Chores and Critters at the Aerie

Well, the forecasters got the weather correct to day. (Insert comment here about a stopped clock and all that.) The sun did stay out all day and the temperatures did rise to 80 degrees late this afternoon. Turned out to be a beautiful day and I spent nearly all of it outside in the yard with the tractor.

Kubota and I moved stones from the several piles I had around the edge of the yard and the huge pile I had built in the center where I once planned to build another raised bed garden. Those plans fizzled when I ran out of soil to fill the bed with. They may be resurrected again, however, as a small slump and the digging out of the slope to build the stairs last month have left me with a pretty good heaping pile of soil. Digging out the bank to create another raised bed would provide even more soil (and stone). And the digging would be much easier with the use of Kubota's backhoe.

This afternoon, I was in the process of moving some of the slumped soil and noticed one of Kubota's front tires was flat. I wrestled it off the tractor and hauled it down to the tire shop to get it repaired. Somewhere along the line today, I had run over a nail. That's not hard to imagine as even before we built the Aerie, there had been a structure here that had been removed. I'm not sure how it was removed, but it was gone when we viewed the property. Could be it was demolished on site. Could be it was hauled away. (It was a mobile home of some kind.) Could be I ran over a nail from that demolition or it could have been something from our construction process. I don't know for sure as the only evidence was a hole in the tire with nothing in it.

Any way...Got the tire fixed and put it back on the tractor and was back to work moving the soil and rocks that slumped in the heavy rains/snow melt of March and April. I'll have to think about some way of constructing a low retaining wall to hold back/slow future slumps.

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After dinner, I stepped out on the porch to enjoy the cool breeze. There were some birds going a little nuts and I assumed they were screaming about a hawk or one of the neighbor's cats. Then, around the corner of the house where I had been digging up the slumping soil, came a black bear. I estimate his weight to be 250-300 pounds. I shouted to alert Terry and the bear bolted twenty yards into the woods. Then it looked back and slowly wandered off, totally unconcerned with my presence on the deck. Sure, my shout had startled him, but no more than my sneaking up on one of the cats and shouting, "BOO!"

So that's a deer this morning and a bear this evening. We also spotted a new neighbor's cat. That brings the number of different cats to five...or is it six? We had the usual birds in the yard despite not having any feeders out. But I did see an Oriole fly across the yard while I was moving one of the vehicle out of the way of the Kubota.

WARNING: Weather Rant Ahead

Was it just a few short weeks ago we were complaining about temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s? After the sun never made an appearance on a chilly, raw Tuesday, the sky cleared overnight. The light breeze continued to blow out of the north bringing some cool air to these here parts. The result? This morning it was 47 degrees at 7 AM. FORTY SEVEN DEGREES! On June 15th, one week from the longest day of the year. Sheesh! Talk about your yo-yo temperatures.

Must be very dull to live in places like San Diego or Hawaii where you get the same damn weather every single freakin' day. Dull. Dull. Dull. Around here, you can't be sure what it's going to be like in the next four or five hours. Forget tomorrow or next week.

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I woke up to the sound of a doe deer snorting out in the yard at 7 AM. (Okay, I woke up the SECOND time. Chester and Shadow woke me up at 6 AM the first time but I ignored them and let Terry go feed them.) No idea what got her upset unless she caught sight of Terry moving around in the house.

On the deck looking around at 7:30 AM I heard and saw a pileated woodpecker flying over. Robins were setting in the trees and giving alarm calls. The wrens were chattering away. And an ovenbird kept screaming "Teacher! Teacher! Teacher!" like an impatient know-it-all student.

Down the hill, two rifle shots rang out and--I assume--another ground hog met its fate. Which reminds me the one I saw around here in the early spring has...well...disappeared. That is good!

A few cars and pick-up trucks went up the hill heading for construction and/or energy jobs on the wind farm or gas wells.

I guess I'll have to get out and do some firewood or stone work today. Just to get warm. (Kidding. The forecasters say we should get up to 80 degrees since the SUN is out. We shall see.)

Maybe after another cup of coffee.

Forget Global Warming (a hoax) and Start Worrying About Global COOLING!

Anthony Watts of Watts Up With That? has a breaking story from the AAS (American Astronomical Society): Sun’s Fading Spots Signal Big Drop in Solar Activity

Mr. Watts quotes Space.com on the three (3) studies which indicate that wee could be in for some global cooling and NOT warming because, you know, the SUN provides us with heat and it will be taking a nap for a short period if the researchers are correct.

