Life in the Bristolwood

I try so hard to keep up here but it seems like so many times when I begin to write, something else calls me away, and I get distracted!  Family keeps me hoppin’!

Yesterday, we went down to the souther tier to try out some vehicles. It was a good thing we did!  Mark and I had kind of set our sights on one vehicle.  We took the kids along just to see what they thought.  Yikes!  The vehicle we had thought might just do will not do!  The leg room in the backseat is not nearly big enough when Mark puts his seat back to drive!  We thought there was plenty of space until we actually saw the kids sitting there! Wow…buying a new vehicle takes some time, considering all the options and conveniences.  We would like something pretty basic,  but some little add ons would be great.

Ah, so much for vehicles.

Photos from today!

This morning,  Michelle was up bright and early for her Rochester Institute of Technology orientation.  Truth be told, our girl was a bit hesitant about going….this was a “Michelle only” event….no Mom or Dad to help walk her through it.  Although Michelle exhibits confidence, every now and then, she gets a little “stage fright”. We encouraged her she would be fine and will even be meeting new friends along her way.

The weather forecast was for hot and humid, with a threat of scattered (but perhaps violent) thunderstorms.  Since I have had breathing issues the past few days,  we decided it might be wise for me to remain home with the Scottie boys.  I was happy because when no one is around,  I find myself more at ease and able to rest.

So, off went Mark, Ben, and Michelle this morning.

I enjoyed having some free time to look around on my Facebook account.  Sad to say,  I usually miss much of what is said or going on as I rarely have time to sit and read for long!  I only read the most recent of postings, so I am really behind on what is happening in everyone’s lives!  Oops!

After spending a few hours doing a little laundry, straightening the house, and washing dishes,  I looked at the Scottie boys who both were looking a bit forelorn.  Hmmm….perhaps they wanted to cool down a little with a ride in the Explorer.  When I mentioned the words “ride in the car”,  their tails began wagging!  Okay, so a car ride it was!

We drove on down to Woodville just because it isn’t that far away, and also, there is just something about life at the lake (not the people, but the birds, fish, and animals!) that excites me.  As we pulled into the boat launch, I spotted two white heads in the “Eagle tree”.  Oh, how my heart longed to be able to kayak out to see them! I took my camera and walked around a little, just taking some photos here and there…

Not satisfied with the 200mm zoom of my lens,  I stepped into the lake wearing my flipflops.  Thinking I should brace myself for the chill, I was shocked when the water actually felt warm!

As I was walking around, a car pulled into the parking lot with what looked like a sailboat on top. (It was a flat board, as opposed to a kayak)  I scooted into the Explorer and moved away, as I was blocking the launch area. I tried to nonchalantly watch the woman…she looked older, and she was alone, save for her dog,  launch this craft.  She slid the board down off the top of her roof, and placed it into the water.  She then got a paddle from the car, and had her dog follow her. Drat!  i didn’t notice the sequence of events…whether it was she or the dog who got onto the boat first…

The dog stood solidly at the front of the little boat as his mistress paddled out onto the lake. Guessing from the mostly grey muzzle, my guess was that this dog was an old hand at these adventures!  Amazing.

The rest of today’s photos were taken with the small point and shoot Canon camera….yes, I carry both cameras a lot!

One of the greatest challenges of using a point and shoot camera, versus a D-SLR (digital-single lens reflex)  is the lagging shutter speed.  With a D-SLR, as soon as you press the shutter button, you capture exactly what you see in the viewfinder. The typical point and shoot takes a bit more time to hone in and shoot.

That said, I challenged myself to capture a photo of a hummingbird with the small camera.  It was a challenge, for sure!  Add to that the lack of lighting.  With trees shadowing our front porch (I am NOT complaining here!) it makes lighting a bit of an enigma. 

Plus, these little birds move…..fast! That bugger was playing peekaboo in the next photo!

The Scotties and I were having such a lazy summer dog day!  We finally got a call from Michelle at about five saying they were on their way home.  Wow!  What a long day this was.  Michelle was beyond excited….she was so happy!  She loved the orientation and she even met some people she already knows! 

After the call, Angus and I decided we would go outside to relax a bit.  Michelle told me it was 91 degrees in Rochester!   Here in the trees, it was only 82.  as we settled in on the hammock,  a nice breeze gently cooled us.  Hanging suspended midair on fabric in the shade of trees is a terrific way to relax and cool off!  (Too bad I had run out of lemonade!)

