Thursday, September 12, 2013
September 12, 2013
Another year older and still keeping busy. Caught skunk # 5 this morning. Praying this is the last one living under my wood shop.
Had a nice Birthday. Have one great granddaughter who was born on my Birthday. I call her my Birthday baby. When my daughter ( her grandmother) asked her how old she was going to be, she answered 5. Then she asked her how old is great grandma going to be and she answered 16. So, some of the grandchildren wished me a Happy 16th Birthday. Later a niece told me I was only 35, told her no I was turning the numbers backward and going to be 28. Think I may be the oldest member of our Merry Mohican square dance group, but there are a couple in their 90`s in some other groups. At first wasn`t sure I would be able to learn all those fancy steps, surprised myself. Just started the second year this month and still having loads of fun. Nothing like the square dancing done over the years, so many fancy steps to learn. Now I am helping new dancers. The second year we are called Angels and we dance with the new members helping them learn. Hoping all the new members enjoy it as much as I do so they will continue coming all year.
My little Pug "Roo" has already headed for the bedroom to sleep on his bed by the side of my bed. All I have to do is open the bedroom door and say- You want to go to bed, and off he runs and doesn`t move again till I get up in the morning, unless he hears something outside. Still seems funny not owning a large dog after so many years of big dogs, but he sure has captured my heart. Yesterday he sneaked out when a son went into the house. One of my great grandson`s told me - Gram, Roo is loose. Lucky he came running out back where we were. Not too long ago he was still scared to run down the steps, now he goes down too fast. He loves bei ng outside, but once the snow starts he will become just an inside dog again. His front legs disability doesn`t allow him to open them all the way, so he isn`t tall enough to walk even in low snow.
Worried last week when we had two nights down in the low 30`s with some frost, but so far the garden is still doing ok. Hoping no more frost until the tomatoes have time to all ripen and the rest of the green peppers grow larger. Ate a lot of string beans, froze a lot also. Have so far, green string beans, zucchini, and peppers in the freezer for winter. Hoping to add tomatoes. Lettuce and cucumbers finished for this year.
Won`t be long before it will be time to rehang the plastic around my side porch. Helps a lot , blocking the cold when ever the door gets opened. Last year found an easier way for hanging the plastic without leaving staples to pull back out. Now I just hand them using hooks and eyes. Easier to take back down, plus easier to put up. Wish I had thought of doing it this way years ago. Also means no shoveling snow from the porch with it closed in, only the step spot is left open.
Facebook is still driving me crazy. Last winter when I started using a different computer it messed everything up. When I signed into my same place I used on the old comp, it didn`t continue where I was on the old comp. It was a while before I realized it had started a new account using the same information I signed up with on the old comp. When I try to close out the second account, it closes out both accounts. So I tried leaving both accounts deactivated and start a new account , I couldn`t . It kept telling me I already had an account and just reopened both accounts again. Even the games I was playing on the old comp became new games on the newer comp. It says you can close out one account, but so far there info hasn`t worked for me.
Well , enough rambling off for tonight. Almost 11:30 now, so guess should head for bed soon.
Another year older and still keeping busy. Caught skunk # 5 this morning. Praying this is the last one living under my wood shop.
Had a nice Birthday. Have one great granddaughter who was born on my Birthday. I call her my Birthday baby. When my daughter ( her grandmother) asked her how old she was going to be, she answered 5. Then she asked her how old is great grandma going to be and she answered 16. So, some of the grandchildren wished me a Happy 16th Birthday. Later a niece told me I was only 35, told her no I was turning the numbers backward and going to be 28. Think I may be the oldest member of our Merry Mohican square dance group, but there are a couple in their 90`s in some other groups. At first wasn`t sure I would be able to learn all those fancy steps, surprised myself. Just started the second year this month and still having loads of fun. Nothing like the square dancing done over the years, so many fancy steps to learn. Now I am helping new dancers. The second year we are called Angels and we dance with the new members helping them learn. Hoping all the new members enjoy it as much as I do so they will continue coming all year.
My little Pug "Roo" has already headed for the bedroom to sleep on his bed by the side of my bed. All I have to do is open the bedroom door and say- You want to go to bed, and off he runs and doesn`t move again till I get up in the morning, unless he hears something outside. Still seems funny not owning a large dog after so many years of big dogs, but he sure has captured my heart. Yesterday he sneaked out when a son went into the house. One of my great grandson`s told me - Gram, Roo is loose. Lucky he came running out back where we were. Not too long ago he was still scared to run down the steps, now he goes down too fast. He loves bei ng outside, but once the snow starts he will become just an inside dog again. His front legs disability doesn`t allow him to open them all the way, so he isn`t tall enough to walk even in low snow.