Some unusual solar readings, including fading sunspots and weakening magnetic activity near the poles, could be indications that our sun is preparing to be less active in the coming years.

The results of three separate studies seem to show that even as the current sunspot cycle swells toward the solar maximum, the sun could be heading into a more-dormant period, with activity during the next 11-year sunspot cycle greatly reduced or even eliminated.

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The Maunder Minimum, a period roughly spanning 1645 to 1715 when sunspots were extremely rare, is believed to have triggered The Little Ice Age. Alpine glaciers swept down valleys creating refugees out of the mountain people. And Hans Brinker skating on the Dutch canals?

How about the Dalton Minimum (1790-1830)? It too produced lower temperatures and, with the increase of volcanic activity, produced the Year Without a Summer, 1816.

So start knitting your sweaters now. Drive your SUVs as much as you want. Store up on 100W incandescent light bulbs. We may need all the warmth we can muster.

Early Report from the Aerie 06/14/2011w/thoughts on GOP Debate.

Flag Day. Fly 'em if you got 'em!

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Were there any lamer questions than those asked at the CNN hosted New Hampshire "debate" last night? "Coke or Pepsi?" "Johnny Cash or Elvis?" Really? That was germane to a political debate? BTW: Who the heck is John King? And why in the world did the GOP agree to a CNN hosted "debate?"

I find "debates" like these tedious enough without some yahoo like King trying to sound cool. And the 30 second time limit may work in a quiz show but when dealing with complex matters it produces either truncated meaningless responses or equally meaningless sound bites.

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I mentioned last evening that there had been little rain at the Aerie while I was up north. That has changed. We've had a gentle rain for much of the AM so far. A nice soaking, gentle rain that is sure to cause all sorts of growth int he garden and the grass. Now all it has to do is warm up a bit. It's just 51 degrees at 9:30 AM.

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The chilly rain has put a damper on today's plans for outdoor work. Even if it should stop raining soon, everything is so wet and the temperature is so low, that even a walk in the woods would be uncomfortable to say the least. And the footing on wet leaves, rocks and logs would be quite slippery.

So it looks like it will be a day to do some indoor stuff. Decluttering is a full time job around here anyway. So many boxes of "stuff" to go through and what were once thought to be important essentials to discard. (Sort of like the candidates on the stage last night.) And there are boxes yet to be opened since our move with things lost or forgotten that may still be found and cherished.(Sorta like those NOT on the stage last night.)

Fireflies

One of the cool things about stepping out on the porch of the Aerie just after dark in the late spring/early summer is the number of lightning bugs or fireflies that can be seen over the lawn and in the tall weeds growing along its edges. Dozens and dozens of them are blinking their yellow-green tails on and off in hopes of attracting another firefly. Most are looking to mate. Some are looking to eat.

eNature lists two fireflies and both can be found in Pennsylvania. They are the Pennsylvania Firefly and the Pyralis Firefly. Its the former (the Pennsylvania Firefly) that will eat its own kind if the mood strikes it. The Pyralis adult doesn't eat at all. Interestingly, it's only the mated females that become cannibalistic. Guess they never heard of divorce lawyers!

When I was much, much younger, I and my cousins would run about and collect as many fireflies as we could. Forty or fifty of the little bugs make a nice--if somewhat flickering and short lived--night light. We would also take one of the bugs and squish its tail across the back of our hands just to see the glow of the phosphorescent chemicals appear and slowly fade. (Yeah, we were a blood thirsty bunch!)

Aerie Report, June 13, 2011

I made it back to the Aerie in time for lunch. Not a difficult thing to do when you wake up at 4 freakin' AM! A combination of restless and aching legs from running around with the brush hog between rain showers on Sunday and pushing the lawn mower through heavy wet grass--between rain showers--on Saturday. That, and having a list of things I needed to do and pack before I left running through my head, got me going early.

I was on the road south by 7:30 AM. Traffic was light and, despite staying (mostly) at the speed limit and making one stop along the way, I got home around noon.

