The Bluebird's Nemesis

I have listened to many Bluebird enthusiast talk about guarding their Bluebird houses from the House Wren. I have heard about Bluebird fans evicting House Wrens whenever possible. this always appeared a bit extreme to me. I always thought, 'How much damage can a tiny little Wren do?

We have a family of House Wrens living in one of the boxes Jordan painted this past Winter. As I watched them, I wondered how this delicate little bird earned such a bad reputation.

I came across a video made with a nest cam by Linda Moore of Georgia. It is somewhat disturbing to watch, but I understand that all the baby Bluebirds were rescued by Linda Moore and her husband.

When Jeanne first watched this video, she immediately ordered me to go out and evict the Wrens. Thinking fast, I told her that studies have shown that keeping a Emu or two will deter house wrens from nesting within a 3 mile radius. Needless to say, I am not getting a Emu or two.

I now understand, but I won't be evicting any House Wrens, I'll just put up more boxes, and I have got to get some of those nest cams.

It appears to show a House Wren removing three out of four newborn Eastern Bluebird chicks from a nest box.

Hang On Baby

She was so strong and dependable, she covered alot of ground with me and we spent many hours together. Spending a couple hours in the evening together was always very soothing and helped me relax. The boy came to know her and loved spending time with her.
Now she fights for her life, and I don't know if I possess the skills to save her, but I must try.

We were together when it happened, I just knew something was wrong, and then I noticed the pool of fresh oil growing drip by drip. I started a transfusion of fresh oil, only to watch it drain from her. I know you should never diagnose a family member, but I think maybe she blew a crankcase gasket. At least I hope this is what has drained the life from her. Anything more serious and I may have to take her out in the field and bury her.

I should never be confused as someone that has mechanical abilities. I know what a wrench is and how it works, but I am not great at engines. But she is my baby and I must try. I have been surgically removing engine parts piece by piece until I get to the root of the problem, I only hope I know what each part is and how it goes back together.

I will try to stay strong for the boy and hope he does not hear me cry myself to sleep, and I would expect Ken to refrain from his usual rants about how his John-Deere Toy Lawn Tractor is so much more superior compared to my trusted 22hp Craftsman GT-3000 Garden Tractor. This is a time for compassion, not a time for mockery.

And to my sweet GT-3000, I am sorry I looked at a 26hp, with a 56inch mower deck, I wasn't serious, you are still my one and only tractor. Please get well soon.

At War With Raccoons

Sigmund Freud defined hate as an ego state that wishes to destroy the source of its unhappiness.

Hate is a extremely strong word, a word I really do not like to use or hear.
The problem words such as; dislike, abhor, abominate, despise, execrate, detest, loathe, just don't seem to match the strong hostility I feel toward Raccoons.

I do not know why I woke up at 2:30 in the morning, with the air conditioner running, I certainly did not hear anything. Something just told me to go outside and check things out.

What I found was a Raccoon reaching his paws in through the chicken wire pen, attempting to pull the young Guinea fowl he just killed through the wire. I chased him off and surveyed the damage. one guinea fowl dead the other missing.

This was not a easy kill, the pen is covered with chicken wire on all sides and the top. Along the ground I buried wire to prevent anything digging under. The pen measures 8'x16' and the only thing in it at the time was 2 young guineas we hatched.

The question now is, how did the raccoon get the birds to come close enough to the edge. Close enough to reach in with it's paw and grab and kill the birds.
After chasing off the murderous raccoon, I went back to bed and when I inspected the cage this morning, I learned that the raccoon came back and chewed a hole in the wire at ground level to get the guinea he killed earlier

I Abhor Raccoons.

Proud Day-Sad Day

I know it happens and there is nothing I can do about it. Children grow up. But do they have to do it so fast?

I have researched all possible remedies for this problem, and unfortunately none appear to be feasible. I thought about feeding less food to stop the growth spurts. I thought that lowering the ceiling in their rooms might trick their bodies into thinking they are tall enough. I have ordered them to stop growing up, but kids don't listen anymore.

