Life in the Bristolwood

YES! Today, the sun has returned! Although I really don’t mind our “rain pattern” of late, it has really left many feeling quite discouraged because of the cool weather. 

Carly, her husband, Jeff, and their kids came down yesterday to celebrate the 4th.  It was funny watching the kids as they hopped from pool to hot tub several times,  warming up to cool off! They had a lot of fun even though the weatherwas a tad chilly and windy. 

Mark and Carly had fun using their cameras, trying to capture a good shot of the twitty, elusive hummingbirds.  The feeder hangs very close to the table on the porch, so the birds kept swooping in and out for a sip of nectar.

This morning was pretty cool, but the sun made its way out and the sky is blue as can be!  The wind has died down and it is a nearly perfect summer day,  even though the weatherman says the temperature is several degrees below normal for this time of the year.  I will gladly take it!

Here are three Sunday morning photos that I took today. 

The kids and I are going to go out in our kayaks at some point today.  The perfect ending to a holiday weekend!

If Mondays have earned a bad name for being the beginning of the week, along with its multitude of problems,  then today *should have been* a Monday!

As I was standing at the sink this morning,  I noticed a doe up in the woods.  I watched her for a second, curious as to why she seemed to be staring down towards our house.  Her eye was intent and as my own eyes searched the woods,  I focussed on a tiny little “blur” walking up the hill.

Immediately,  I called to Michelle upstairs…”bring down the Nikon….QUICKLY!”.  Michelle bounded down the stairs and I was off into the woods, my eyes glued to the doe.  As I approached, she began to get nervous.  I called out to her in a calm voice and she eventually went off deeper into the woods. Before she left,  I was able to shoot a fairly good photo of her with the tiny, tiny fawn.

I was about ten feet from the two deer and I quickly shot off several photos of the now abandoned little fawn nestled in the leaves on the earthen floor.  As quickly as I went up, I came back down to the house.  I had turned the camera off before coming back to the house.

When I came back, I turned on the camera and showed Mark the photos in the (somewhat) little LCD screen. I turned the camera off again,  and took it upstairs where I turned it on to show Michelle the photos.  She oohed and awwed.  I was all set to upload the photos to my blog, feeling so amazed I was able to photograph this beautiful little fawn.  When I placed the SD card into the card reader,  the photos I took today had all vanished.  They had totally disappeared!

Thinking I had lost my marbles, I explained it to Mark.  He called Nikon who said it sounded like a faulty SD card, so we called San Disk to see if they could help.  They were helpful, all right! They gave us the name of some software that was developed for them by another company.  As we looked at the images on the card, the photos of the deer reappeared.  I was thrilled beyond measure!  But then when we saw that it would cost sixty dollars for the software,  Mark and I both felt deceived.

Mark called San Disk again, getting another representative.  He talked to her for quite some time and she gave him the name of a disk recovery program she personally had used, but it was of no value in recovering photos.

At this point, Mark told me he would somehow….by hook or by crook….have my photos restored tonight!

I had been doing an enormous amount of laundry, and when I went down to the basement to put the load from the washer to the dryer,  there was water all over the floor. Apparently, the gasket on the door of the front loading washer needs to be replaced.  Thankfully, I mopped up most of the water and the dehumidifier down there has done a tremendous job of wicking up the moisture left behind.

I had to run to Naples this afternoon for some produce.  Of course I stopped in Woodville.  This time, I found a goose family of six!

I love the second photo, although it would be better if they weren’t swimming about in what looks like pea soup! The way the parents have there bodies placed, it looks like a heart with the goslings in the center.

The carp were also going crazy!  It looked like a big pot of boiling water as the fish bounded about, splashing all over!

I made my version of Chicken Spinoccoli tonight as I had some cheese and spinach that needed to be used up. That dish is one that takes a great deal of time and effort, although everyone really likes it,  As I was doing (the ENDLESS!!!) dishes,  the hummungbirds kept coming by for a sip!

By the time dinner was done, I felt like someone had placed Vise Grips on my shoulders.  I had such a tension headache,  I could have SCREAMED! (that wouldn’t have helped much!)

I am feeling better now and Mark is currently used a freeware program I found online to retrieve those deer photos for me.  Shhhh….don’t tell anyone….Mark isn’t as nuts about wildlife as I am and when he first found out I had lost some photos, he thought, “big deal!”.  Michelle just whispered that Mark told her he thought I was nuts at first, making such a big fuss about losing my photos. She said as he looked at them,  he kept telling her they were so beautiful and now he understansds why I was distraught.

Wonders never cease……

I really would rather never dwell upon bad fortune, neither for others or myself!

The Nikon camera is working just fine now.  I am so thrilled how everything came together well regarding that issue!

