Christmas Greetings

This time of year is given over to Peace on Earth to Men of Good Will. It was Christmas 2009 (My Christmas Ah-Ha Moment) when I said that as soon as there were sufficient men of good will we would have peace (or words to that effect).

This year I'm doing my part to spread Peace. If you are a regular reader of my online journal, you know how I have been at war with squirrels. I finally won the war (I think) by putting seeds in the feeder that squirrels do not like. They can eat as much of the safflower seeds as they want and I won't go ballistic. HA! They don't like safflower. Is that peace or is it an impasse?

In an attempt to bring the Squirrel Wars to an end and achieve lasting peace, my granddaughter, Jessica, and her husband, Matt, brought me a present last night (Christmas eve). A squirrel Christmas tree ornament all my own. He's so cute. He doesn't eat anything. He hangs upside down from his butt (remember...he's an ornament), and he was given to me by people I love. 

I can't put him on my Christmas tree because my tree is very small. But, he will live on my mantle until I take the Christmas decor down. Then...then...I'll have to find a place where he can look out at his wild kin and know how lucky he is to be warm, dry, and not hungry. I know! I'll put him right in front of Nameless, Faceless Baby Doll. I will post pictures when that happens so you can see how benevolent I am. (I'm trying very hard not to sound sinister, hehehehehe).

So, here he is. The new love in my life (never thought I'd say that about a squirrel) Rocket J. Squirrel (Rocky) named after the rodent who was the sidekick of Bullwinkle the Moose.

Thank you, Jessica and Matt! Love you!!!!

Critters at My Bird Feeders

This past Thanksgiving I went down to my family room intending to read. However, the critters (mostly birds) at the feeders were way more entertaining.

In the picture above, the wooden gazebo-like feeder has safflower seeds in it because it’s the only one the squirrels can get into and they will not eat safflower seeds. The metal feeder is constructed so squirrels cannot get at the seeds so have given up. The thistle feeder is the long tube and the suet is in the double cage. Squirrels don’t go for thistle and for some reason haven’t tried to get at the suet…yet.

Your geographic reference is: I live in North Central Connecticut.

Sparrows are by far the most numerous, followed by Juncos, and Goldfinchs. Next come the Mourning Doves, Redpolls and/or Purple finchs (I can never remember how to tell them apart), and Chickadees.

The numbers fall off considerably when it comes to Nuthatchs, Titmouses, and Blue Jay. Robins (yes they come around now and then and will eat seeds if hungry enough) outnumber Cardinals. I know that’s crazy at this time of year, but that’s climate change for you.

I find the woodpeckers (Hairy, Downey, and Flicker) quite interesting as they hammer away at the suet.

I’ll mention the bright yellow parakeet that showed up on Thanksgiving afternoon, although I’m sure it was someone’s pet that got lost. Haven’t seen it since.

In addition to the birds I have a squirrel, that seems to fly when I chase it. And finally, the ‘possom that comes after sundown to clean up what’s left on the ground.

Better than TV.

Squirrel Wars Update

I think I won! I think I won! I think I won!  WoooooHooooo!

Nonsense, I'm not the least bit excited.

SAFFLOWER SEEDS!

I have seen the squirrel only once in the feeder, but it didn't stay long. Mostly I see where something has tried to beat the b'jeepers out of the feeder. The seed is still there, it's just scattered all over the place!

And, the birds don't seem to mind the safflower.

I may not have to file for bankruptcy after all!

Electrical and Electronics

I don’t know what’s going on with the planets, but one (or more) of them is messing up my life! I guess the gods in control of all things electric and electronic are grumpy. All this happened Sunday and Monday, November 17^th and 18^th if you care to chart this astrologically.

Coffee Maker

Sunday morning I proceeded to make my coffee as usual. The coffee maker did not want to cooperate. I pushed the button I always push and nothing happened. What? Not so early…don’t do this to me. I went so far as to pull out my old coffee pot. But, before I plugged it in, on a whim, I turned back to my coffee maker and pushed a different button. YES! There was coffee. The question being now: why didn’t the middle button work?

Just for the thrill of the adventure, with no K-cup in place, I pushed the middle button, and, of course, it worked…and has continued working.