A very rewarding time for me has been the countless hours the boy and I have spent together,in the field on the tractor . I would often let him take control of the wheel, the jubilation on his face, would many times result in a triumphant smile, and he would turn and plant a kiss on my check.

As he grows, I know those days on the tractor are numbered. I believe I now have a permanent bend in the leg he sits on.
So I set the tractor in he lowest gear and let him drive it without me. He took this lesson very serious and totally concentrated on the task ahead. ( No!! he does not engage the blades and I am 2' away ) When he finished and climbed off the tractor he walked taller with a certain swagger, he was so proud of what he just accomplished. and I realized my days are numbered. I was proud and Sad.

Sometimes I find myself walking the house singing "Where have all the children gone" sort of my version of Pete Seeger's, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone."

And just when I am on the verge of serious depression over the thought of the kids growing up to fast, The boy walks over to Jordan's room, points his butt into the room, lets go with a loud toot and says; "Take That" Then I hear Jordan yelling at him, and I think to myself.
"We still have time."

Pete Seeger/ Where Have All The Flowers Gone

From time to time, I think I may post a song here.

To Snitch Or Not To Snitch

There is an informant among us, and I am going to start using the same response the kids use. "it Wasn't my fault". When Jordan poured a glass of milk, and the cup tipped over and she continued pouring the milk, all the time saying,"it wasn't my fault". Or the boy, dissecting my favorite flash light, and now it is broken, "it wasn't my fault".

So here goes Dear; When Bo got in the house yesterday, "IT WASN'T MY FAULT" he just followed me, and the bigger issue should be, the enjoyment your kids experienced at my expense when they ratted me out to you.

And before you develop a, "Keep the >/^%#@}* farm animals out of my house" attitude, may I remind you of the following.

Ducks, Geese, Chickens, and Guinea Fowl have hatched in your dining room, Ducks and Geese swim in your bathtub, 2 giant tortoise spent the winter in your playroom. The kids have lizards in their bedrooms, and so do you, you buy crickets for me, your dog wakes you every morning with a lick of the face, you sleep next to someone who snores like a chainsaw, you have and had frogs, salamanders, and toads in your house, you had a snake or 2 in a glass cage on your side of the bed, you have a boy that misses the toilet sometimes when he pees, your house floods, Keek brings home dead mice, you had goats in your car, your kids have hermit crabs that keep me awake at night, your cats throw up hair balls, your dog snores and has gas,you have 26 baby chickens in my basement, and currently you have 2 baby turkeys in your dining room.

So what is the big deal when a goat walks through your house?
It is all about perspective.

It is going to be a long summer if the kids continue to snitch on me!

Bob And Hope

A couple of weeks ago, Jeanne and I went with Tommy's class on a field trip to a farm called Bakerwoods. As we entered we were greeted by a Royal Palm Turkey strutting in full splendor.

First words out of my mouth, "We have to get one"!!
This took some work on my part, and I feel terrible I had to use the spider card.

Here is how that works. " Honey, how about a tarantula instead." She doesn't know that the last thing I want is a giant spider.

It worked!! Introducing, Bob and Hope.


The Royal Palm Turkey is a Heritage Breed Turkey, and a Heritage Breed is everything the engineered "Broad-Breasted White Turkey' found on supermarket shelves is not.

Heritage Turkey breeds include: the Royal Palm, Standard Bronze, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Jersey Buff, Slate, Black Spanish, and White Holland, White Midget and Beltsville Small White.

If you are under 60, chances are you have always eaten a factory produced turkey. The Broad-breasted White Turkey fills 99.99% of store shelves, driving the Heritage breeds to near extinction. The Broad-Breasted White has been engineered to produce large amounts of flavorless white meat, cheap, and fast. This has produced a bird that can't fly, can't survive outdoors, and cannot reproduce without human intervention. It is said that a turkey is so dumb, if rain drops hit their heads, they will look up and drown.

