2008

Fox Fluff Poodle Doodle Doodle

Mr Maus on the move

Maus-o-matic Maus Mat

January 8: It was over 60° today. I pottered about outside all day, picking up tree debris, watching the bees, walking. By sundown, hundreds of dead bees littered the snow around the hive. The snow was melting fast. By the end of tomorrow it will probably be gone and I think we are in for some flooding if the forecast for rain holds true. The brook is high, but not raging.

Sleeping out the winter.

So I decided to pluck the barred owl that Sammy brought me two weeks ago. It had been hit and killed by a pickup truck and Sam was right behind and picked it up.I have kept it frozen outside but today was too warm so I thought I would undertake the gruesome task. One pull on a wing feather, however, and I knew it would be no easy job. I confirmed this with my neighbor who hunts and cleans turkeys. He said I would literally have to rip it apart. I couldn't do that. So I took a bunch of pics and wrapped it in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer. After making a lot of calls to game wardens, the state, VINS, etc, it appears no one wants this bird for research and I can bury it.

My social life

27 Jan:This sharp-shinned hawk has an injured right foot and cannot use it. She spent some time at the bird feeders. I don't think she can survive with her leg like that, her hunting technique being seriously impeded.

Pileated woodpecker

24 Feb: Getting deeper into bird watching, honing my identification skills. The binoculars and Sibley guide book are near at hand. This year I discovered the Redpoll which I've probably been mistaking for a house finch. I've learned that there are some definite clues. The Redpoll, for instance, has a yellow beak and a distinctive black patch on its throat and around its beak. There is also a prominent wing bar. This is not my photo.

Crippled Sharp-shinned Hawk

31 March: My cats have gotten themselves poisoned along with one of the neighbor's cats. All three were at Death's door but we have been force feeding them for a week and they are recovering. The neighbor's cat is already eating on his own. Mine are stronger, drinking on their own but still not eating. They have at least stopped vomiting but still have severe diarrhea once a day. They're still beautiful and in spite of not having eaten in 6 days, don't appear to have lost weight but I guess that's the fur. I pet them and coo to them constantly. They're getting a bit rude now and want to go out but that won't happen until they're self feeding.

We could speculate endlessly about what those three got into but we'll never know. I have to talk to the guys who have been renovating the house across the street to see if they left anything toxic outside last week. Antifreeze? It is used in the hot water heating system of that house. All the cats do go over there at night.

Redbellied woodpecker

18 March: Spotted this red tail hawk along the side of the road and went back and got just close enough to take this shot before he flew off.

April 30: Today I saw an Eastern Towhee, a bird I don't think I've ever seen before or may have seen and thought was a rose breasted grosbeak. The towhee is a very handsome bird. It was attracted to the slash pile and it was scratching vigorously in the dry leaves under the pile and under nearby bushes, the way a chicken scratches.

The Mowzy Tree

Lungwort

The profilic Yellow Archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon)

sweet woodruff

May 22: There was an idigo bunting here for a while late in the afternoon.It seemed to be interested in the feeders but too shy to come down. The sunlight was low and, shining on those blue feathers, it looked iridescent. Stupefying!

Mowzy Tree, 24 May

Mowzy Tree, 28 May

June 21: Finally got the owl out of the freezer. I built a box, 3 x 4', that will protect it from getting dragged off and the hope is that the maggots and ants will clean up the carcass and leave me with talons, wings and some nice feathers. I put the box on the southern edge of a wooded area bordered by brambles so it will get a little sun. This project is an experiment (at best).

frozen owl

June 24: We had hail today like none I can remember. It pummelled the house, a roar against the metal roof, and flattened plants. It's been raining and thundering off and on all day. There was a window of opportunity around 2:00 pm when I could get out for my walk and take some pics. The sun even came out briefly.

June 25: This is one of the boulders that I've been wanting out of the ground for many years. It stuck up just enough to damage the lawnmower blade. The challenge with this one was that my lever kept sliding off the smooth sides. Ultimately, it is my 12 foot 4x4 that gets these monsters out of the hole. I broke my shovel in this endeavor. I bought it new last year and it was not a cheap one. I've abused it. I'm lost without a shovel. It's my signature tool. That's a beautiful rock, a 'potato' rock, my favorite kind. I used it for rip-rap but I'm thinking it deserves better. I moved it with my handcart but it was heavy enough to flatten the wheels a bit.

June 29: New kitty girl, Chloe, was born April 7 at Manx Station Farm, a cattery. Her mom is a purebred calico manx who mixed it up with a black stray and produced a litter of three, including Chloe.

Reina
Chloe's Mom, Reina

Common Whitetail, Libellula lydia, this is an immature male. His abdomen will eventually turn white.

26 July: Extracted one shallow super today with the usual 25 lb yield. My bees, as well as little bumble girls and solitaries, were still cleaning the cappings the next day.

27 July: Sometime today Rosy, my Chilean Rose tarantula, molted. I missed the process again and discovered the exoskeleton about 2:00 pm. Rosy didn't molt at all last year so I thought she was at the end of her life and there would be no more molts. I've had her about 13 years and tarantulas live to around 20. I don't know how old she was when she was given to me so I don't know how much time she has left.

The magnificent and perfect silver blue Rosy.
She will not stay this color for long.

Ate my first two puffballs of the season today. The hunt is on! Spectacular electrical storm last night with torrential rain.

New kitty Annie, adopted 30 July

New comfrey trellis, 5 Aug

5 August: Unexpectedly adopted new kitty Annie from Whitman's on July 30. She is about 3 or 4 weeks younger than Chloe. I will think of her birthday as May 7 but that's a guess. Close enough. Chloe was not immediately thrilled with the new arrival and the snarling had me up all night. They're buddies now.

Now I am finished with kittens for a long time.

Maus, Annie & Chloe 15 August

red leaf 081908

21 August: Today was heaven. Kayaking with Ruth, Rebecca and Elizabeth on Glen Lake. And I found the biggest puffballs I've ever seen, except in photos. Too much for me to eat so I gave some away but there's still too much. A big puffball dinner tonight!

Floors are getting painted. The floor paint I'm using is a dream. Benjamin Moore epoxy reinforced latex enamel interior/exterior. Cost me over $50/gallon but worth every penny. I use WeatherAll (True Value) exterior paint for all my interior wood finishes and I love that paint as well.

Built kitchen cabinets

Chloe & Annie September 19

September 22: On a home improvement tear inspired by a floorcloth that I bought from one of my clients. It's heavy canvas, painted, stenciled and protected with five coats of varnish, tougher than my floor! About 2 x 5.

September 28: Starting the reconstruction of an inside wall. New shelving unit, shelves to extend over doorway, new coat rack. The sheetrock wall will be replaced with shiplap 1x6 boards and painted. The shelving unit will have 4 exposed shelves and 4 more behind doors. The bottom door will pivot up on hinges and serve as a spare table top with a v-shaped leg support beneath it.

Wood siding, paint effects

Shelving unit almost done

Dec 18, Best Ice Curl