up sub contractors and obtaining the quotes/estimates needed. We are still hoping to break ground by June.

Awesome Creature

A large shadow appears,floating across the landscape.
No need to look up to identify the source.
With a 6 ft wingspan,
not many creatures are capable of casting a shadow like this.
The Turkey Vulture is such a awesome bird.

Including myself, many have looked up and used the generic term Buzzard. The fact is they are not Buzzards, and they are not Birds of prey (Raptors). They are more closely related to the Stork.
Buzzards are a family of hawks not found in the USA, they are found in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
So where did Buzzards Bay come from? My understanding is, that maybe the real name should be Osprey Bay. The early Europeans would look up and give the name, "Buzzard" to many large soaring birds.
Maybe the Cape would not be so appealing if it was called, Turkey Vulture Bay.

The Turkey Vulture feeds on carrion and vegetation, they are not known to feed on live prey, and they do not circle dying animals. This is a relief to me, because many have circled above me. They do have a incredible sense of smell that they use to locate supper.

The bald head has its purpose. Imagine sticking your head into the carcass of a decaying animal, the bacteria and innards in your hair would be somewhat unpleasant. After a meal the Turkey Vulture will do a bit of sunbathing, and the sun bakes off the small amount of leftovers clinging to its head.

Now imagine having their wingspan. They can catch a thermal and soar without flapping their wings for half the day.
If they ever change their diet to something more palatable, I would wish to be one in my next life.

The Company Of Frogs

It does not get much better then Springtime on the Homestead.

During the winter nights,It gets so quiet outside.
And then you blink..
Spring arrives and the vernal pools come alive with breeding amphibians, and the nightly chorus of Spring Peepers fill the night with wonderful music that sends the message, life is beginning again..
I wish I could leave the windows open all night. This is a battle I usually lose, at least until the night temperatures reach the upper 60s or more.

On the last day of Winter, the night was full of sound so we decided to go on a Spring Peeper patrol. The only problem is, neither one of them grasp the concept of stealth. I think a blind, deaf frog would hear us coming. I should have told them to pretend you are sneaking into the cookie jar.

Frogs and Toads are just another of my passions. I have enjoyed many as pets through out my life and continue to keep one now and then.

My sister Peg, does not understand the attraction I have with these creatures, which brings me to a story.

Once a long, long time ago, Peg placed a phone call to our folks. When they answered, on the other end was Peg, hysterically screaming into the phone to come over immediately. Thinking that some tragedy had struck one of their grandkids or Willie, they raced the 20 minutes out to her house. When they arrived they were greeted by a crying and trembling daughter, and when she was finally able to speak, she asked them to remove the toad from her garden.
I still get a laugh when I remember my folks telling me that tale.

I Love Spring and Frogs

HAPPY SPRING

Life Without Jeanne

OK..Maybe I am not as good at this, and maybe it is tougher then I imagined.
Jeanne left me alone with the kids for a few days. No she is not off enjoying some much deserved vacation time. She has joined with her entire family, and rushed to a New Hampshire hospital, where her brother has been fighting for his life. Her Dad flew in from Arizona, Her Mom drove up from Pennsylvania, and her brothers George and Scott, and sister Kathy drove up. I believe that if it was not for Scott and his wife Sandy, who put their jobs in jeopardy, and have been by his side for almost 2 weeks, they would have lost him. I believe the way the entire family rallied around Johnny, gave him the strength to fight.
Rose and George should be very proud of their kids.

On the other hand, I don't appear to grasp this lunch box routine. Put this in for morning snack, this in for lunch, and don't forget afternoon snack. I spent $75 at the market, but it doesn't look like much food. I packed the kids lunch today, and I think I stuffed enough food in each lunch box to feed 10 kids.
I know we were late to school.
I am not sure what happened to the kitchen sink, it was there when Jeanne left.
I have to figure out the iron. Why is it when Jeanne does the kids laundry, it always looks good. When I do it, it looks like we slept in those clothes for 3 weeks.
I have to tell the boy to poop everyday, and check to be sure he pooped and didn't try to pass off a scoop of cat poop from the litter box.
Showers are tonight, library books go back this week, Someplace in town is Jordan's Brownie troop cookie sale on Saturday , or not.
Hot lunch Friday, pack only snacks. Check homework each night. Feed the dog. Don't let the boy wear his good sneakers in the mud. Stay awake all night, or sleep with 1 eye open. Glue myself to my cell phone, because the school might call. pick up the kids after school.

And I lost Callie, she is a indoor cat and she escaped this morning before school, So Jordan went to school with tears in her eyes, and I have been searching the woods and thickets for about 5 hours.
I can't break Jordan's heart again.

I Miss My Jeanne.

9:02 pm update
Callie just came home, I found the sink, and if you leave a iron on the clothes, it leaves a burn mark...

A Lonely Swamp

Now and then we have the opportunity to witness heart warming moments while observing the animals that surround us.

Swamp the Mute Swan, showed up here about 2 years ago and never left. He is a wild animal, but has become part of the homestead. he walks up to the back door at feeding time and will approach me anytime he is hungry.
I now understand why he stays, he is missing half of 1 wing. this is most likely something that happened at a young age, and it prevents him from flying off in search of a mate.

Swamp has a very low tolerance for our flock of Toulouse Geese, but gets along with the 20 ducks and 2 White Emblem geese. He has a thing for white ducks and geese, In the past his buddy was a White Pekin duck. Now appears to have formed a special bond with our two White Emblem geese

I witnessed a very unusual, and I believe to be a very rare occurrence.
Swamp and one of the Emblem geese worked together, side by side to build a nest. They worked together picking up clumps of leaves and working them into the nest. The second Emblem goose was nearby napping.

