Thoughts from the Bolt Hole

I realize that weather is not climate but still feel a need to point you in the direction of this post over at Watt's Up With That:

Dickinson ND sees first June snowfall in 60 years

And it is not an insignificant amount of snow, either. Read the whole thing and check out the links to more June snow in California, At Pikes Peak and in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Also read the comments. One mentions that the ski season in New Zealand is starting FIVE weeks earlier than normal.

Meanwhile it got down to 40 degrees over night here at the Bolt Hole (southwest Adirondack Park) and is still below 60 degrees at nearly 1 PM. It's overcast and sprinkling thought the weather.com quacks are saying there's only a 40% chance of showers. I might have to start a fire in the big stove if things don't warm up. It's supposed to get to near 70 degrees tomorrow when the sun returns. That's about what it was yesterday.

I spent some time in the woods with a shovel and mattock trying to improve the drainage along some of the old logging skidways I use as ATV trails. Ditches, moving rocks and logs, etc. all in the name of trails that won't swallow a tire and leave me perched with the skid plate on a rock when I need to haul wood and/or a deer out of the woods. I like to think positive thoughts when it comes to deer. I actually spotted some fresh tracks along the trails and the small creek out back.

Speaking of spotting animals.... Last evening after finishing the grass, I plopped down in front of the TV to watch the Belmont and the Dodgers-Phillies game. Both were exciting as all get out, with Summer Bird pulling off the same kind of upset as its sibling, Mind That Bird, did in the Kentucky Derby and the Dodgers pulling out a second consecutive walk-off victory over the Phils. This win took place in extra innings, to boot.

But the thing that was really unusual was the thud against the bottom pane of glass on the front door. When I looked over I caught a glimpse of a ground hog. It had to climb three steps to get that close to the glass and then actually banged against the glass. From the angle it couldn't be reacting to a reflection ao I've no idea what the heck it was trying to do. Maybe the deer flies were bugging it too, and it just wanted to get inside. I don't know but it sounds reasaonable. When I bought the place way back in the 1980s there was an old ground hog burrow along the side of the house. Not unusual since the place had been vacant for two years. I've never seen a ground hog up here since then. Perhaps our opening things up for the apple orchard has created an environment this whistle pig finds enticing. Oh, well. If he does set up home in the area, that means the coyote, fox, and fisher cat may get to dine on something new.

Oops! (On the truck.) and At the Bolt Hole

Okay.... So it appears there was nothing wrong with the windshield at all. The winds of Wyoming didn't blow a gasket/molding off the top of the windshield because...well, there never was one there to begin with. It just looked like there should have been a gasket/molding there. I would feel foolish about that except:
1) The servicemen at the dealership didn't catch it either even after A) telling me that they couldn't find that part in the parts manual because B) they seldom have to replace it (How about never?! 'Cause it doesn't exist!
2) The people they spoke to in California (the designers?) didn't catch it either.
3) I got a new windshield gratis. (Terry swears there was a little ding in the old one. Probably right at her eye level. I thought it was tree sap.)

I stopped at the dealer's today on my way to the Bolt Hole and had the fella at the service desk with whom I have been dealing come out to the lot and check the gap at the top of the windshield. We then went over to a new Tundra on the lot and found it had ta-da! the exact same gap. Oh well. Live and learn.
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Meanwhile, I drove east on Route 17 (the new I-86) to Binghamton, NY and then north on Route 12 to Utica and then on to the Bolt Hole from there. This is an older route that I used to take when I came up from NJ and didn't want to deal with the NY Thruway. It's actually shorter than taking either Route 14 up past Seneca Lake or Route 13 through Ithaca and is just as scenic.

Today I saw (and was stopped at the crossing) a positively huge freight train as it crossed Route 12 just south of Chenango Forks. It was easily one of the longest I've seen in the middle of the day here on the east coast. I'd estimate 100-120 cars of carious shapes and sizes. I got there just after the engines cleared (and disappeared around the bend) and sat for about 15 minutes or so.

