This blue jay seems to be enjoying his snack. :-)
I think they have made the connection between us humans and food magically appearing on the feeder. They used to fly off when we came near to top it up, and not come back for hours. Now they come back right away.
The Re-Farmer
While taking my walk around the yard, I noticed a new tree mushroom by the collapsing log shed in the yard.
Unlike the others I’ve found, this one was quite low down, so this photo was me holding my phone under it and hoping for the best!
I’m happy with how it turned out.
It amazes me just how fast these things can grow! One day, there’s nothing but tree trunk. A few days later, there’s a huge mushroom.
I have no idea what kind they are. Something to research in the future, I think. :-)
The Re-Farmer
Since we set up the bird feeder, instead of leaving seed on the ground, the blue jays have been harder to get photos of. They see me moving to the camera on its tripod and fly off.
It seems they are starting to get used to seeing us in the window now. Or, at least one is.
He’s watching me.
I love the little head tilt!
The Re-Farmer
My husband has taken on the morning feeding of the outside cats, so I haven’t been getting photos of them coming out early in the day. The kittens are getting used to him, I’m told, and have started to come running when he fills their bowls.
Every now and then, though, the kittens come back, sneaking around us, to get to the food bowls.
Corvo is most amusing.
He now goes straight to laying half his body right in the bowl, and even rolls around in the kibble, pushing away any other kittens coming over.
Here we have Corvo, Rosencrantz (or Guildenstern), Jim, and Bob.
Bob is the teeny tabby. So named, because his body is so small compared to his head, he looks like a bobble head toy.
He is filling out, though, which is a relief.
Doom Guy and Guildenstern (or Rosencrantz) didn’t make a showing this time, but when I came out later, these four were still there.
Still completely ignoring the second food bowl. :-D
The Re-Farmer
While it might be hard to get photos of them as they do their upside down thing, the nuthatches otherwise seem rather okay with posing for the camera. Right side up, at least. :-)
The Re-Farmer
The larger of the orange tabbies now has a name.
Meet Jim.
I’m told there’s a tangential story behind this name. I don’t know what it is. :-D
Jim wasn’t too keen on me coming closer to get his photo, and kept moving around. From here, though, you can see the “platform” the cats like to sit on, to look into the kitchen. This is where this tree had been cut down before. There are also places where I can see larger branches had been cut down, too. And yet, in a remarkably short time, when it comes to growth speed of trees, it is once again overhanging the roof.
Which is why we have decided that it’s going to need to come down completely, to protect the house.
While that will solve one serious problem, taking it down is also going to loose a lot of the shade it provides, which is why it was planted there in the first place.
It also means taking away one of the cats’ favorite spots.
I’m still entertaining the thought of leaving a trunk tall enough to make it a table.
The Re-Farmer
My view out the kitchen window, this morning.
He is starting to look so grown up! :-D
The Re-Farmer
Though we had a trip into town for another medical appointment and some errands (since we were there, anyhow!) in the late morning, I decided I needed to finish clearing the fence line in the spruce grove today. My siblings and I are working things out in regards to checking on our mother over the next few days, and tomorrow is my turn. The long range forecasts say it’s going to get colder again, so today was the day, ready or not!
I am happy to say, it is now DONE! I have cleared the fence line along the spruce grove, up to the driveway gate. Anything else I am able to do before winter is bonus. Woohoo!
I took a whole bunch of before and after photos, so I’ll just set up a slide show and let them speak for themselves!
The following photos were taken from the gate side of the fence, facing north. I started inside the grove, where I left off, but realized I needed to start a new pile for cuttings. The place to do that was on the south side. Which required clearing a section of fence so I could toss things over, then working my way north to where I left off last time.
Here is what it looks like from inside the spruce grove, where I left off last time.
I managed to save one tiny little spruce tree. :-D It was in the way, to be honest, but after cutting away so many spruces that were in the fence line itself, I wanted to keep at least this one! It’s small enough that I could potentially transplant it, in the future.