The other day, I was talking to Carly on the telephone when I felt *something* in my mouth.  I swished my tongue around and stuck it out only to find two pieces of one of my teeth!  I ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.  The upper tooth to the right of my two front teeth had literally fallen out of my mouth!  I stood there, dumbfounded!

I have always gone to the dentist and have taken relatively good care of my teeth. HOW could this have happened?   Ugh! 

I had been seeing a dentist for the past few years and was happy with his care.  About a year ago, he filled that tooth.  He had removed a good portion of the tooth because of decay, and he placed a resin filling in.  Around Christmas time,  I noticed the filling was loose.  Shortly thereafter, the filling popped right out.  I was unsure I wanted to return to this dentist (not just based on this situation) so I stalled finding a new dentist.  Well, apparently, there was a crack in the tooth and it just broke off and fell out.

We called a dentist that practices just seven miles from our home and they got me in for a cleaning this morning.  Seeing that there is only a tiny stub left where my tooth once was,  the fear factor set in! Last night, I spent hours dreading the thought of what *might* happen. 

I was so upset about going to the dentist,  I think I was being a tad careless.  I had removed the SD card from my Nikon camera to view some photos on my laptop.  I have a nice Dell XPS laptop with a slot-loading DVD/CD player.  Well…do you see where this is going?

As I was sitting with the SD card in my right hand,  I somehow managed to “load” the card into my player!  By this time, I was nearly in tears as I told Mark what had happened.  If I would have accidentally loaded the SD card it would have been easier to handle than the fact that my computer ATE MY CARD!

I gave up and went to bed.  It took hours for me to settle down enough to finally fall asleep.  Once I was asleep, it was a light and less-than-restful sleep.  I awakened several times to look at the clock to see if it was time to get up yet.

I finally left the house shortly before eight and headed to the dentist.  I did stop on the way to take a quick photo of the lake from the overlook.  I especially like this photo, as I focussed on the grass in the front and the lake came out looking very surreal and much like a painting!

The visit to the dentist was surprisingly pleasant.  I had a cleaning and the hygienist said my teeth were very clean for not having been cleaned for a year.  She said I do a good job of brushing and flossing.  The dentist was very nice and told me I need a root canal to save the root of the tooth, which is in very good condition. I will have that done on Friday, then a post will be made to place a crown over next month. 

All of my “fear factor” was laid to rest by the kind people at the dentist office. Phew! I feel so much better! My previous dentist was located about thirty-five miles from our home,  so the proximity of this dentist means no more long trips to the dentist. 

Mark had a therapy appointment this afternoon, so after doing some work,  the whole family was off again. Mark needed to drop off the truck again for one last warranty job so we needed to take both vehicles. After the appointment,  we went to the local music store for Mark and Ben to pick up some new guitar picks.

Just a little way past the music store, Ben cracked up at what he saw in a driveay…..

I never saw the Ghostbusters movie, but Ben and Mark said this was a pretty cool replica of the vehicle used in the movie.

We went on up to The Home Depot…..

and while Ben and Mark were in the store,  Michelle and the Scotties and I sat in the Explorer and watched Spongebob Squarepants. 

I was curious about the shape of the hummingbird nest I had spotted the last time we were there.

It looks like it weathered the winter well. I will be keeping my eye on that nest when we go to the mall.  The hummingbirds return to this area around the first week of May, so there is still about a month left to wait.

Well, as the expression says, “all’s well that ends well”.  The only problem is that all the uncertainty and nonsense has left me with a terrible headache! Mark has said he will take my laptop apart tomorrow morning to fix it.  So,  tonight, I am going to relax and try to rest!

My white Christmas Cactus failed to bloom this year, and I was feeling rather let down by the whole thing.  Then a curious thing happened….the plant filled with buds!  Now, there are about 6 or 8 flowers open, with more to follow. I love this particular plant the best, as the white flowers look so pure and beautiful!

Today was a bit of a hurried day with Mark going to therapy in the early afternoon. I still wanted to try to catch some birds in flight, so I positioned myself to do so for a few minutes this morning.  I could only manage about 10 minutes, but I did get a couple of photos.  This really is a fun exercise, as one must focus on an approximate area of where the birds will land, and then try to click quickly!!!

Before we could go out for Mark’s appointment, Mark needed to plow the mess of snow in the driveway.  The snow was probably about 10 inches deep in most spots, but last night, the winds kicked in and blew the snow all over the place! There were drifts in some areas that must have been a foot and a half deep!

After the therapy session, we went to Victor so the kids could do a little shopping.  Afterwards, we went over to the Home Depot to look at a couple things.  As I hopped out of the truck, I noticed this tree near the truck…..

Did you see it? 