Crazy thing is that even though the radar maps showed there should have been considerable amount of rain at the Aerie there was only 0.02 inches in the rain gauge. Terry said her friends said it rained hard down in Mansfield but up here on the hill we got squat. Terry watered the garden last night and the zucchini and cukes are really starting to look good. Some of the onions started from sets have developed flower heads which I told Terry to cut off. We need them to put their energy into the bulbs not the flowers.

It was mostly cloudy this afternoon with just a few moments of sunshine. Then, around 8 PM a few darker clouds came out of the north and we got half an hour of pretty heavy rain. I'll selectively water a few shrubs tomorrow morning IF we don't get any more rain. They say there's a chance of some through noon on Tuesday. Then it will clear and we'll have a couple of nice days--until Friday. I'm glad I don't have to depend on the weekend for out door chores.

I'll be looking to get the ATV and/or tractor out to cut/haul firewood and move some stone about during the next few days. With the temperatures staying in the low to mid 70s I should get some good exercise. Got to be better than running around behind a mower and brush hog in the rain.

Terry has a bridal shower in New Jersey on Saturday, but one of her old smocking groups is meeting on Thursday night so she may be heading east early. She'll stay at her Mom's though Sunday and come back after church services and, probably, one of her Mom's Sunday dinners.

Bolt Hole, June 12, 2011 (10 PM update)

Managed to get the grass raked up between the rain drops late this afternoon. (Had to follow the Mets 7-0 defeat of the Pirates first.) Yard looks like it got a haircut from a 2-year old--with dull scissors.

Oh, and the patches in the ceiling are sanded smooth as a baby's butt. All praise the inventor of the sanding sponge for the ability to keep the spackle dust to zero!

All in all a pretty good--if wet--day.

I'll be departing the Bolt Hole (NY) for the Aerie (PA) tomorrow after breakfast--and coffee.

Color at the Bolt Hole

When we bought the Bolt Hole in the '80s the previous owners had put in quite a few perennials an were kind enough to leave a map of what they had planted and where. Unfortunately, they had left the place vacant for nearly two years and the deer, groundhogs and weather had done a fine job of removing many of their plantings. The goldenrod and other native plants had taken over the "lawn" and come spring, it was pretty near impossible to locate much of the work done by the previous owners.

One group of plants that could be easily spotted and which survived any depredation, were the poppies. Large, showy, orange flowers appeared in mid to late May and lasted about a month before the petals fell off revealing a pepper shaker of a seed head.

Despite my best efforts (not intentional, mind you) to kill them off, they continue to provide a springtime burst of color. The flowers are just about finished for this year, as can be seen from the photos, but they will continue to spread if left alone.

Full Poppy Flower Note the tinge of faded color on the lips of the petals.

Heavy rains have begun to take their toll on the large petals.

Almost bereft of petals, the seed head is exposed.

When ripe, the dried seed head develops holes along the top. Through these holes the seeds will be shaken about by strong winds and scattered about the parent plant. Self-seeding will take place and additional poppy plants will appear next spring. Or, I could harvest those seed heads and seeds and plant a new bed of poppies wherever I want.

Company at the Bolt Hole

I had a couple of lady visitors at the Bolt Hole last night. They hung around ont he porch this morning. Probably happy to get out of the rain.

The first one I noticed was the large, pale, delicate looking Luna Moth.

Luna Moth

As I went out to photograph the Luna, I discovered a second visitor. I believe this is a Blind Sphinx Moth.

Blind Sphinx Moth

Both moths are quite large and both have caterpillars that like to nibble on Birch trees. The forest around the Bolt Hole has many gray birches.

The Luna also eats hickory which can be found around the Aerie along with the white or paper birch. The Blind Sphinx also nibbles apple which ought to make it a fan of our orchard reclamation project here at the Bolt Hole.

I wonder if there will be many more of these lovely large moths flitting about since we've lost so many bats to the white nose fungus? If it weren't for the number of mosquitoes the bats eat in a single night, it might be worth it.

Bolt Hole, June 12, 2011

So. This morning at 8 AM I checked the weather.com site to see if there was any rain in the area. Forecast said 60% chance of showers but the radar looked clear. (Couldn't get to the interactive map. Slow connection? Or lots of folks trying?)

With the prospect of having a fair chance of getting some more mowing done, I downed a couple cups of coffee, laced up my boots, sprayed on some Deep Woods OFF, and headed out to the garage. The brush hog started up right away but the set screw on the choke/throttle keeps vibrating out of position. Constant attention to its position and things ran fine. (Note to Paul: Checked the air filter and it was as clean as a baby's bottom AFTER a bath. I think I just flooded things a bit when first starting the engine yesterday.)