I managed to just get through Sherburne, NY before they started their Cavalcade of Bands parade. The first Saturday of June they have lots of marching bands compete as they march along a mile or more of Route 12 that runs through town. All kinds of folks were already lining the sides of the highway and I felt like practicing my "parade wave" as I drove by. I did, however, manage to avoid the huge detour/delay that the parade would have presented.

I did see many, many cars suddenly dive for the shoulder of the road (some even made it all the way) when the driver or passenger saw something interesting at one of the many yard/garage sales along the way.

I saw a sign along the way that had me thinking. It said "Night Walkers for Sale." Now, I don't know about your area of the country but I grew up calling the worm used for fish bait a "Night Crawler" and this sign just seemed wrong. That is, unless they were selling zombies. But I didn't see any indication of that.

(I also didn't see Gov. Palin, Rev. Paul. Sorry.)
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Once I refueled the truck and picked up some groceries, I was at the Bolt Hole by just after noon. Bright and sunny, with a fair breeze blowing and grass nearly up to my knees in spots. So I knew what my second task would be. (First was unloading the truck, groceries in the fridge and turning on the water.)

Oh-oh! No gas for the mower! All the cans in the garage were empty--which was a good thing.This ethanol-mix fuel doesn't do well when it sits. Even when you put Sta-Bil in it. So it was back down to the gas Stewards to get some gas. Luckily it's only a 30 mile round trip. /sarc
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Back at the Bolt Hole, I fueled the mower, pushed the primer a couple of times and pulled the cord. There is no sweeter sound than the sound of a Briggs and Straton engine turning over on the first pull after the machine to which it is attached has been sitting idle in the shed since last November.

Then it was back and forth at a very slow walk to cut the thick, tall grass. I call it grass because some of it is. It's really more of a pasture mixture of plantain, wild strawberries, clover, hawkweed, daisies, mint, and--heck--even chives left over from a former attempt at gardening. Mixed in the grass were lots of pine cones that kept getting chunked out of the mower's shute and even whapped my shins from under the cowling of the mower a time or two. Twigs got chopped up as well. I avoided killing the one garter snake I saw. A woeful creature that was extremely lethargic and looked like it needed to shed its skin. I also missed the one wood frog that jumpedout of the thickest patch of true grass right in the middle of the vast expanse of the lawn.

Luckily the blackflies were kept at bay by the breeze. Not so the deer flies. All my mowing was done while squashing deer flies. I was usually too late in this action to prevent bodily harm--to me. My reaction was more a response to the stinging bite of blood lapping creatures. Every time I would even come close to a shrub or an over hanging branch, I would attract two or three of them. Working in shortsleeves, even with a liberal application of Deep Woods Off, was not a wise move. My elbows, knuckles and wrists became prime targets. By the time I was through--it took thre hours--I had probably killed a score of deer flies. I say "probably" because I've seen flies that have been pretty well smashed and flung to the ground right themselves, shake their wings and take off for another assault. My arms were dotted with little droplets of blood along with a few smears from flies that were not going to return. If I had any worries about high blood pressure, I would be safe for a couple of days--longer if I venture outside again.

And all the while my Phoebe tenants just sat off to the side and watched. They made no effort at all to come to my aid. Ingrates! Heh, they were probably sated on flies anyway.

Thank goodness that one of the allergy shots I got for four or five years, desensitized me to the bite of these pests. If I hadn't gotten those shots, my forearms would probably swollen enough to be comparable to Popeye's.

Truck has been fixed...maybe.

So I picked up the truck this afternoon and drove back to the Aerie where I noticed not much different at the top of the windshield at all. There's still a gap between the glass and the roof but now there seems to be a strip of rubber at the bottom of that gap. (I know. I know. I should have looked more carefully at the dealership when I picked it up. I was careless, okay? Besides I was happy it didn't cost me anything.)