Their was a time when our grandparents and great-grandparents feasted on one of the heritage breeds. This was a time when you did not need to drown your plate of turkey with gravy to get some flavor. This was a time when a turkey was a turkey and not some sort of science project.

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's
Definition of a Heritage Turkey:
Turkeys must meet all of the following criteria to qualify as a Heritage turkey:

1. Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%. This means that turkeys marketed as “heritage” must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock.

2. Long productive outdoor lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years. The Heritage Turkey must also have a genetic ability to withstand the environmental rigors of outdoor production systems.

3. Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in about 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass.

The birds sold in supermarkets take on average 18 weeks to reach the 30 pound range.

Unfortunately, because Heritage breeds are raised in small numbers and take longer to reach marketable size, which is much smaller, the cost will keep most people from enjoying a true turkey at Thanksgiving.

Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Moosup Ct, Charges the following.
Free-Range Turkeys (10 to 40 pounds) - $3.59 per pound
Fresh Heritage Turkeys (8 to 16 pounds) - $7.99 per pound

With all the love and work Jeanne puts into our Thanksgiving meal, I think it would be well worth it

And did I say?, "Bob & Hope are NOT going to be invited to the Thanksgiving table" they are pets...

Below is a example of the Royal Palm Turkey

Out For Summer

Yesterday was the last day of school and I am very proud to say, we now have a 1st grader and a 4th grader.

I believe, the most important and far-reaching profession in this country, is that of a teacher. A great teacher has the ability to instill a very positive and profound impression, they can inspire a child to develop a beautiful passion for learning. A teacher can influence and change lives.

Thank you Mrs Csere, and Mrs Terry, You are great teachers, and Jordan and Tommy will miss you.

Thank You Dr Palmer, It is said that, "Outstanding Teams Are Built By Outstanding Leadership"
You have an outstanding team.

10 Dozen A Week

The phone rang Monday morning at 5:45 am. The Post Office was calling to let us know our 26 baby chicks were there.

I really enjoy having a diverse flock of chickens, instead of just one breed. This collection is guaranteed to consist of at least 5 different breeds, and they will lay eggs tinted in shades of blue, green, pink, brown, and white.

Pick up a piece of notebook paper. It measures 8 ½ x 11 inches, or almost 67 square inches. Now put this piece of paper on a table in front of you. Look at it carefully..
This is more space, then the commercial egg production chicken has for its entire life. The chickens that supply most of the eggs for us are raised in over crowded unnatural conditions. The cages are known as battery cages.

The chickens raised in battery cages, do not know what it is like to spread their wings and run on the ground. They are sent to slaughter when their egg production slows, which is approx 18 months. The last moments of their life is spent hanging upside down on a chain waiting to have their throats slit, many with broken bones because their bones are so brittle they broke during the long trip, usually a trip without food or water. All for cheap eggs.

Do not be fooled by labels on the egg carton. Cage free sounds good, but in reality, cage free hens never go outside. They live in large flocks and the tops of their beaks are cut off,(painfully) to reduce pecking each other.

Mother Earth News conducted an egg testing project. Eggs from battery cage hens, compared to Eggs from free range hens. Their results found that, Eggs from free range hens had up to:

1/3 less cholesterol

1/4 less saturated fat

2/3 more vitamin A

2 times more omega-3 fatty acids

3 times more vitamin E

7 times more beta carotene

Read the excellent article here

Meet Real Free-Range Eggs

Everyone should raise their own free range eggs. Our birds are 100% free range, they go into the hen house at night. We let them out every morning and they roam the pasture and woods, returning to the hen house to lay their eggs and then back out, doing what chickens do.

Bubba and Bo

For his 6th birthday, the boy asked for, a grown up desk, and a truck. So we got him a grown up desk, a toy truck, and Bo the Goat. And since Jordan's birthday is next month, we got her Bubba the goat.