And "ran" is the proper term. The D&R brush hog is a self propelled unit and runs best on high. Forget the boots, I need track shoes! At least at these speeds, I thought, the bugs can't even catch me!

Worked for two hours and wrestled 3/4 of the knee deep stuff into submission when it started to rain. WTF? Where was this when I checked the radar? Apparently just lurking off the screen to the southwest. I got the brush hog back to the garage and myself into the cabin just as it started to pour.

An hour later, it had stopped so I went out to finish up. An hour later, I had just managed to do that when it started to rain again. Now I've got windrows of grass forming lines across the backyard looking like newly mowed hay. A perfect place for insects and their predators to play hide and seek. Of course those piles of grass will also damage the grass trying to grow beneath them if not moved and they also harbor some matted down grass that didn't get cut at all because of the wet conditions. (Note to self: Take a flat file to the blades of the brush hog. Its easier to cut rather than beat the grass to death.)

Ah, rain. You need it for things to grow, but there are times you want to say, "Enough all ready!" Still 60% chance of rain through 5 PM today. I don't care if it stops. I'm soaked to the skin and have had it. I'll find something to do inside.

Makes me empathize with this kid:

Bolt Hole, June 11, 2011

Another fun day at the Bolt Hole! Woke up to chilly air and the pitter-patter of rain drops on the roof at 5 AM so I knew I'd have to put off doing anything outdoorsy for the time being.

That was okay. After having some breakfast and brewing a pot of coffee, I slapped on another layer of spackle on the patches. They're looking pretty good right now. Strangely, the largest patch (some 4" wide by 8" long) looks the best. The two that are about 3-1/2" square are still a wee bit sunken in and may need one more coat before sanding begins.

I then went and straightened up the storage room. It was a complete mess and needed some organizing. First I dragged all the big items (a double bed's head and foot, the springs for that bed, two large storage bins holding camping sleeping pads, a ton of fishing gear, etc.) out into the open. Then I put a shelf that once held my TV and VCR way back when in the rear of the room. Into that went all the stuff I had pulled out (except for the fishing poles and bed) and more. The fishing rods were placed upright in a 5 gallon bucket. The bed was more neatly stashed--on end--next to the shelves. All the boxes of screws and nails were neatly stacked on the desk in there, and all the left over electrical stuff (wire, junction boxes, plugs, etc.) got sorted, stashed and labeled in old Cub Scout popcorn tins. Lots of really useless stuff got chucked. The place looks much better now. Still not perfect, but better.

Around 10 AM the rain stopped and I thought I'd go see if I could get the lawn mower started. Took the can of high octane gasoline out the garage and filled the tank. Pumped the primer half a dozen times and pulled the cord. VROOM! Started on the first pull. Love it!

Mark has been unable to capture any game camera photos of deer and a few locals say they haven't seen any around here at all. (Mark has gotten pictures of a sow bear with her triplets from last year and two boars including our friend Dufus who looks positively HUGE!) I mention this here because while I was in the garage filling the lawn mower's gas tank, I heard a snort from somewhere behind the barn. I waded through the nearly knee high grass and spotted a deer in on the edge of the woods looking over its shoulder at me. It gave another wheeze/snort and trotted off into the woods. Maybe the bugs (black flies and deer flies) have got the deer in hiding, too.

When the rain held off, I went out to cut the grass at 3PM. I set the mower on the next to highest setting knowing that the wet and deep grass would be a problem. Except for a few passes I tried to stay in the area Mark had cut a week ago. Even that was still a good 5 or 6 inches high and damp enough that it frequently clogged the chute when I cut it. The area Mark left uncut is closer to 12-18 inches high and could only be cut by taking tiny little widths. Even then it clogged the chute every couple of feet. Definitely wasn't worth trying to force the issue when there's a brush hog sitting in the garage.