Lights

Monday morning, my daughter, who was visiting, attempted to put the front hall light on and for whatever reason managed to disable the hall light and the outside light. There are two switches for those lights and I never use the one by the front door. My daughter did. I tried everything…played with the switches, changed the bulbs. I even checked the electric panel. Finally I gave up. I washed the fixture cover and made the decision to wait until my sons could look at it. At least the cover was clean.

Much later in the day, while I was making supper, without thinking, I hit the switch for the front hall light so I could see into the front hall closet. THE FREAKING LIGHT CAME ON! And the outside light!

Monday Washing Machine Blues

Load 1: no problem

Load 2: at the end of the cycle my clothes were still very wet. The timer knob was not where it was supposed to be. I did my best to find a spin cycle and got them less wet. I was ready to call appliance repair.

Load 3: decided to let ‘er rip…just to see what would happen! Would you believe load 3 went through without a hitch? 

Load 4: I had to run another load just to be sure Load 3 wasn’t an anomaly. Load 4 went through flawlessly.

It’s wasn’t over.

Food Saver

After lunch I took a small loaf of gluten free bread out of the fridge to vacuum seal and put in the freezer until my daughter comes back at Christmas time. The darned vacuum sucker upper wouldn’t suck up. I cannot deal with this right now.

But, There’s hope

The coffee pot, lights, and washing machine all self-corrected. I have great hopes for the Food Saver.

Oh! And you better believe I made sure the Time Machine automatic back up software was running in case my computer decided to join in!

Follow-up To Squirrel Wars

Squirrels won.

I gave in and bought a new feeder. One that has spring loaded tray doors that will close under too much weight so squirrels or heavy birds can't get at the seeds.

The new feeder, as you can see is double sided and I can see how much seed is in it. The old feeder is now hanging under the deck where the Fuschia plant hung all summer. I think I'll leave the original feeder under the deck, that way the heavier birds like blue jays or mourning doves can still feed.

AND I'm sure the squirrels will climb the post holding up the deck and jump into the feeder. So be it. It will be stocked with the cheapest seed I can find. So there! 

My War on Squirrels!

Before moving into this condo, I lived in a house. I fed the birds...and the squirrels. It became war! One year I had to deal with "robo" squirrel. It was bigger than your average squirrel, and able to hang upside down over the tray and eat all it wanted without touching the perch (which would have closed the door to the seeds). I went to war with a water gun. Squirrel won. Grrrrr!

The first winter here at the condo, I had other things to think about, so did not feed the birds. The second winter, last year, I fed them from feeders hanging off my deck railing...15 ft. or so off the ground. Because the feeders were hanging up high and from metal rods, the squirrels seemed to be discouraged.

This year, I want to be able to watch the birds from my basement family room where I spend most of my time. My plant hangers are now bird feeder hangers...seed, suet, thistle. And the seed feeder has become the place for the squirrels to camp out while gorging themselves at my expense. This is war!

My oldest granddaughter made the seed feeder for me when she was in high school, so I really want to use it. Each section has the name of one of my grandchildren and her name is on top. If I can't find a solution to the squirrel problem, I'll have to replace it with the weight sensitive perch type feeder.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

1) A hot sauce/water/dish washing liquid combination to spray on the feeder and seeds. Don't use chili powder...it clogs the sprayer. Guess how I know that? My squirrels apparently love hot sauce. I suspect a squirrel wrote the recipe. And furthermore, squirrels must have written all the information that stated birds were not bothered by the hot stuff, too. It’s cold today and not one bird has visited the feeder. Haven’t seen any squirrels yet, either, but that doesn’t mean anything…yet.

2) Wrap the poles with duct tape...sticky side out. I did that late yesterday afternoon so it's too early to tell if that will deter them.

Here is a poem I wrote about my encounter with Robo-Squirrel:

Grey Marauder / Damn Squirrel
This poem has two titles. Depending on your gentility or sensitivity you can choose the one you like.
I will use GM/DS.

Velvety pointed ears

adorable face

fluffy tail hugging his back.

Please        don’t remind me it’s a rodent.

Hanging from the clothesline,

latest in bird feeders

guaranteed to close under the weight

of a squirrel or two mourning doves.

Works perfectly.

Then GM/DS showed up.

