Aerie Report: Tuesday 7/7/09

Ix-nay on the avel-tray.

I'll not be heading to the Bolt Hole this week after all. While the work on the roofs still needs doing, the guy Mark took to look at the project pointed out even more that needed to be done and said he didn't have the time.

I may have to go north to cut grass early next week, but until then I'll be sticking around the Aerie.

******

Terry and I were awakened by a T-storm this morning at 6 AM. It rumbled through for a little over an hour. We might have been able to stay in bed but Chester started howling for his (and the girls') breakfast.

Another T-storm moved through around noon.

The total rainfall from the two amounted to 0.3 inches.

I blame Terry. Last night she said we'd have to water the garden today. God must have been listening.

The temperature this morning was a cool 55 degrees and it never got above 72 this afternoon. A gorgeous day even with the rain.

******

The rain caused us to postpone a visit to the Blueberry farm until Wednesday. If the bushes are producing like they were last summer, we should be able to fill up a couple of buckets (about 4 quarts each) in no time. This batch will be for cereal topping, muffins, coffee cake, pancakes, and the freezer.

******

Logging continues in the Aerie woods. The crew was in and out over the weekend and again early Monday morning. They must be cutting and hauling by species so as to not have to sort at the staging site. My guess is that they are a little more than half way toward completion. Then it will be my turn. They are leaving the tops where they fall ad I'll have to go in to cut them up into fireplace sizes before hauling them out. And for that task, I'll have to get the ATV from the Bolt Hole down here--and for that I'll need a trailer. I could simply put the ATV into the bed of the Tundra, but the bed is a smidge too short which would leave part of the rear of the ATV on the tail gate, and the bed is a little to high to comfortably drive the ATV up and down a ramp.

******

Started practicing with my bow (an old Jennings Lightening with 65# draw and about 50% let down). Damn thing must be a Democrat. I started out by putting all my shots to the left of where I was aiming. I've since adjusted my sight and am hitting pretty close to center at 20 yards.

I don't use a peep on the string so I've got to be precise as to the anchor point against my cheek. Bringing the fletching of the arrow to rest in the corner of my mouth and looking through my sight which is mounted on the bow just above my left hand, there are many things that could cause me to be off by a half foot or more over 20-30 yards. Tilt my head slightly, tilt the bow (although the sight has a level built in to prevent that), twitch my left hand upon release of the bow string, be off of my anchor point just a quarter of an inch up, down, left or right and the result is a blown shot. A peep on the string would allow me to have to visual points much like a rifle's iron sights. That's far more accurate way to shoot but it's not easy for me with my glasses.

I can do 28-35 shots before the muscles start telling me to quit. I'll just have to do it over and over every day until I can make 50 or more shots. I also want to move out to 30 yards and be able to put all my arrows into the kill zone on a regular basis.

I'm shooting a 125 grain field point to match the 125 grain Magnus Snuffer broadheads I've got. There's a noticeable drop of the arrow even at 20 yards which makes me want to try a couple of 100 grain field tips to see if the arrow would fly flatter. Even then, I might not make the switch. The Snuffer broadheads go for $33-35 per three and I would want at least six, preferable nine--like I already have in 125 grain. The switch could get expensive.

So could the switch to a more modern single cam bow with far more let down than the Jennings. I started bowhunting with the Jennings back in the '80s and it has been a good solid bow. Perhaps too solid. It's a heavy piece of equipment to hold out with one arm while that buck is looking right at you. Still, the price of a new bow....

******

Still do NOT wish to talk about he Mets. Although, I will say, it's something of a relief not to have to wait until the last day of the season this year.

tap...tap...tap...Is this thing broken?

I'm speaking about the weather machine. We've had two consecutive days without any rain, lots of sunshine, temperatures into the 70s, and, well, just plain gorgeous weather.

Saturday I managed to get the grass cut and the garden plots weeded before sitting down to a lunch of grilled burgers, cole slaw, macaroni salad, corn on the cob, and watermelon.

Everything is growing like gang busters out there in the garden. And, while we do not feed the seed eaters any more, the birds in residence will certainly help keep bugs away. The wrens and phoebes in particular are our organic insecticide squad. Since each have already fledged one nest full of youngun's, there are plenty of bug eaters out there. (However, should they prove overwhelmed with the responsibility, I'll pull out the Sevin as a back-up.)

We need some bats, though. The mosquito population finds Terry irresistible. She can go outside for two minutes at noon and come back in with half a dozen mosquito bites. And, of course, the wet June weather was perfect for mosquito growth.

******

Walking about yesterday, I came across a small pile of fur along the power line right of way. It looked like fine rabbit fur. I squated down to look closely and gave it a small prod with my index finger. It moved in response and four little noses poked upward. Four tiny little cottontails with their eyes still closed huddled in that tiny "nest" (actually, I believe it is called a "form") that was no more than a hollow in the leaves covered by fur plucked from their mother's breast. They must have thought my probing finger was their mother returning.

I went back to the cabin to get my camera--and Terry. Returning to the form, I showed Terry my discovery. The little ones weren't much larger than a deer mouse without the tail and had ears just the tiniest bit larger. Each one had a white blaze running vertically down their forehead.