It was a little tricky holding a Scottie, leash, and camera, while mounting the hammock, but Angus and I made it look easy! Or not!  Angus got a bit nervous, but settled down.  Thankfully, Murphy was content to remain under the bed in the house. Two Scotties would have been very difficult!

Of course, with both Angus and I delicately balanced on the hammock, there was no way to make it swing back and forth. One false move and either of us, or both, might fall onto the ground.  And so, we settled in, just enjoying the time of relaxation…

Until I got just a little stir crazy!

That is my favorite necklace, by the way…handmade by a soapmaking friend all the way over in Oregon!

Well, today was the longest day of this year and for the first time in a few days,  I actually stayed awake the entire day!  I have been battling a bug that didn’t knock me off my feet, but was rather annoying!  It felt like I had a head cold with some sneezing, but more than that,  I was exhausted.  Thankfully, I never suffered through the blazing sore throat the kids had before…I have not had a sore throat since I was pregnant with Ben.

So…I did some laundry, washed dishes and put them away, and also grilled chicken outside today.  I made Broccoli Cheese casserole to go along with the chicken as well as some asparagus.  One of the frustrating parts about feeling sick but not appearing sick is that everyone kept forgetting I was sick! 

I was going to put some photos I took today of the kids in the pool, but it seems like someone snatched my camera and didn’t return it to me.  Hmmm… So, I will post a couple of photos I took a while back….

The day I took these, it was windy and as I looked through the pictures I took, I could see how the wind was blowing the daisy and butterfly back and forth!

Early this evening, I had a customer stop by with her daughter-in-law.  Verna has been a customer for quite some time and I found out she is now eighty-five years old.  It was good to see her, as she has not been by for a long time.  She is now legally blind, but still makes soap.  She said she must use magnifying glasses to see anything, but she is able to see when using them. What a remarkable woman she is.  Her family all lives nearby…not too far from her home, so they are able to help her out.

I had called Verna earlier to give her a total for her order, and we chatted for probably a good forty-five minutes.  I found out that when a lot of dogs died from the problem with mold in the corn in their food (I think that was correct?) a few years ago, she lost her dog, Foxy, the Fox Terrier.  I felt so bad when she told me and then we talked about dogs and she said she would ask her daughter-in-law to bring along her miniature Dachshund, Tasha.

When the ladies arrived, Verna was anxious for me to see Tasha….she was adorable!  My parents have a black and tan (why do they call it tan anyway, they are red!) long-haired Dachsy, but Tasha is short-haired!  She was so cute.  Jerry (the DIL) told Tasha to “spin and roll over” and the obedient little pup spun in a circle, then rolled right over!  What a good little girl! Verna said when her family goes away for vacations, she watches the dogs and enjoys their company.

Speaking of dogs…I shared this on Facebook, but I’ll do it here as well. 

I know my little boys love a cold treat on a hot day.  When we eat ice cream, they both look longingly at our cold treats! So, I make the Scotties their own treats!  I mix together plain yogurt and about an equal amount of pumpkin.  I had bought some pie pumpkins last year…I baked them, then scraped the insides and froze the pumpkin in the freezer.  I had measured the pumpkin in one cup increments in a sandwich bag, then dropped them into a gallon freezer bag.  Of course, canned pumpkin works too!

Place the mix into an ice cube tray…I had found some little trays that were silicone and the cubes are heart-shaped.  These are nice for the pups because they aren’t real big and hard to bite into.

As an aside, pumpkin is fantastic for the canine digestive system!

My last photo was taken when it rained…this was last week.

Not such a great quality photo, but the little hummer had come to sit on the feeder under the roof overhang, while it rained!

I didn’t misspell the title.  My space bar is and has been acting up. Sometimes it spaces, other times, not!  Anyway, when I saw the title, I thought it looked cool so I left it!   Then I tried to type above the above photo and after trying to move the photo several times, I GAVE UP!  Argh.   That dragonfly above really caught my attention with its BLUE eyes!

Yesterday, as I was  going through some photos remotely (Mark stores them for me on a computer so as not to clog up my laptop) I sat outside and a hummingbird buzzed up to the feeder.  I quickly grabbed my camera, but just as I snapped, the little bugger  “lifted off”!

And….as I was sitting on the porch swing,  these annoying bees kept buzzing by.  I am not frightened of bees, but these are annoying to say the least!  They apparently gather mud, then look for tiny places to build a little nest. 