When I drive up to the Bolt Hole tomorrow, I'll have to swing by the dealers to see if that's a feature of the Tundra or a flaw in the new glass installation. It doesn't have to be out of my way. I just need to take a different route. (I actually drove down to Wally World after dinner to see if anyone had a Tundra in the parking lot. There were two. One was an identical model to mine but perhaps a year or two older. It seemed to have a rubber strip that stood up from the joint. But on mine that ould be making contact with the windshield wipers.)

I'll want to avoid the trip up along Lake Seneca tomorrow anyway. Seems Alaska's Gov. Palin is visiting up there at Seneca Falls (the birth place of women's suffrage, home of Susan B. Anthony, etc.) and Auburn (home of Harriet Tubman and birth place of William Seward--who purchased Alaska from the Russians way back when). It's Alaska's 50th year as a state and she's dropping by to celebrate what was called Seward's Folly. Palin's retinue consists of a mere three vehicles but why take a chance of getting stuck in a motorcade as they go from Auburn to the airport.

Morning Report from the Aerie

A dreary morning here at the Aerie with a high overcast sky that threatens rain and temperatures in the upper 50s heading to low 60s...maybe.

Still, that's an improvement over what's to our southeast and east where up to 2 inches of rain are forecast for eastern PA and the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area.

About the only thing bright and cheerful today are the dozens of Goldfinches raiding the feeders. When one bird hops in on the left side of the tray feeder another has to hop out on the right. There''s just not enough room for them all at one time. And when they periodically spook or fly off to the trees to digest their food, it's a wave of yellow and black. They have certainly got the cats' attentions. Shadow and Chester are crouched at the windows making that chattering sound hunting cats (or maybe it's "frustrated cats") emit when they are focused on a target. When a bird happens to flutter a wee bit too close to the glass, Shadow will execute a most impressive standing high jump that lifts here 13+ pounds nearly three feet straight up.

Terry and I dropped the Tundra off at the dealership yesterday afternoon and they have promised to have the windshield replaced this morning by the glass subcontractor so we can pick it up this afternoon before closing time.

I think Terry will be making the sign of the cross as we pass Grace's Chinese Buffet on Rt 220 in Athens. We stopped there on the way home yesterday for dinner and all I can say is WOW! Good food that they didn't try to mask beneath too much spicy sauce at a super price. When was the last time you had dinner for two for less than $20? The soups (egg drop and hot and sour) were superb. There was plenty of variety in the salad line and close to 50(!) choices in hot entrees (and we tried way too many of them). Desserts ranged from the ubiquitous almond cookies and spice cake to fresh fruits and soft and hard ice cream. (The hard ice cream was from Hershey.) All I can say is that old saying about Chinese food is a lie. I wasn't hungry at all last night.

So, tonight we'll eat at home. Not to save money but to try and rein in our belts.

Tomorrow I'll pack up the truck and head up to the Bolt Hole to do some grounds keeping and general repair. The list of things that must be done is growing. I might even get in some lumberjack (mostly on blow downs) work in before returning to the Aerie.

A Star is Born

I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.

Yesterday a filming crew from Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCNTV.com) came up from Harrisburg to film a segment about Hills Creek State Park for their State Park Tour series. The Park Supervisor asked the Tiadaghton Audubon Society to participate since we run the Saturday morning bird walks in the park during April and May. As a result, Gary, who actually does most all of the leading of those walks, put out the call for club members to show up to--we thought--provide support.

Actually, it turns out that Gary is very much camera shy--you might almost say phobic. He was begging and pleading for someone else to do the talking in front of the camera with his eyes on me and another woman who is a former teacher/administrator. I kept refusing but eventually caught on that Gary was very serious about not want ing to get in front of the camera and said I would do it. I would have trimmed my peard and prepared some notes if I had an inkling of what awaited this morning.

The assistant to the cameraman attached a microphone to my shirt, positioned me in front of the lake and then it was a "Go" from the cameraman and I was off. No talking points, nothing but the sketchiest of ideas of what the Park Manager or the film crew wanted me to say, and damn little direction provided. I felt like an idiot. But, as I usually do under such situations, I managed to produce a creditable, not totally illogical spiel that lasted about 10 minutes with nary a hem, er, um, or haw to be heard. I still felt like an idiot because I really do not care to adlib like that, but everyone said I did very well. (Must have been the "training" I got from being part of the radio station back in high school. As a disc jockey spinning soft insturmentals and reading anouncements over the airwaves and then doing play-by-play for basketball games...without a spotter or color commentator and absolutely no idea who the other team's players were! AND keeping my own stats at the same time.)

