Daily Musings Page 3

Found a dead deer in our field this morning, was very sad to see. It had been hit by truck I would guess as both back legs were broken. Before we could remove it, birds started to flock for the free feast. I was upset at first but realized this was part of the food chain, so we let it stay and watched as they ate. A short time later I noticed a very large bird shooing off the smaller ones. As I watched, I realized I was seeing a bird i have never seen in Maine before. A beautiful Golden Eagle!! I tried to get close enough to get a picture, but he flew off before I could focus. Maybe he'll come back and i'll get lucky tomorrow.
He was just magnificent!!!!

oh, I hope you are successfull pixie! The people in the city don't know what they are missing!

Pixie, it is the way of Nature - nothing wasted. Sad to see an injured animal, though.
There was an image of a deer skull on a photo site I frequent. It was reminiscent of the old southwest movies. Erie and interesting at the same time.
There are Hawks around here occasionally. Last Winter I noticed lots of feathers on the snow in the yard, more kept coming down. There was one high up in eating it's latest catch. Sarah kept sniffing the feathers in the snow.
I had to slow down this morning, there were 3 wild turkeys casually walking across the road. I started thinking about Thanksgiving, yum.
Here is one of my last Dahlia pics from last week.
Andy P

I remember the first time I saw a hawk in my yard. I was chatting on the phone and watching the birds at the feeder during a winter snow storm. One of the juncos was very busy getting to as much seed as he could. All of a sudden, something fell out of the tree and hit the Junco!!! I couldn't imagine what it was at first, until I realized that what had fallen had actually landed and that it was a hawk! So amazing! I remember that the person I was speaking with thought something had happened and kept saying, "What happened, are you all right?" I was completely stunned for a few moments in complete and utter awe.

pixie, I'm so glad you got to see it. must be magnificent. we have hawks all the time, but never close up. I can't imagine an eagle.

Gram ~ We have several different hawks that visit and we have a couple of Bald Eagles that live close by. They have their nest in a protected area on the lake so we get to see them often. This is the first time a Golden Eagle has been in this area, I didn't even know they came to Maine until I looked it up in my bird book. Yesterday I sat all day in front of the telescope with camera hanging off my neck in hopes he would make an appearance. He didn't, and today I have a stiff neck. I did see some very large Raven's, a Turkey Vulture, and a Red Tailed Hawk...but no Golden Eagle. (sigh)
I can only hope he makes an appearance today as tomorrow is the first day of hunting season and I know he'll be long gone once the hunters start invading the woods.

Hi everyone!!!! I missed you guys... Pixie, put some bengay on your neck!!!! I would do the same as you... I hope you not see it again but you get us a picture... I am dying to see that eagle too!!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful day, it's gonna rain tomorrow.
I finally got the last of the Oxalis bulbs lifted and the last 'spare' Tulips planted.
The feral cats are already starting to use the freshly turned soil as a litter box, pigs. I think I'll cover all the open ground with chicken wire. I also found bird feathers in the garden today. I was wondering where my Mocking bird had gone off to. Now I know.
I entered a small on-line photo contest yesterday. The theme is Fruit so I submitted this one from last week.
Blackberries.
Andy P

Gorgeous photo Andy - good luck! Where are you getting feral cats from in Brockton? We had one neighborhood cat who had Feline Leukemia in JP, but none here in Milton, and I can't really even imagine one or some in Brockton. I've been there you know. Brockton, I mean. Anyway, I agree, they are total pigs, using your soil like that!

xxx, Carrie

Carrie, it's an ongoing problem in this neighborhood. One person feeds them. Most have been captured and 'fixed' but it never really stops, new ones come in as long as there is food.

Kassia, there is a mason supply place called Foster (something) on the town line of Avon and Holbrook that sells teracota flue liners. I couldn't find it in the phone book but if you drive in from Avon Rt. 28 go east on East High St. (Fire station on corner) you will see it on the left about a mile down, literally on the town line.

