A bit of the week

This has been a week.

One of the scrapper dudes showed up without calling. The 'security' cameras alerted me while I was making coffee.

Generally the dogs hear anything coming or going in the driveway. They missed Jim's quiet old truck.

I went out and talked with him for a bit and asked that I get notified before anyone shows up please.

Jim is super nice and quiet mannered [not at all like his fast talking brother]. He worked in the crushed garage seen in the shot below. He neatly stacked a bunch of fencing supplies in some bins and placed them outside by the driveway while he sorted items to take.

Below... frontal shot of the crushed garage. 
Soon to be torn down finally!

He then asked if he could pick up the aluminum cans that were piled next to the little shed. 

[Note: Rich piled them there years ago with the intent that he...and only HE could take them to be recycled! 
I picked my battles with him over the years and his 'stuff' was hands off otherwise there was a war.]

Jim picked up ALL of the cans by hand. He worked quietly. I don't mind him being around really. 

Here is a screen shot of Jim leaving with his goodies. I'm quite grateful for his persistence in a really grubby job.

We had some amazing skies this past week, we've had 3 nights of frost. I had to cover my petunias on the porch and some of the young plants that had reseeded themselves. 

Hurray hurray hurray! 

The hummingbirds showed up on April 30th. That seems early to me, but I could be wrong.

The Orioles made their appearance May 8th. Which is interesting in itself. Last year, they were here on May 5th.


 

Below is a one of my all time favorite shots of Mayapples. I need to get back out and check out their flowers which should be open by now.

I did a thing yesterday!  I want to put it down in writing and remind myself of how I am slowly adjusting to be an independent old cuss.

My garden cart that I pull behind the 4 wheeler had a tire that came apart. The tube was intact but the tire was ripping apart. My neighbor fixed the flat last year.

I am a determined person. [No pictures]
I took the tire off [something I had to figure out-->it was pretty simple]. I recalled Jim putting an old tire out in front of the crushed garage. I took the wrecked tire over and ... holy cow! They were the same!

I filled the old tire with air and it held just fine. I changed the tire and figured out how to do the cotter pin thingy.

My hands were greasy and black and I sat in the dirt pleased as punch. I felt like I'd won the lottery by solving the issue myself.

I'm slowly trying to organize things that are left in the shed. I found these instructions for the ancient drill press.

I told my Lego workers to figure out how to work it. I'm sure I'll never use it.

This weekend is going to be filled with at home work. Pretty boring stuff.

Gathering rocks for a fire pit, garden work, mowing [I got the rider back!].

Work never ends around here it seems.

Gardens, flowers, birds

 I'm really enjoying my flower gardens around the house. Yes, all the way around the house. Each little garden has flowers that will flower at different times all summer which provides me with joy and colorful subjects to admire.

My short sunflowers are getting ready to show off their blossoms. The blue cosmos have overtaken the zinnias but the zinnias will preserver and have their time to show off also.

In front of the house we have our Oriole feeder and it is getting quite busy with both Orioles and their fledglings and other birds. I think these are house finches and it seems the sparrows have found a taste for oranges also.

The hummers and more interested in the Borage, Forget me Nots, Bee Balm, and Hosta flowers. Each day I gather a few flowers to bring inside.

I guess having to stick around the house all of the time has made my gardens cleaner and prettier. At least I think so!

The birds continue to entertain us at the feeders. Here is a 12 second video of birds at the Oriole feeder. Note that sparrows, Grosbeaks, and Orioles use it. Not shown is the hoards of house finches [?] that are swarming the feeder at different times also.

The Orioles are bringing their fledglings to the feeder too and feeding them. I haven't caught that in a photo yet, but I'll try.

I did do a still life...with dried mushrooms I found in the yard and garden Phlox petals.

This is for Miss Merry:  [It started raining this morning! Again!]

Wednesday was fishing day and adventure day. We both got worn out but had a great time...I might even write about that adventure later....

Now to enjoy the rainfall because that means I can take a nap and not worry about mowing the yard that is too soggy.

