Neatest (flea) market ever!

That would be Renniger's in Kutztown, PA. 

We found it by accident one day when we were on vacation and just cruising the back roads for flea markets, etc.  Then we found out that it is a very well-known place for their twice-a-year antique fairs.  But they also have a weekly open-air weekend flea market, year-round, weather permitting. 

We've never been to the flea market outside, when it's in full swing,  as it falls the same day as the big reptile swap we go to in Hamburg, but the indoor booths are almost as much fun.  There is one unique vendor who has a permanent spot under the outdoor pavillion.  He stocks "parts" so if you have a lamp that's missing a shade, or a finnial, or you have a jar with no lid, or you needed that extra door handle to match up with the three you already own, chances are, he has one in stock.

Everything is organized by type (handles, lamp parts, lids) and color.  And he has more than what's on the tables, of which there are a few as you can see.  But there's so much more to Renniger's. They have a huge, long barn that houses a good number of flea market/antique booths, a Pez dispenser swap, and an amazing deli and fresh produce market.

 (Dennis in the doorway of the barn.)

The Amish, or Quakers, and others, have great displays of fruits and vegetables they've grown on their farms, and there are baked goods, and butcher shop-type displays where you can buy fresh cuts of meat, sausages, etc, etc, or you can have a meal at one of the indoor restaurants.   They're not restaurants with walls, just a few chairs set up near a counter where people are cooking. 

 (Produce down one of the aisles.)

You may wonder about what the health department thinks of all this, but I can tell you, the place is popular beyond belief.  And the smells will make your mouth water as soon as you set foot inside.

 (One of the many meat vendors.)

There's another Rennigers in Pottstown, PA which is about 30-40 miles north of Kutztown, and also the home of Yuengling Beer, but we like the atmosphere at Kutztown a little more.

I'm in love with my Forester!

No, it's not a big, burly guy wearing a plaid shirt.  It's a car, a vehicle, an SUV, or really an oversized station wagon!  But as with so many things, the term "station wagon" is not "classy", so SUV it is! 

Now mine is a real SUV as it's all-wheel-drive, which I really don't know the difference between that and four-wheel-drive.  Again, it could be what ever sounds "classier."  AWD sounds more urban/suburban, where as 4WD sounds more rugged, manly, outdoorsy, rural, and not at all sophisticated.

Anyway, I was in the market for this car for over a year.  I originally saw one parked at a wildlife area where I like to hike.  I liked the size, the style, and the fact that it should go near anywhere.  Since I got a new job where I drive alot, I decided it was time for the car, plus I could now afford to make payments.  Ugh! 

Subaru makes them, and we have a Subaru dealer in the area, but they're not well-liked (the dealer) so I looked elsewhere.  And I looked, and I looked, and I looked.  I looked at eBay, Craigslist, Autotrader.com.  I went to dealers out of the area.  I was looking for a used one, and there were none to be found.  If you go out West, or out East, they're everywhere.  Around here, they're practically unheard of.

I was sitting in McDonald's, reading a local advertising newspaper.   I never read car ads, but I needed to kill some time, so I succumbed.  Lo and behold, I found a description of the car I wanted, at a Ford dealer, who just happened to be on the way home from where I was!  And even the price was right. 

I stopped there on the way home, cruised the lot to make sure the car was still there, found it, talked to the salesman who pulled the car around for me to see, and fell in love!   It had all the bells and whistles I could ever ask for.  If I were to special order this car, the only thing I would have changed would have been the color.  I really, really wanted a light or white colored car, as they're easier to keep clean, and this one is dark grey!

It's got heated leather seats.  It's got remote start!  It's got a sun roof!  It's set up for satellite radio!  And now it's mine more or less...

I thought about going back to the Ford dealer to tell him that Im sorry, but I will never buy a car from him again, as I'm keeping this one forever!  Or unless he starts to sell Subarus when this one finally bites the dust.   Which will be a long time coming, as owners tell me they drive them 200-300 thousand miles and they keep on ticking! 

I should go back to the lending bank too because they looked at me as though I were nuts when I told them I wanted a Forester, but had never even driven one!   Test driving this one only strengthened my resolve that this was the car for me.

Now if I could only get Subaru to make me their spokesperson, and give me a free one so I wouldn't have car payments...hmmm...

Sorry Starbucks!

I recently bought a new "go" cup at Starbucks, as I needed a certain shape (not flared at the bottom) to fit in my car's cup holder.  I wanted a deeper cup than I already owned, and Starbucks had one that I liked, and I liked the picture/design on the cup.  It was not cheap, even with the free first cup of joe.   But I read the advertisement on the bottom, and the cup was Made in America, and of recycled materials!  I've been trying to buy more and more products made in America as we need all the help we can get to get this economy on the mend, and jobs back to our fellow citizens.  And I try to recycle as much as I can. 

Well, the cup had a design flaw, in my opinion.   The lid, when "flipped back and locked in place" would hit me in the nose when I tried to drink out of the cup.   I cannot adequately explain the problem, but it just would not work for me.  So I returned the cup.  BUT, they had yet another cup, even deeper, with a better designed lid!  I was now excited and forgiving at the same time. 

Then I looked at the bottom of the cup for the obligatory information including price.  The cup was the same price, but made in China.  I did not buy the cup.  Think about it, same company, bigger cup (okay that may have made  a small difference in cost-per-cup to the American company), different design which was okay, said nothing about being recycled (which again can be a cost deterrent), and the price which was about 3 times what you would pay for a similar cup at the gas station.   

I'll pay a little more for something made in the USA.  

Farm country in Pennsylvania

Can't say enough about the beautiful farm country in Pennsylvania.

This farm was just down the road from the totem picture in the previous post.  

Roadside attractions...

There is a fun show on PBS called something like Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations.  Two or three guys just cruise the highways and byways of American and do stories on some things they see.  Probably we've all done that, saw something interesting in passing along a road, and wondered "...what was that?..."

While in Pennsylvania, we were going down a country road that we were familiar with, although we had not been down this end of the road, and came across this sight...

 It's on the front lawn of a small business, that was closed at the time we found this.  Don't know anything about it, but how cool is this? My hat's off to the artist! 

Howdy!