Finished mowing what I could and went to get the brush hog. First order of business was to drain out the old gas that was sitting and separating in the tank all winter. I then put half a tank of high octane fuel in the tank, adjusted the throttle and choke and gave the cord a pull. No go. Pulled some more and it wouldn't turn over. So I took the air filter off. Pulled and the engine coughed and sputtered. Pulled again and it roared to life. I adjusted the choke and put the air filter back on. The engine would run but stalled often. Still I got to use it for a half hour or so. Constantly restarting and fiddling with the choke to keep it running was a pain, however. Finally, around 3:30 PM it stalled and in the ensuing quiet I could hear thunder. I pushed the brush hog back to the garage just as the sky opened up and it started pouring. I had to wait 20 minutes as the storm moved over before I could get back to the cabin. hasn't really stopped raining since, though the thunder and lightning has stopped--for now. Well, I didn't really want to do any more outdoor work anyway. I'll go out and play with the brush hog some more tomorrow. I'll have to see if I can't get it to run a wee bit more consistently.

So that was my exciting day. I got lots of things accomplished although there's plenty more to do inside and out. But they will have to wait until manana.

Rainy Saturday at the Bolt HoleJune 11, 2011

At the Bolt Hole for the weekend. The ride up went smoothly with only one longish construction zone on the NYS Thruway.

As soon as I arrived, I went right to work. Already filled the holes in the ceiling and applied one layer of spackle. I had to. There was a stream of heat pouring out of those holes into the bedroom. (Tin roof on a sunny afternoon. You get the picture. The patches really looked like crap when I put them in and covered with one coat of compound, but I put a second coat on the areas before I went to bed and they're looking better.

While waiting for the first patch cover to dry, I replaced the lawn mower blade. The one that was on there was NOT made for the machine but a quick replacement Mark had made to finish the job after he had hit a stump and mangled the old blade. Should be okay now but it will be a bit before I can give it a try. I got the gasoline last evening, but it's presently raining and will be for much of the day. (One report I saw said 1.5 inches is a possibility.) Cutting knee high grass when it's really wet just doesn't work.

I made arrangements for the propane company to pick up their two 100 pound tanks--when you're at a part-time camp and you only use it to cook on the stove, you only use about ten gallons A YEAR! Not worth their time or my $99/yr rental for the tanks. I do a lot of cooking in either the toaster oven or the microwave. Only bacon and eggs and the occasional pan fried pork tenderloin or chicken breast or boiling water for spaghetti require I use the stove.

Oh, and the blackflies are every bit as bad as Mark said they were. I've NEVER seen them this thick. Then again, the grass IS knee high. The rain has done wonders for the mosquito population, too.

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A buddy of Mark's who likes to tinker with small engine repair has offered up two (!) riding lawn mowers for our use. They work but need belts and/or batteries. I've got the space in the garage so why not? Hopefully, they will be dropped off either today or tomorrow. Still won't be able to cut the grass in the rain, but when it dries out it will cut the time of cutting considerably.

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So, here I am. Saturday morning at the Bolt Hole. And it's raining.

I'll do one more coat of spackle on the patches this morning. Hopefully I'll be able to get it as smooth as a baby's bottom so as to minimize any sanding that will need to be done.

Can't do anything outside because it's too wet to cut the grass and too buggy to do much else. Don't enjoy walking in the woods in the rain in any case.

Guess I'll have to do some house cleaning/straightening/sorting. Lord knows there's a lot of junk here to sort through! Some of it is just that: JUNK! Bag it and tag it for a trip down to PA where it can be discarded. Some just needs to be...well...organized. Organization would allow me to find it when I need it so I don't have to go out and buy some more of it.

Sound like fun?

Later. As long as something doesn't fall on me, the bugs don't drain me dry, or the drip, drip drip of rain on the tin roof doesn't drive me insane.

Storms in the Twin Tiers--Again

Quite the severe weather event here in Pennsylvania's Northern Tier and over the border in New York's Southern Tier. Not as severe as what happened over the Memorial Day weekend (tornados are difficult to beat!), but a little violent just the same. A cool front moved through the area between 2 and 3 PM and rapidly developing T-storms set off some pretty strong winds, some heavy rain, and a lot of rumbling.

Thunderstorms forming along a front often are spaced 10-15 miles apart since each cell sucks the energy from the surrounding area leaving little or no rain/storm activity in the gaps. The hooked western end of Armenia Mountain once again protected us some, as the storms, approaching in a line from the west, broke down just a short distance away. We ended up with no hail (Tioga County, New York had reports of 1" diameter hailstones) and just about 10 minutes of rain. The temperature did drop quickly from a high of 87 to a low of 70 degrees. Evaporative cooling will do that. That didn't last long, however. Once the line passed, the sun came out and the temperature began climbing again.

