Bogieblog

Wet Riding

Rode to work yesterday for the first time in 2 weeks. The previous week we had such thick fog in the moring it was sometimes scary driving a 4-wheel vehicle. Then all this last week we have had sever storms rolling thru. Friday we were supposed to have storms in the late afternoon. No big deal, I'll keep an eye on the radar and bug out in time to miss them.

Except I forgot it was end of month. And I forgot that we had a source inspection slated for the afternoon, for lots of parts, and I would probably have to stay later than usual. Sure enough, I finally got to leave work just before 6 pm (I got there at 5:15 am).

I also forgot to take my helmet :O. So I donned a leather cap, my other leathers, my rain pants, gloves and glasses and left while it was still dry. I got about 3 miles into the ride (to the Bedford/Goffstown line) and it started raining. Well, no sense stopping since there are no bridges for me to find. It rained harder and harder. At one point lightning snaked directly overhead and then the thunder crashed a second later. Cars slowed down because of the heavy rain. I had my left hand above my glasses to keep water from going inside them. I must have looked like I was saluting with the wrong hand for a lot of the ride. I'm sure the cop in Weare was laughing his azz off as I went by his cruizer that he had parked at the Weare fire station. That's okay, I was still having a good time jamming out to my music and taking on the challenging weather.

I got home about an hour later - I did hit some lighter spots of rain as I was close to home. Although I felt like I was soaked, after taking stock I really wasn't too bad. My back was dry and so was my right arm (which had always stayed on the hand grip). My left arm was soaked from water running into the jacket from my glove while I was "saluting". The front of my shirt was soaked since I have never found a way to keep the water from running down my neck then under my jacket (my hair keeps the water from going down the back of my neck). My crotch was soaked as the seam to my rain gear leaks once the bike's saddle starts puddling water. But from mid-thigh down I was dry. And my hands were wet because gloves are never water tight - they can keep out light rain but not downpours. Their main uses are to protect the hands and also to provide grip with the handlebars despite being wet (leather is great at that - bare hands not soo good).

I haven't had to use the glove dryer since I moved here - found it still worked (Thanks Cop Car - you and HH gave this to us a long, long time ago)

This morning the sun came out so I hung all my layers out on the chain link fence to dry

Nothing is worse for wear, obviously I didn't melt, and I had actually been thinking a couple of weeks ago how dingy the patches on my vest were looking - that issue has been taken care of :)

Weed-proofing

We;;, as close as one can get anyway. I hate weed wacking even more than mowing, so since last year the area next to the garage wall has been covered with landscape fabric to kill off most of the weeds there. I've had the rock and sand for several weeks and today I decided to do the deed. I ripped up the old fabric, stripped off the sod, dug in for the edging and put it in place. Installed a new double layer of landscape fabric, then rock. The sand went to the outside of the edging.

Naturally I ended up a couple of bags short of rocks

With a storm coming I cleaned up everything and called it a day - just in time too.

Blooming Good Time

The lilies I planted last weekend have started blooming. Not everything was what I expected . . .

Right side planter (looking at chair): The pink ones are Roselilies. The white ones have a tag saying they are another pinkish-purple lily called Acapulco  but I'm not convinced :). Both are tall and very aromatic. I can smell them at my back door. I clipped 1 flower off the Roselily plant and placed it in the living room. It is making the whole house smell good. Glad I stayed with one flower as an entire stalk would have been overpowering.

Left side planter: Sunny Bonaire lilies. These are shorter and the scent isn't as strong as the two taller lilies, but they still smell nice.

Sunny Azores are beside the Bonaires. The buds are decieving because they have a pink/purple stripe, but they open up to white flowers with a yellow center (just what is shown on the tag).

The Gayfeather beside the front door is opening and inviting bees to take a taste

A couple of day lilies in the driveway garden. The darker ones have been attacked by some sort of fly (not Japanese Beetles), so doesn't look as good as it should.

Some sort of sunflower-type in the shade garden

 

Kitten Cuteness

Rainey found the best playtoy ever - a flexible plant ID/price tag from one of the maple trees I planted last year .