One person in our group who is aware of my political leanings, joked that I sounded as good as Obama. I responded that I kept my eyes on the camera lens and didn't tilt my head and chin upward.

They'll probably edit the heck out of this little piece of fluff, dovetail in more footage of the Park Supervisor and the park facilities and programs and make it presentable. Me? I'll never know. We don't get PCNTV on our system. The NorthPen Family of Services which provides our TV, telephone and wi-fi system via our fiber optic line, uses a satellite feed not cable.

Still Cold

June 3rd and the temperature the last three days--five if we go back to last Saturday--has yet to crack the 60 degree mark. Of course, it's been a bit overcast and drizzly each of the last three days as well. The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow and we may get into the mid-60s or even up to 70 through Sunday. I'll enjoy it when/if it happens.

The flora are having mixed reactions to the chill. The beans and tomatoes are thinking of pulling up roots and picketing the house for some global warming. The strawberries are producing fruit, but I'm sure they are doing so in self defense. The zukes and cukes are probably wishing for a blanket and plotting late summer revenge by over production. Leaf lettuce and spinach are doing very well, thank you. Unfortunately the broccoli didn't germinate well at all or they too would be happy.

All the flowers and herbs are doing just fine since they are being kept moist, which is their primary concern. Sun is nice, but they need water more. They can get some sunlight through the clouds but the water around their roots...absolutely necessary. And this April-like showery weather is just up their alley.

The baby robins (turns out there were four of 'em) have left the nest and scattered. Hopefully none of the semi-feral cats that roam about the Aerie's environs had squab for breakfast yesterday.

If Goldfinches were made of gold, I'd be one very rich fella! We've had dozens and dozens of the bright little birds at the feeders since we got back for our western trip. It took them a few days to realize that food was again on the table but since then, scads of Goldies, Purple Finches, lots of Mourning Doves, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a few Dark-eyed Juncos, Blue Jays, Indigo Buntings, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Red-winged Black Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Eastern Towhees, Downy Woopeckers, and Hairy Woodpeckers have swarmed us. Add the Robins, House Wrens, Flickers, Crows, Ovenbirds, Barred Owls...well, you get the idea. It's been a busy--and noisy--place.

Mammals have remained small--Gray Squirrel, Chipmunk and Eastern Cottontail--which is a good thing. The raccoon hasn't been arround since last Saturday--that I know of--and the Bear and Deer haven't ventured back into the yard recently. They are probably waiting for the vegetables to ripen.

Of reptiles and amphibians there have been few. A couple of Garter Snakes, one Ringnecked Snake, a Red-Backed Salamander, and one unkown spotted by Terry. (Me: "What kind of snake was it?" Terry: "It was a snake! I didn't wait around long enough to be introduced.") I came across a couple of small toads, probably Eastern American Toads, while cutting the grass and watering the flora. As with the snakes, all of which eat insects and/or slugs, I do my best not to do harm to them. Occasionally however, they hunker down in the grass and the mower passes over them. This is NOT a sound survival strategy.

Tundra Trials and Tribulations

Soooo, I called the service manager yesterday afternoon to see if they had found the correct molding for my Tundra. His answer was of the "Yes" and "No" variety...or maybe "Good news" and "Bad news" would be more appropriate. Seems that the molding is not sold separately but as an integral part of the windshield assembly. Therefore, he had to order the entire windshield.

At least that explains why the part is not in their catalog. Although, it does smack of some PPP (piss poor planning) on the part of Toyota. Henry Ford's assembly line designers would not be pleased.

They got the windshield assembly in today and the service manager is contacting the installer (because, of course, they do not install glass on site) to make arrangements for its installation.