The watch issued by the National Weather Service continues until 8 PM tonight so we aren't completely out of the woods. THis last batch popped up on the radar screens within a thirty minute period so anything can happen...and usually does, weatherwise here in the Twin Tiers.

Lack of energy.

No, not me. Well...maybe a little after yesterday's 90+ weather. Or the overnight "low" of 72 degrees.

Actually, the power went out at the Aerie at around 5:45 AM today. That shut off the AC and the ceiling fan. The steady hum of the AC coming to a halt immediately woke Terry and I up. There was a period of flickering electricity and then all stayed quiet so we got out of bed and dressed for the day--much to the kitties' delight. As soon as we were ready to go downstairs, the power came on again. Total time of outage: approximately 15 minutes. (No call from the alarm company on this one. I think they must call only if power is out for a half hour or so.)

We've no idea why the power went out. There were no storms in the area. There were no strong winds. We haven't had any substantial rain since Memorial Day. We had the problem of kamikaze squirrels taken care of with a new transformer some time ago. About the only thing going on that might create a problem is the widening of one of the gas pipelines. I haven't noticed any digging yet, but they have been felling trees where necessary.

We went about our morning business of feeding the cats, eating breakfast and, since it is Thursday, getting all the garbage bagged and out to the curb. Terry went down to get the mail and then head over to Curves in Mansfield. It was there that she discovered the outage was still on...for the Penelec folks. No power at Curves or the adjacent store or other places along old Route 15. (Including WalMart?) Terry reports there was some digging going on near the Penelec facility just across from where there was some severe damage during the Memorial Day weekend storms. (Mansfield University reports "a power outage will delay classes until noon.")

We're serviced by the Tri-County Rural Cooperative and they are very good at restoring power quickly--unless overwhelmed by unusual circumstances. Penelec not so much. Of course, Tri-County has a lot of dairy farms on their grid and its imperative that they have power for milking and storage of milk. Penelec is more business/residential in its service area. Sometimes it's good to be out in the sticks.

Hot. Hotter. Hottest.

Here it comes! Here it comes!

Heatwave!



(Suggested by Don Surber. Who also points out that it's been snowing...on Mauna Kea on the Big Island in Hawaii.)

The weather wonks said we had a 40% chance of showers and T-storms this morning and I watched the radar as they slide to the south of us. Feeling that it was as cool as it was going to get for the next few days, I strapped on my boots and took the lawnmower for a walk. It was only 75 degrees at the time but the sun that emerged after the storms past made it feel warmer. By late in the afternoon it was warmer. It reached 82 degrees. The next two days we're supposed to see temperatures in the 90s and high 80s. Days like these I wish we had put central air into the Aerie.

At least the onions and zucchini like it. The cucumbers are coming around too. Everything needs watering on a daily basis when it gets this warm with a breeze blowing. Heck, I need watering in this kind of heat, breeze or no breeze. Might have to break down and go get some ice cream.

(I've been off the ice cream since before Christmas. I had been going through a 1.75 quart container in three sittings. Not good. Well...yeah, the ICE CREAM was good. The scale said otherwise, however. I substituted crackers, cheese and scotch/bourbon on the rocks for a good while.)

Looks like it'll be basement time for me tomorrow. Have to go pick up some wood for bird feeders/houses unless I want to sit and do crosswords and jigsaw puzzles.

Spring/summer--Well...Trials & Tribulations

Seems like we jumped right back into heat these last couple of afternoons. The thermometer has topped out in the low 80s both days at around 4 PM. Neither the cats nor I are ready for this kind of heat. Terry brushed Chester yesterday with the Furminator (GREAT product, BTW) and came up with enough fur to spin into yarn for a sweater. Got nearly as much off Shadow as well.

Me? No shedding of fur (there's precious little of it on my pate as it is), but even the slightest activity under the afternoon sun and my ball cap and T-shirt are soaked. I need to get some adult beverage(beer: It does a body good) to replenish my metabolites after doing manual labor. That or I better see about hiring Manuel.

