9-21-07 SHORT HILLS: Sorry about lack of recent posts, but there hasn’t been much to comment on here. The weather has been cooler and drier as we creep up to the equinox on the 23rd. I have done a bit more weeding and pruning. As the sun gets lower, the yard and house get darker and darker until the leaves fall. The tops of some of the trees show some fall color even here in NJ.
The surge report was another administration spin-cycle. It doesn’t matter if there are less attacks while the troops are in a particular trouble spot, as soon as they move on the insurgency will pop up again. It’s just a ‘Whack-a-Mole’ game in a bigger arcade. The military have to leave sooner than later, and when they do, the militants, terrorists, insurgents and sectarian fanatics will come out of the ground like creatures in some horror movie. Speaking of Move On, they got it right.
On a more serious note, the Mets have totally collapsed. If pitching and defense win baseball games and seasons, the Mets have lost both. The middle relief has been suspect all summer, but now the starters are unreliable and the closer is out. The errors are piling up and turned yesterday’s comeback win into a loss. How ‘bout those tantrums? Feeling the pressure? This team won’t make it to the post season.
Judy and I are off to San José for a weekend visit after a September of doctor visits and tests.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Soggy September.
9-11-07 SHORT HILLS: Rain, finally after more than two weeks of dry, sunny weather. Vermont is also getting much needed rain. It has been very humid and unpleasant outside. After a few minutes of weeding on Sunday, I was a soggy mess. I have done a bit more dead wood pruning, mostly rhodos.
Rose-of-Sharon.
Rose-of-Sharon.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Back in NJ
9-7-07 SHORT HILLS: The trip to NJ was uneventful, and everything seems to be in order here. The yard had a bunch of weeds, viney stuff probably grown from seeds in bird poop. After about an hour of weeding, most of them are gone. The yard in Short Hills is heavily treed and presents a contrast to the flowery Vermont yard. This yard has its own attractiveness even without the flowers. On a sunny day the contrast of light and dark, chiaroscuro, is striking but hard to capture with the camera. The camera doesn’t have the ability to show the deep shadow and bright sun side by side that the eye, or the artist, has, but here are a couple attempts.
Chloe seems comfortable.
I have been draining the pool of rainwater by slow siphon, have pruned dead branches from rhodos and weeded. There is more to do, but no hurry to do it.
In bloom: hosta, rose-of-Sharon, fall weeds—oops, fall wild flowers.
Chloe seems comfortable.
I have been draining the pool of rainwater by slow siphon, have pruned dead branches from rhodos and weeded. There is more to do, but no hurry to do it.
In bloom: hosta, rose-of-Sharon, fall weeds—oops, fall wild flowers.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
We Bid Adieu to Vermont.
9-1-07 VERMONT: I think TSE was wrong. September is the cruelest month—we go back to NJ tomorrow. I have been doing end of summer stuff, including watering, for the last few days. I got all the fallen wood sawed up and moved to the back of the garage for splitting, cleaned the septic filter, repaired the culvert ditch, pulled the ivy vines off the chimney, set mouse traps, locked the windows, adjusted the water heaters, closed the flues, mended the fence and a dozen other things. We probably won’t be back until October.
Today was fallish, windy and cool even if sunny. We bring home lots of tomatoes and leave the pumpkins to ripen on the vine. The pond is down about eight inches now and the pasture pond is dry. Rain is needed. I’m putting in an order.
Yesterday Chloe was out in the pasture eating something and Nick saw her and went out to see what the deal was. He stuck his nose into what she was working on and precipitated a monster fight that went on for five minutes of barking, posturing and air biting. What was the prize? Fresh horse poop. They are not humans in fur coats, people. The turtle has reappeared again after no sightings for weeks.
On to SHORT HILLS.
As the sun sets, we leave glorious and exotic Vermont...
Today was fallish, windy and cool even if sunny. We bring home lots of tomatoes and leave the pumpkins to ripen on the vine. The pond is down about eight inches now and the pasture pond is dry. Rain is needed. I’m putting in an order.
Yesterday Chloe was out in the pasture eating something and Nick saw her and went out to see what the deal was. He stuck his nose into what she was working on and precipitated a monster fight that went on for five minutes of barking, posturing and air biting. What was the prize? Fresh horse poop. They are not humans in fur coats, people. The turtle has reappeared again after no sightings for weeks.