I love these guys!  I remember the first time I rode through the town of Marionville, MO, and saw the "HOWDY tanks" as they're affectionately known.   They line up along the roadside, when you drive into town on the main highway.   I think they either held kerosene, or diesel fuel at one time.  They're almost as well known as the white squirrels (which also occur in Red Bud, Illinois.)

A few years back the tanks were to be removed.  There was such a hue and cry, that the tanks not only were left standing, but repainted!  Here's how they looked just a few weeks ago.

Doesn't that just make you feel good???!!

Love found, love lost...

Americans have a love affair with their cars...when they first buy them.  They wash them.  They polish them.  They brag about them to their friends.  But after a while, various things can happen.  The styles change.  Personal  needs change.  The bloom is gone from the flower, and the cars find themselves abandoned along the roadside.  While traveling the back roads for my job, I came across some of these cars sitting in tall grass, with sale signs on them. 

These are not necessarily abandoned, broken down heaps, with dents, and damage, but even though they have "For Sale" signs on them, and phone numbers, they are vacated in places where the weather and rodents can take their toll.  Every day they sit make their worth a little less so.  The love we once had for them is now lost.

Let me present two Pontiac Fieros.  They aren't made any more, but I guess, in their time, they were quite the sporty cars, and very much appreciated.  Makes you wonder what the story is behind them.  If they could talk, what would they say?  Who loved them and left them?

Eavesdropping on a sad conversation...

We were sitting in McDonald's, in Eureka Springs, AR, this morning, it wasn't crowded, and three young people (under age 20 most likely) were sitting a few tables away.  They weren't loud, but since the restaurant was so quiet, their conversation was readily audible to us.  These were good looking kids, dressed decently, not raggedy, not trying to portray a statement such as punk, or Goth, or gang-banger. Just kids.

One young boy, in particular, made some comments that just shook us to the core.  He mentioned to his friends that he had three felony arrests already, as if it were a common occurence, and "stuff happens."   I don't know if it was the same young man, or his friend, who said he dropped out of school at age 13!

As we left, we pondered where they got the money to buy anything at McDonald's.  Do they steal?  Pan-handle?  Sell drugs?  Get money from absentee parents?   

A sad thing to see and observe, but what can be done?  I sure don't have any answers for these kids except the obvious...go back to school, get a job, start to fly right.  But they're strangers to me.  Where are their authority figures?  Does anyone even care about them? 

Would you "trick or treat" at this house?

While on vacation in Pennsylvania, we went to see the Yuengling (pronounced "ying ling") Brewery in Pottsville.  It's right smack dab in a residential neighborhood, so as we were driving around the block looking for a parking place, I spotted this house.  Do the Adams live here?  Didn't see Morticia out sweeping the sidewalk, but who knows...

I love the way the really big, really old pine trees surround the house.   More on the brewery in a later post.

Color popping up where you least expect it!

I thought, before I go on with my "vacation blogs", of which there will be a few, I'd talk about the moving Morning Glories around my house.

This year we had a bit of a drought.  That is hardly enough water to keep the plants thriving.  We did have rain but it was spotty, and so I was left to water, which was probably not as timely as it could have been.  That being said, my Morning Glories were not as beautiful as they had been in years past.  This picture is from a couple years ago when they grew all over the front deck of the house.  Unfortunately I took this picture in the afternoon, and as everyone knows (or as I learned!) the blooms are only there in the morning and close up during the day.

I also learned, that once planted, these guys come back year after year.  And they travel!  I mean, their little seeds fly around, or are carried around.  This particular summer I found them in the back yard!  In what we "lovingly" refer to as our grass.  It's just a weed pile we keep cut short.  And with all the sunflower seeds that land there from the myriad bird feeders, it's more of a mulch pile.   Since we do cut that part of the "grass" we cut down the flowers, although I'm sure they'll be back.

We do have a "brick patio" or rather a raised area that had some significance to the previous owners, and I found a few little plants growing there, and blooming.  I did get a picture of a flower, amongst the leaves, and bricks. 

Lookming forward to seeing where they show up next year!

More unknowns...

Found this guy on the back door of the shop.  Haven't identified him yet.  About the same size as the Tomato Hornworm, but it ain't...wrong color.  I'm NOT a caterpillar person, but they are fascinating to see...

They were found on a Virginia Creeper vine, for what that's worth.  Probably a moth caterpillar, but which moth?  I tried Google, but they let me down.  I do have access to a very good Moth/Butterfly/Caterpillar book, at the Nature Center, so I'll have to research it there.  Stay tuned...

Musk thistles...need more be said?

The scourge of all land owners, at least the ones who give a @#$%^.

I spent a few hours mowing the pasture, and trimming back thistles, and filled three 50 lb. feed sacks.  I do this every year, and it has kept the damn Musk Thistles under control, somewhat.  It is against the law to let them get out of hand, but tell that to my neighbors, and try and keep the peace!

 To those who are unknowing, Musk Thistles are like dandelions on steroids!  They are pretty (see picture), but they also have very thorny stems, and animals will not eat them!  The seed is enticing to Goldfinch, and there is a wasp, I believe, that lays their eggs on the plant, and the little insectlings then eat their way out through the seed heads.  Unfortunately there are not enough Goldfinch or wasps to keep the plants under control.

I did hear of one person who was showing pictures from a recent vacation and just raved about the beautiful purple flowers alongside the road.  Yup...they were MUSK THISTLES!!!

Of course while I was mowing, I did see some pretty flowers that have purpose and value.  These grow all over our property.  Why, I do not know.  They just popped up the past few years.  They're called Passion Flowers, and can be white, as shown below, or pink.  they have a neat fleshy fruit which is edible, although by the time I find the "ripe" ones, some other animal has found it first, and taken a bite or more.    The downside of these plants, is that they are viney, and when mowing I try to mow around the patches that seem thickest, but then I get tripped up!

On the lookout for Dots again!

In a very early post I wrote about the dearth of Dots at the grocery store, especially Crows, which are still my absolute favorite.    Since that time, I guess my ranting made their way to the proper authorities, because I can find Crows at almost any grocery store I go in to.   In fact, they are ofter sold down, and I find myself buying the last box(es.)