The kittens helping to clean off my desk (yes, I should file/shred more often than twice a year - LOL)

I was getting ready to close off the bedroom but when I looked, I decided I had to wait (Rainey in front/right, Spot behind/left)

Once they were done lazing on the bed, they moved to the living room bay window. It has been extremely hot and sunny this summer, so I placed foam board on two sides of the window to help control heat coming in. Still nice and toasty behind the curtain, but they seem to like it.

Good thing they are so cute, I just had to take a break and clean up spilled coffee. Apparently my previously "safe" spot for my cup, on the printer (on a stand away from the desk), is no longer so safe. The good news is that the printer is cleaner than it has been for quite some time :O

Update to Woods Sitting Area

When last I showed the New Woods Sitting Area, it looked unfinished. Only took a couple of weeks to get the rest of the materials for finishing (mind you I had no plan so was winging it), and a couple of trips to Agway for plants (again, no plan - just what caught my fancy), but yesterday I got the job done*

From the back porch (zoomed slightly)

From directly in front of the area. The bird bath is supported by two sapling stumps and a rock.

To the right (as facing): I placed a wood lot-look planter with two oriental lilies (almost ready to bloom) as focal points and to either side are columbines.  Note that there was a casualty to the three ferns I planted previously. Something really liked one of the painted ferns, and dragged it away. Last weekend I replaced that one with a hosta from the driveway garden that was getting sunbu scorched (should have known better than to place a light-leaved variety in full sun). So, although the hosta looks to be struggling, it is actually doing quite well and likes the change.

On the left (as facing), another log-look planter with 2 more lilies. There is a columbine between the two tall plants and a creeping winter berry on the right. Note that the foxglove is still there, just behind the planter. Since I didn't plan ahead of time sometimes things like that happen :)

The log-look planters have been hanging iout in the shed since last fall. Our local TSC had a huge fall sale and I got them for about $20 each (66% discount). At the time I got them I had no plans, just knew they would come in handy one day. When I got the lilies from Agway, I had actually expected to place a barrel planter where the bird bath is (said planter also being from a sale last year). However, that planter was smaller than I thought, so the 3 lilies I bought wouldn't fit - then I remembered the log planters. And yes, I had to go back to Agway for the 4th lily.

* The bird bath top will need to be painted so it either blends better, or at the very least is better looking. It is very old and was here when I bought the place - I found it in the overgrown garden under the crab apple. The broken pedestal has always been in the woods on the other end of the property

Let There be Kittens

I made a trip down to RI this morning. Fortunately I got out and about before everyone else headed that way so traffic was moving right along. Why did I go to RI? BDF, a guy on the Firewoodhoarder's forum had taken in 4 kittens that a feral cat gave birth to in their garage - they were born exactly 9 weeks ago. At 4 weeks he and his wife took them from the mother, who was starting to move them to a barn, and began bottle raising them. Their goals were to get them used to humans so they could be adopted, then to find them good homes. He has been posting pictures of them, and commented on their progress on the forum. 

So, I got to BDF's place, spent quite a while with him and his lovely wife - and of course the kittens. I knew Slash was not to be mine (BDF's wife had already claimed her), so I concentrated on wooing the other three to see who the best one would be to take home. Note that the names were given from defining characteristics, just to tell them apart, so they aren't meant to be permanent names.

Glasses (who had markings as if she were wearing spectacles - complete with temple pieces), although polite enough, definitely gave me the impression that I was not her type. Ah well, not every human loves me either. Both Runt and Spot were very relaxed around me and didn't even take a second look when I started petting them. This is amazing since BDF said they had only seen 1 other human (besides him and his wife), and that was just 2 days ago. Anyway, They both were happy to be pet and bottle fed by me (so was Slash, but Glasses didn't even make an appearance for that).

So, decisions, decisions. One kitten would be more likely to bond with Rita. Ah, but two kittens could soothe each other thru this upheaval from everything they have ever known. Yeah, both Runt and Spot came home with me. Spot was vocal a couple times during the ride and I would talk to him then sing when a good song came on. Runt was very calm the entire time. However, they did sleep or at least stay quiet for 98% of the ride. Welcome to NH! Yes, they had their seatbelt on

 

Rata looking at the cat carrier - getting the feeling that all is not the same in her world.