Ben had bought a handy dandy “bug zapper” and I thought it was so stupid.  Well, the thing looks like a tennis racket and there is a little button to press.  While pressing the button, it activates a “charge” (via batteries) and zaps a bug as one swats it.  This little device has really comein handy….I think I have zapped close to 100 evil bees! I would never use it on bumblebees or honeybees, but these monsters…..YES! (and just think of the calories I am burning…hehehe)

When we were at the mall the other day, there were families of geese everywhere…..

Mark has been painting Ben’s door for his room. (now in its final stages..)  Ben wanted the door in his room to be a deep wine color.  Well, Mark said okay, but he didn’t want the part facing the hallway that color…a little too BOLD!  So, Mark diligently painted the door red facing Ben’s room! As he worked in the garage, Angus slept below the door. (it was propped up on sawhorses)   The little fellow wadded up a section of dropcloth  and….dropped off to sleep!

Have a great weekend!

We awakened to (even) more rain.  Even though the day was fairly dismal weatherwise,  we managed to accomplish a few things we intended to do. I also was able to hurry outside and take a few photos in between douses of rain.

Finally!  Yes, the weather gave us a bit of a break…the torrential downpours stopped and the temperatures climbed to a milder springlike clime.  As happens every year, as soon as the sun and warmth arrived,  so did bursts of color!

I have photographed those tulips year after year,  but they still fascinate me with their intense yellows, reds, and oranges.  Inside each flower, it looks as though someone used a paintbrush to streak a blush of color to contrast with the bold black centers…

Of course, few people can resist visiting the local nurseries once things begin to show signs of  spring!  I was amongst those,  Imust admit and this year, the pansies are looking especially appealing!

The spring also heralds the return of some old friends,  like my formally attired guy who last year pecked the window to alert me of sparse seeds in the feeder!

The Hummingbirds are also back, their shrill but tiny chirps heard near the house.  They are always so exciting to see!

And, just for a contrast,  I spotted this old Case tractor sitting up on a bank while taking the kids to school on Tuesday.  Although it was a rather colorful photo,  I really liked it best in black and white!

It is just after 8am and I have been sitting here on the front porch for over two hours, looking at photos from both the Nikon and little Panny cameras. So often I find I have nothing to write about on my blog, and yet, in looking back at my photos, I see little stories here and there!

Several days ago, Michelle invited her friend, Jacob, over.  I told her to ask if he might be interested in going out on the lake in one of our inflatable kayaks.  He brought along his swim trunks and we went out for a nice little evening “cruise”.  I was disappointed that the eagle was not in “it’s” tree, but Jacob seemed to enjoy the experience anyway….

As always, I am enjoying the bird activity at my window feeder!  I remember talking to the town clerk one day and she said she doesn’t feed the birds as they have plenty of seeds on bushes and such.  I was so surprised, as I feed the birds year round.  I enjoy watching them so much.  Even Mark and the kids have called out from time to time. I captured a photo of a female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak.

You might remember seeing photos of the males here. They are mostly black with some white on their chest, along with a scarlet “bib” around the neck. The females are just brown speckles and stripes…not nearly as attractive as their mates.  These birds are pretty large compared to the tiny finches, chickadees, and titmice that also frequent the feeder.

And speaking of feeders!!!! I have two hummingbird feeders.  One above the window at the back of the house where I can watch as I wash dishes. The other is on the front porch. As I have been sitting here on the swing these past two hours, I have witnessed the hummers feeding at my huge pink and white Fuchsia.  I have also witnessed a hummer “war” as two males gave chase….they flew so close to my face, I could have easily swatted them…were I fast enough!  I took a photo yesterday with the Panny camera and was surprised it turned out at all. It was taken through both a screen and the window! I kind of like the look of the screen in the photo….

And speaking of Fuchsias! I have a huge pink and white one hanging on the porch.  I bought it early this year, as I usually wait until all that are left are the scrawny no-one-else-will-buy-them pots.  However, as Mark and I were looking around at The Home Depot the other day,  I saw a pink and purple hanging basket and decided I would buy it. It is scrawny, but it will fill in. Anyway, the flowers are so vibrant and colorful!

The pink color on the fuchsia reminds me of the Peonies I have planted in the front yard.  I have been talking about transplanting them to the west side of the house for years, btu have not done so, as we have talked about resurfacing our wooden basement. (yeah, we do a lot of “talking” around here!) Ah well, the Peonies are so pretty and nice this year.  My paternal grandmother passed away 37 years ago, but her Peonies live on far, far away from her Pennsylvania gardens, here in the Bristolwood.