Now I'm on the rampage for Tropical Dots!  I have heard from sources in the know, that they are currently in production.  I still cannot find them on the grocery store shelves.  I do find Yogurt Dots or Sour Dots  (two of my least favorite) almost every time, but the only place I found Tropical Dots lately, was at a convenience store, and not one I visit very frequently, if at all.

Great candy, made in America, and I cannot find it!  Guess I've gotta start that write-in/call-in campaign again!  My cravings could probably help one more person get a job in the candy industry!

Maybe Oprah was right...

...about "not eating beef again."  Wasn't that because of the way some of them are raised and/or slaughtered?  Raising them in one thing; slaughtering them is another story with other issues.

I just finished a book called  Animal Factory by David Kirby, about CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations.)  In essence, factory farms.    Since I have an Ag background, through my schooling, I thought this was a rather positive idea.  When I was in college, in the early 70s, we went to visit some poultry farms in Indiana, which raised birds in confinement; and had laying hens in confinement.  This was thought to be efficient, healthy (enough) for the birds, and safe.  After reading Mr. Kirby's book, I'm beginning to question whether I want to eat any meat products at all!

The manure problems are enormous, and not that easy to deal with.  The documented failings of these farms to prevent pollution from getting into the water systems is appalling.  The air pollution and falling land prices for surrounding properties has been proven.  Last, but not least, the true welfare of the animals is practically non-existent.  And because they are often physically stressed, they are fed additives to help them cope.  These additives have an effect on our own personal health, on down the line, as those additives can be in the form of antibiotics and/or hormones that are not processed out of the food chain.  Just today there is news of a salmonella outbreak which appears to be antibiotic resistant, and at least one person has died. 

Farmland around here has become premium as housing developments take over.  Farming doesn't actually pay for the farmer to just farm.  They all have to keep outside jobs and this can lead to an 80 hour work week, or more!  Farming is truly a labor of love.

I'm starting to look for true organic food more and more, but its hard to find.  Since there are only two of us in the household, I'll pay the extra cost, jsut to keep myself healthier, and the true farmer in business.  Big business can't run everything!

When the new becomes the old becomes the new...

Is that confusing enough?  I say this because I like to haunt antique shops and flea markets.  I've been doing this for a few years now and I've seen a change in merchandise that's interesting, and confusing, to me.

I have been seeing items that are identical to things I've bought, or have been given as gifts, etc, years ago.  They're not "old" by antique standards (100 years or more?), but they're probably from the 70s, and perhaps early 80s.  Mostly dishes and glasssware. 

This got me to wondering...what's the "shelf life" of  a household item.  If I've kept it for 20 years, is it time to replace it, regardless of how good or useful  it may still be?  Should it be replaced with something "newer" just because it is newer?

 Have the owners of these items finally decided enough is enough, and they must go?  Or have the owners reached the ends of their lives, and the heirs are getting rid of these things because they have no sentimental attachment?

So there's my claim  that my (once) new stuff is now my old stuff, which is going to be someone else's new stuff!

Hill Billy Can Crusher!

I've been living out in the sticks far too long!

We, or rather I, collect aluminum cans because we can recycle them and get real money for our efforts.  The cans take up a lot of room unless they're crushed, and I wanted to max out what I could carry in the car to the recycling center.   I've been wanting to get a can crusher, but the few places around here that sold them, have since discontinued that item.

Then I went to a flea market two weeks ago, and saw one there, brand new, in the original box, for the sum total of $7.00 and DID NOT BUY IT!!!  (Duh!)  I had my eye, and money  focused on other stuff.  I did go on-line to see what I could find, and that $7.00 was cheap!!!  If I see it again, I'm grabbing it.  But in the mean time I did the next best thing...used the car to crush them on the driveway!    So of course this means...PICTURES!!!

I use bags that I get my sunflower seed in.  They're a woven, plasticized material, and quite sturdy.  This bag was very full, and even had some cans tin it that had already been crushed.

Then I spread the cans out on the ground behind the car.  I tried leaving them in the bag, but the car just pushed the bag around, and the cans did not get crushed.  Another better idea would be to try to put them in the paths of the wheels. 

After going back and forth about 4-6 times, this is what was left.  The few cans I missed, got crushed underfoot.  I did worry a bit about the aluminum cutting into a tire, but the metal is so soft, I figured I'd just chance it.  So far so good.  Notice the dog, in the upper right hand corner, staying cool.  She was no help during this at all.

This is how "full" the bag was after the cans were crushed and put back in.,  Lotsa room left!

Just another view, with the bag folded over, so you can see how much space was saved. 

I guess I could figure out that if I get 25 MPG in the car, and go less than l/8th mile, and gas today around here is $3.62/gallon...how many times could I do this and save that $7.00 cost of the crusher???

 Maybe I'm overthinking this whole thing! 

Cancer- good, bad, just plain ugly!

The husband of a friend of mine has lung cancer.  The only good thing I can say at this point is that it was supposedly small, and hopefully caught in plenty of time.   (The bad and the ugly views of cancer are legion.)  He was a smoker, but had quit a few years ago.  He is also a Viet Nam vet, so I don't think anyone could definitively answer where his cancer came from.  His wife has been sending weekly updates on his condition.  The results are startling, and scary. 

When we hear about someone undergoing chemo, and radiation, we probably shrug and think "Okay, he'll lose his hair, and he'll be nauseous, and then all will be well."  Hardly the case in this instance.   The waves of nausea, the chills, the weakness, the blood transfusions (make that numerous transfusions!), the endless ups and downs of his cell counts (white, red, etc.etc.), and other areas of concern are unbelievable.   

This has all been going on for weeks, probably more than a month or two if I were to really think about it, not just days.  And just when you hear that the radiation is over, and you assume all involved parties can breath a sigh of relief, they've been told that his type of cancer has a way of spreading to the brain, so he needs more prophylactic treatment to keep that from happening.

This couple is lucky in that they have very, very good health insurance, through their employer, and the US government (since he was a Purple heart veteran.) But how does one cope, when their own health insurance may have limitations on what they'll pay?  Lose their home?  Lose their savings?    Isn't it enough they're losing their minds with one crisis after another, without having to worry about who's paying for all this?

We're all hoping this has a happy outcome, although it's sure taking a long time to get there.  And let's also hope this is as close as the majority of us come to such devastating circumstances.   They are really bad and get even more ugly!

