As Our Life Goes On

After we passed the center of Suffield going North on Saturday we noticed a large sign on the back of a pickup truck advertising oil spray for cars at the address where the truck was parked. The large letters only said: Oil Spray Saturday and Sunday with the address. There were no posted hours or phone number.   We had tried to call the number of the place in Mogadore where we had my car sprayed last year but only got a message that their answering machine was full.  We believe that the oil spray does a good job of helping to delay rust on the car bodies caused by all the salt and chemicals spread on our roads during harsh Winters but I do wonder if the places where they spray are regulated in some way as to how they handle the oil that falls to the ground as they are spraying.  Hundreds of cars are undercoated with the greasy oil each year at these locations. The price used to be around $40. but last year it was up to $50. This of course must be in cash. This year we paid $6

I awoke early so I would not miss this day. Busy days go fast. -Caroline

That masked man is at it again. He is armed with a heavy duty sanding wheel, dust mask with a breathing port, ear protection and a hat to keep the dust out of his hair. Layers of paint and rust is being cleaned from the old iron lamp post. It will be painted black and then mounted on the base. The top of the lamp can be seen against the shed. We are still not sure how to mount it as it was not with this lamp originally. It has heavy iron hardware cloth sides and originally had some glass behind that iron protective wire. Not sure if we will put glass in there or not. 

Mr. Fixit is mowing the lawn as I am writing this blog. There is still a lot of mowing to do even though almost half of the yard has been allowed to grow into meadow areas to encourage wildlife to come to and through our yard. We have seen a lot of evidence that this has worked. There are more rabbits than we have seen in many years. Deer are seen crossing through from time to time even though our apple trees bore little fruit this year. Coyote and coon signs have been found in the yard. More snakes have been seen than in previous years. This is all good. If we lived any closer to the allotment across the street I am sure that we would get complaints about our high grass but actually our area is surrounded by high grass, woods, bike trail and wetlands area so this high grass in our yard should not be too concerning to anyone but those who have nothing better to do.  Mr. Fixit was able to take his walk around the yard again yesterday. The paths will be freshly cut for his walk tom

I like the brightly colored leaves showcased against a dark fall sky. I like the cool breeze that allows me to wear a sweater. I like the crunching sound of the fallen leaves under my feet as I walk through them. I like riding through rural areas to look at the Fall colors.  -Caroline

Life is easier When you travel together There's strength in numbers -Caroline

After many days of feeling quite ill Mr. Fixit is starting to recover. His appetite has returned but it will more than likely be a few more days before he regains his energy. Mr. Fixit rarely gets ill so it is always a great concern when he does get sick.  The hydrangea bush has put on quite a color display as the formerly white or cream color flowers have turned a beautiful rose color. The trees have continued to add showy reds, purples and oranges to their leaves. It seems that the color change arrived a couple of weeks earlier this year than in previous years. The weather certainly had a lot of influence over this. Fall is my favorite season because of the beautiful colors and the change to cooler weather. 

Last bloom of Summer You welcome in this Fall day  beautiful flower -Caroline

Purple asters. Fall is here. They herald the start of a new season. -Caroline

Mr. Fixit does not feel well at all. It all started yesterday morning and increased in intensity during the day. Today he feels worse. When he stays on the couch it is a great concern. His feverish body will not let him get up to do anything. We hope this will pass with no complications. He will get some homemade chicken soup for supper this evening even though his appetite has been greatly compromised. 

An gray tree frog sat very still smugly looking at me as I trimmed some of the holly branches in front of the house yesterday. It blinked its eyes every once in a while but was not interested in moving away from my assault on the overgrown shrubs. It seemed extra fat and I really do hope that its diet included some of the pesky mosquitoes that seem to be plaguing the area. 

It is time again to get the wood burning stove ready. First chore is to clean the chimney. A booster step was added to the safety platform this year. Mr. Fixit says that he is shorter than he used to be. The step adds a couple of inches that he needs to reach where he used to reach more easily.  There was a lot of noise from the debris as it fell down the chimney. Next the wood burner will be pulled out from the fireplace opening and the smoke shelf will be cleaned as well as the inside of the stove. This is a very dirty job requiring a lot of protective clothing and a particle mask. A new pipe will be installed in the stove if needed.  Mr. Fixit checked the level of oil in our oil tank today and found that we have only about one third of a tank remaining. We will fill the tank soon as that is our back up heat source. 

When things turn colors It's the end of a season Fall is upon us -Caroline

Busy as a bee Or is it busy as me Some days I wonder -Caroline

It was early when we headed toward the Litchfield flea market this morning. After walking through the market a few times we were not sure why we set that clock for 5:30 AM. We bought one thing plus some produce and headed home as there was a lot of work waiting for us here.  Russ took off for Mantua to have a post welded to the base for our street lamp. Our friend had the needed pieces to complete the base and did an expert job of welding them onto the bottom of the iron plate. That custom made iron plate cost $35.00. Seems like a lot but when compared to other custom services it probably is not. Our friend gave us the post and some fittings and welded them on too.   The big iron post will hold the heavy lamp securely in the cement that will be poured around it. The plate will be attached to the bottom of the lamp. Tomorrow we will get primer and paint for the lamp post.  There are so many outside projects that need tended to that this is the one that gets put on hold. I

Large mushrooms appeared after the recent rains. They seem to be popping up everywhere. The large one above is about 9 inches in diameter.  The most notable fungus in the yard is a compound mushroom with so many fruiting bodies that they seem to crowd each other. This formation is over a foot long, 8 or 9 inches wide and 7 inches high. Looks kind of toxic to me. 

