Bogieblog

Voluteers

Last weekend, while I wasw mowing, I saw some unfamiliar flowers along the drainage ditch on the south side of the house. Since I didn't have my reading glasses on, I couldn't see them well, so later went out to take a better look.

Much to my surprise, they were volunteer turtleheads. Now, I have turtleheads in the shade garden and in the new raised garden that both reside near there. But they are not that pale color, so they aren't wanderers from the domesticated plantings. Another curious thing is that they were blooming before the domesticated variety. Picture of where the shade garden turtleheads were in the shade garden

The plants in the raised bed only have buds but no blooms yet, so I don't have a picture of those. but I do know they are a hot pink

So, the volunteers appear to be a true wild flower, and this link shows them to be white with just a blush of pink. The white turtlehead is said to be the chief plant host for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly larva. I do see those butterflies around my gardens, especially around the black eyed Suzies. However, those butterflies could just as easily be Harris' Checkerspots, which like flat top Asters, which there are an abundance of around here too. Heck, I could have both types of butterflies for all I know.

I'll have to remember next year not to mow / weed wack those volunteers down.

Short Trip to PA

Last week I took a trip to PA for work. Three of us drove there on Monday, stayed thru Wednesday about 1pm, then drove back. Since none of us were the going out type, we fit all our sight seeing in during the drives. We got to go thru some amazing corn and soybean farming country in PA as the GPS took us around an estimated 26 minute traffic backup due to a MV accident on the highway.

On the way back I took pictures while going over the Hudson River Bridge

While I was away, remnants of hurricane Henri hit. Of course since it was traveling over land, it was downgraded to a tropical storm and I'm not even sure it had that designation when it got to VT and NH. Regardless, it dumped some rain.

My pet sitter did a great job and kept me informed of her cat sightings. Rita is the only cat that deigned to make an appearance when Anne was here (she made a total of 4 visits). Since Rita was a rescue that I took in when she was about 7, she must have been socialized  during her younger years. Although she isn't the type to seek out attention from strangers, she quickly settles down when they are around.

Of course the two youngsters have only seen a couple of other people in their lives, and those have been people doing work on my house, so they don't tend to be sociable. That being said, at times I have put them in the cat pen in the living room while others have been here, so they also aren't terrified. This is illustrated by Anne saying that she could hear them chasing each other on the main floor while she was cleaning the cat boxes in the basement. I would just about bet that, at times,  Spot was lurking around watching Anne since she is very curious and adventurous.

It was a good trip with the cats and birds well taken care of, so I couldn't ask for anything better than that.

From Irritating to Cool

My new-to-me Explorer has a couple of different features that my previous Explorer did not have. Some are irritating, some are cool:

Irritating: The vehicle is started, I get out and close the door. The horn honks twice. Sure, I get that it is to remind someone their car is running, but really it just irritates everyone including the neighbors who here it at 6am because I had to run back into the house to get something. Also, I have to make several different stops at the dump and at every stop people are startled by those honks. Solution found using Forscan and an OBD link.

Irritating: I can't run the fog lights when it is in "auto" light mode. Now I know this is completely possible becuase I did it with my previous Explorer. But nope, I have to turn the lights to manual before I can use fog lights. REally? There is absolutely no reason for this. I have not found a fix for this - mainly because I haven't looked too hard. But upon first look, the above solution has provided me no joy.

Cool: Hey, my vehicle has a collision alert safety feature. I found this out the other day as I was coming home from work (I had to go in to print a bunch of stuff on my off-Friday). I was approaching a car that was turning off the road and this red light started blinking on the windshield. Now, I was on a steep hill and had taken my foot off the accelerator, so I was in no danger of hitting the car, but still, it was cool. Apparently it is part of the Safe and Smart package, an option that the previous owner had special ordered.

Irritation: Part of that same safety package is rain sensing wipers. That does not work very well. It was activated when I picked up the vehicle, and driving in the rain the wipers would randomly go into overdrive even though there were only a few splatters on the windshield. Fortunately that feature was easy to turn off thru the regular system controls so I didn't have to wait until I got the Forscan/OVD Link combo.

Cool: Apparently it has auto high beams. I don't know how it works since I haven't driven at night, so whether it works well or not is still to be determined.

Cool: I got a $211 check from my insurance just for upgrading from the 2014 to the 2018. So even though it is newer and worth far more than my old Explorer, it is less to insure. My guess is that is because of the aforementioned collision alert as well as other safety features.