The buzzards were circling...

...while I was mowing the front pasture.  I had heard from other people that when a farmer is out haying, the vultures and hawks like to follow the tractor around to see what sort of varmints they'll scare up.  I can attest that on some occasions I have seen mice, rats, turtles, and a black rat snake.  The snake and turtles I relocated.  The rodents can fend for themselves.  Sometimes the dog followed me so she could get them, but it's been too hot for her to get excited about it.

Speaking of hot, it's also very dry.  We haven't had a good soaking rain in weeks or perhaps even a couple months?  I was talking to a friend of mine in Austin, Texas bemoaning the fact that it was so hot and dry.  While his temperatures were not that much above mine, he did say that they haven't had rain since last November, so that kinda shut me up!

The upside of my mowing was that the pasture looks nice and clean, and neat.  The downside is that the grass is very dry and if I put the horses back in there, I'll have an erosion problem if they pull it up by the roots and eat it.  Their own, other pasture, looks okay for now, but I didn't mow it totally before I moved them there.

At least I can say the buzzards were not circling for me!

For women (or quirky men) only!

Does the hair on your legs grow faster than the rest of your body?  Now you all know you don't always shave as often in the winter time as the summer, as you're wearing long pants more often than shorts or skirts.  But in the summer, there are so many more occasions for your legs to be seen, thus creating the need for extra shaving time.

I thought I just shaved two days ago, and yet, when taking my shower this morning, I saw stubble!  I'm not going any place where I might want to expose my legs, so I let it pass, but tomorrow may be a different story.   That being said, if my hair roots grew out as fast, I'd need to get a touch-up every two weeks or even more often.  Now I just get it touched up every couple months.  Of course my hair is now much more grey, so the color difference is not as noticeable, I suppose.

On the flip side, if my hair grew that fast, I could cut it short and if I didn't like it, wait a couple months, and it would be down to my shoulders again; not that it ever was down to my shoulders! 

Anybody know where I can get cheap electrolysis???

Craig's List...always something to chuckle about...

I started looking more seriously at things on Craig's List these past couple months.  I equate it to following eBay, except the stuff is local, so if I find something interesting, there are no shipping charges, and no fees, if I'm selling.  I have to say that I have never posted anything for sale on CL myself, although I have on eBay.

I do have to say that the people who use eBay seem to be a bit more sophisticated than the folks on CL.  Better descriptions,  better spelling, better grammar overall.  Today I had the chuckle of the week. 

A chair was listed as a "Chip and Dale" chair, not a "Chippendale" chair.  The chair was indeed Chippendale, had the proper legs, etc, but was probably not used by the infamous cartoon characters!    As I look at the ad again, the feet might be attributed more to Louie XIV, but NOT the chipmunks!  And did I mention, the sellers want $225 for it?

I'd bet it's hard to get serious buyers when the description is so flawed.

Joplin, as I saw it...

If you live in the United States and you have not heard about the tornado that went through Joplin, you've been living under a rock!  I finally went there today, to help somewhere as you need to go with a purpose, and worked with a gal who was serving free meals to anyone working on clean-up, etc, etc. 

As they say "Pictures cannot even tell the whole story" and they don't but I tried to take a few pictures that will help some of you to understand.   There were pictures I missed, and pictures that didn't turn out as I saw it, but here they are.  There has been some clean-up as it's been over a month already, but there is still so very much to do! 

Let me first show the food train that was established in the O'Reilly Auto Parts  parking lot.  We served people who stopped by to eat, and we took meals around to neighborhoods where there are people working, and people who refuse to leave their homes due to the potential of looting, etc, etc.

If you see the blue in the background, that's not a lake, it's a blue tarp on the roof of the house across the street.  This was on Rangeline and 14th.  The tornado seemed to run down 14th Street, and if you lived on one side, you were almost unscathed, if you lived on the other side, not so lucky!

While driving around we came upon a house that not only blew down, it burned!  Talk about adding insult to injury.  This appeared to be one of those old, brick, two-story, turn of the century houses, and now is less than a shell.

Further down that same street, this lot was cleaned off, but the washer and dryer were left.

This house was in fairly nice shape, except for the 2x6 (?) that was spiked through the porch roof!

There were signs all over for help, including  clean-up, roof repair, even counseling.  This was one of the more interesting, non-denominational signs I saw.

The clean-up will take months, the rebuilding will take years.  Now I can only imagine what the people of New Orleans went through after Katrina, and they're still trying to rebuild!

YUCK!!!

Found these gorgeous creatures on my tomatoes this morning!   Pulled the whole stem off, and threw it into the little tank that we're keeping a pair of small snapping turtles in.  They ate them with relish! 

They are "tomato hornworms" which metamorphose into (or would have) Sphinx moths.   And that's Dennis' hand.  I wouldn't get that close!  Snakes yes (go figure), caterpillars...NO!!!

Your tax dollars at work!

We really need to spend more money on education!

As some readers may know, we live in a rural area.  We have to drive down a two-lane road, "H Highway" which runs into our road, to get to town.  H Highway is about 3 miles long, total.    It is state-maintained, by MODOT (Missouri Department of Transportation.)  They mow the grass along the sides of the road, they plow it in the winter, they put up complimentary signs for those organizations who want to pick up trash along the road, and keep it pretty.  This is common in Missouri, and perhaps many other states as well.

So at the beginning and the end of H Highway, there are these signs.

 

I put both signs up, so you wouldn't think I just took a picture of one sign, or lied about the fact that both signs are misspelled!!!  If you can't see the problem, look at the way "highway" is spelled.  So not only did the highway department screw up, they screwed up twice!!!

As frosting on the cake, I have never seen anyone picking up trash along this road.  You can get specially colored plastic bags (generally bright blue or orange) from the highway department for such purposes as they then know to pick up the bags when they see them on the roadway.

Welcome to America! 

The Killing Field

It happened again.  A trail of Blue Jay feathers outside my back door.  This is probably the third time I've found this phenomenon.  Score "plus one" for the hawk, and "minus one" for the Blue Jay.  I've never actually seen it, just the aftermath.

I believe it to be a hawk, as I've seen them swooping around the back of the house, upon occasion.  One nearly ran into my forehead as I was coming around the corner to go inside after work.  Flew so fast I couldn't even begin to tell you what type of hawk!

