As Our Life Goes On

This seller has creative stacking talents! Saturday brings in a lot of the area Amish.  Russ wanders around on Friday which is the day before the flea market is scheduled. We did not help. It was in the 30s and windy and we are old! It was very muddy! There were fewer people than usual.  A tent city  Gray skies prevailed until 9AM.  We had a nice view behind our camper until the cars parked there.   Click on pictures above once to enlarge a little and again to enlarge more   FLEA MARKET FUN We decided to take a trip to the Hazen, Pennsylvania flea market this weekend. Yes, we knew that Friday night would be cold and rainy but that did not deter us. We arrived in the cold rain and wind and got out and walked around anyway and actually found some things and renewed some friendships. We retreated to our camper when the rain showers and wind became intense. We decided not to help the ladies that were setting up in front of our camper. The mud was deep and some of the selle

I think that these flowers were removed from my little flower garden behind the house quite a few years ago. They were not thriving in my garden but apparently they like the soil conditions where they are. They were just planted and forgotten when I set them in off into the leafy partially wooded area on the edge of the property.  It could be that the very wet cool weather is what they needed to bloom so nicely this year. It is a pop of color in an otherwise drab area. This year I will be removing more plants from my little garden and moving them elsewhere. A complete revision of this small plot is being thought out. Some of the plants are very aggressive and they are crowding out the more desirable plants so eradication will probably be the ultimate answer to this problem. Perhaps all this will lead to seeing more of these pretty colors on the fringes of the lawn and a different variety of plants behind our house.

We walked around the yard yesterday and cleaned up the fallen branches but today there are many more. The largest of these shown in the picture is quite long and over 2" in diameter. I watched carefully as I cleaned them up as the wind was still blowing strongly. There is always a chance that something large could blow out of one of the trees so great care has to be taken when it is this windy.  The yard is still very wet and mud splashes up on our clothing as we walk in the grass. We are grateful that only wind and no tornadoes came through our area. Our concern would be for those who suffered great losses during the devastation from the tornadoes in the South.

Sweet Violets Sweeter than the roses The violets are starting to bloom and the tall decorative grasses in the areas in front of the big barn have gone from just a hint of a few shoots yesterday to 6" to 8" high today. These grasses grow fast and soon tower over our heads. There were plenty of branches to clean up this afternoon after strong winds went through our area. The electricity was out for a couple of hours and it seemed eerily quiet in the house without these background noises that we usually ignore. There were a few people on the bike trail. A young girl on a bike seemed appropriately startled and suspicious after seeing me on the top of the hill above her. I personally won't walk on the bike trail alone. Having company is safer and it makes the walk go faster.   

While taking my walk this afternoon I observed this large goose egg shell at the edge of the property. It may have been one that was taken from the nest that I was watching before it was deserted. Some animal had a large dinner from this egg. The wind is blowing fiercely but at least the sun is shining and it is much warmer. It is the calm before the storm. Certainly there has been a lot of suffering during the recent outbreak of storms across the US and apparently there will be more tornadoes and more flooding. Our prayers and concern should be with those who have been impacted by these disasters.

The daffodils seem to like this cool rainy weather. They have remained in bloom for a long time. I don't like the weather but the colorful flowers made my afternoon walk around the yard a bit more tolerable. It did stop raining long enough so that I could walk without being rained on. The ground is saturated and mushy and there are many puddles in the yard. The may apples are peeking through the soil and seem to be happy with this weather also. I usually take a pair of disposable vinyl gloves with me so that I can pick up trash as I walk around but today I did not take them. The partial skeleton of an animal was deposited near where the buzzards have their home but it is in our yard. I am really hoping that there is enough food left on the bones for them to come and carry them away. Maybe some other animal will perform this service. I will wait a few days to see if they disappear. I don't even want to pick this up wearing gloves. YUK!

 Happy Easter to all!

A job that keeps coming back! A very wet yard! There have been very few days this month that it has not rained. The yard is saturated and makes a squishing sound no matter where we walk. Russ has cleaned the gutters in the rain in the past but they have been let go for a month or longer. It was time to muck them out again. The wet slimy gunk was flying from his gloved hands as he circled the house. Fortunately our gutters are not up high. The forecast for rain every day next week is not what we really wanted to hear but weather is something we can't control.  Done for this time!