I'm sure there are other things, but I've only driven about 250 miles and during the day, so will have plenty of time to discover them.

Scarab Beetles

Cop Car wrote about caterpillars. Although I usually don't see caterpillars, it reminded me of the change in insects that I had observed last summer into this summer.

Early last summer we went into drought and that didn't break until the very end of June. It was so dry last summer that even the swamp next to me dried up. However, the invasive roses never showed much stress, so I'm sure the soil still held onto moisture at a level that was still accessible to deeper roots..

Interestingly, that is when the blue mud daubers became abundant visitors to my gardens. Never having seen them before, that I remember, and I had to look them up. They were everywhere there were flowers. My yard was overrun with some sort of white moth (I have forgotten the worm they produce, but they were destructive) as well as tussock caterpillars (a leftover from the year before, when they first appeared). Bumble bees and other bees were about normal, as were butterflies.

Hummingbird moths only appear, that I've seen anyway, every 2-3 years. This year has been one of the years I have had the pleasure of observing some.

This summer, I rarely see butterflies and have yet to see a monarch. Bumblebees are rare too, but there are some tiny bees that are in abundance. I haven't seen many wasps, except the blue mud daubers are still around - but not to the extent they were last year.

I am usually overrun by Japanese Beetles that annihilate domesticated rose and day lily flowers (they don't come out until after the invasive roses bloom so they don't bother those). This year I did not see any Japanese beetles - not one. Instead, there was a beetle that I have never had at either house, and again had to look up

Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures until after the main invasion was over. These are the leftovers and doesn't show the hoard that were on the plants before that. When I first saw them, I had thought they were sick Japanese beetles since they have the same shape. I believe I identified them as a Shining Leaf Chafer beetle (a scarab beetle type). They weren't nearly as destructive to flowers or foliage as the Japanese beetles were, and the life cycle was definitely much shorter - lasting a couple of weeks instead of sticking around for a couple of months.

Something I have seen this year in relative abundance has been American Pelecinids. Some years I see a couple, other years I see none, but this year is a boom year for them. Although their larva parasitize scarab beetles, I'm pretty sure they aren't the reason for the Japanese Beetle dearth, but at the same time cannot explain it. In the last 20 years I can't recall ever NOT having any at either place. And, it wouldn't explain the presence of the Shining Leaf Chafer beetle either. Ah well, one of life's mysteries.

I'm sure there have bee other anomalies in the insect world that I have forgotten about, but at least it gave me something to post about :)

Going, Going, Gone

Last Sunday afternoon:

Yep, sold the bike to a nice guy in Goffstown. Funny how everything worked. On Wednesday, 6/28/2021, I had a 2018 Ford Focus, a 2014 Ford Explorer, and a 2011 Harley Davidson Street Glide. On Sunday, 8/1/2021, by 5 pm I had exactly zero of those vehicles and am down to the new-to-me 2018 Ford Explorer that I picked up on 6/29/2021. None of that timing was planned, just the way things worked out.

Last fall I had tried to sell the bike because of issues with my eyes meant I hadn't rode the bike since putting it in storage November of 109. I only got a couple of bites and those were low-ball offers, so it sat in the garage all winter. I did take a short ride (all of 14 miles - to Henniker and back), but that has been it. I have off and on issues with my left eye, and apparently yesterday had another retinal tear in my right eye which I was able to see last night.

I placed the bike back on CL on Sunday, 7/25/21, figuring it would take several weeks to sell, if at all. Apparently I timed it right. Paul, the guy who bought it, was replacing his 2003 Road King. Funny thing is, when he came to look at it, he said it looked exactly like a bike his son had picked up a couple of weeks prior - and it was a 2011 (same year). Looking at the paint colors available for that year, it was the same Merlot Sunglo as mine. I'm guessing his son's bike didn't have the lowers, so at least they should be able to tell them apart that way :) .

I will certainly miss seeing her in the garage, but it is for the best. I might be able to go to a trike, but that is not something that I have decided on yet and would have to test ride one before being able to tell it would be something for me (they drive differently apparently). Not something I would probably do this year unless I found a deal that I couldn't resist. As it is, with the sale of the bike, I will be paying off the truck loan in short order.