We get sooooo many birds at our feeders, from three varieties of woodpeckers, to every type of local sparrow.  The Blue Jays, not so much.  And as this goes on, they're becoming less and less.  Wonder what the attraction is.  Are they too "blue" for the hawk?  Although I must say, I have Indigo Buntings (not truely blue) and Bluebirds in abundance.  Are they too cocky in their demeanor?  Do they not heed the warnings the other birds give out when they spy a hawk?

I also wonder what's happening at the nest of the Blue jays?  If indeed there is a nest.  Or was a nest. 

As my "forest" behind the house changes with trees growing, trees falling, vegetation changing, so the bird dynamics change also.  Every day brings renewed insight.

When is a yellow light not a yellow light?

Obviously when it turns RED!!!

Yes, I'm shouting "RED" as recently, I have seen far too many people going through red lights, because they "thought" the right would still be yellow when they reached it.   Although I must admit I did see someone go through a red light, from a stand still because they obviously thought the opposing green took way too long to turn red!  (It changed right after they went through the intersection.)

Now, thank the Lord that there appears to be a short hesitation before the opposing light turns green.  They used to be timed so that when one changed, the other changed simultaneously.  Of course there were people who would wait for that,  jump the gun, and race out from the light. 

When you see yellow, unless it's turned shortly before you get to the intersection, you should SLOW DOWN AND STOP!!!  If you get t-boned in the intersection, you might get killed.  (So you're now effectively out of the gene pool!  Probably a good thing.)  You might also be the reason the person(s) in the other car were killed.  And it's NOT their fault!  they were OBEYING the lights!

And one more thing, if you're behind me, I WILL stop for the yellow, so don't tailgate me, thinking I'm going to go through!  I've already been rear-ended once, for that reason, and the next time, I WILL make your life and your insurance company miserable!!!  

Crunching the numbers...

When I bought my car, a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am, I filled it up once a week, and it cost me about $16.00.  Today, if I were to fill it up, it would cost me over $45.00.  During that time my income went up a bit, but not to the tune of an extra $30/week, and then it went away completely, as I'm now unemployed.

I've always tried to drive cars that got at least 25/mpg.    There are more efficient cars out there now for sale, but since I'm unemployed, how do I make those car payments?   It's a slippery slope that many of us cannot get up and appear to be sliding back faster.

Wish I had some answers to life's everyday problems.    Maybe I'll declare myself a 501-3c non-profit organization (I already feel like one) and take public donations!  Better than denigrating myself to collect "welfare!"

The laundry

Yes, one of those mundane projects that gets addressed too infrequently around here.  And so I probably should not complain when I'm not the one doing it, but still, is it not the wife's place to nag now and then?

I say this because I know when I was a kid, I was taught how to do laundry "properly."  You put delicates in with the same (think fancy underwear, of which I had none.)  You put dark clothes with dark,  and whites with white.  Those were the days when clothes dye was not stable  and red shirts were notorious for fading on to everything else (remember's Dad's pink "tighty whities?")  Bleach was only used for white clothes, and never put in before all the wash water was in, so as to be diluted immediately.   Nowadays those problems have been eliminated.  Except for the bleach.  But there is more stable bleach that can be used for "colored clothes."

The problem I am facing, is that hubby washes by the layer method.  He puts in whatever is in the "first layer" of clothing until the washer looks full, and then proceeds to wash it.  Sock, towels, underwear, jeans...all go in at the same time.    Then when they're in the dryer, the next layer down goes in to the wash machine.  And so forth and so on.

As far as the dryer is concerned, when that load is finished, it gets piled on top of the dryer, while the next load goes in.  And the third layer of clothes is now washing.  Did you miss the "folding" part?  It's virtually nonexistant.  Especially when it comes to "fitted sheets," which I learned from Martha Stewart, I WAS folding correctly.

Well, I guess I DO contribute to the wash cycle, as I'm the official folder.  I'd just prefer to do it as the laundry came out of the dryer, and not pull from the pile on top of the dryer!   I guess it's all a matter of timing!

Pasture management...part 3a (therefore...)

I finally got up the nerve to look over the pasture I mowed a few weeks back.    I must say that it looks amazing.  The area of blackberries is coming back, and so I'll have to knock them down again to insure getting rid of them once and for all, but the other areas...yowza!  Of course the horses haven't been allowed up there yet, but the wild flowers, the clover, and most important, the milk weed is tremendous!  I will be taking pictures of the butterflies all over them, for identification, but more for posterity.    Some of them are becoming endangered due to loss of habitat and chemicals that everyone wants to use to excess on their precious grass and flowers.

But this was a short trip, because I forgot a few things.  They are listed, in no particular order:

1. Mosquitos are out all during the day, not just early morning and late evening.  Therefore I must have bug spray on.
2. Poison ivy is also everywhere and growing taller than me.  Therefore I must put on long sleeves and/or ivy block to avoid a second round of it.
3. No matter what socks I wear with my boots, they will slide down and I will be walking out of them, inside the boots.  Therefore I need to wear tighter fitting socks and/or tennis socks, which should stay up.
4.  It's hot outside, no matter what time of the day.  There may be a breeze, but unless you're in the shade, that breeze doesn't mean anything.   You will sweat, even if you're just going for a walk.  Therefore if you're going to do something later, come back in early enough to give yourself time to shower.
5. Ticks are out all day long too.  As of this writing I've pulled three off me.   They're not as common in the grassy areas, but I have to walk through some tall bushy areas before I get to the back pasture. Therefore I must remember bug spray to eliminate that problem too.  (I pulled #4 off when I found him in the shower!)

But the pasture looked amazing!!!

A new kind of gardening...

...and not for the weak-hearted, either!

So we went to Lowe's and bought a few "distressed" plants (they're cheaper of course), and some tomato plants, and brought them home.  As I was trying to decide what to put in which pot, Dennis was digging in the freezer in the shop.

Some of you might know that we keep dead, frozen, rats, mice, etc to feed the snakes.  Of course sometimes they stay in there too long, get freezer burn, and become inedible.   Even for a snake.  Getting a picture yet?

So he brings me out a few baggies of frozen baby mice, and says "just bury them deep so nothing tries to dig them up!"  Fertilizer!!!   And I did. 