I zoomed in on the tiny little nest in the tree. This is a hummingbird nest! What a lucky find this was. Hummers do usually return to their nest from year to year,  remodeling any problems that might occur over the autumn and winter months. I think the bird must have been attracted by the colorful blooms in the spring and decided this was a good home.

Today was a full day for sure and I am soooo ready to spend the rest of tonight relaxing!

I had the strangest encounter with one of our tiny hummingbirds this afternoon.  I was sitting in the hot tub, not yet in a reclined position…Suddenly, a wee hummer flew up about 18 inches from my head. She hovered, her little eye looking straight into my face. She then advanced a bit closer. By this point, I was beginning to wonder if she was going to land on top of my head! Egads….I felt a tad uncomfortable,  when she dipped down, then made off for the feeder!

Amazing….these tiny birds!

One of the pleasing elements of summer is the colors that surround us.  It never fails to amaze me at how I will see a “new” color in the palette and must then go off to explore what it is that is so drawing me in!

Although not especially colorful, I love seeing Queen Anne’s Lace growing alongside the country roads….

I do love that intensely deep purple flower in the centers of the Queen Anne’s Lace…

How about the beautiful golds and yellows?  Whether Wild Sunflowers or Black-Eyed Susans, it matters not. The yellows and bright greens are so attractive.

Since we all know about my attraction to the most wonderful color of all….(that would be blue, of course!) how about this little Indigo Bunting that called out with a “whistle” this morning and caught my attention?

A fantastic live bouquet! (of rich color!

One of my favorite scenes along the country roads is wild chicory mixed with Queen Anne’s Lace. The texture….color….everything, calls to me and causes me to stop for a quick photo!

Yup, even with the heat blazing and sun shining, there is a secret world, waiting to be discovered. All we need do is look for it!

Yesterday was a busy day for me.  The rains came down and since it has been a somewhat scarce commodity this summer,  I took advantage of it! I dragged the eight foot ladder from the garage and positioned it next to the camper.  The top of the camper is rubber. Yes, a rubber roof.  Rubber makes a great roof, but why it is white is beyond me!

Rubber roofs are supposed to be washed clean every year. Somehow, this little bit of information was missed by me the first three years we had our camper.  Then, one day, while reading the camper’s literature, I came across the info. Yikes! When I looked at our roof, it was black! After reading on the internet, I climbed the ladder and in the grungiest clothing I could find, bleached that roof until it became white again. Now, dear reader, please remember that I stand all of five feet, one and one-half inches tall! As my ladder teetered a bit yesterday, on the sloping driveway, I scrubbed with one hand, while hanging on to the camper with the other!

Come to think of it, one is supposed to *inspect* the aforementioned rubber roof every year for tears or other signs of punctures. I guess that is why it is white. It would be more difficult to examine were it dark, and it would also heat up a great deal more.

Well, I worked on the roof cleaning for about an hour and a half in the pouring down rain. I figured the rain would help me rid the dirty stains, and also rinse. And, it did!

Murphy and I sat on the porch for quite some time yesterday, just enjoying the cool, clear air. It felt like air-conditioning.  There were times when the rain fell so heavily,  each drop created a divot in the ground!  The majority of the time, it fell steadily, though, just saturating the ground and filling the outside air with a sense of cleansing! Ahhhhhh…..

Here is the container of basil our friend, Jeanine gave us. To brush against it and smell is amazing! I love basil.

While Murphy and I were on the front porch, a little male hummingbird began to play peek-a-boo with us! He would buzz down by the feeder, then retreat to a branch above. One curious note about hummingbirds is that they always land on a dead branch.

Later in the day, as I walked the Scotties, I observed something unusual.  I have heard the expression “it is raining cats and dogs”, but in this case, snails might be substituted.  No, the snails weren’t on the ground….instead, many could be found on the trees!

Hmm…..perhaps they retreated to the trees to seek refuge from drowning while it was raining cats and dogs?

After posting the hummingbird photos yesterday, I realized I had taken several photos a few days before. I had perched out on the back deck, waiting for those fast-flying little buggers to land, or at least come near the feeder….

I took this set with the Nikon with my longer glass on it and you can see the results are a bit better than the ones I took last evening out front with the Panasonic camera. 

You will notice that in  two photos, there are two hummers flying about. Hummingbirds are delightful to watch, as they are such tiny little wonders. However, unless you have lived with them, you might not know about their “covert” side. Yes, these little darlings are adorable, but also very, very territorial!  They are so territorial, one bird might innocently fly to the feeder, only to be attacked by another. The tactical maneuvers involve rapidly beating the assaulting bird’s wings against the unsuspecting bird’s body! This is accompanied by little squeaks from both birds. Most unnerving, as hummers are not supposed to be aggressive! You might remember a picture I posted here of a hummer perched on the shepherd’s hook out back that holds my big basket of petunias….I observed that bird for a few hours one day, realizing that its “perch” was no perch at all, but a vantage point to launch assaults!