Seriously, if I'm working outdoors--cutting the grass or firewood, weeding the garden, moving stones and/or earth about--I have to stop every hour to drink a quart of water or Gatorade. And, if I'm not careful, I'll still get a little woozy from lose of salts. Until I get used to the heat and humidity again, I try to limit myself to a maximum of three hours of physical labor--preferably in the early morning or late afternoon. The 11 AM to 2 PM slot was made for either the basement where its cool or siesta.

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Besides sweating, I really dislike the emergence of black flies in the spring. The females bite into your skin and suck up the blood that emerges. Their saliva contains an anticoagulant to allow the blood to flow freely. That's what produces the reaction in your body. Thankfully, their time on blood patrol is short IF the weather is warm. Hardly saw any today at the Aerie, but Mark said they were out in full force up at the Bolt Hole--which is why I'm at the Aerie. Even in rainy, wet springs, they won't be as troublesome after a couple weeks of warm temperatures. Ya either have to sweat it out, or don a bug hat/suit. And DEET. Lots of DEET.

Deer flies, too, can be a royal pain in the late spring. Buggers swarm around your head and until the buzzing alone drives you nuts. Then, in silence, they land and RIP a chunk of your flesh out. They'll slow down after awhile but some will be present all summer long if the dragonflies and phoebes don't get 'em. I find myself wearing gloves, a hat and a bandana to ward them off. Oh, and DEET. Lots of DEET.

Some people attract members of the opposite sex like moths to a flame. Terry is that way with mosquitoes (and here). She can be outside for five minutes and get as many mosquito bites. That's why we loaded up on Thermacell products (and DEET, lots of DEET) before heading to Alaska last year where, it is rumored, numerous humongous mosquitoes dwell. I've yet to try the Thermacell stuff. Terry got just a half dozen bites when we stopped along the Dalton Highway north of Fairbanks to walk in the tundra, feel the permafrost and pick blueberries. The mosquitoes there were laying in wait to ambush tourists. We ran into precious few insects in either the Yukon or Alaska. Lucky, I guess.

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Another couple of things I dislike about the spring/summer are carpenter ants and carpenter bees. The large black carpenter ants are a problem because they start looking for food and shelter as the colonies awake in the spring. They, somehow, infiltrate the cracks and crevasses of our home and wander about on the hardwood floor and counter tops. They don't really do any damage (I've never caught them eating into the logs or wood trim although I've had them in some boards out in the shed) but they are creepy. I've purchased some spray that's supposed to work on keeping them out and killing any foolish enough to cross the line and applied it to the base of the house. Inside, we baited the area behind the garbage bin and sprayed--with a product safe for indoors--one spot we say where we've seen them emerge from between the floor joist/ceiling beam and the wall log. That's high enough the kitties can't get to it. Since then I've seen far fewer ants in the house.

As for the carpenter bees.... Not a welcome sight if you live in a pine home. They don't seem to bother homes made of cedar or covered in cedar shakes but the females seem to like the pine soffit boards despite the stain that was applied. (I've yet to see any boring into the logs but the deck railing--oh, yeah!) As a result, I've been forced to declare war upon the buggers.

The wasp and bee killer sprays with a 20 to 25 foot range are excellent for this with one exception: the very peak of the roof is closer to 30 feet--straight up. The spray can't reach there. So I lay in wait until the bee comes close enough and spray, spray, spray! Gotta watch the wind, though, you don't want to get hit with the back splash. Not unless you want to take a long shower. The stuff is potent. A direct hit will knock the bee out of the sky and put the bee down for good, but stomping on the downed bee is more satisfying. (Besides, if I leave a whole, dead bee laying about, the chipmunk may wander by and gobble it up. Who knows what the spray will do to the poor chippy?) Still there's that one smart a$$ bee w-a-y up there at the peak. I'll have to see about getting another can of spray and get the ladder out. And I'll have to caulk the holes they've already bored in the pine.

Wild Wierd Weather Week

It was a weird week here in the Northern Tier of PA. Weatherwise, that is.

Early last Monday morning, while Terry and I were still in Milwaukee, an EF1 Tornado struck in the town of Knoxville in the northwest corner of Tioga County. It did some serious damage but caused no deaths or serious injuries.

Then the heat struck and it reached into the 90s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Hazy, hot an humid were the code words for those two days, but that changed with Wednesday night.