Good news seems to be that this may, in fact, be covered under the warranty.

Still, the Tundra ride is one of the best I've had in a full sized truck and I'll not speak ill of the folks in the service department of the dealership, either. It's not their fault this is taking so long to repair. In fact, they seem to be shaking their heads over the situation too.

UPDATE: 1:35 PM Wednesday: The service manager just called. The windshield will be replaced on Friday. Truck dropped off late Thursday and picked up late Friday.

Bald Eagle Invasion!

This is unbelievable!

Cirrus, Cumulus, Asperatus?

Whether on their own or back lit by the sun or moon, clouds can be beautiful as well as informative. Looking at strato-cirrus mares' tails one can determine the likelihood of precipitation 36 hours hence. And who hasn't heard: "Red sky in morning, sailor take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight"?

Now a new cloud type has been proposed: Asperatus


And they are a wild and turbulent--and beautiful--bunch based upon the photos at the link.

(h/t Ann Althouse posting at Instapundit this week)

SNAFU

When we returned from our trip out west last week, I called the dealership to get the Tundra a servicing. It was "only" 5K miles past due. I also tried to explain about the missing molding at the top of the windshield; blown off by the Wyoming winds. The service manager wasn't sure about what part I was in need of and said they would look it over when I brought the truck in for service.

That was early last week. When they saw what was missing, they looked in their parts catalog and, lo and behold, the part was not listed. Seems it needs replacing so infrequently they don't even list the thing. Okay, I can dig that. Might even speak of the Tundra's reliability or something. So they called California and got a part ordered.

Today I was supposed to get that molding installed. I drove over to the dealers (about an hour from here) and handed over the keys. They spent 30-40 minutes cleaning off the residue from the duct tape I had been using to ensure no water got into the gaping crack and discovered that the folks in California had sent them the wrong part. Now, understand, these were the folks who designed the truck. *sigh* A wasted afternoon.

When I left, after spending a total of two hours in the waiting room, the parts manager was still on the phone trying to get the correct part ordered. IF they get one ordered, it should be here in a day or two. (FedEx overnight is wonderful!) Then it will be one more trip over to get the molding installed.

It's about a 45 mile trip...one way. At least they didn't charge me for today's visit, but I wish they would pay me for my gas. I figure I'm burning up around 5-6 gallons each time and current prices are $2.60 per for regular. Then there's the greenhouse gases...actually, forget about that part of the equation. With the weather we've been having we could use a little warming.

Not so cool.

While waiting for the frost warnings issued yesterday to come to fruition, I donned a jacket and went out to cut the grass here at the Aerie. Even working during the "heat" of the day (1 PM to 2 PM) I couldn't break a sweat pushing the mower around. Between the strong wind that was blowing and the cool temperatures (the high for the day was just 61 degrees), sweating was not going to be a problem.

Mom and Pop Robin on the other hand.... They were not happy at all when I brought that noisy, gas powered mower anywhere near their nest that held their precious babies. Although they held back and did nothing but squawk at me from the trees. Must be liberals. Of course, they failed to comprehend that shorter grass means they can hunt worms and crickets more efficiently.

Freeze? Frost? Nah, not even close. The low at the Aerie was only 39 degrees early this AM. (We covered the 'maters anyway...just in case. The wind was really blowing all day yesterday and that made me think it was less likely that we would have a real frost as stirred up air seldom does produce frost...or dew. It was a mere 50 degrees when we pulled the bird feeders in at 8 PM however and that did not bode well. Especially when the wind died a short time later like some one cut the switch on the fan. The sky was crystal clear with stars and a first quarter moon shining brightly.

No frost but great sleeping weather.

Up at the Bolt Hole it might have been a different story. A weather underground station about five or six miles away as the crow flies (and about 400 feet lower in elevation) reported 31 degrees at 5 AM this morning. The Bolt Hole is usually a few degrees colder.

So I'll give the weather.com folks and those from the national weather service that issued freeze and then frost warnings a 50% on this one. (Means you could have just flipped a coin to get the same results.)