Bo and Bubba are adorable, 5 month old Nigerian Dwarf goats.
Bo and Bubba came to us from Nicole over in Rhode Island, and her twin 5 year old boys, Colby and Carson. Because of Colby and Carson the goats are very acclimated to children


It is thought that when sailing ships were transporting Lions and other large cats from Africa to American Zoos, Nigerian Dwarf goats were loaded as a food source for the large cats. The goats that survived the voyage, became zoo exhibits, before working their way into private collections.

The Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association states that does should ideally be 17 - 19 inches in height with a maximum allowed height of 21 inches, and bucks should ideally be 19 - 21 inches with a maximum of 21 inches

The kids understand they have new responsibilities this summer. They will let them out in the morning, lock them up at night, feed, water, brush, and work with their goats.

They are extremely adorable, and I don't use the word adorable very often.

Just Because!!

Not even I can explain some of the things that go on inside my head. I do not know why, so I can not explain it,but for a very long time, I have wanted a Wooden Cattle Stanchion. A stanchion was used by dairy farmers, mostly during milking. The stanchion would open and then slipped over the cows head and closed. this would hold the cow in place while she was milked.

Now I ask you, how Lucky am I? A fellow in town, not far from my house was giving a few away. I have been cleaning them up with Murphy's Oil soap, and after that I really don't know what I am going to do with them.

A couple of things I do know, not many people have antique wooden cow stanchions, and I now can go sit and look at mine anytime I want.

Maybe we can get a cow or something so we can use them.

Zoning Board Of Appeals

Last night I brought my project before the Zoning Board Of Appeals,and it was not the experience I predicted it would be.

Maybe I pictured a chair in the middle of the room, with hot bright lights shinning down on me while a character like, Sgt Joe Friday interrogates me.

In reality this was a very comfortable setting with a group of local folks who made me feel comfortable and at ease. I felt so comfortable talking with the board members, I was a little disappointed when the meeting was over.

If someone came to me because they had a project that needed zoning approval, my advice would be the following.

First meet with the Zoning Agent. In Mansfield we have Curt Hirsch, who kindly offered his input and advice.

Next show up to the meeting prepared. Have the information they requested and be prepared to answer their questions. They need to understand your project, and the town depends on them to do the right thing, for the town and the homeowner.
And most important, be polite! They are not the enemy..

And if you don't live in Mansfield, bring your dark glasses, maybe your town uses the bright lights.

We received unanimous approval. Thank You...

Vinton Has Courage

Jeanne and I attended the Vinton Talent show today and it was outstanding. We got treated to, drummers, jump ropers, magicians, mimes, joke telling while yo yoing, dance, lip singing, piano, karate, gymnastics, singers, knock knock jokes, recorders, clarinets,saxophone, and a fiddle playing " Long Eared Mule".

Along with math science and history, Vinton School teaches these kids courage. To me, it takes a lot of courage, to perform on a stage in front of your classmates and parents. These kids did it with ease and confidence.
Nobody won, nobody lost.It was awesome!

The only issue I had, and I will most likely send a stern letter of complaint to the school, there must have been a issue with the air circulation system. When Jordan was on stage my eyes got a bit watery. It must have been something in the air.

Make a slideshow design

Heartbroken

The haunting sound of Mama goose calling for her baby adds to the heartbreak. Little Baby Goose disappeared today, and I think we are all feeling the loss. It is now 9pm, and I can still hear Mama Goose, down on the river calling for her baby.

That beautiful little creature, brought us 3 days of sunshine, and gave Swamp a chance at a family that he really wanted.

So very Sad!




We don't know what happened, but my guess would be a Hawk.

Long Night

Snapping Turtles, Owls, Raccoons, Mink, Weasel, Snakes, all these critters entered my dreams at some point during the night.