Today is designated as EARTH DAY. Several thoughts have come to me as I noticed that there are more than one plastic grocery bags floating in the water in back of our property. I can see these unsightly bags from my house and it bothers me that people are so careless and unthinking when they discard their trash. People who clean up on Earth Day prefer to be seen along the road or in public places so that they will get public recognition. This trash is on the property that is leased by the Metroparks for the bike and hike trail but water cleanup can present problems. It is very cool and rainy today but when warmer weather begins I will take a bag, put on my gloves and start collecting trash along the front of our property and along the bike trail behind our house. I don't like looking at other people's trash when I walk around the yard. Perhaps a very long pole with a hook on the end will come in handy for getting the trash out of the water. I definitely will not be wading ou

If a flower is not in the place that we wish it to be it can be considered a weed. These pretty weeds are just growing in our yard next to one of the little sheds. They will be left there until mowing takes place. We don't use weed killers in our grassy areas except around trees and other obstacles to make mowing easier. There are no homeowner rules for us to follow regarding weeds in our grass. My husband has been a golf course superintendent or greenskeeper for over 50 years.  He has had to use them at the golf course because weed free grass is what is expected but he opted for safety at home.

My sisters and I certainly do bear a family resemblance to each other that seems more striking as we get older. We met recently to have lunch at the West Side Tavern in Kent and had our server take this picture. We don't get together too often because of work schedules even though we live within 10 miles of each other.  Amy is on the left, I am in the middle and our youngest sister Martha is on the right.

This picture was not dated on the back. The fact that my youngest sister is not present indicates that it was taken before 1952 when she was born. I am going to guess that Summer of 1951 would be a close guess. My sister Amy is on the left next to my father. I am in the middle and my brother Larry is next to me. My mom is on the right with a dog that I can't seem to name. It could be a dog that we had named Lucky but not sure. We lived at the end of Wolcott Ave. in Kent, Ohio. Our yard was large and there was plenty of room to get out and play. That is just what we did back then. It is interesting that we seldom see children out playing when we go from place to place. Are we raising a generation of couch potatoes. I am not sure. Girls were required to wear skirts or dresses to school so that is what we usually wore when we got home also. It is difficult to get me into a dress or skirt these days. Things are always changing and you just have to go with the flow.

The nesting pair of Canadian Geese are gone. Their nest is completely empty and abandoned with no signs of eggs or shells anywhere around. The adult geese are also no longer near the pond. They had only started nesting in that area 2 weeks ago so it appears that some event happened since yesterday when we saw them on the nest. There are a number of coyotes in the area so perhaps there was a raid on the nest. Coyotes will eat goose eggs, goslings and even adult geese. There are other predators that live in the area that will also eat the eggs. That is the way that nature is. I was so hoping to see the hatching of the goslings but that will not happen.

We are completely our of seasoned firewood and rather than burn fresh cut wood we are down to burning pallets that might otherwise be discarded or left to decay. They burn hot but fast so the supply at hand is going fast. We are also scavenging wood from windfalls that are out back in the wooded areas. This is a good thing because those areas are looking a bit cleaner now. It would be best for the weather to warm up so that the air-tight wood burner can be put to rest for the season. At this time we have a two to three day supply of fire ready wood at hand.

Our son got this Rocket FM for us as a gift. We just love it. It transmits any radio station that is available on the Internet to all the radios in our house. Griffin Technology discontinued selling them because they presented an interference problem when it came to apartments and other close living quarters.   It is not a problem for us as it only transmits within our house and we can't get a signal in our attached garage. Our neighbors are far enough away. The stations can be played on our best sounding radios by just tuning a radio station that we select in the software. One of these sold on Ebay recently for $3.00 and there is one for sale on Amazon for $100.00. That is quite a price range for this gadget that was selling for $9.99 not too long ago.

The sign along the bike trail just behind our house has been replaced. It is quite certain that the replacement of the sign that was vandalized by paint last Fall cost the residents of our county a lot of money. New signs had to be purchased and the Metroparks had to pay employees to come out and replace them. Some day it is somewhat possible that the vandals could become honest tax paying citizens and they will resent those who do what they did. OK, so we all know that some of these vandals will go on to do worse things and be an embarrassment for all who know them. I just like to think that some of them may reform.  A Spring Beauty 

I can't walk near the water in back of the house without the goose that is in the water near the goose nest coming toward me. It stays closer to the nest though. I don't think it would attack me unless the nest were threatened. It takes 25 to 28 days for the 3 to 8 eggs that are laid by the geese to hatch. We will be watching for this to happen. Hopefully the goose family will stay around this little pond for a while. It is interesting to watch them. The blue sky is reflected somewhat in the murky brownish water. The little spring peeper frogs have ceased their singing. Hopefully the temperatures will warm enough soon for them to sing their songs again. The hike back up the hill to the house seems steeper and more difficult to climb with every passing year.

It is a bit cooler that it looks outside today. The sun and blue skies could lead a person to hop out of the house without a jacket but it was a wise thing to bundle up again today. There are some leaves coming out on our flowering crab apple trees. A little warmth will make lots of leaves pop out. I hope that warmth comes soon. I want to put the heavy jackets away for the year.

Spring is here according to the calendar but it is a cool wet Spring. The frogs are not singing today because of the cold temperatures. Few people have taken walks on the trail behind our property. Plans for outdoor work were laid aside. These projects will have to wait until it is warmer.