Time will tell if the tomatoes (Romas) taste  different (more like "Beefsteak") and I'll be sure to let you know if they, along with the geraniums, grow better with this rather unorthodox type of fertilizer.

Gardening in the Ozarks

In today's paper there was a nice article about a featured garden in Springfield.  The homeowner's son said he used the "soil left over" from the ponds he dug in the rear of the house, to make raised beds for his mother so she could garden more easily.  Very noble thing, indeed.

However, this does NOT work in my area, ony about 15-20 miles south of this person.  When we "dug out" for our  pond, the only soil we had left over was in the form of large rocks!   And those rocks were not the nice flat rocks everyone wants to edge their ponds with.  They were all shapes and sizes, some being split in two while we were attempting to get them out of the way of the liner we chose.

Amazing what a few miles and millions of years of the earth changing it's appearance can do to a gardener's dreams, and the veritable shape of his or her garden!

Just an observation...

Today I took a hike to the river to let three sliders (water turtles) go.  One of which showed up in our driveway even though we live a mile from the river.  One was a "rescue" from town (!), and the third we found on the road, also far from home.   I took them in a 5 gallon bucket thinking I could pick up aluminum cans on the way home.  When one is unemployed, one does think of other alternativves to make a few extra bucks...

But I digress...

Whomever thinks drinking and driving is on the wane, is probably badly mistaken.   I picked up 99.5% beer cans.  They were mostly the cheaper variety.  I'm assuming that those alcoholics who must have a beer in their hand at almost every turn, cannot afford the higher quality (supposedly) in the quantities they consume.   The few soda cans I picked up were the name brands.  There were quite a few plastic bottles, but those I left...only had a 5 gallon bucket, you will recall.

The majority of the cans were also on the road leading away from town!  I guess after they buy some, they must drink some immediately.  Let's not let it warm up on the way home!  And the reason there weren't more on the way to town...well, that's why they were going to town!

All this in a mile.  I could probably go further in depth with my research.  I'll have to start an outline and see what information is relevant.  Perhaps the beer companies will want to know more too?   Maybe I could become a paid consultant???!!  There might be more than  just "can" money in this idea...

Annoying animals part 2!

I did not know there would be a Part 2 to this story, and there are no pictures, but something is getting my bird suet!!!  I have two suet feeders, for a total of 4 suet cakes, outside my back door.  The other day I filled one of them because it was empty.   In fact one of the plastic trays the suet comes in was also missing.  I shrugged and went on.  The very next day, looking outside, without my glasses on, I notice the suet feeder seemed to be empty!  When I put my glasses on, I noticed the plastic tray was also missing!

I went outside and saw that the other suet feeder had also been "robbed" and somewhat damaged by whatever was getting my suet!  I assumed it had to be something with "hands."  Could be an opossum, or more likely, a raccoon!  Then my ever faithful hushand says "maybe it's a bear!"  THANK YOU for that positive asssessment!  I do NOT want bears at my back door!!!  Even if they are now being spotted in SW Missouri!  That being said, the bear probably would have ripped the entire suet feeder off the pole, so I feel more confident it's NOT a bear!

I did talk to a friend who said she had raccoons get into her suet.  I took mine off the pole last night and hid them.  No one touched the hiding place.  For grins, we put a banana on the pole which held the suet.  The banana is still there this morning.  What...the animals are now getting fussy?  Maybe we should have peeled the banana?

Annoying animals...

...may abound when you live in the country.   You have to remember you moved into their habitat, and try to get along with them, but there are limitations.  Most of you may know that armadillos have made their way North, even as far as Jeff City, MO, in the past few decades.  They eat insects, mostly, so they can die off during harsh winters, but it would appear that they probably just get slimmer, as their numbers don't seem to be decreasing.  We must have one now living under the shop building, as no other animal would throw rocks out of the way like this burrow would indicate.  Even Elaine (the dog) is a bit worried.

Then, there was the rat's nest that turned up on the manifold of my "garage queen!"  I already spent a whole lot of money on chewed wires, from mice.    I don't know where the rat went, but I have not seen it again.  Suffice it to say, I open the hood every time I get in the car, to make sure the nest hasn't been rebuilt!

$800 Bernese Mountain Dog puppies...

...was how the ad read in the local newspaper. 

The reason I bring this up is because I have an acquaintance who is with the "Bernese Mountain Dog Rescue!"   There are rescues all over the US like this, for purebred, unwanted, dogs.   Any breed! 

If you want one of these dogs, and you have done your homework, and know what they require as to care, then go to a rescue, or go directly to the pound, as that's where she rescues from!  You get a dog for a fraction of the price, usually already spayed, neutered, housebroken, socialized, etc, etc.  The only thing you don't get would be papers, but were you really thinking of breeding that dog anyway?  Or showing that dog?  And just because someone found another person (dumb enough) to buy a dog at such an inflated price, doesn't mean you'll be so lucky with your own litter.

 Save a life, and save your sanity when you find you do not have to go through the chewing stage, and your Jimmy Choo shoes are safe!

Turkeys in my back yard!

The other day we opened the back door and a turkey took off.   I often see them in the front yard too, but they're extremely wary and very hard to get pictures of.   This bird was in the pasture behind the house, about 100 yards away.   It started to take off when I started trying to focus and take a picture.   If you look real close at it, you can see it "going away" in the upper middle of the picture, at the upper edge of the "pond.   And NO, we don't really have a pond!   It's been raining steadily, and we have a "wash" behind the house, and sometimes the water really runs through there!

First Grosbeak of spring!

I feed the birds all year round.  I've kept a small diary of what new birds show up every year.  A couple years back I had a rose-breasted grosbeak show up.  Then I had a family of grosbeaks.  Then I had other varieties of grosbeaks.  And then a Baltimore Oriole!  They never stick around for the summer, but when they do show up, I'm always thrilled.  This is the first/best picture I could come up with today.  There's also a goldfinch on the other feeder.

Ark building 2011- or -Turn Around, Don't Drown!

I don't know if this has been the wettest week in recent history, but the creeks have "a risen" and they're getting higher.  The TV announcer just said the dam gates have been opened so the local Army Corp of Engineer lakes don't get too far out of their banks.  Some places have recorded up to 10 inches on rain in a day.  And we're expecting rain every day this week.