I found this on the Mid-South forum http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/664794/ Virtual pumpkin carving.
Andy P

Thanks Andy... I am going to go there ... by all means.... I have to do a site visit in Brockton pretty soon and I am going to make 2 stops.... there to get the flue liners and Ikea... more vases and marbles.... I used all mine...

I lost my marbles.

Well today Jack frost finally claimed my zinnias & dahlias. So sad but I did get an extra 2 weeks this year. Did you Long Islanders get hit yet?

Dave, Ikea has bags of marbles for a great price... lol...

my little winter garden... I can't just give up...

Hey, Kass...Andy to the rescue! I knew there had to be clay flue liners somewhere in MA

Andy, that is a super pic. can just about taste those berries. looks like a winner to me :0)

Halloween is kind of cancelled in western NY, or at least trick or treating is. there is still so much debris piled around from the storm and loose tree limbs that it really isn't safe for the kids to go out door to door. sounds like they are looking for alternatives. I don't know what they'll do in my neighborhood. we really don't have a problem, but this is kind of an isolated pocket. and I just bought a ton of candy (not thinking....I know...that doesn't really surprise anyone). anybody need a Hershey fix?

gram (a ghost.....BOO!)

Gram ~ Thats so sad for the kids not to be able to Trick or Treat! I'm sure the different communities will have parties to compensate.
I have spent the last 2 days cleaning the yard for any loose debris, tying down anything that can take flight in 60 mile an hour winds, re-stocking my supply of candles and filling up water bottles. I baked all day yesterday and stuck a beef stew in the croc-pot this morning, just have to frost my son's birthday cake and i'm done!( My baby is 19 today.) The fire place is ready, just needs a match, and the wood box is filled. If this storm hits as hard as they say it will, I should be all set!! As the weather man put it " if this storm were to hit just 3 weeks later...it would be a blizzard!" I'll take the rain, thanks. They have already warned us we will most likely loose power, and the winds are a main concern. So if you don't hear from me for a few days, you know why.

sounds like you're ready for anything...good luck! I think of all the forces of mother nature I hate wind the most. if we don't hear from you, we'll be thinking of you. yankees are practical folk, are they not? if I told this story before, just tell me to shut up. I know I talked about my German heritage on my mom's side of the family. on my dad's side, it's pretty WASPish. I asked my grandmother once what our nationality was. she said just tell people you're a yankee.

wish the 'baby' a happy b'day!

PIXIE,
IT SOUNDS LIKE A WONDERFUL HOUSE TO GET "STUCK" IN DURING THE STORM!!

For me, I'm just hoping the oak leaves come down in this storm. That's what I have most of and they usually take until March to all drop.

Hi, you guys are prepared... all I did today was clean up the turtles home, laundry, gave Lilly a shower & hair cut (poor dog,,, I can't do hair cuts or prunings... I am just thinking of what my roses will look like in few years!!!! )... and more laundry,,, clean my bedroom, sprayed my plants I am bringing inside and that's it...

Gram you are right... Andy did make my day,,, Please send all the chocolate you can..... I will never say no!

Pixie I can just imagine your house... my type of place... I tryed to get my fireplace going but I am not very good at that... I buy those logs ... no luck starting a fire!!!! lol... I am fireplace challenged!!!

Lilly sleeping after a shower and hair cut on my clean bed!!!!

A little wildflower that's growing along the side of the street. Anyone know what it is?
Andy P

Andy, we were talking about it on another thread. I think it's toadflax..it's pretty

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/72871/index.html

I don't think so, Gram.
I've seen this one around for ever, it's always yellow/orange like this one. The leaves look like Asclipias Tuberosa (Butterfly weed) but softer and lighter green. I think it's an annual. Blooming August / September. This is the last one, I had to get a pic before they all faded.

On another note; The second of the 2 new houses next door got it's new occupants today. What a day to do that, lol. A young couple, no kids, first time buyers.