Born with long hind legs he learned

to drape over the edge of the feeder

help himself to seeds

without dropping the door.

Apparition of insanity,

I would fling myself out the door

Screaming        clapping my hands

attempting to frighten the GM/DS.

He ignored me.

Not sure about the neighbors.

Problem-solving Inspiration

suggested I needed

artillery       this was war.

Weapon of choice

a brightly colored water gun

two quart capacity

with pump-priming action.

Laying in wait, my heart pounded.

There he was.

I slithered through the patio door

took aim        FIRED.

Shoulda seen that soggy sucker go.

Never touched the ground ‘til

he reached the other side of the woods.

But,

his need to raid the feeder

was greater than his fear

of a blast of cold water.

Cost me a bloody fortune in bird seed.

I faced this winter with dread.

How big is he now        how many

has he taught over the summer?

I wait       and wait        and wait.

Water gun, cheap plastic, seizes up

requires my hysterical attention.

He never comes.

The street quiet.

Did my neighbors trap this critter

send him to someone else’s town

just to be rid of the screaming, flapping,

water shooting antics of the

crazy lady next door?

Damn squirrel.

Beverly R. Titus

12/24/06

Garden Notes

This has to be the third time (at least) that I have said "this is the last of the tomatoes." And then there were more. However, today, as I pulled the plants out of the pot, I also harvested seven green tomatoes. And, trust me, these are the last ones. This makes a total of 53 tomatoes harvested from two patio tomato plants. Not bad. Here is the last of the crop. I'm hoping they will ripen. And, if they do, they will join the rest of the tomatoes I have frozen in anticipation of making cream of tomato soup. Yum!

In the back garden, the red roses are still blooming, as I expected they would, but the yellow rose is a big surprise. The yellow rose plants were a gift for mother's day from my Paul and Nancy. They were not doing well in the pot indoors so I planted them outside. Look at it! I really need to find a larger pot to plant them in and hope I can get them through to spring. Or, maybe I should just mulch them and hope they are still alive in the spring. Mulching sounds better.

The bird feeders have replaced the hanging potted plants. I bought 50 lbs. of bird seed the other day (20 lbs mixed seed bird snack, 20 lbs sunflower hearts, 10 lbs thistle). I hope it lasts a while. Oh, and six suet cakes and one double suet cage.

I get so much pleasure from watching the birds in the winter and admiring my flowers and tomatoes in the summer.

Cape Cod 2013

Normally I spend an entire week on Cape Cod…always in September. This year I wasn’t expecting to be there at all. My original plans were to drive up the coast of Maine to Lubec, to visit friends. However, my friend Elizabeth, who was going with me, fell in May and broke her hip. No trip to Maine this year!

As it turned out, the cottage I have stayed in every year since 1990 is not being rented this year. I had to stay two nights in a motel…that was an adventure. Why only two nights and not a week? Money! I wanted to save part of my vacation dollars for airline tickets to be used in October.

The drive there and back

It seems that I rarely leave the house without forgetting something. Usually I'm still just outside the door when I remember whatever. This time, I was about half a mile from the house when I remembered I forgot to take out the garbage. You bet I turned around and went back!

I could have gone straight up to the Mass Turnpike in Springfield to begin my trip. I decided I don’t like driving a stretch of I-91 in Springfield, so I would go cross country and pick up I-84 in Vernon the way I used to do when I lived in South Windsor. By the time I had reached the point of no return, I decided that was a dumb idea. I would have made much better time had I done the Springfield route.

Coming home, I intended to exit the Mass Turnpike at I-291, take that to I-91 in Springfield and then home. Some habits are hard to break. I automatically got off on the I-84 exit, which took me the same long way around that I took going.

My Motel

When you buy cheap, you get cheap. The Viking Shores in Eastham has seen better days. The first night, when I took my shower, the tub became ankle deep in water and took an hour and a half to drain. I went to the office the next morning to complain and they gave me the room next door.

I checked the tub, toilet, sink…everything seemed to be functioning properly. When I went to take my shower that night, I turned on the light, which also turns on the ventilation fan. All was well for about 2 minutes, and before I could get in the tub, the fan began sounding like a jet that was going to take the room into outer space. Off the switch! Wash up at the sink.

Next time I’ll stay somewhere else…if I can find another cheap room.