As you can see in the after photos, I did break out the weed trimmer. I did the edges of the driveway, first, and even cut away some of the smaller trees on the south side of the driveway, for a bit of visibility. Next, I followed along the fence line where I worked, as this area had actual tall grass, rather than just undergrowth.
To be honest, though, one of the main reasons I did that was because I got tired of tripping over stumps I’d just cut, but couldn’t see due to the grass! I will have to see if we have some really bright spray paint, and mark some of them, for safety.
I also tidied up the two strings of Christmas lights, as well as re-attaching the top wire of the fence onto one of the fence posts, where the original U nail was simply, gone. I used the third string of lights I’d removed previously to replace burnt out and broken bulbs, and switch them all to clear bulbs. I still intend to replace them with LEDs, but just in case I can’t get to it this year, it is all fixed up for now.
I also discovered that the light strings had plastic clips on them. While on one of them, the clips were mostly broken off, I don’t know why they weren’t used to clip them to the wire, rather than wrapping them around tree branches. I also brought out the zip ties for those areas where the clips were broken, and to secure the main power cable, including all along the fence to the garage.
I discovered that more of the fence posts on the south side need replacing than I originally thought. I leaned on one while reaching to clear a tree at its base, and it broke at ground level!
There were some interesting finds.
Earlier in the year, I discovered there was asparagus growing at the fence line! I highly doubt this was planted deliberately, and yet, how else did it get there?
There isn’t a lot, but they have their berries now!
I didn’t know they got berries. Turns out the female plants do. Interesting!
Also, do you see that rock?
Once I started clearing around it, I realized it’s two rocks.
I’m. At a loss. It seems to random, and strange, to find two rocks cemented together like this.
There has got to be a story behind this! :-D
When all was done, I had a large new pile we’ll need to haul away.
At least this time, the pile is in an area that’s easier to get to!
After cleaning up and putting everything away, I came back to address a concern.
It’s a temporary fix. I cut out a section of one of my husband’s empty distilled water jugs (he uses distilled water for his CPAP humidifier, so we have lots!) and popped it on the post.
Why, you may ask?
This is why.
Once the trees were cleared, what little shelter there was for the outlet was gone. I don’t know how many years it’s been outside, facing down to make sure no moisture got in. It seemed so very exposed!
So this should keep the precipitation off, until I can come up with something better. Which will likely not happen until I can work on repairing the fences, so it might be a while!
While I was working on all of this, the girls were working in the West yard.
They had already done part of the yard and put the leaves on the little garden by the Old Kitchen. This is just some of the piles they rakes up today – there’s more by the fire pit!
I had commandeered the wheel barrows, so they will move the piles onto the garden tomorrow, while I am out.
They also made supper. The smell of which is making me very hungry right now!
It’s been a very productive day today! I’m so glad to finally get that fence line done.
Another thing off the list! :-D
The Re-Farmer
I had to make a quick trip into town this morning, and came home to DahBoy, waiting for me.
Okay, so maybe he was just watching the action outside, and not really waiting for me, but it’s cute, either way. :-D
Plans have been changed for the day. I’ve learned my mother is going to be released from hospital this afternoon. They were actually going to kick her out this morning, against doctor’s orders and before confirmation for home care, but my brother talked them into making it this afternoon, as was originally being discussed. I am waiting on my brother to let me know when they are leaving, so I can meet them at my mother’s and help out.
Which meant a planned trip into town this afternoon, to drop some stuff off at the lab for my husband, got done this morning, instead.
Home care for my mother won’t start until tomorrow, but thankfully, my older brother will be able to stay overnight with my mother and be available for her until then. If he hadn’t already worked that out, chances are I’d be doing it. Hopefully, if my mother does need help with stuff beyond home care, she’ll call me, at a 20 minute drive away, instead of my brother, who is about an hour and a half away!
I think she is going to be glad to be home, and away from the noise and bustle of the hospital.
The Re-Farmer
The Re-Farmer 