We got 3.5 inches of rain today.
Andy P

And 40+ mph winds at the airport, according to my DH, who works there. Andy, that doesn't grow up here. Beautiful. 20 miles away, and such different flora!

Andy, I had something that looked a lot like that near my driveway. I thought what I saw was a little more snapdragon"ish" than yours. Both are pretty. Was your's little?

Gram, it is Toad Flax. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/262/index.html
Dave, I thought it was a sort of Snapdragon type thing, too.
Thanks, all
Andy P

see, you've got to learn to listen to your gram LOL that just wasn't a very good link

Ah yes - Weasel's Snout , now I recognize it. It is quite common as a weed more or less.

Aha! You watched the Harry Potter movie last night.

No, but I do have Pig's Chops growing here.

Thanks Andy & Gram. That's what I had in my yard. Very lovely.

Yankee, I have some fresh mandrake root if you want some! ;)

It looks like Pixie lost power. The wind is really blowing today.
I took a chance and hung my bed linen out to dry, lol. If the line doesn't break they should be dry in a few minutes, no wrinkles and not stiff.
I spent a few minutes picking up downed 'dead' branches this morning, an hour later I had to do it again.
We officially got 3.9 inches of rain yesterday, quite a storm. It came down so hard for a while I couldn't hear the radio.
Andy P

I'm here Andy...sound like you got alot of what we had here. Gust of winds, sheets of rain, flickering lights, claps of thunder..... it was quite a storm wasn't it?

Actually a very nice,though blustery day here today. Andy, Did your sheets end up in Cape Cod?
I guess we had 2 to 3 inches of rain yesterday. Not bad.

Dave, the old line held. They dried in less than 2 hours, nice and fluffy, lol. No bugs, either.
Andy P

I think we'll go wood collecting tomorrow along the urban-parkway type roads. You know the kind, don't you? They're not kept in good shape, never pruned, full of dead tree branches etc., especially after winds like these. It's like a twisty, turny road with a 20 - 30 ft. swath of woods on each side, so you're made to feel as if you might not actually be IN Boston, you might be lost somewhere (and you still might be - these roads don't have much if any lighting and no signs) and then all of a sudden the woods are gone, and there's a Brooks, a 2 sided Dunkin Donuts, a Burger King, and a traffic jam.

xxxxx, Carrie

Andy, nothing like line-dried sheets :-) It was an absolutely beautiful day here today. Warm, sunny, much less wind. I had to work, but I planted some bulbs on my lunch hour.

here's Dr Ruppel...almost open..and quite a few more buds (don't have the heart to tell him it's almost November)

Gram ~ I had a feeling it would open, nice color for this time of year. So nice to see something besides yellow, orange and wilted! LOL

Kassia - costume idea for you turtles. Happy Halloween everyone!

Gram, Dr. Ruppel is a Clematis? Pretty.

PINK FLAMINGOS. If you have an original, hang on to it. The company that makes them is closing down Wednesday. Union Products Inc of Leominster, MA started making them 49 years ago, they stopped producing them last June. Unless they can sell the molds, there will be no more.
Word is out on eBay so you can expect to pay more that the MSRP of $15 per pair.
Competitor knockoffs are available but they are not the same.
Andy P

yep, Andy, that's the clematis that doesn't know what season it is. stayed underground til august.

we had a pink flamingo at work. probably a knockoff. they are somewhat of a joke in this area and are frequently spotted in a suburb where there is a large Polish population. several years ago while working on a big project, a group of us were moved into an unused construction trailer and folks started to refer to us as the 'trailer trash'. so one member of the team who happened to be of Polish extraction got 2 pink flamingoes and put them up in front of the trailer. well, we finally moved out of there and the guy who bought the flamingoes retired, but one of those flamingoes stuck with us. in our last building, he had a pair of sunglasses and a not-too-bad fake employee ID with his picture on it. but we've been moved again and I haven't seen the flamingo, so I think he may be gone for good.

yank, that turtle is too funny

papa ~gram in a papa costume~

lol.... lol.... good one...