This is going to be interesting to watch.

Maybe in a couple of months, we will have a Swoose or some Sweese.

The Bone Collector

The study of bones and teeth is referred to as osteology. It is frequently used in anthropology, archeology and forensic science.

It is getting harder and harder to come up with something to do that rivals watching Full House reruns.
Friday after school my goal was to get the kids out in the woods before the next 3 days of rain. When I asked who wants to go bone hunting, Jordan forgot about her favorite TV show and quickly volunteered. The boy agreed to go as long as he could hunt alligators along the way.

We collected bones of a deer that had fallen 2 years ago. The artifacts were spread out in a area covered with thick thorn bushes and you would have thought Jordan was on a Easter egg hunt. She made her way through those thickets like a pro.
She has always showed a strong interest in the odd things I have collected. I don't think she plans on sharing any of her collection with me.
We now have them soaking in a bleach solution, and after we will try to identify the different bones.

Maybe, If Jordan becomes a Anthropologist or Archaeologist, she could take her Old Uncle along to her study locations. I would promise to stay in my rocking chair.

If not I could go alligator hunting with he boy.

Cuckoo For Cocoa Puffs

It must of been a temporary moment of weakness. One of those times when a pair of sweet sad eyes look up at you in the supermarket,
"please can we get Cocoa Puffs"

Do you know it takes less then 15 seconds to prepare a bowl of Cocoa Puffs?

Up until the Cocoa Puffs invaded the house, I thought I was preparing a very special breakfast.

I took the time and sliced fruit, melted cheese on the farm fresh eggs and sliced them into pizza slices, I added, a slice of ham, fruit snacks, 4 chocolate covered raisins, and a couple honey gram snacks. This took me about 15 minutes and I called this the "Breakfast Smorgasbord".

I was crushed when the boy came to me and said, " we need a break from the Smorgasbord.

I do understand, there have been many times when I cooked something up for supper, and even I could not pretend it was slightly palatable. But we are talking about the Breakfast Smorgasbord. My heart went into this meal, and now it has been crushed by Cocoa Puffs.

In broken hearted desperation, I stooped to a all time low, I said, "Cocoa Puffs look like rabbit droppings".
It didn't work.
Now after many sleepless nights, Jeanne had the answer. Cocoa Puffs are for weekends only.
"It worked"

Jungle Jack Hanna

I have been a huge fan of Jack Hanna for a very long time. Seeing him last Sunday in town, at the Jorgensen Auditorium ranks up there on my list of really cool things.

I grew up watching Marlin Perkins. I always wanted to be Marlin Perkins.

Then came Jack Hanna, I always wanted to be Jack Hanna. If you want to read a really fun book,
Monkeys On The Interstate.

Another person I admire is Jane Goodall, I always wanted to be Jane Goodall.

They open our eyes, and take us into the Wild Kingdom.

Testing My Limits

STUPID: given to unintelligent decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner : lacking intelligence or reason.

Sometimes in life we come across people lacking intelligence or reason. I put it that way because I do not like the word stupid.

I came across this person aiming his gun at my geese as they swam up the river.
He aimed, pulled the trigger and I saw a splash behind the geese. I yelled for him to stop, and by the time I got close enough, he was taking aim again. This time I hollered very loud. Even though, this was not my land, after some not so nice language on my part, I ordered him to leave the area. He then started to explain that he has worked with Mansfield's Resident State Trooper, I pulled out my camera, and said, "GOOD, lets see if the Resident trooper recognises your face." He was really fast at covering his face and even faster high tailing it out of there.

I believe he would have killed a goose if I did not come along. And I am exceptionally proud that I didn't throw him in the river.

Local Beauty

No need for traveling to far off tropical locations!
If you want to observe incredible, beauty in the bird world, just look around.
The Wood Duck is said to be one of the most beautiful of all waterfowl. I do agree with this assessment, but I must add, I have always found the Mallard to be equally stunning.

We have a small stream that defines one of our boundary lines, I placed my Plantcam close to the stream, set the camera to snap a shot very 30 seconds, threw some corn in he water, and Shazam!! I caught this picture.

Wood Ducks are not uncommon around here, and we see them often. The challenge is, getting close enough for a photo opportunity. With my Plantcam, I can cheat..
I do hope to get a crisper shot in the near future.

Did I say, "I love my Plantcam"...

Beaver Patrol

The majority of the beaver's diet is made up of tree bark and cambium, the soft green tissue that grow under the bark of a tree.
This pictures shows last nights smorgasbord on the river.

Very early this morning I awoke to music coming from Jordan's room. She had a bad dream about a Fox and could not sleep.
So what to do at 4am when we can't sleep?

Jordan and I headed to the river with a flashlight and cameras in hand. The first thing we spotted was a muskrat, shortly after we heard the awesome sound of a beaver slapping his tail to give warning of the Pink Predator on shore.(Like always, Jordan was dressed in pink) We then spotted the large beaver with our spotlight but, because of darkness we could not get a picture.

It has been awhile since we have seen the local beavers. Here on the river they do not build the traditional lodge associated with beavers. Instead they dig deep tunnels into the river bank.

Jeanne overheard Jordan and myself as we bundled up for our adventure, she thought we were nuts, but thankfully she was much to sleepy to stop us.
And I give Jordan a lot of credit, after having a bad dream about a fox, she was still brave enough to venture outside in the pitch dark.