We live a mile from the Finley River, and the bridge becomes impassible.  Actually the bridge is above the water, but the approach to the bridge is WAY impassable!  I took these pictures a couple years ago.  There are signs and barricades up now, but the last time it got this bad, I did have pictures of a pick-up truck that was swept away, and got caught up in a tree, lucky for the driver. The river's edge is tree-lined, and there's a bit of a valley before the river, so the truck wound up in rather shallow water, and they were not dragged down the river itself, which could have had dire consequences.

   

                                       

If you look closely, you can see the road to the bridge in the top middle of the picture.  There's a lot of water between me and the bridge.   

One phrase the weathermen have come up with in this area, as flooded roads can be all too common in the ozarks, is:  Turn Around, Don't Drown!  I guess only 6 inches of water can sweep you and or your car can send you downstream, and you never know how deep the water is going to get.  And it's very hard to open doors or windows in water, along with the fact that the electronics may not work, and you wouldn't even be able to open them manually.

And if you must stay home, it's a good time to do laundry, or clean, or just curl up and read a good book!!!

Easter Lamb

Today is Easter Sunday, and in my mother's memory, I'm going out to eat a lamb dinner. 

I (used to) hate lamb!  I always hated lamb.  The smell of it made me nauseous.  My mother used to make it quite a bit.  She was an excellent cook, so I must assume she was making it correctly.  I can only remember coming into the kitchen, smelling the smells, and saying "Are we having lamb?"  And she'd say "Just dont think about it, you'll like it!"  She must have thought I was worried about the poor little animal.  NOT!  Never even crossed my mind.

I was once eating at a restaurant, in a Lord & Taylor, and I smelled lamb.  Seems there's a soup made with it, called scotch broth.  I tried it, again with her in mind, and it was acceptable.  Perhaps my tastebuds had matured? 

I learned the reason very few of adults eat lamb any more, from an Ag professor, who taught Sheep Production, in college.  It comes from World War II.    It seems our troops were given a lot of mutton (which is an older sheep and not as tasty) to eat.  When they came home, they wanted nothing more to do with war, or reminders of war, and so they stopped eating lamb altogether.   Therefore our parents didn't eat lamb, and the cycle continued. 

With the introduction of more people from the Middle East, and Central and South America, lamb has become just a bit more popular.  But it is extremely pricey in the grocery store.  Many stores carry it, but you have to ask for it, and it will be in their freezers, more than likely. 

If you want to try lamb, there are a few alternatives to actually buying it, and attempting to cook it.  A true "gyro" sandwich has lamb in it.  Or true Greek restaurants often serve it.  We're going to one this afternoon.  You can buy it in patties, or chops, or a roast.    But don't knock it until you've tried it.  More than likely, it's not been fed all the chemically altered feed that your beef or pork from the store, and should taste as close to organic, and natural, as possible.  Bon apetit!

Almost blitzed a boxer today...

I was going down a curvy, hilly road at about 45-50 MPH when I came around a curve and there was a boxer casually crossing the road.  I slammed on my brakes and hit the horn at the same time.  Crisis averted.  The dog looked at me like he didn't have a care in the world.  Meanwhile, I was silently cursing his owners.

When you live in the country do you just think that the dogs will become street smart?  Or do you blame their demise on the highway as a fact of life because "he was a purebred, and you know how dumb they are"?  I'm not saying the boxer is dumb; it could have been any breed of dog, although some breeds do seem smarter, or more trainable than others. 

What do you tell your children when their pet is road kill?  Do you shrug?  Do you just go out and get another pet?  Is that pet in the same amount of danger as the previous one?  Who's truly responsible for that boxer?  Living in the country does not disavow you from common sense!

Sticker Shock!

I just got back from the grocery store.  I swear someone came in there, overnight, and changed the prices on almost everything.  And not just a dime or two, a dollar or more!  As an example, I was going to buy a particular brand of bacon.  I had a nice coupon.  Even with the coupon, it was at least a dollar more than I paid the last time I was in the same store.  YIKES!!!

With the price of gas and groceries going up simultaneoously, I guess I'll have to figure out which I want to do more...drive or eat!  (The grocery store is not within walking distance.)  Hmmm...I may be going on the "starvation diet!"

Worst case scenario...I may resort to raising my own chickens!  And I'm wondering if the dog really needs all four legs to get aound.  And the horses...well, let's not go there!  (KIDDING!!!?)

The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK

Since our vacation plans to go "east" this weekend, were thwarted by the weather, we decided to stick around the area.  One trip we had been meaning to take was to the Gilcrease Museum, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  If you like things Western, Indian, old, artifactual (is that a word?), etc, etc. then this is a destination you should consider!

We spent about 3-1/2 hours there looking at everything.  Saw, for the first time for me anyway, some Frederick Remington black and white oils.    I guess he started doing bronzes later in his career, and he really prized them, and they are amazing,  but the BW oils were amazing, too!  The bits in the horses' mouths looked positively as though they were shining, like real silver, in the paintings.

There was also a French artist, Jules Tavernier, whose depictions of Indian life on the prairie, were amazing in their depth and detail.   I recognized his name from the Antiques Roadshow.  Wish I could find one of his works in someone's attic, or a flea market.  I'd snap it up.

Although all the paintings were wonderful, the majority of the artists' depictions of horses, looking head on "into the camera as it were" were hilarious!  They showed the horses' eyes as staring straight ahead, on the flat part of their face, and round as a dinner plate, with a white ring around them.  Now, the horses should have had the white ring, as for the most part, they  were in a state of agitation (such as combat, or a buffalo hunt), but horses eyes are NOT on the front of their heads, but out to the sides.  This made the eyes look cartoonish at best.  And it seemed all the artists used the same eye treatment.

One artist, who's name I cannot remember, made his horses look as though they were absolutely going to gallop out of the painting!  But their eyes were that of a cartoon.

It costs $8.00 per person to get in to the museum.  Seniors and kids are a bit cheaper.  They're closed on Mondays.  They also have a restaurant, which is not inexpensive, but that's to be expected.  I know Tulsa is probably not a destination but if you're in the area, and looking for something to do...do see the Gilcrease!

Feed the horses, feed the birds!