On to SHORT HILLS.
As the sun sets, we leave glorious and exotic Vermont...
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Split Rails and Republicans.
8-30-07 VERMONT: We went to Farmway early, got split rails and were home by mid-morning. I forgot how heavy a new rail is and how awkward it is to handle, but, nevertheless, got four new ones inserted with the help of the cordless saber saw. The hot wire on the fence adds a degree of difficulty. Then on to the chainsaw and cutting up more downed wood. Almost done. I limit myself to one tank of gas per session to avoid carelessness caused by fatigue.
Today was hot and muggy, and both jobs left me drenched. Tonight we had another storm. The previous one featured wind and this one thunder and lightning, both were short on precip. I foresee watering in my future.
Judy’s foot is much improved, and I have given up trying to keep her off it. The tetanus toxoid I was going to use expired two years ago, just a hair too old.
Someone should do a book on the secret sex lives of Republicans and fundamentalists. It could run to several volumes. And that Mitt Romney dude, I remember his father, another dumb George W. He ran AMC, American Motors, into the ground. He came back from Vietnam and said he had been brainwashed. I thought, by definition, that would have been and impossible job. His presidential campaign went nowhere. The son proves something about inheritance of stupidity even if evolution doesn’t exist anymore. And all his sons, serving their country by working for dad, what’s the over-under on their total IQ? Brainwashing, or maybe dry cleaning, might explain how he forgot all the positions on the issues that he held while governor of Massachusetts. He is handsome, hmm—perhaps too handsome, and he is a Republican, check him out blogosphere. I would suggest a motto for his campaign, “Romney—so much less than meets the eye.”
New blooms: bottle gentian.
Bottle Gentian. This used to be used for fabric dye.
Today was hot and muggy, and both jobs left me drenched. Tonight we had another storm. The previous one featured wind and this one thunder and lightning, both were short on precip. I foresee watering in my future.
Judy’s foot is much improved, and I have given up trying to keep her off it. The tetanus toxoid I was going to use expired two years ago, just a hair too old.
Someone should do a book on the secret sex lives of Republicans and fundamentalists. It could run to several volumes. And that Mitt Romney dude, I remember his father, another dumb George W. He ran AMC, American Motors, into the ground. He came back from Vietnam and said he had been brainwashed. I thought, by definition, that would have been and impossible job. His presidential campaign went nowhere. The son proves something about inheritance of stupidity even if evolution doesn’t exist anymore. And all his sons, serving their country by working for dad, what’s the over-under on their total IQ? Brainwashing, or maybe dry cleaning, might explain how he forgot all the positions on the issues that he held while governor of Massachusetts. He is handsome, hmm—perhaps too handsome, and he is a Republican, check him out blogosphere. I would suggest a motto for his campaign, “Romney—so much less than meets the eye.”
New blooms: bottle gentian.
Bottle Gentian. This used to be used for fabric dye.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
End of Summer Approaches.
8-29-07 VERMONT: It’s hot and summery again even as we edge toward the autumnal equinox. We took a break from storm clean up to canoe Lake Fairlee this morning. There was a lot of storm damage at the lake. Two houses were hit by falling pine trees, and Camp Billings had a few trees down. Hive looked OK.
In the afternoon Judy helped me work on the pond border where it has eroded. The pond work is done and a new piece of ledge is exposed for a nice effect, but Judy hurt her foot when the wheelbarrow tipped over. I have her on elevation and ice. Tomorrow I go for fence rails with Steve Hoffman and then back to chainsaw work on the dead fall. Yesterday was also a chainsaw day. The apples are ripening, but are still too tart for us, the horses, however, seem quite pleased and pick them off the trees over the fence.
New blooms: turtlehead, more asters, more helenium.
It's a viceroy, not a monarch. Can you see the tongue all black and curled.
Cormorants, three amigos.
In the afternoon Judy helped me work on the pond border where it has eroded. The pond work is done and a new piece of ledge is exposed for a nice effect, but Judy hurt her foot when the wheelbarrow tipped over. I have her on elevation and ice. Tomorrow I go for fence rails with Steve Hoffman and then back to chainsaw work on the dead fall. Yesterday was also a chainsaw day. The apples are ripening, but are still too tart for us, the horses, however, seem quite pleased and pick them off the trees over the fence.