It was then that the winds really kicked up. Blowing at 25-30 mph with higher gusts, and out of the north-northwest, they ushered in a bunch of drier, cool air--and, eventually, frost warnings for Thursday night/Friday morning. Sighting birds in the gale Thursday morning was difficult but the walk was very comfortable.

Some folks visiting from New Jersey didn't think the trail in Pine Creek Gorge was comfortable, however. Part of a senior citizens' tour, they were taking a covered wagon ride from Route 6 south to the Grand Canyon (probably stopping at the CCC camp along the way) and then were on their way back to the trail head when the strong winds caused an oak tree to fall on them. A big oak tree. (Citizens critical after tree hit wagon) Ten folks were injured with three women being taken by helicopter to Sayre. Two of them were in critical condition last I heard.

The winds calmed down late Thursday afternoon (triggering the frost warnings) and Friday was a beautiful day. Saturday started out gorgeous if somewhat chilly, but some light showers at the Aerie--and some scattered T-storms in the area--put a damper on the afternoon. Sunday promises to be a nice day once the early morning clouds get out of here. Sunny and mid-70s is what they say.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (sunny and 75-80) look like great days to be outdoors. I've got some firewood gathering to do and, who knows, maybe even a little fishing.

Thursday morning bird walk

We met at the spillway to the Hammond-Tioga Lakes dam and carpooled up to the lookout. From there we walked the 1.5 miles back down to the cars. It was a very, very windy morning but that didn't stop the swallows, ospreys and even an immature bald eagle from swooping and soaring above the east end of Hammond Lake. The smaller forest birds, however, seemed to be clinging to their tree branches and hiding from view. We could hear a few warblers, but sighting them among the waving leaves was nearly impossible. Today's list, therefore, contains only 23 species:

Location: Hammond-Tioga Lakes Overlook
Observation date: 6/2/11
Notes: Clear, brisk, very windy. Cool 58-61 degrees.
Walked the road from the overlook down to the spillway.
Number of species: 23

Canada Goose X
Great Blue Heron X
Osprey X
Bald Eagle X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird X
Downy Woodpecker X
Hairy Woodpecker X
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Northern Rough-winged Swallow X
Tree Swallow X
Cliff Swallow X
American Robin X
European Starling X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Chipping Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Baltimore Oriole X
American Goldfinch X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

What a Difference a Day Makes!

yesterday and the day before we were in midsummer mode: hazy, hot and humid. Temps were up around 90 degrees and the relative humidity hovered in the 70% range.

The winds shifted so that instead of coming at us from the west, they were coming from the north-northwest at 20-30 mph. The skies cleared. The humidity dropped down to the low 40% range. And, although it's still sunny, we have temperatures in the 55-65 degree range. The weather service has even issued a frost warning for tonight into Friday morning for the mountain areas of north central PA.

Lazy, hazy day of summer at the Aerie

Lazy day after the epic travel followed by sweltering outdoor labor of Monday-Tuesday.

The overnight temps only fell to 72 degrees and the humidity was about the same so I'm glad I put the AC in the bedroom window. Terry was kind enough to allow me to sleep in until 8 AM or so. She says the cats started yowling at 5:45 AM and she finally conceded the field at 7:15 AM. Never heard them or her.

This morning it looked like we might get one heck of a T-storm. It was headed directly east along Route 6 and I followed it on the weather.com radar through Coudersport, then Gaines and right to the west side of Wellsboro, but it disintegrated before it reached us.

Cold have been worse, over the weekend Knoxville (northwest part of Tioga Co.) had a tornado. Not a big one--only a category F-1--but that's big enough. The same storm dropped trees all over the county from south to north. Power is still out in the Liberty area on the south end of the county. Driving around to run some errands today I couldn't help but notice a lot of downed trees along the side of the road and at least one mobile home in Mansfield had one end crushed under the weight of a big maple.

This afternoon, after the storm-line-that-wasn't passed over us, the humidity dropped from over 70% to "only" 50%. The only other change was in the speed of the breeze--up a good deal--and the total lack of clouds. The temperature did reach 84 degrees late this afternoon. That's about 10 degrees less than yesterday. Should fall to around 45-50 tonight.

With less heat forecast for tomorrow, there's a morning bird walk scheduled and then I'll do some work outside. Scout out any damage in the woods, move the toppled firewood, stuff like that. That's tomorrow.

For today: I did nearly nothin' and enjoyed every minute of it.