Birdy Birdy! And Rainy Day

Happy May Day.. a day short!

This Oriole has a super dark chest and was only around for a little bit yesterday. A female Oriole chased him off the feeder and he eventually disappeared.

This brightly colored one has been staying around. Was the one above an Orchard Oriole? That may be the first time I've seen one of those here!

This one below is an Baltimore Oriole? 
Anyway, they are brilliant in color and provide a lot of entertainment.

May 1st was also the first day we saw a Hummingbird.

I like rainy days. Not downpour windy gusty lightening blowing driving rainy days. But days with light rain are fine. They are especially great for going out in the forest to find cool things.

The all day rain and the humidity can create mystical scenes in the macro world. I intended to just go out and browse plants but once I saw the droplets, I knew I had to get down and dirty in the mud and dirt to enjoy what surprises the forest had for me.

When I saw water clinging to plants and moss. I just had to go macro.

Mayapples or we called them Maypoles or Mayflowers.

Moss Sporophytes with rain drops.

Wild Strawberry plants.

I found some emerging Maidenhair ferns and laid on the steep bank to put my Mini me and Mini Charlie next to them.

In the corner of my vision, I saw something quite strange. It looked like slime mold. But it hadn't been warm enough to form in the forest yet .. I thought.

It looked like delicate webs topped with blobs and water. I've never seen anything like it.

Take pictures. Explore it. Admire its strange beauty. And then try to figure out what it was I was seeing!

I was able to find info on this delicate beauty on a New Zealand website called The Hidden Forest. The author says it is the reproduction system of Liverworts. I thought it was moss, but I can find that spot again I will look under the moss to see if I can find different leaves.

From the website:

In leafy liverworts the antheridia produce mobile antherozoids (sperm), which require a film of water in which to move to the archegonia, where fertilisation takes place. After fertilisation, a new plant develops, which remains attached to the parent plant. This is the sporophyte.

I had a penny in my pocket so I stuck it behind the structure to measure for size....

Isn't that the most amazing thing you've ever seen? Okay, maybe not. But I love the little things found in mosses and along the forest floor.

Here is a couple more moss shots...

and I think this is or was a fungi of some sort.

It was on a stick so you can imagine how small it was.
I had to get down in the dirt and wet mud for these shots but it was so intriguing to see.

I do love rainy days.

Change of Attitudes and Thoughts

 

Tweet Tweet -- how we change over the years!

Years ago when Rich and I first lived in our cottage he said feeding the birds was such a waste of money and of course I agreed as we had a very tight budget. Bird feeders felt like a luxury as well as any seed.

Back then having dogs in the house was also a no-no. Pets did not live in the house. Farm dogs lived outside. If a dog came in the house it was confined to one room. 

Fast forward 25 years.
Rich invites Charlie to take naps with him in bed. Charlie has his own chair and 'owns' the love seat couch. 

The birds have a feeder and if I don't feed them, Rich reminds me that he can't see all the birds that visit our yard.

This was some fun on the first day the Orioles showed up. 27 seconds long.

On that first day, the Orioles were maddening! They really went nuts over the feeder. I may add a second feeder just to try and keep the peace.

I love that the birds land close by in the pine tree where we can see them from our table. It means hubby can sit and have coffee or just sit in a chair and watch the birds.

I get a running monologue of who is visiting our feeders and yard.

I get ---- Bluebird! Blue Jay! Cow Bird! Downy Woodpecker! Sometimes he gets so tongue tied he just says a partial word and points. Goldfinch! ... the list goes on and on as long as the birds are feeding.

When the Grosbeaks showed up we both got excited since we don't see them that often.

This year the Purple Finches [????] seem happy to stick around. So far.

The first hummingbird showed up on the 3rd of May which feels like it might be a bit early. However, we did have the feeder set out and we do see one returning often during the day.

When it gets nice enough for hubby to sit on the porch, he watches me work on our little garden around the porch and delights in more birdwatching. If there is a bird he can't identify, he has me get the bird book and look it up with him.