Believe it or not, they go hand-in-hand.  Or should I say hoof and beak? 

Anyway, I noticed during the hardest part of the winter, when there was snow on the ground, that the mounds of horse poop looked different.  Let me show an example.

This is a fairly good poop.  Also know as road apples.  Of course some of the apples broke up when hitting the ground.  Now remember, this is much more visible in the snow.  But I forgot to take pictures then.  I  saw the "phenomenon" continuing when the weather was bad, and the birds couldn't find food easily.

You probably know that everything you eat does not necessarily get digested.  Some substances go through your system, intact, and then get excreted at a later time.  It's the same with large animals.  Not all the grain that the horses eat gets digested and therefore there is "food" in that there poop!  And the birds make full use of it.  Here is visible proof.

The birds dig through the apples and really almost shred the pile of poop.  This is an ideal situation as it spreads the manure around, and aids in exposing, and hopefully killing any worm eggs that may be lurking.  Of course as summer goes on, and the birds don't need to forage quite so creatively, the poop stays in clumps, or in "apple" form.

I learned in school, that it was common place for some farmers to put their cows in corn fields, after the harvest, to eat the ears of corn that were missed.  They would then put their hogs in the field after the cows, to clean up the corn kernels that passed through the cows, undigested.

Lots of things have changed, but when Mother Nature is left up to her own devices, she's quite a logical thinker!  And we would do well to help her!  So even though I feed the birds year round, if I'm out of food, or they don't like what I'm offering, they have an alternative feast waiting for them!

Pasture management...part 2

Our dog, Elaine, loves to go out when I'm mowing.    She likes to run down the furrows looking for little animals trying to get away from the mower, like mice, rats, rabbits.  Unfortunately they just run from one hiding place to another, until the patches of unmowed areas get smaller and smaller.    I usually see some, but by that time Elaine has given up hope.  

This is her going down one of the paths I've made.

I kept mowing from this path to the fenceline.  Another nice chunk of pasture out of the way.

Now I could keep it looking like this all summer, in record time too!   (This took me two hours, including the blackberry bramble.)  If I had one of those nifty "estate" mowers, like the Dixon that I've been eyeing...!    I don't need to win the entire lottery, just about $10,000 for the mower.   Or the Dixon people could take pity on me and loan me one for the summer?  Or I'd even take a Scag mower.   You know they brag those things can mow 8 acres, or more,  in just a few hours??!!!  AND you can RIDE on them!!!  (Did I mention you "walk behind" the DR???)

Pasture management...part 1

...kinda sorta.  I may have mentioned that I mow our pastures with a DR Mower, and I was trying to keep ahead of the blackberry bushes/vines/stems...whatever they're called.  I know they feed a lot of wildlife, including our beloved box turtles, BUT we have 20 acres, and I think there are enough blackberries in places I can't get to, that the box turtles, etc will NOT go hungry!

Enough about that.  You know I love the DR!  therefore I've included some before and after pictures of the blackberry bramble I took down!  It was probably 50 feet square.  The blackberries were over 5 feet high.  Note the large cedar tree, for reference, in the "before" picture.

After mowing.  Again, see the cedar tree for reference.

The few trees you see sticking up are just that, trees.  Is that cool or what?    The DR is one great machine.   But I caution anyone doing this, again, wear ear plugs, and long sleeves, and gloves as these long, curving stems BITE HARD when they whip back on you!  Now on to the grassy part of the pasture...

Losing weight - Part 2

Everyone always wants to lose weight.  I wrote about it in an earlier piece.  I have lost a total of 2 pounds since that post.  But that doesn't account for the 5 pounds I gained, so I guess I'm still up 3?

But I digress...

I want to go on "The Biggest Loser."  Not for the big prize at the end.  Just for a week!  Those people lose amazing amounts of weight in the first few weeks they're there.  I want to lose 20 pounds.  That would make me thinner than I've ever been.  Well, except at birth.  But then I could "eat" a little, and if I gained a pound or two or three, it's not the end of the world.  I wonder if they'd take me for a week? 

I'd be willing to wear a fat suit, just to fake them out.   I'd even expose myself on national TV.  Voted off for cheating?  No problem!   Please just give me that week!

Poison Ivy...

Darn, darn, darn...it's that season again!  But you should all know poison ivy can get you at any time.  Less so in winter when the sap's not running, but...

So I was out Saturday afternoon, cleaning up a fence row of unwanted brush, and pulling vines off trees.  I recognized the poison ivy vine, but I had on gloves and long sleeves, and thought I'd be safe, as I usually am.  Well, long story short, I got it on my face, when a vine slapped back at me.  It's just a small spot on my chin, but it's there, and it's annoying.

Ways to avoid getting poison ivy are wear long sleeves and gloves, and put on some sort of ivy block.  There are preventative products at the store.  Next, when you come in and you know you've been exposed, try to shower immediately, and put ALL your clothes in the laundry.  Too often the troubling sap, or whatever causes the itch, is still on your clothing.

If you don't find out you have poison ivy until it appears, like the next day, wash all your bedclothes immediately too, as again the "sap" sticks around!

I have found that a high quality hand sanitizer, such as Purell, helps immensely in containing the itch.  And it must be the stuff that almost like a jelly.  The cheaper, watery, generic sanitizers do not work as well.  At least not for me.    Of course if it's bad enough, you can get cortisone shots from the doctor.  Which brings up a story of a gal I knew in college who had it all over her body.  She was out in the woods with her boyfriend, doing what a lot of college students do in their free time, and she paid heavily for the "fun."    It usually takes about 2 weeks to clear up.

The really annoying part of this story is that I used to be immune to poison ivy!  Yes, some people are!  But about 10 years ago, I got it for the first time.  I couldn't believe it.  Never had it, and I had been out in the woods  a lot!  Once you get it, you'll never forget it!  

Yes, this really does happen...

Please excuse the fuzzy pictures, but when you're dodging traffic, it's hard to keep the camera steady.  This picture was taken a couple years ago, on Highway 14, on the west side of Ozark.  I don't remember having my camera with me at the time.  I think I went home to get it because this was just TOO good to NOT get a picture of.  We always hear about dead animals not being moved out of the way when painting the white (or in this case yellow) lines...well, here's proof!!!