Worried last week when we had two nights down in the low 30`s with some frost, but so far the garden is still doing ok. Hoping no more frost until the tomatoes have time to all ripen and the rest of the green peppers grow larger. Ate a lot of string beans, froze a lot also. Have so far, green string beans, zucchini, and peppers in the freezer for winter. Hoping to add tomatoes. Lettuce and cucumbers finished for this year.
Won`t be long before it will be time to rehang the plastic around my side porch. Helps a lot , blocking the cold when ever the door gets opened. Last year found an easier way for hanging the plastic without leaving staples to pull back out. Now I just hand them using hooks and eyes. Easier to take back down, plus easier to put up. Wish I had thought of doing it this way years ago. Also means no shoveling snow from the porch with it closed in, only the step spot is left open.
Facebook is still driving me crazy. Last winter when I started using a different computer it messed everything up. When I signed into my same place I used on the old comp, it didn`t continue where I was on the old comp. It was a while before I realized it had started a new account using the same information I signed up with on the old comp. When I try to close out the second account, it closes out both accounts. So I tried leaving both accounts deactivated and start a new account , I couldn`t . It kept telling me I already had an account and just reopened both accounts again. Even the games I was playing on the old comp became new games on the newer comp. It says you can close out one account, but so far there info hasn`t worked for me.
Well , enough rambling off for tonight. Almost 11:30 now, so guess should head for bed soon.
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Soon to be 82, what is happening now?
The past few months have kept me busy. Not the normal gardening, house repairs and other things normal for this time of year. First I was getting run over with carpenter ants coming in through the bathroom fan. After a couple months finally conquered them. Nest came the skunks. So far 4 have been removed, they seems to have loved living under my wood shop. Now trying hard to get the fifth one to come out from under there. Seems like the chipmunks , squirrels , wildcat and neighbors cats also love the bread with peanut butter I was using to draw out the skunks. I had a very scared cat the time I opened the cage to let it out. Then there was the black squirrel, never saw anything so scared as it was when I opened the cage door to release it. It took off up the near tree, then up onto the shop/garage roof and out of sight. I hadn`t seen it again for almost two months. But, this past week it showed up again. Couple days ago I tried another way to make it harder for them to sneak out the bread. I used an old plastic onion bag and wrapped the bread and PButter in it and wired it to the inside of the cage. Took the other animals three days to finally pull the bag outside through the small holes of the cage. But, still have that skunk under my shop. Then I placed the cage onto a board so other animals cannot dig out the dirt under the cage to get the food. Wish me luck, I still small a skunk early in the mornings. Worrying my dog might lay where it can pick up the odor on his fur. If I ever get the last one (hoping the last one) out, then must figure out a way to better close it up so they can`t dig back under next year. Seem to come back every year. Will not know if just the one skunk left under there till after it is gone and when I shovel in the hole it stays closed.
While fighting skunks, I found I was being over run with wasps. According to TV reports bees are getting scarce. Wish that was true on my property. Was watching bees going in and out different places in the eaves of my kitchen addition end of the house. Couldn`t find where the actual nest was. That got solved when a son pulled off all those small boards used to fill in each space between all the ends of the roof rafters on the added kitchen roof. Between each rafter was 4 or 5, sometimes more, nests- all loaded. Must have easily been over a thousand bees living there. Well, that area is cleared out and all the boards have been replaced and properly sealed up to prevent them making new nests. Next was to check out where they were going in and out on the other corner of the house. Expected only one nest there, but wrong again. A little spraying had bees flying out of lots of places along the length of the long front eaves on the rest of the house. No small boards to pull off there- has long boards closing up the length of the house. Seems like there is never a dull moment when you own your own home.
Is this what is called early Birthday gifts?
While fighting skunks, I found I was being over run with wasps. According to TV reports bees are getting scarce. Wish that was true on my property. Was watching bees going in and out different places in the eaves of my kitchen addition end of the house. Couldn`t find where the actual nest was. That got solved when a son pulled off all those small boards used to fill in each space between all the ends of the roof rafters on the added kitchen roof. Between each rafter was 4 or 5, sometimes more, nests- all loaded. Must have easily been over a thousand bees living there. Well, that area is cleared out and all the boards have been replaced and properly sealed up to prevent them making new nests. Next was to check out where they were going in and out on the other corner of the house. Expected only one nest there, but wrong again. A little spraying had bees flying out of lots of places along the length of the long front eaves on the rest of the house. No small boards to pull off there- has long boards closing up the length of the house. Seems like there is never a dull moment when you own your own home.
Is this what is called early Birthday gifts?