I tried to take a picture, but they insisted upon returning to their little hole in the leaves every time I brought them out. Not wanting to stress them over much, I yielded to Terry's wish to just leave them be.

Cute little things. Probably the second litter of the season for their mom. If they start playing Peter Cottontail to my Farmer McGregor, however, it will be hasenpfeffer time.

******

It was a mere 51 degrees this morning at 7 AM. No clouds in the sky will do that. Could get even cooler tonight with a low in the upper 40s.

******

I do not wish to--and will not--talk about the Mets except to note that they are now four games back and in fourth place in the NL East after dropping three in a row to the Phillies.

******

The guys were out cutting trees and hauling logs out of the woods yesterday and today. Granted they only worked about half a day each day but still--Fourth of July and then Sunday? I guess, like a farmer mowing hay, they need to get some production out ot the nice days when ever they fall. I can totally understand that.

******

I'll probably be heading back up to the Bolt Hole this week. The roofs of the cabin (three of em) require a good cleaning and painting. One has a minor amount of rust but the other two will require some serious pressure washing before they get painted. One also has an old, unused brick chimney that is in horrible condition and that needs to be removed. It used to run down into the kitchen where there was a stove/fireplace. Today it runs only about two feet below the peak of the roof and is supported by heavy timbers.

Some T-storms are predicted for early in the week so Wednesday through Friday look like the best days for roof work but it's not up to me. I'll just be free labor on this one. Mark's arranging for the paid supervisor/boss and will join me as part of the staff.

******

John Philip SousaStars and Stripes Forever

Independence Day, 2009

Happy Independence Day!

It's 233 years since the first signature went on to the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security....

Enjoy it while it lasts and be prepared to defend it if it is threatened.


******

Should be a beautiful day for a picnic, a parade, and fireworks. Swimming? Maybe if you're a polar bear. After several days (weeks?) of cold, wet, windy weather we can finally eliminate the middle man. It's just cold and windy today. But not as windy as it has been. Certainly as cold as you can get in July. This morning's low was 55 degrees at 7 AM. The weather quacks say it will get up to 75 or so later this afternoon. Maybe so.

If my get up and go hasn't gotten up and went, I'll be firing up the lawn mower to cut the lawn while I can. Then there's some weeding of the garden that needs to be done. The second planting of lettuce (Romaine as opposed to the leaf variety) has sprouted and we should be harvesting from that in about two weeks. Lettuce really loves this chilly weather. The beans and tomatoes are loaded with flowers and the tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini are setting fruit.

Speaking of zucchini, we've got one more loaf of zucchini bread in the freezer from last year. It's dated 7/21 which was a day or so after I picked some zukes up from a neighbor's "Free" box on the corner. My zukes began producing a week or so later and we ended up with about three dozen loaves of bread and lots of grilled, fried, and raw zucchini in our meals.

******

Terry saw an ad in the local Penny Saver yesterday that indicates the blueberry farm we picked at last year will be opening for business starting Monday, July 6th. That seems a bit early to me considering the cool weather we've had this spring. Might have to check it out, however. Those were some good berries!

*****

Got an email from my son that his wife, Sandy, is still studying hard for her bar exams later this month but that she has already landed a job up in Portland. It means that their delayed honeymoon to the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota, scheduled for after she takes the bar exam, will be cut short. It also means that they will be moving out of Eugene and that he will have to find himself a new job as--even if they split the distance--the commute to his work site would be prohibitive. He's a certified arborist working with a tree company. He's often the one to climb the tallest trees and lop off the top branches. Or he'll run the stump grinder, drive the truck, chip the limbs, do job estimates.... He's still got all his fingers and toes so he hasn't been at this long. ;-)

******

Another email from my nephew Brian in Chicago mentions that he has passed his final exam and is officially a CPA. His girlfriend, Vicky, has taken her final test and is awaiting the results.

UPDATE: Brian's Mom, my Sis-in-Law, emails to say that Vicky passed her tests, too, so there're two new CPAs in Chicago. Way to go Vicky! (Funny though how Brian didn't mention that in his email yesterday.)

******

The Ark better have a heater!

Jeez, what a rotten day today has been weather wise.

It started by being just 58 degrees at 7 AM and never got above 66 degrees all day. There wasa steady but not strong breeze out of the north most of the day which helped keep the temperatures down. (Thanks a heap Canada!)

Then there was that 60% chance of rain that was forecast. Well, we got it. It would rain for around 40 minutes of every hour, but never the same 40 minutes. We might have even strung together an entire 40 minutes of no rain with a tiny bit of sunshine during one two hour stretch. Some of the showers were subtle, some were not. Thunder occurred more than once during the afternoon.

Seems July has started out just like June. Which was, of course, more like a typical April with lots of showers and cold (yeah, COLD, not cool) temperatures.

Global warming my gluttious maximus!

The only thing that is really enjoying this weather is the grass. It needs cutting badly but until there's a few hours of continuous sunshine, I will not be able to do the deed.

Vegan vs Carnivore

Saw this at the Fail Blog and thought it was worth posting.


see more Fail Blog