The other day, we went up to Rochester for pool parts and to run some other errands.  Our leaky pump motor was repaired.  Mark and Michelle took everything apart and noted the three parts that needed to be replaced.  When we got to the store, they had the parts sealed in a ziplock bag. Mark is always big on taking in the old parts just to be sure the new ones are the same. 

Thankfully, the pool store had all the parts required and they were exactly the same as the ones on our pump.  Mark asked the parts guy questions and then the guy put the whole assembly together! Hurrah! Mark couldn’t believe it!  It was a blessing, as there are some parts that are so critical, they cannot be touched.  There is a ceramic gasket, that if bits of dust or dirt get on it, it will fail.  Even though Mark could have done this job, the guy had the pump reassembled in about five minutes!  And it is working wonderfully well!

As we were returning home, we stopped in a parking lot in Vistor, next to a set of railroad tracks.  I spotted this little manual switch, loving the bright colors on the flags!

There is one more thing I *must* mention!  While running about in Rochester, we stopped at a Sam’s Club. Since it was warm outside, I stayed in the truck with the Scotties while Mark, Ben, and Michelle went into the store.  Mark and Ben came out later and told me where to meet Michelle. Mark left her with the cart so I could look around some before paying.

Michelle met me near the bakery.

“Dad said we are supposed to buy something sweet that you like.  Shall we buy some chocolate chip cookies?”

“Michelle, you know I am not fond of chocolate.”

“Yeah, I know.”

We searched through the delectable goodies and my eyes fell upon something that really caught my attention! Michelle looked at the package of Lemon Bites and suggested we “look some more”.

Well, we could not seem to come to an agreement on what to buy, so I told Michelle we should just skip the sweets. We don’t really need them, after all! We left the area, and as I placed the items on the belt,  I was surprised to see Michelle had picked up a package of the Lemon Bites.

As soon as we got into the truck, I opened the yellow goodies and took a bite. Oh MY! I nearly swooned as the sweet, lemony flavor dispersed throughout my taste buds! The kids each took one and the “ooooh’s” were soon filling the truck.  Even Mark had a bite of Ben’s tiny cake and he was impressed!

So, if you have a Sam’s Club membership, pick these goodies up! You shan’t be disappointed!

We are being “graced” with some scorching temperatures this week.  Not being a fan of hot weather,  this isn’t the most pleasant thing for me.  Add to that the fact that we have had considerable amounts of rainfall and my, but the mosquito population appears to be thriving.  This is so not-so-good for me. This afternoon, I suddenly (yeah, seems how these bites seem to do)  began itching like crazy.  I have not only several new bites on my arms, but also some more on my legs.  Grumble, grumble….Does anyone mind if I just call off summer this year?

The happy news is that yesterday,  I kept applying ice on the swollen bite that seemed to be infected.  After removing the ice,  the bite wept yellow pus for a while.  This morning,  it changed to blood and the red spot has diminished considerably.

Since I am (always) an early morning riser,  I told Mark we should leave early for my walk.  We were at the track shortly after seven, and I was able to walk three miles once again.  I feel so bad for Mark, but he has been working out on a stationary bike and he feels really good he can use it.

On our way home from the park,  we saw a rather humorous sight;  along route 64, just south of Bristol Mountain,  there is a field where the hang-gliders land.  There is a small yellow windsock there to give the silly geese an idea of where to land.  Wait a minute….did I say “geese”?

With not a speck of water in this particular field, it seems funny these birds would land there.  It’s gotta be that yellow windsock, I tell ya!

This afternoon,  I was finally able to capture one of our ultra-timid hummingbirds.  The little females are back for the season, but I haven’t seem any males yet.

Later this afternoon, I drove on down to Woodville.  It is always such a fun trip this time of the year when everything new is showing up.

This goose family was initially near the launch for kayaks and canoes.  As soon as they spotted me, though,  Mr and Mrs Goose instructed the wee ones to hop into the safety of the water.  Watching those little black beadlike eyes bobbing up and down on the waves was so adorable!

Of course, there was lots of new greenery showing up as well.

I have to admit…the bright blue skies and sunshine are nice,  but the heat?  How nice if we could just turn the thermostat down just a bit!

I think I could sleep standing up!

Although today wasnt really a busy day, per se, it was a long one.