Second Wettest Month - Ever

In southern NH, the drought has definitely been broken. Yes, I said that a couple of weeks ago, but as of last week we had broken the record as the wettest July ever. Then, after the rain a couple of days ago, this July was the second rainiest month since 1868.

The wetness of this month has been highlighted by my not being able to mow the drainage area on the north side of the house for 3 weeks. The other wet areas have had minimal standing water, so I have gotten to mow those.

However, in the north country regions are still abnormally dry to moderate drought. They should get some much needed rain tonight though.

What a Whirlwind

Last weekend I posted that I had to many vehicles for my new permanent work from home status (What to Do).

The A/C in the Explorer had gone out and I was waiting results from taking it into the shop before I made a decision. Monday afternoon I got the call that the compressor's clutch had gone out. Now, the correct way to fix this is tor replace the compressor and the lines (to ensure there is no debris in there that would cause issues in short order). This would cost $2,700! To just replace the clutch would be $900. And by the way, both compressors and clutches are on back order, with a 3-4 week lead time. Yes, there were aftermarket parts available, but that would not save any money. I declined to order parts yet, figuring I needed time to do some research.

I started researching trade in values for the truck, and selling values of the car and I liked the numbers - if I could actually get them. Then I started looking online at different dealers to see if the vehicle I wanted was to be found. See, my Explorer had been a special order for the original owner and I really liked the packages and features that had been included; Class III tow package, heated seats, Nav, back up sensor (separate from back u camera it gives a audible cue if there is an approaching obstacle/person), moonroof (although not something that would be a necessity for me) etc. I also wanted to add in heated steering wheel (I got spoiled by the car).

I found a Platinum model at the place I had bought my 2014 Explorer at. Platinum has everything that is offered. But that vehicle was a 2017 that had 63k miles. At the same time it was about 4k under my ideal price range. I inquired, but it had been placed under contract. In the end, that worked out for me. Tuesday evening, a new offering popped up at a Honda dealership that seemed perfect - a special order 2018 Explorer with everything I wanted, at 33,570 miles, and just a couple of hundred dollars over what my ideal price would be. Bonus is that I know someone that works at that dealership chain (they do most of the major brands) - she used to work for my favorite Harley Dealership before it was sold.

I got a hold of Christy thru FB Messenger (we are friends) and asked her who I should talk to at the Honda dealership and she said that she could work out of any of them - Fantastic! I told her which vehicle I was looking at. She pulled the keys first thing Wednesday morning so that no one else could claim it before I got a chance to look at it. I test drove Wednesday evening while they were looking at my vehicle to give a trade in value (BTW, I spent a couple of hours Tuesday evening Washing, vacuuming and cleaning it up so it didn't look like a brush hauler - it cleaned up really well). The number they came back with was extremely close to what KBB said, and I was happy with the numbers all the way around. I left the dealership planning on picking it up Thursday evening.

I had also done research on off-loading the car. My best bet was to go thru Car Max. I input all the information online, and they came back with an offer that was a couple hundred $ over what I paid for it to begin with. I made an appointment to take the car in Friday afternoon, and arranged a ride back.

So that is important because I took the money I anticipated from the sale of the car and applied it as an additional down payment for the 2018 Explorer. I picked up the truck Thursday evening (in the rain, which is funny because I had driven home the 2014 Explorer in the rain). I have a very minimal payment which is made even sweeter factoring in the nearly $3k that replacing the compressor (correctly). Here are the old (gray) and new (beige - Platinum Dune is the official color) side by side

Yesterday I got all excited that the Weather Tech protective floor mats and cargo mat that I had gotten for the 2014 fit the 2018 perfectly. Probably a sign of old age that I got such pleasure from that :) . I did go ahead and order the window rain guards for the 2018 and they should be here in 7-10 days.

Friday I took the car in and after 1.5 hours (I don't know why it was so slow, it should have been 30 minutes), I walked out with a check. I basically got to use the car for 21k miles for just the cost of gas and maintenance. Last picture of the car

I can't believe how everything fell together, although the scheduling was tough - especially the ride from Manchester. I am so thankful that my first ride choice was not available as the 1.5 hour wait would have been extremely difficult for her. My second choice couldn't, but she volunteered her significant other (which I also know thru the HOG chapter I used to belong to). Since he is retired, and had no plans, it turned out for the best. So, the stars happened to align correctly all the way around.

EDIT: While I was syncing my phone before leaving the dealership, Christy and I got a chuckle over one of the three phones we deleted from the system: