Fifty Something Going On Six

OK, OK, OK, "I started the fight.

I don't know why I started it.

I had no control over my actions and I would like to blame it on a full moon or some other type of cosmic event.

Hopefully this was only a temporary lack in judgement, but sometimes I revert to six years old.


And Momma,If you can please try and find the bright side to this, I think I read somewhere that eggs are good for your hair.

Visits From A Barred Owl

There's been a whole lot of hooting going on around here lately, and I have had some wonderful opportunities day and night to observe a magnificent Barred Owl.

The Owl by many cultures is considered to be a messenger between earthly creatures and the spirit world. From country to country, region to region, and state to state, The folklore surrounding the Owl is extremely diverse.

Some examples;

Arctic Circle: a little girl was turned into a bird with a long beak by magic, but was so frightened she flapped about madly and flew into a wall, flattening her face and beak. So the Owl was created.
(I like this one)

Scotland: it's bad luck to see an Owl in daylight
(I have always considered myself lucky to see a Owl anytime day or night.)

Sweden: the Owl is associated with witch's

Transylvania: farmers used to scare away Owls by walking round their fields naked.
(Transyvanian farmers walking around naked? Not a vision I want in my head!)

U.S.A: if you hear an Owl-cry you must return the call, or else take off an item of clothing and put it on again inside-out.
(I feel bad now for all those times I showed up for work with my shirt inside out and blamed Jeanne for not checking me before I left the house, now I will blame the Owl.)

Louisiana: Owls are old people and should be respected.

Louisiana French Cajuns: Thought you should get up from bed and turn your left shoe upside down to avert disaster, if you hear an Owl calling late at night.
(What if you have multiple pairs of shoes? I added up all of Jeanne and Jordan's shoes and found it would take 3hrs, 27 minutes and 14 seconds to turn all their left shoes over, and somehow Jordan had more rights then lefts, so I think we will stay out of Louisiana)

New Mexico: the hooting of Owls warns of the coming of witches.
(The Owl appears to be a favorite among witches.)

Jamaica: to ward off the Owl's bad luck, cry "Salt and pepper for your mammy".
(I now find myself reciting this verse as I wander around the yard)

Ireland: An Owl that enters the house must be killed at once, for if it flies away it will take the luck of the house with it.

(I wonder how Irish folk live in Illinois?)

Illinois: kill an Owl and revenge will be visited upon your family.

Mansfield Ct: The hooting of a Owl is some of natures best music.

Victory Garden

From time to time while growing up, my father used the term, "Smart Alec".

I convinced Jordan to help me move some mulch into the garden, when the boy decided enough was enough and decided to spread his blanket out on the pile of mulch in the exact spot Jordan was digging from.
It worked because all my help disappeared.

Jeanne does our food shopping at the market, and with the price of food, she has declared that,"This is the year of the garden", and I want our vegetable garden to be a destination, someplace we enjoy being, not a place that requires attaching a ball and chain on the kids and electric fencing to keep them in there.

Victory Gardens, were vegetable and fruit gardens planted by civilians in their backyards during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the wars.

Our Victory Garden will be our answer to high food prices and will will provide us with fresh, pesticide free produce.

We started building our raised beds built from recycled composite deck boards, and I believe we have enough recycled materials saved up to create our garden destination.

Little Johnny

Using our little incubator,we have hatched Ducks, Geese, Chickens, Guinea Fowl, and Bobwhite quail, now we can add a Royal Palm Turkey to that list. Sunday we had our first Turkey hatch out and Jeanne affectionately named him Johnny.

Hope, our female turkey started laying eggs early this Spring, and she really didn't care were she dropped them. I started finding eggs in the yard, in the driveway and in a small shed. Once I realized they were turkey eggs I started placing them in the incubator, and now we have little Johnny.
Jordan informed me the next one to hatch will be named Frank, and Tommy wants to name one Thomas.


Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. I wonder if they should add turkeys to that list.

We are lucky that Tammy our mail courier has a sense of humor. Bob, our male turkey has a thing for the mail truck, and one of these days, he and his rowdy friends are going to get me charged with harassment of a federal employee

It's A Boy

The Saanen goat originated in the Saanen valley in Switzerland. They are one of the largest goats and are known to be so gentle, they earned the nickname of, "giant marshmallow".

We picked up Willie The Kid from a family who raise a few Saanen goats for their excellent milk. Willie is approximately 2 weeks old and the kids named him after Uncle Willie.

Jordan has taken on the roll of Momma, and Willie needs to be bottle fed 3 times a day.

When baby cries at 5:30am, Momma was quick to feed her new baby.

Below Tommy negotiates for parental rights. He tells Jordan he can be Willie's Dad, and she can be the Mom.

So if Jordan is the Mom, and Tommy is the Dad to this goat, would this make Jeanne the Grandmother to a goat, and Jeanne's parents Great Grand Parents to a goat?

We will need to ask that question to Great Grandpa George!

Another Chapter Closed

Tuesday we passed our final inspection and we now have our Certificate of Occupancy. This does not mean we are finished with the project, it means we now can legally occupy the addition. We still have a lot of finish work to accomplish, and a couple of weeks worth of clean up thanks to the flood we experienced earlier this month.

This does mean we do not have any deadlines for the first time in seven months. Nothing needs to be finished today, tomorrow, next week, or next month. No contractors will be coming and going, no contractors will be waiting for me to finish something so they can finish something.

I explained to Jeanne the feeling of relief I was feeling, like I had run a marathon or climbed a mountain and finally reached the top of the mountain or crossed the finish line. I explained how giddy I felt inside knowing that I have no deadlines to meet.

She reminded me to get the trash out to the curb by 6am, Jordan to violin by 8am, the kids to school by 9am, register the boy for T-ball before the deadline, take the dog to the vet, pickup crickets for the lizards, pickup the kids by 3:30, and what was I making for supper?

So much for my nap!!!

For You And Me

In 1940, Woody Guthrie wrote "God Blessed America For Me". This was his reply to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which filled the air waves at the time, and was sung by Kate Smith.

Woody Guthrie felt God Bless America was somewhat unrealistic, and after writing "God Blessed America For Me", he changed the words to, "This Land Was Made For You And Me".

The other night the boy started singing this song and when I asked him, he said he was learning the song in school. We had a great sing along, until Momma and Jordan pulled the plug so they could sleep. ( no need to cover your ears, I was not recorded)




THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
words and music by Woody Guthrie

Chorus:
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!

Chorus

In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.

Interspecies Cooperation

For the second year in a row, I find myself captivated by Swamp the Swan and his desire to be part of a family. Swamp and our pair of White Emblem geese have selected a spot to build their nest within some flood debris in our back yard.
Swamp joins in building the nest and if he repeats his actions from last year, he will take turns setting on the eggs.

Flood 2011

Hours after the river peaked on Tuesday morning, I found myself mesmerized by the magnificent volume of water still riping by the house.

The Connecticut flood of March 2011 will go down in my book as the second worst flood I have experienced. If we had not elevated the house when we did, we would be homeless at this time, The water would have filled our basement to the top, only inches away from the floor boards, and this would have wiped out our furnace, water, and electrical. We also would have lost the kids play room.

I do not, and can not think about the situation we would have found ourselves in if we found ourselves flooded out of our home and had to rebuild it again. I get a queasy feeling thinking about it.

If you take into consideration the magnitude of this flood, and what could have been, it is surprising that the stress level was lower then any other flooding event we have experienced. Was this luck? Absolutely not! This was do to a lot of hard work from a lot of people, and I am so grateful to John Jackmen, Fran Raiola, and Jennifer Thompson up at the Town of Mansfield's Fire Marshalls office, the Folks at Fema, and The State Of Connecticut Dept of Emergency Management.
My family is sheltered by the home they love because of the Town of Mansfield was willing to take on this project.



What a difference a year makes. The kids love it when we need to use the little red school bus to get to school, and when I compare shots from last year to this year, I realize how fast they are growing, and I want it to slow down.

March 2011

March 2010

WaterFront Camp For Rent

Do you enjoy fishing? Do you love to swim? If you enjoy being a part of nature, this waterfront camp is for you.

We are taking reservations for the 2011 season. Don't wait, book your dream vacation now while we still have a few openings.

A Little Inconvenience

I really thought, just because we put all the brutal hard work into our renovation, it would never flood down here again.

Wrong Again!!

Mother Nature decided the snow and extreme cold this winter was not enough. She has decided to test us with a substantial March flood.

The good news is, we are sitting high and dry with no worries that we will loose everything again to flood waters.

The bad news is, because the road is under 2 feet of water none of the contractors were able to get here today. I guess they never heard of a boat.

The worst part of this was I still had a considerable amount of property stored in the back yard and we were unable to move the camper, but the way I figure it, if I can renovate a home, I should be able to fix the camper.

Below are some shots of todays flood waters.


Above is a shot of the river taken about a week ago.
Below is the same view early today.



Above a week ago.
Below today.


No this is not a calm river lined with pines. This is Steve my new neighbor paddling down his driveway. This is his first flood since he bought the property.



Something tells me we won't be receiving mail today.


Standing in our driveway looking down the street.


This is where I park my car. Approximately 30 minutes after I took this picture I looked out and the canoe was gone.
The water came up high enough to float it away in a short period of time.

I did recover it.


We are hoping that the river peaks soon and starts receding or we will start to experience a new level of inconvenience.

Almost

Today was "Almost done day".

How you doing on the rafters? Almost Done!
How you doing on the sheetrock? Almost Done!
How you doing on the railings? Almost Done!
How you doing, How you doing, How you doing???

ALMOST DONE!!

We had many pieces of the puzzle almost done, so Ron, Willie and myself spent today getting many of those pieces to a point were we can drop the almost and say, "Done".

This upcoming week is a big one. If all goes as planed, we will pass our final inspection with the town building officials, and close out the grant. The work will continue, and most likely will continue for some time to come, but all the contractors will be finished and their final invoices will be submitted this week and everything required to close out the grant will be complete.

The finish work will be left for me to complete and there is not a single cell in my body that even remotely enjoys painting. Unfortunately, I have seen what Jeanne can do with a paint brush, and no offense sweetheart, but I think the goats could do better.

I could not be more pleased with the siding installed by Earl Logdson. The above picture is Earl and Willie putting the final touches on the front. We also made a major decision. Instead of the barn red color Jeanne and Jordan wanted me to paint the house, they decided they really liked the color of the grey primer on the cedar siding, so we will paint the house grey.

We have come a long way. Below is a picture of the side of the house now and a picture of the 90 degree hot humid day Ron and I started the demolition work.

Keep Your Coat On

It takes approximately 50 Mink, give or take, to make a Mink coat.

I personally believe the fur looks much better on the Mink, like the Mink I spotted this morning running along the river bank.

The view from our new loft gets better everyday.

Perfect Morning

I do not need to remind myself why I love this piece of paradise we call home. But if I did need a reminder, all I would need to do, is take a morning like I experienced today.

Early this morning I ventured up to the upper level of our addition,(from this point on it will be known as, "The Loft"). While looking down on the river I had the opportunity to watch a Pileated Woodpecker, a flock of Mallards, a small group of Hooded Mergansers, a pair of Common Mergansers, and while I watched all these spectacular animals, a Bald Eagle swooped down and made a unsuccessful attempt at fresh duck for breakfast.

This was all in a 20 minute time span. Unfortunately I had just turned off the camera when the Eagle made his appearance, but I did catch a shot of the Mergansers and Woodpecker.


The Common Merganser. I do not understand why anyone would name this bird Common.


The Hooded Merganser. This is one of my favorites.


The awesome Pileated Woodpecker


I love every inch on this homestead.

Show A Little Mercy, Please!

It appears that Mother Nature has more then snow up her sleeves. Her latest challenge will be rain, and lots of it. The prediction is 1-2 inches of rain today with a flood watch in effect for today. On Monday the prediction is for another 1-2 inches of rain.

The snow pack may contain another 3 inches of water and as the snow melts, combined with the possible 4 inches of rain through Monday, the landscape around here will go from a deep snow pack to a very possible major flooding event.

This view from our new top floor will change dramatically over the next few days. We can only hope Mother Nature will show a little mercy

Pretty In Pink

This is probably one of the most interesting, and oddly beautiful creatures I have come across in a very long time.
If you do not recognise this interesting critter, it is a Hairless Rat, and I think that the kids and I should each get one.

The Search Is On!!!

Another Step Forward

One small step, One giant leap! The last time we did laundry in the house was sometime back in September of 2010. Today we did laundry at home. It was awesome!

I was extremely pleased that the washer still worked. Before we moth balled it for the past 6 months, we had problems with it and I took it apart in a uneducated attempt to fix it, and when I could not figure out how to put it back together, I duct taped it back together. It may be ugly, but it works and that's OK with me.

This is a big step for us,and now I don't feel guilty if I change my clothes more than once a week. I knew I was pushing my luck when the boy asked me why I smell like the cow barns up at Uconn. I don't think he was complaining, I think he was worried I went up there without him.

"Blink" The Weather Changed

What do you get when you add 1200 sq feet of roof shingles (36 bundles or 12 squares), plus 5 rolls of 30lb roofing felt, plus 3.5 rolls of water and ice protection, plus numerous pieces of step flashing, and add 6400 roofing nails with a whole lot of labor.
What do you get?
Answer - a roof.

Mother nature did not make this roofing project easy. Throughout Connecticut, roofs have been a issue this winter and attempting to install a new roof with the mountains of snow we received, and shoveled off the roof, and the bitter cold that turns a pliable roof shingle into something brittle like glass, has been a major challenge.

A week or so ago, it was difficult to feel your fingers or toes because of the bitter cold. Yesterday Earl Logsdon, from "Logsdon Contracting" was up on the roof in a tee shirt working up a sweat.
New England weather, "Blink and it changes".

With all the roofing complete, This is the first time in a very long time that the outside weather is not a issue and will not keep me awake at night.

Do Not Try This At Home.

In my younger days, my father would look at me after I did something he would consider dangerous, or something he thought lacked any reasonable amount of common sense, and he would say, "if you only had half a brain".

This morning I walked out onto the frozen river, and as I crossed over to get to the other side, I thought about the frigid water still flowing below the ice and I heard my fathers voice speak to me from the grave,"IF YOU ONLY HAD HALF A BRAIN".
I think this time I truly understood what he was trying to say, and I agreed with him.

It is not only the inconvenience of the extreme amounts of snow, but the sub zero temperatures are taking a toll. The river is frozen solid with only a few tiny pockets of open water. I have never seen this river freeze so solid during the winter.

Walking out on a frozen river would not be considered a smart move, but I did get this shot of the house from the middle of the river.

Looking up river.

Looking down river.

Venture wonders if it is to late to fly south.

A little color in a white landscape.


If I ever find the other half of my brain, I think life would become boring.