Beach Destruction

An article in the Boston Globe this past June stated, “Most of the damage was delivered by two nor’easters — a blizzard with hurricane-force gusts in February and a three-day gale in March… .” I had to see it for my self. From the reports I read in the Cape Cod Times online the breach of the dunes at the Pamet marsh and river in Truro was the worst. This wasn’t the first time the barrier dunes had been breached.

Coast Guard Beach looking south over Nauset Marsh toward the inlet

When I got arrived in Eastham around 1 p.m., I went immediately to Coast Guard Beach to see how things were. The first thing I looked for is the inlet to Nauset Marsh. It looked to be about ¾ of a mile from Coast Guard Beach, same as last year, but it also looked narrower. I would get a better look on Wednesday when I walked out there. Coast Guard Beach, itself, showed signs of being battered.

Looking south along Nauset Light Beach

Next stop was Nauset Light Beach. The stairs to the beach are still there, but I don’t know if they had been repaired after the battering they took. From the steps I could see pipes and metal rods sticking out of what had been the dunes. I don’t know what they used to be attached to, but now all they do is stick out in mid air.

Marconi site showing how close the edge of the dune is

The Marconi Site in Wellfleet was next. I wanted to see how close the edge of the dune was to where the kiosk had been that showed a diorama of what the first transatlantic wireless site looked like. The kiosk was gone and it was hard to tell where it had been. I did find a few chunks of brick and concrete and posts that were part of the original site. That’s all that is left.

Cahoon Hollow showing fragile dunes, looking south

A brief stop at Lecount Hollow and on to Cahoon Hollow both in Wellfleet. At Cahoon Hollow there’s a restaurant and bar called The Beachcomber. Every year the parking lot between the building and the edge of the dunes gets narrower. This year was no exception. The dunes here are so fragile that no access to the beach is allowed at all. That doesn’t stop some people, though.

"... storms carried away 20 feet or more of shoreline, leaving behind steep, unstable dune faces that were unsafe for pedestrians. (Cape Cod Times online, Sept. 24, 2013, 'Wellfleet grapples with erosion's economic toll'")

All that sand is not supposed to be there

My next stop was where the most destruction happened and that was at Balston Beach where the barrier dunes were breached and the Pamet marsh and river were flooded. The barrier dunes have been breached before in recent years and with rising ocean waters, they will be breached again.

My last stop was Provincetown. I didn’t visit any beaches here. I walked Macmillan Wharf, and stopped at Cabot’s for their delicious fudge. These two activities are traditional with me.

Restaurants and dining with old friends

While in Provincetown, I decided to have late lunch/early supper at the Mayflower Restaurant. My first choice would have been Napi’s, but they were not open for dinner yet. As it turned out, why didn’t I think of going to the Lobster Pot? Instead I went to the Mayflower and because I traditionally have lobster at least once while I’m on the Cape, I ordered Lazy Man’s Lobster Tails with stuffing. Second time I’ve had a bad meal there, but the first time didn’t cost me $25! Lesson learned. The lobster could have been cardboard for all I could taste.

On Wednesday, I connected with Heidi, a second cousin by marriage. We had not seen each other for 40 years and it was good to do a lot of catching up. Heidi took me to the Orleans Inn for lunch. The company and the New England clam chowder were excellent.

Thursday was go home day, but not before I connected with my childhood friend, Betty. We grew up together at a time when South Windsor was almost all farming. More catching up and lunch at the Marshside Restaurant in East Dennis. Once again, excellent company and food.

After more talking back at Betty’s house, it was time to hit the road home. I left Dennis at 3 p.m. Once I got onto the Mass Turnpike I stopped at the first rest area for coffee and an internet connection. Arrived home around 6:45.

Traditions

I have certain traditions when I go to the Cape. You know about the lobster, visiting all the beaches, walking Macmillan Wharf. I also stop at the National Seashore Visitors’ Center in Eastham and browse their bookstore. This year I came out of there $45 lighter. Another is I must stop at the Eastham General Store to buy my Cape Cod Calendar for the next year. Then it’s off to the Birdwatcher’s General Store in Orleans for my annual linen calendar. A trip to Cape Cod wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t do those things

Miscellaneous

One of the reasons I chose the Viking Shores motel, was the bike path runs right behind it. I did bring my bike, but alas, it stayed in the room the whole time. I had no time for riding.