Little Baby Goose spent the first night on the river and I must have thought of a thousand different heartbreaking scenarios.
Knowing Baby Goose was under the protection of Swamp the Swan, and Mama and Papa Goose, helped a little.

I worried about the goose all night, when a thought entered my pessimistic mind. How on earth will I survive, when Tommy and Jordan start to venture out on their own. Maybe a injectable GPS device...

Well, I am happy to report, Mama, Papa, and Baby Goose returned from the river this morning, followed by Swamp.

Family Of Four

Nap Time

Swamp Smiled

A new baby was born today.

It started around 11am today. Mama Goose became a Mama, and she wanted everyone to know.
First the 12 grey geese came for a look, followed by the chickens and guineas.
Mama and Papa goose had their hands full chasing everyone away, when up from the river came Grandpa Swamp,( the Swan) who immediately took over crowd control.

Both geese are very protective parents and will not let anything near their new baby, except for Swamp. He is allowed to walk up to the baby, and has earned this right.

Swamp has stood guard for the past 30 days, and has gone as far as setting on the nest while Mama and Papa goose returned to the river, sometimes taking an entire night shift.

It will be interesting to watch the dynamics of this family unfold. I hope with Swamps help they can keep this little one safe.

I am somewhat sure, I saw Swamp smile today.

When Momma's Away

In less then 2 weeks, the US Postal Service will deliver a package here containing 26 baby chicks. This is what the hatchery calls the rainbow collection. They will lay brown, white, and tints of blue, green and pink eggs.

Momma won't know until she reads this post.

So here goes....

Honey, Pumpkin, Sweetie, Darling, Dear...... Jordan made me do it....

Perfect Day

Someimes life can't get better!

Tommy brought this home from school today.
Need I say more?

Learning Everyday

I am never to old to learn something new.

Today I learned how to keep my Jeannemarie happy.
If your cat brings you the gift of a dead mouse in the middle of the night, and you thoughtfully get up and drop it in the toilet,
"FLUSH"

Elevation Update!

On June 9th, I go before the Zoning Board Of Appeals. My hearing is set for 7:30 pm and I am not good at speaking in situations like this. "Choke Choke Choke",continues to run through my head. I wonder if I will get extra points if I pass out in the middle of my presentation.

Truth be told, I think it will go very well. I have met a couple of times with Curt Hirsch, Zoning Agent for the town of Mansfield. He is very patient, and did not throw me out of his office when I showed him my drawings.

Because of the front porch and steps I want to construct, I need a "Special Exception" from the Zoning Board Of Appeals. And because my front porch and steps are located in a flood zone, I need a certified engineering report. I also will be required to provide a certified engineered report for the concrete work.


This is when I called, Benjamin Souza, From "Souza Structural Engineering LLC" located in nearby Amston, CT. I gave the kids back their colored pencils, and turned all the design work over to Ben.
Ben has visited the house a couple of times, took thousands of measurements, and also brought in a colleague, Chris Conrad, to consult with. Chris has a son who will start Vinton School next year, and I told him he could not be in better hands.

One of the first things Ben had me do was, have a surveyor out here so we can establish a benchmark elevation. He recommended Towne Engineering, and when I called, Matt and Joe came out the following morning. This happened to be the perfect firm to call. They did some site work out in the area back in 94, and already had some reference points mapped out for our road. If they had not done that work in the past, they would have needed to start a couple of miles away, at a known recorded elevation up on Rt32.
Joe and Matt left me with 3 benchmark elevations on the property and also marked a couple locations on the house with The minimum elevation of 450'. I am not 100% sure, but I think this elevation refers to above sea level.
What this tells me, I need to raise the foundation 5', and for extra comfort, I will probably go six feet.

Instead of waiting until the last minute, I should have completed this work many months ago. That didn't happen, it was only recently the vision came to me.
Now with the help of Souza Engineering, I will soon see my vision on paper, instead of my purple color pencil drawings.

The Boy was a bit disappointed, with all the Engineers stopping by, none of them drive a train.