Rita looking in the cat carrier

Rita growling and turning away from the carrier. she actually did very well; just a couple of growls then walked away. Before I let the kittens out I gave Birdie and Ziva bread slices as treats, then gave Rita some treats. This is normal routine when I have been away for hours during weekend days.

Spot was the first to venture from the cat carrier to the pen that they will have as a safe place when I'm not around to supervise

Spot and Runt (her name will probably change - just have to figure out what suites her)

Although Spot is the most adventurous, Runt is the most calm, so as they have been relaxing, Runt is in the foreground of the bedding box and Spot is in backsitting up

 As I am writing, Rita is on my desk, blocking the view of the monitor and getting pets, as usual. Hopefully the transition will be smooth. Although it will be interesting to see her reaction when the kittens get into playing mode.

New Woods Sitting Area

After cleaning out a good portion of the woods, or at least the largest stacks of branches, leaves and shrubs that were attracting undesirables, I had to do something other than just leave it. So, a new sitting area is in the making.

These pictures are from last Saturday (6/30/18).

Some stones I picked up from a BBS with the old rocker that I brought from the old house (it was my BD present in 2003). To the right of the stones are a couple of ferns that I got from a local nursery and to the left is a pot with a couple of daylilies that you will see planted in a later pic.

View from the seat which faces the shade garden. To the left is a hosta, then a hydrangea tree, some buttercups and the crabapple. Along the fence are some hydrangeas and daylilies. Only a small portion of the street is visible. You can see where the rocker used to sit just in front of the other chair to the right of the crabapple.

The daylilies that I've been holding in a pot since last year, plus the errant foxglove that was in the old holding garden at the other side of the yard.

View from the back door

Today between mowing yards, going to the dump, and doing some running around, I did some more work on the sitting area. The first two are from the back porch

This one is from directly in front of the area. One of the 3 ferns on the right got taken away by some sort of wildlife (probably that chipmunk that I befuddled - getting me back for demolishing the den). The daylilies and foxglove are doing well. It has been extremely hot the last week, and the ground is bone dry for at least the top 6", so I have been watering every night. the mulch I laid today should help keep the moisture in.

The timber is just there to help me visualize and not make a mess while pouring the stones. I did take a break after this and sat in the chair and read for a while. Got a nice breeze and after a while I heard a tink, tink and got to see a downey woodpecker getting an insect from a tree just to my left (as I was sitting on the rocker).

Still not finished, but getting there. Not quite sure what I am going to do directly behind the timber since that area is rising, but I'm sure I'll think of something.

Cleaning UP

The "woods" behind the house have been a catch all for limbs/branches, shrubs and leaves. I haven't contributed for a couple of years (taking such stuff to the dump), but one pile in particular was growing with out my help. In May I saw a rat come out from under it to eat bird seed, which I immediately stopped supplying. Then there were a bunch of chipmunks taking residence in the woods. Sure, they are cuter, but can be destructive in their own way. So over a couple of weekends I started cleaning out all the old, dead stuff - including breaking up the den which was about 3 feet high and had a diameter of about 4 feet. The rat wasn't in residence and hadn't been for some time since I didn't find a midden in the den. From my research, they keep a room for their duty but also move often between several set homes. That room, if used recently is purported to reek to high heaven when opened, so I was glad to find no bad smell.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures before I started. But here is a shot from April 2018, before the den really started to grow. You can see a couple of openings where chipmunks used it for shelter and had tunnels.

Lets just leave it that I made two dump runs on 6/28 - one containing 9 bags of leaves and small stuff. And then took in 3 loads last Saturday morning and 2 more loads that afternoon.

This is where the den used to be. This is before I cleaned up a bit further to the right last Saturday. You should have seen a chipmunk come across where the den used to be. He kept looking around and was obviously thinking, "but I left it right here, I know I did." He even got on top of the small stumps in front and looked around. It was funny to watch, although I felt bad for disturbing his habitat.

Some woods clean up at the other end of the yard

Some of the wood from the den

7 bags of leaves and small twigs from the den (there were 2 more bags from cleaning the other end of the woods)

The truck stuffed with the first load after taking in the 9 bags of stuff.

The rest of the loads looked similar so I didn't take any more pictures.