I have posted some pictures here, but there are a lot more at my facebook albums.

You can see them by clicking here

and

here 

Hopefully you can see these albums without being a member of Facebook.

Early Fall in Southern New England

This poem best describes what it's been like, weather-wise, here in Connecticut the last few days.

A Day of All Seasons

 Last night when I went to bed

it felt somewhat warm so I wore

cotton summer pajamas     lavender 

with tiny purple flowers and lace.

When it turned quite chilly overnight

I reached for my quilt without waking

slept soundly until that noisy wren

sang me awake.

The day begins with a turtleneck top

and stretch workout tights

later change into jeans for shopping

keep the turtleneck and add a jacket.

By lunchtime, shun the jeans in favor of shorts

replace the turtleneck with a tank top

perfect for doing a little light yard work

keep a long sleeve shirt nearby just in case.

That lasted until the evening news.

Shorts and tank no longer appropriate

turtleneck and tights

a better choice in the evening’s chill.

It’s bedtime again.    

What to wear?

Thermal pajamas seem more prudent

feels like it will get chilly again tonight.

Look at that pile of clothes—

turtleneck, tank top, jacket, shorts, jeans, workout tights,

long sleeve shirt and cotton summer PJs

all worn on this day of all seasons.

Beverly R. Titus

4/27/07

Hiking the McCann Family Farm

On Thursday, August 29^th, my friend, Jon, and I hiked the three mile yellow blazed trail at the McCann Family Farm in Somers, CT. The blue blazed trail is two miles. The McCann Family Farm is “a working farm/nature preserve, owned and maintained by the Northern CT Land Trust.” A not-so-easy-to-see sign on Route 190 indicates one should turn here and drive down a short dirt road into the parking lot with space for six to eight cars.

I picked up a map and info brochure at the trailhead and off we went…up, up, up, up and up some more. The trail is a combination of smooth and rocky. The rocky parts were, for the most part, solidly planted and not loose. I still had to watch my step so I didn’t turn an ankle. I would classify the yellow blazed trail as easy to moderately difficult. Take into consideration both Jon and I are in our 70s…I’m further into my 70s than he is, but we are both quite agile and the walk took us 2 hours to do 3 miles. We had to stop and rest a couple of times…my request. Some of those endless hills were a bit much for me, but I didn’t let them stop me.

The worst part was, it kept going up. According to the brochure, “About one third of the acreage (84 acres) is used to produce hay. The rest exhibits a wide variety of habitats.” One of those habitats is hills!

Not too long into our hike, Jon calls out, “Moos sighting!” I looked expecting to see moose. It was a herd of beef cattle. So much for Moos sightings!

I’ve picked out the best pictures from this hike. There were mushrooms all over the place…all kinds, in all different arrays and colors. Also, the rock formations were of great interest. Along the way we identified kettle ponds (or holes, as some were just dry depressions) left over from the last glacier retreat.

Note, I finally got the date stamp on my camera corrected and now the time stamp is way off. We hiked from 10 a.m. to noon.

As you begin your walk on the blue and yellow combined blazed trails, you come to the bird sanctuary.

These were the reason for Jon's Moos sighting.

This is Happy Hiker #1...me.

Happy Hiker #2...Jon.

This was the only place to put the trail. Above it and below this spot just wasn't conducive for walking. Call this between a rock and a hard place! 

The photo above shows a tree that looks like it's wearing a skirt of mushrooms. Below is a cluster.

For My Cousins

Cousins Tour Ware, MA

It was at least a year and a half ago when I suggested to my cousins Carole and Claire that I would love to take a tour of the Ware, MA of my childhood. It wasn’t until this summer when cousin Art, and his wife Mary Lou, came up from Florida that the tour actually happened. I have to credit Art for making it happen. All of my efforts were for naught.Thursday, August 15^th, was cousin Claire’s birthday and it was chosen as the day three of cousins would join Claire and her sister, Shirley, tour the Ware, MA of our childhood.

Our parents were all born and brought up in Ware as were cousins Claire and Shirley. The rest of us, Art, his sister Carole, and I, spent a lot of time visiting as children. Art’s wife, ML, came along for the ride and she was a good sport, since all the places we visited and the stories we told were foreign to her.