I could get the Merlin Bird app, but I could also just enjoy sitting with Rich and  the both of us page through the book together.

How things have changed.

A little pal dog and a fascination with birds.

For the Birds

I've had raiders visiting the hummingbird feeder. Goldfinches, Redheaded Woodpeckers, Orioles, and of course the Hummers.

I have two hummingbird feeders out. The Orioles are bringing their fledglings to the feeders but they are pretty shy. I'll have to try and get a photo of them before they take off for migration very soon. They seem to disappear right around the 4th of July.

The Eastern Kingbird and the Robins have been visiting the feed pan/bird bath quite a bit. I've even left a feed pan with water out by the pump for the wrens who have nest by the busted garage and the old red shed.

I put rocks and sticks in the pans so they have something to land on.

Looks like I'll have another service call for the skid steer. It won't start as something is going on with the ignition -- sigh. I need it running so I can call for some pricey hay to be delivered and we can unload the huge bales. We are now in a severe drought situation in our part of Vernon County.

Hot and dry. Most of our farmers are pretty concerned. My friend who has raised produce for the Farmer's Market for years is feeling quite despondent over the lack of rain.
We've dodged the bullet of severe drought for quite a few years. But I guess it is our time?

I took out our old baby pool and put some water in it. I noticed that there was a crack in it from age but it held enough water for me to put all my potted plants in it overnight.

Of course, I couldn't pass up doing a 'photo' on Climate Change.

Since I hate being indoors all of the time. I did venture out yesterday afternoon to watch the wrens and look for insects in the flower garden.

After a few years of trying, I finally got a shot of the wren coming out of the pipe from the old breeding chute.

She or her descendants have been making nests in this pipe for many years now.

She and her mate scolded me for being in the area. They were busy feeding their noisy kids.

One of my favorite birds has to be the wren. They are so vocal and busy all of the time. When they leave, I get sad as I miss them scolding me every day no matter where I am at.

We still have smoke in the air today, but I can actually see the sky so I am calling that a win.

Have a great Friday.

Foodie? Catch up...

Spring calls for wild food. I skipped the wild ramps this year, Rich doesn't like onions that much and I have a tiny plot of chives out the back door that I can use anyway.

However, he had a taste for Morels. I hadn't been able to find any until yesterday. I found Morels and I found several places that had Oyster Mushrooms. I leave enough oysters alone so they will spore out and create more on the same log or tree.

The Morels were not huge, but I will cook them up for hubby. It is his favorite. 

I thought I'd try some Pheasant Backs too since they are so plentiful.  They can be found mainly on box elders that are dying. I read up on when to pick them and how to process them.
 

I decided to just try a few and see how they tasted.

Scrap off the spores with a spoon. And it surprisingly smells 

like

cucumber!

Then peel off the brown top...

Chop into thin slices...

One recipe called for white wine and butter. I went with another that called for dipping them in eggs and flour/seasons, then frying. 

I can fry or sauté pretty good aside from boiling water that is...

They were okay. After all, what doesn't taste good fried in butter? Not as good as Morels or Oysters though.

Meanwhile there is mowing, fencing, grooming, to do.

The toilet took a dump and died. I was impressed by the same day service from 608 Plumbing. The price was?  Well. You pay a good price for a plumber. Joe was super nice and said if we wanted him to adjust the flush, just let him know. 

I quipped, as long as the s--t goes down, I don't care about the flush!

The farrier[s] were here too. They are a father son team. All mules behaved and Lil' Richard was probably the hardest for them to do since he is only 31" tall.
One of his jobs is to keep the hill in front of the machine shed trimmed.

We had some rain overnight so I'll be out foraging again for Morels and perhaps dig up some parsnip for fresh veggies.

I did manage a trip to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve to knock off another trail section and do some exploring. More about that when I get time.

Hectic Week! I'm looking forward to 2 quiet days! Next week the Mini Split will be installed!

20 seconds of Orioles