Bald Faced Hornets

I have to walk under this maple tree to get to our compost pile.  I've done it daily all summer.  Imagine my surprise when I saw it after getting stung. The nest was as big as a basketball. My mother wanted it for a decoration, so we were going to wait until the hornets died/left this winter.  Just a few days ago, a bear came and ate the whole thing. The hornets refuse to give up; they're rebuilding in the exact spot.  The nest is bigger than my hand now, and I have made a new path to the compost pile.

Stoney Brook State Park

See the sign? There were swimmers at every deep spot.

Dare-devil Rule Breaker

Your foot! Not on your hand!

I love this one

   It's been a bit lonely here the past few days since Grandma, Bill, and Sharon went back home. Those two weeks went by far too quickly.  We spent one day at Stoney Brook.  I'm amazed at how well Grandma was able to hike up and down the mountain all afternoon.

It Sure Does

Valley Fog

Early This Morning

                                               

Grandma Z

Despite her hardcore conservative exterior, she's really just a tree-hugger at heart.

Day At The Races

Picture courtesy of Sharon

No real money was bet, thank goodness. I never picked a winning horse . It's not wise to choose the winner on the color of their outfits.

There is a casino  at the race track. I thought I'd like to play the slot machines, but the noise of the game room drove me nuts.

The Next Olympic Sport?

Synchronized hot-tubbing:

I Can Rest Easy Now

Since I now can be sure that my root beer has no wheat, milk, or meat in it.

Of Mice And Birds

Three hawks have been hanging out in our yard for a few weeks. They shriek constantly to each other. We've noticed that the chipmunks, squirrels, and other birds are laying low.

I wonder if they have anything to do with this little guy's situation:

  We found him this morning sitting in the gravel path by the shed. He could barely walk. We gave him some water and oats, and he perked up. He's beginning to run around now.

Peaches

Look at the size of this peach. We bought a dozen of them today at a small fruit stand. I haven't tasted a peach this good in ages.

Worries I Have About Him Going To College

He still has a year here, but I have already started worrying about him leaving home. Here's my list so far:
      1. Who will carry in the heavy groceries?
      2. Who will remind me which channel my favorite shows are on?
      3. Who will tell me what day it is?( this only happens occasionally)
      4. Who will I read to each day?  Rusty will only tolerate novels for a few minutes.
      5. Who will come and tell me goodnight, even if I've gone to bed hours before him?
      6.  Who will explain, for the 99th time, why smart phones are a "good thing"?

I think you get my drift....

Vintage Lawn Furniture

I've been wanting a metal porch glider since I first saw one at an antique store in Brenham. I found one set at Tioga Downs. It wasn't enough. I wanted more. Luckily, an elderly farmer in Bath listed a glider on Craigslist. We rushed there and discovered he had two matching chairs as well. Can you believe they all fit in the back of our '89 Volvo wagon?

As you can see, they were in pretty bad shape. They had been keeping company with his chickens:

Step one: Scrub, scrape, and sand repeatedly.

"A sandblaster would've been nice here. Too bad they're so cheap." - W

Step two: Prime.

Step three: Paint.

Hopefully good for another 70 years.

It was A Dark And Stormy Night

We had thunderstorms all evening. Poor Rusty was a nervous wreck.  He went through numerous drool-rags. Even the pillow cave wasn't enough to calm him. It was midnight before things settled down. This morning he woke up, drank a huge bowl of water, and went back to bed.