New blooms: turtlehead, more asters, more helenium.
It's a viceroy, not a monarch. Can you see the tongue all black and curled.
Cormorants, three amigos.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Scary Storm.
8-27-07 VERMONT: The big event was a violent storm on Saturday evening. We were on the way to Stone Soup restaurant in Strafford when it hit. There were intense straight-line winds for about 30 minutes with lightning and heavy rain. We were pretty nervous driving and watching the trees jumping and dancing around, but I figured going back was as dangerous as going ahead and would also mean missing a meal. A fallen tree across the road at Huntington Farm did hold us up. The first driver in line chained his truck to the tree and pulled it aside, and we all went ahead. The whole thing was over by the time we got to the restaurant.
The Reese’s were supposed to join us, but left home a few minutes after us and never got there. Another tree on the road fell behind us onto the power lines, but in front of them. A tree hanging on the wires closes the road. Within a few minutes, all the other roads to the Strafford village were closed by other fallen trees and downed wires. At the restaurant, they had no power, nor did anyone else, but they fed us by candlelight. We called the Reese’s for rescue before starting home. We parked at Huntington Farm and walked around the road blockage through a pasture to meet John Reese, who drove us home.
We found a lot of sticks and leaves down in the yard, and parts of two maples along the road blown down into the pasture. They each took out a section of the split-rail fence. The horses and dogs were all upset by the storm. After we notified the horses’ mom and dad and calmed the dogs, we went to the Reese’s for coffee. There were a few more showers during the night, but no further excitement. All the power and phones were out until the next afternoon, about the same time that we were able to pick up the car.
Sunday we started on the clean up. Bill Wallace and Steve Hoffman did some chainsaw work on the maples down in the pasture while I built a burn pile of all the smaller branches and leaves. The pile is now about eight feet tall. Judy picked up the debris in the yard. Today I got started on converting the maples into firewood with my new Stihl chainsaw. There will probably be about a cord of wood when it is all cut, split and stacked, which will take a while. A walk around the pasture to check the fence line showed five more trees down, but only two on the wire part of the fence. They were sectioned, and the fence popped back up. A pine was also down in the woods behind the pond.
For all that trauma we got only 0.35 inches of rain. There had been a couple sprinkles before the storm and gave us 0.05 inches making for a very dry August. The water-glass barometer was warning us beforehand about the coming storm. Low pressure lets the water rise up the spout.
New blooms: haven’t had time to check.
Storm Warning.
The Reese’s were supposed to join us, but left home a few minutes after us and never got there. Another tree on the road fell behind us onto the power lines, but in front of them. A tree hanging on the wires closes the road. Within a few minutes, all the other roads to the Strafford village were closed by other fallen trees and downed wires. At the restaurant, they had no power, nor did anyone else, but they fed us by candlelight. We called the Reese’s for rescue before starting home. We parked at Huntington Farm and walked around the road blockage through a pasture to meet John Reese, who drove us home.
We found a lot of sticks and leaves down in the yard, and parts of two maples along the road blown down into the pasture. They each took out a section of the split-rail fence. The horses and dogs were all upset by the storm. After we notified the horses’ mom and dad and calmed the dogs, we went to the Reese’s for coffee. There were a few more showers during the night, but no further excitement. All the power and phones were out until the next afternoon, about the same time that we were able to pick up the car.
Sunday we started on the clean up. Bill Wallace and Steve Hoffman did some chainsaw work on the maples down in the pasture while I built a burn pile of all the smaller branches and leaves. The pile is now about eight feet tall. Judy picked up the debris in the yard. Today I got started on converting the maples into firewood with my new Stihl chainsaw. There will probably be about a cord of wood when it is all cut, split and stacked, which will take a while. A walk around the pasture to check the fence line showed five more trees down, but only two on the wire part of the fence. They were sectioned, and the fence popped back up. A pine was also down in the woods behind the pond.
For all that trauma we got only 0.35 inches of rain. There had been a couple sprinkles before the storm and gave us 0.05 inches making for a very dry August. The water-glass barometer was warning us beforehand about the coming storm. Low pressure lets the water rise up the spout.
New blooms: haven’t had time to check.
Storm Warning.
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