Say something nice to someone and it will make you feel better too. Try it. It might work.

  Click on right pointing arrow to play video.   I just love the sounds of Spring. It is warm today and the little frogs and birds are singing in delight. I am trying to think of a song to sing but there is so much work to do on a warm day such as this. Wearing myself out is the only option available in my opinion. 

This is the only daffodil blossom that peeked out today. It is not quite fully in bloom. The small group of flowers that this bloom is in is bent over and some of the stems are fully bent. Tomorrow I will cut these bent stem flowers and place them in a narrow vase. They will have to bloom inside to keep things bright in the house. The other groups of daffodils that are sprinkled around the yard seemed to have fared better during the last heavy snow.  It is good to see these early Spring flowers again.

One of the things that has to be considered each year is the cutting of the decorative grasses that grow in the area in front of the big barn. Yesterday was a somewhat mild day and it was not raining so Russ took on the chore of chopping the high grass areas down. Some of the grass reaches over 7 feet in height when fully mature but the heavy snow cover had bent a lot of the grassy areas over into matted heaps that looked like piles of straw or hay. The new shoots will be coming up soon. Today was rainy and dreary. We were happy to hear the familiar knock on our back door after lunch. It was friend Ken. He and Russ sat about and practiced some Irish and Appalachian folk tunes that may be played at our next covered dish party. It did make the afternoon fly by.

The daffodils will be blooming in a few days. There is not even one of those pretty yellow spring flowers open in my yard yet but these small purple flowers are showing their colors. The daffodils will soon follow as there is a warm up in the weather predicted for this week. YEA!

One of my grandfathers, who lived in Ashtabula, Ohio,  died before I was old enough to remember anything about him. The other grandpa lived on Overholt Rd in Kent, Ohio near the waterworks and Plum Creek. He never came to see us but every once in a great while my dad would have us in the car when he went to visit his dad. My grandpa lived there alone as my grandmother had already died. I don't remember her at all. We would park in the driveway and the the important instructions would be given by my dad. We were to stay in the car and not come into the house at all.  There was one time that I had to go to the bathroom and when I got to the door I actually saw my grandpa. He impatiently told me in a very gruff voice where the bathroom was and told me to hurry and leave the house when I was done. He never called me by my name. My parents never discussed why he did not want to see us or talk to us but I suspect that he suffered from some type of illness. He died when I was 6 or 7.

You can see the white spot on the neck of the goose as it stretches out along the ground. The Canadian Goose on the ground to the left is on the nest of eggs. The mate came swimming from where it was as soon as I approached the edge of the water. It swam protectively around the goose on the nest. The nesting bird has its neck stretched out along the ground in order to hide from us. We were the intruders. I would have gone over and picked up the plastic bag that litters the area but being attacked by a large angry goose was not something I wanted to try. These attractively marked large birds are abundant in our area. They slow down traffic, litter the yards and golf courses with their feces and make a lot of noise. I don't mind them and rather enjoy the loud honking that goes on around our house. Click on the CANADA GOOSE link below to read about the birds on Wikipedia. CANADA GOOSE

It has been a dark and gloomy day with periods of thunder, lightning and rain. It was warmer but there was enough rain to keep me from taking a walk in the yard. There is water surrounding my flower bed and puddles in the yard in the lower areas. There was one point in the day when it seemed that a walk would be a good thing but there were distractions that kept that from happening. Tomorrow will be colder. It is indeed Spring in wonderful Northeast Ohio.

I really don't use a recipe when I make bread pudding. One thing that I do use is Nickle's cinnamon swirl bread with streusel topping. This sweet bread makes the dish taste so good.  After crumbling the whole loaf of bread into a big greased or sprayed pan I put some raisins and cranberries with the bread and mixed them together slightly. I used 3 jumbo eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, a dash of salt and a couple of tablespoons of oil or melted butter or margarine. A small dash of nutmeg was added also. This mixture was whisked together to beat the eggs a bit. Then I added some milk and whipped this together with the egg mixture. Pour this over the bread. I did not have quite enough milk in the mix so I just poured it over the top of the bread until there was enough to soak the bread. This is so good warm and it can be warmed in the microwave after you take the leftovers out of the the refrigerator where it should be stored. YUM!

  This old house is waiting for an occupant. Not sure if it is in a good place so I may try moving it to where most of the birds like to take up occupancy. My other bird houses are also old and they have tenants every year. The wren house outside my patio is the first to be claimed. It is so nice listening to the wren singing his songs outside the kitchen area. Actually it has been so cold that the spring peepers or peep frogs as some know them have quit their singing.

The daffodil buds seem to be waiting for some good warm weather. There seems to be an abundance of buds but they are no further toward blooming than they were last week. It will be a glorious display when these flowers are in bloom. Our weather remains cold so we are still waiting and hoping.