There were some very large bumble bee type bees in my garden today. Bees seem to love these purple flowers. I thought it very lucky to see one honeybee. That honeybee refused to pose for a picture and these large bees got a bit irritated at me too. The weather is starting to moderate a bit and the temperatures are cooler. I like to wear jeans and a light sweater or jacket so my kind of weather is on the way. 

The vegetation on a large portion of our property is allowed to grow each year without being mowed. Paths are cut around and through these meadow areas for walking. It is our own hiking trail complete with one very steep hill, spider webs that hit our faces as we go through the wooded areas and dew on the grass.  This year these areas have a lot of goldenrod and thistle type plants. It seems that each year different plants do well. A seed pod on this plant has opened and those seeds are being transported by the wind to new areas.  Birds and rabbits love these meadow areas. The high grasses and plants will be mowed in the Spring to allow new growth to come in. 

The term "married" is often applied to antiques. The term applies to a two or three piece item, such as furniture, that did not start out their existence together but they have been used together such as a mismatched 2 piece stacked desk or 2 piece highboy. The term would probably apply to this old light post that we are going to put near the flower garden. The top part is somewhat different in style and scale than the post. There does not seem to be a definite way to hook the top onto the post without some modifications being made for attachment. This will make the project a bit more difficult but it can be done. For our purposes it does not matter whether they are matching. It will look good when finished. The iron parts are very heavy so the process of setting the post up safely will be important. 

Last flowers blooming so pretty and delicate  they warm heart and soul -Caroline

There are many sights to see in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. The Ohio and Erie canal once ran along the Cuyahoga river and the Towpath trail runs near this canal. It was a perfect sunny and cooler day when we took a late day car ride through this area of the park near Boston Mills. The side of the lock seems to be a good place to stop and rest while on a hike on the trail. The person in the picture is reading something. It could be a map or perhaps she just came to this serene place to read and relax. 

Keep watch! Look around and don't get caught in their web. Predators await. -Caroline

There are places in Pennsylvania where the technology that is available near larger cities can't be found. Our camp is located in one of those technology dead places. The camp is high on the side of a hill and close to interstate 80. One must often run to the top of the hill and turn every which way to get some signal bars on a cell phone and pray that the call will not be dropped because the one or two bar signal is lost. This is not a fun thing to do when it is very cold or rainy.  We have never received a TV signal at camp and locals must use satellite dishes to receive the new digital signals. Cable is not available in this sparsely populated area.    A few radio stations can be found but they of course play to their local audience. They play the type of  "music" that offends my senses so I usually just turn the radio off. On our last trip to camp I scanned the radio dial again hoping to find something that I would like. I was astounded when I heard some

Driving and riding on Interstate 80 from Ohio to Pennsylvania is tiring and actually treacherous. The truck traffic is very heavy most of the time and many  drivers exceed the posted speed limits. At this time there is a lot of construction on the bridges and lane restrictions. The  traffic backups and narrow lanes with cement barriers on each side can be difficult to travel through.  It is sometimes more relaxing to hop off of Interstate 80, hit the back roads and go through some of the smaller towns in Pennsylvania. We traveled through Brookville on a recent trip. Take exit 78 or 81 and go South to get to this town. We actually exited the road earlier than that and traveled  through some other small towns to get here.  The architecture in the old buildings in the designated historic district  is interesting and picturesque. The Jefferson County courthouse in the picture above is certainly an example of that. The old Presbyterian  church below has a green roof and brown painted

I reached into my flower garden to move aside some plants so as to pick up some debris and pull some weeds. Suddenly my eyes rested on the snake in the picture. It was extremely close to my hand. I now own the fastest hands in the county. As I quickly withdrew from the snake I lost balance and fell over on my butt. I was already crouched down so there was not far to fall. It was a surprise that caught me off guard. I laughed at my predicament and got up and brushed my self off before going into the house to retrieve the camera. The snake looked well fed. It was probably only about 16" to 18" long and quite thin except for the middle of the body where it appears that a recent meal was bulging the body outward.  Next time I will wear the heavy leather gloves that I usually wear for yard work  before reaching where I can't see.  Earlier this year I saw several pencil sized snakes that were marked just like this one.  When we moved into our home there was a large corn s

The view from our Pennsylvania camp includes the farm buildings and field that belong to the farmer next door. Pigs no longer live in the building in the picture and the large barn no longer holds hay, cows or horses. There are still a few cats wandering around the barnyard. The farmer leases his 66 acres of fields. This year soybeans are being grown and the crop looks good. This area has had more rain than we have at home.  The owner of the farm and his wife are both in their 80s. The farmyard is tidy and clean and the little white farmhouse is always neat and well kept. Clothes were hanging on the line when we made our recent visit. The wind was blowing briskly offering softness and dryness to the laundry.  The farmer still goes into the woods to cut firewood for the outdoor furnace that was installed a few years ago. His wife works part time as a legal secretary. I guess being octogenarians does not slow everyone down completely. 

A rolling stone? NOT! What is this immobile thing? The moss is pretty! -Caroline

Soon it will be time for the Woolly bear festival in Vermilion, Ohio. It is said that a wide orange or brown  band on the fuzzy creature indicates a mild Winter. This caterpillar that was resting on our bottom step at camp has a very wide band of  brown-orange and only a bit of black. This assumption that the band width will forecast Winter weather is folklore or superstition with no scientific data to back it up. It makes for interesting stories and fun festivals. 

Intimidating  ~  The spider on our shed door This spider should help to keep the mosquito population down a bit. It scares me to open the shed door because this large spider is a bit defensive when disturbed. As long as it stays outside of the house it will be a welcome visitor. 

At the end of day Count blessings, family, friends These things count the most -Caroline