I got up and did some laundry, straightened the house, washed the never-ending onslaught of dishes, then decided I wanted to go to the Windmill. (A large craft and farmer’s type market)  It takes about an hour to get there and off I went on my own. 

It was wonderful not feeling hurried or rushed with the family waiting in the truck.  I got to chat with Pastor Bert and Janine’s son, Nate, for a long time.  We had a lot of catching up to do since I haven’t seen him in ages.  Nate was there selling flowers and plants for his mom and dad who own a greenhouse business. 

I walked around, admiring all sorts of beautiful items and it was just a lot of fun looking at whatsoever *I* decided to see!  I think I was there for about an hour and a half and it really made me feel better.  Sometimes it is so easy to get bogged down by the cares of home ownership.  Seems like there is an endless amount of things that need to be tended and it is easy to get swallowed up by everything!

I took only one photo at the Windmill…

I love horses and when I was a little girl, I always dreamed of one day owning one! It never happened and I think perhaps it never will.  They are such beautiful animals and every time I see them, I have to stop and look at them! The particular horse here lives next door to the Mennonite run store I often mentioned here…Oak Hill Farms. 

I did end up buying some Wildflower Honey and a huge Lobelia plant.  The plant actually has Impatiens and some Ivy planted in with it and it is hanging on the front porch.  I love the beautiful color!

I got back home at about three-thirty and we fiddled around until leaving the house at five-thirty for the kids to attend a show in Naples.  After dropping the kids off,  Mark and I went for a ride to Wayland, about 20 miles from Naples.  We went to the school there and I told Mark we ought to walk and roll there.  We did and we went almost two miles.  It sure was a lot more interesting walking the school property than the track we usually walk.  Mark checked out our distance on Google Maps and discovered we went almost two miles.  Yay!

We picked the kids up at almost ten-thirty and it was all I could do to stay awake! We have more plans for a busy day tomorrow.  Guess I had better get some sleep….soon! Oh, and as an aside, I saw the first Hummingbird at the feeder out front today.  Hurrah!!

Yes, that last post was thrown in just because.  Guess I am in a funny mood because if I don’t laugh, I will cry! Seriously!

I will get to that in a minute, but here are some photos from today.  I took Michelle for her last classes for her first yer of college today.  I cannot believe she is done.  She took a Macro Economics exam and Statistics exam today.  She isn’t positive about the Stats exam,  but spoke with her Macro professor after class.  He looked over her exam and told her she got 100%!  Yippee!!!

Oops, got a little away from myself.  As I was driving back home from Canandaigua,  I saw several goose families resting on the grass beside a restaurant.  I had to take a photo of some gosling siblings all huddled together in a sweet little heap.

How can such adorable little bundles of fluffy fuzz grow up into loud, obnoxious geese?  I was surprised, though, that the parents allowed me to walk up so close to their offspring! 

When I got home, I was looking at my little garden and just loved the way the rain had remained on the Columbine.

I did some chores around the house, then had to go to an early afternoon dental appointment.  The dentist poked and prodded at the tooth that had the pocket.  As I nearly jumped in the air when he touched one area,  he said although the infection is reduced from the last time he saw me, there is still some sign of infection remaining.  Joy of joys.  He got a syringe and gave me another slow-release antibiotic.  I need to go back again in two weeks and hopefully, the infection will be totally eradicated!

On my way home,  I decided to take Route 21 which runs through Woodville.  As I was driving along with the window down,  I caught a whiff of something sublime!  I pulled over off the road and took a photo….

This “wall” of Wisteria is incredible!  It is growing, seemingly wild,  along the road. The flowers cascade down from about 20 feet up and the “wall” runs along the road for a good 150 feet.   It is really amazing to see…and smell!

I am planning to spend this evening just relaxing.  The stress of seeing the dentist always makes me weary!  It didn’t hurt at all when the dentist administered the antibiotic,  but now,  the tooth feels just a bit sensitive.  I think I will make a small fire in the woodstove and sit and knit on the prayer shawl for my friend!

Oh, and one more thing!  I have placed the hummingbird feeders out and have seen no sign of them yet.  I was so disappointed!  On Facebook,  I befriended a fabulous entity called Grand Alaska Photography .  The owner not only is a photographer, but also runs an inn in Ketchikan.  Well, Scott announced the other day that the hummingbirds had returned!  Where are mine?  (If you follow the hyper link above, you will see hummingbirds as I have never seen before!)