Yesterday was one of those days that got away…..I completely forgot to mention that my blog began two years ago, yesterday! Happy blogday to me, happy blogday to me! Okay, I will stop before such nonsense gets stuck in your head!

This morning, I was up early as usual, feeding the Scotties, taking them out and cleaning up the kitchen from some of last night’s late activities. I got a little carried away and ended up going for a soak in the hot tub rather late….after 8.

Ben came outside and announced that Mark wanted to see me….right away! Egads! I had forgotten that Mark had made an appointment with Pastor Bert’s son, Derek,  regarding recording sermons.  I raced into the house, drippy and full of remorse. I looked at the clock as I raced past the kitchen….ugh…it was 8:45 and Mark’s appointment was at 9. I awakened Michelle, asking her to help Mark get out to the truck, as I hurried upstairs to throw some clothes on. Mark had asked me to go along and so I did.

As Mark worked with Derek, Pastor Bert’s wife, Jeanine, showed me around the beautiful landscaping surrounding their home.  We picked black raspberries that were so sweet and tasty! They have one of the most spectacular views of Canandaigua Lake….you can see nearly the entire length from their house and decks!

Pastor Bert is also a horticulturist, so Jeanine took me to one of the greenhouses and asked if I wanted anything inside. She said they were anxious to clean the remaining inventory out and I was blessed with a cilantro plant, two hot pepper plants, and a huge container of Italian basil!

We walked back, and Pastor Bert came home. We all began talking and by the time we were ready to leave, it was 2:00 pm! Where did the five hours go?

Mark wanted to take a little ride….I was so hungry, though. We went home and I grabbed the last of the Texas Caviar from the refrigerator to chow down for lunch. This sounds like such a strange dish, but it is delicious! It is black beans, black-eyed peas, onion, pepper, (I used a red one) jalapeno pepper, garlic, cilantro, and some Italian dressing. After I made it, we discovered the garlic I used must have been super-charged, as I wound up feeling like Puff the Magic Dragon, experiencing the most acute heartburn! Phew!

Mark then had the idea to add some corn to the mix, as he had seen corn used in a couple of the recipes….yes, I believe there are as many “Texas Caviar” recipes to be found on the internet as there are cooks in all of Texas!  This did mellow the mix and my digestive system processed the goodies without a hitch!

I had only a meager serving, not through discipline, but rather, this was one of the late night snacks previously mentioned….

We went for a ride and on the way home, I thought aloud that perhaps a Subway turkey sub might make a good “light” dinner.  I was thinking light, as the humidity got to me once again…causing my poor head to feel like a barometer, about to explode from the pressure! As we drove down the road through the valley, the humidity hung in the air so thickly, it resembled fog. Nasty stuff!

I sat on the front porch, determined to get a few good hummingbird pictures. What I ended up with is rather curious!

The Scotties joined me on the porch. Earlier, as we left the truck after our little ride, Mark very accurately described Angus as the “hunter and gatherer”.  Angus is always in “attack” mode….his keen eye always honed in, searching out “critters”.

I thought to myself, what a good boy Angus is, as he stood rigid on the porch, observing an oblivious squirrel….I snatched up the camera to snap a picture of the pretty boy. Suddenly, as though  on cue, as soon as my finger was about to press the shutter button, the fellow went crackers…..backing up, running briskly down the porch, making a horrific barking that would raise the dead…

Yes, here is Angus the squirrel-chasing apparition!!!

Of course, Murphy, who trusts “she-who-always-provides” (that would be me!) has no need to think of such animalistic behavior. His bowl runneth over….why bother with those rodents, after all?

Dinner….

So, having two rambunctious Scots frolicking about probably doesn’t fit into the “good photography” equation. But, they were there with me, and I could work around them!

If you expand the first two of these Hummingbird photos, you will see some odd pictures! The first looks as though someone drew in the upper body of the hummer as it was leaving its perch….

And the second is a humorous “freefall” photo. I LOVE the wings, which are visible in a larger photo….

I have come to the conclusion that not every day can be a “Kodak Day” with perfect photos of perfect subjects. But, I do rather like this final submission…the golden rays of a setting sun streaking through the woods and playing with light and color on the trees in the front of the house!

Boring.

And miserable!

Thus, I submit the three photos I took today.

A wild mushroom at the edge of the woods.

The  hotdog I ate for dinner. I had already eaten the macaroni salad I made….

An empty hummingbird feeder.  I sat, eating my dinner, on the front porch this evening….I hoped to photograph a little hummer, but they stayed far away from me. And my camera!

The reason I took so few photos today was because it was so hot and humid, I spent the entire day grumbling about how much I HATE summer and heat. I kid you not. Was shameful!!!