At the end of the tour, we dined at Theresa’s Restaurant capped off with the most delicious cake with fruit filling for Claire’s birthday.

I had hoped to post before and after pictures for several of the sites, but I cannot find the “before” picture of Mt. Carmel church. I tore this place apart looking for them. Nothing. I’m really heart broken about that. It was such a beautiful church.

Speaking of churches, Mt. Carmel was the French church. All Saints was (and still is) the Irish church. There is a Polish church (St. Mary). As a kid I always thought it was strange that Ware had a church for each language speaking parts of its population. My rural, farming town (in CT) didn’t even have one church until 1941 and everyone who was Catholic went to it.

Missing picture aside, for me, it was the most wonderful day, to be with my cousins sharing stories of our childhood. As with most families, we had some colorful characters, and some not so colorful. That’s family, and I love them all!

Following are the best of the pictures I took that day with narrative. The date on the photos is off by one day…it should be 08/15/13.

 The top photo is Sherwin St. today. Claire and Shirley used to live here. The bottom photo was taken in probably 1940 or '41. It shows my family car, my mother, my brother Paul, Claire, Shirley and me.

 The front of the house on Dale Street where Clare and Shirley lived on the second floor and my cousins Gloria and Yvette lived on the third. This is the house I remember most.

 This doesn't look like a store any more. It was just down the hill from the house on Dale St. where we would be sent for milk, bread and candy (if we had been good).

 This empty lot is where Mt. Carmel (French Church) used to be. How sad that it had to be torn down.

 A movie theater, the Casino, used to be in this space. We saw a few movies here. We could walk to the theater from Dale St.

This parking lot is where our Grandfather owned the Royal Hotel and Cafe. The Cafe was originally down on Main St. and he moved it to a hotel on Parker St (that he bought) and the two became one. The Phoenix Cafe took over the spot on Main St., but that had nothing to do with Pepere (pronounced Pepay).

 This the Hotel Royal and Cafe after a snow storm.

The Royal Cafe parade float.

 The alter at All Saints church (the Irish church)

The windows above the alter at All Saints are by Tiffany.

Quabin Res. This is the water supply for Boston. Claire and Shirley's father (my Uncle Jeff) and his brother, my Uncle Kaiser both worked on this. The 5 MA towns of  Enfield, Dana, North Dana, Greenwich, and Prescott had to be abandoned to accommodate the water.

I don't remember this bridge, but Claire wanted to show it to us. It was recently rebuilt and it spans the Ware River. The Gilbertville Covered Bridge, built in 1887, carries Bridge Street over the Ware River between the Towns of Hardwick and Ware. Hardwick is in Worcester County and Ware is in Hampshire County. The bridge you see has been recently rebuilt. It only took eight years to make the new bridge happen.

The actual origin of the name, Ware, is thought to be derived from a translation of the Native American word "Nenameseck," meaning fishing weir (pronounced Ware). The weirs were used to capture salmon that were once abundant in New England waterways.

 Starting with the picture above, was the most emotional for me. This is what my grandparent's house looks like now. Claire arranged for us to tour the home and when I went upstairs, I was upset because I couldn't find the room I had slept in as a small child. The upstairs has been changed quite a bit.

 This is the side of the house next to the driveway.

 These trees hide the place where most family photos were taken when our parents were kids.

Note the cellar hatchway and the bay window. You will see them in the picture of our grandparents.

Our grandparents house after a snow storm. Look at the "gingerbread" detailing on the peak.

 My mother, age 15

Our grandparents. Notice the hatchway and the bay window.

 Happy Birthday, Claire...with Shirley looking on.

 Apparently Art was questioning what Carole was saying. Is that what big brothers do?

Here's the whole group. Carole, Claire, Art, Shirley, Me, Mary Lou

As we parted, I read this poem to my cousins:

Next Generation

The last of our parents is gone.

The High Priests and Priestesses

of our youth are no longer here

to guide our footsteps

with stern or gentle words,

or soothe us with strong arms

or ample bosoms.

And so my cousins,

we proceed—

their memory echoing in our hearts.

Where they were, we are now.

Are you up to the task?

Beverly R. Titus

08/09/11