On a seasonal cool December day, Bob and I checked the house and yard. Bob treated the gas in the J. Deere for the winter, I disposed of 2 mice from the upstairs toilet (ewww, but I'm getting used to it), checked the oil tank (just below 3/4 full), reset the clock on the stove - from some short power outage - only a minute off, and checked the kitchen phone outlet which wasn't working. It turns out that I had turned off that fuse, too, when I switched off the refrigerator. The phone's back on. (The phone in the living room worked the whole time.)
We spent some time cutting young trees out of the big rhododendron in the driveway 'turn around' and I pulled out some old dead parts of the lilac at the end of the stone wall there. A couple  dead trees fell on the far side of the circle which were too heavy to move. So you can't 'turn around' now. We'll have to bring a saw sometime maybe. Obviously, we love to 'work' outside!
We took some more firewood from the old maple. There's still a lot left!
Keep warm!

Swing Maple pictures

As requested, here are a couple pictures of the old maple tree. We'll see how it fares over the winter.

Steve from TS Heating called to say he was delivering oil yesterday, so I went down today to make sure it was delivered! 3/4 tank full.  I updated the address and phone number, but kept me as the local contact.
We're expecting freezing temperatures tonight, so fall is actually here, finally. Maybe snow on Friday!

No wind damage, higher water!

 The brook is higher than Saturday. And only small branches have fallen in the road/yard from this week's tropical storm.

The Brook is high this weekend

I stopped by after Phyllis Kruger's funeral. Driving through Haddam Neck and all the history of our family there was moving for me. The little church was packed with Phyllis' family and the Haddam Neck community. I learned that she was a comforting soul and loved by many. She was active as part of the Haddam/Haddam Neck Volunteer Fire Dept, and the Fair and church. I sat with Connie, and saw Jeff Schleidt, Roger Kruger, Mary Sandin, and then briefly John Kruger, all of whom knew me without introduction. There were other familiar faces. Family is so important and comforting.

Then on to the brook for solace.

The dam is holding, making a beautiful pool.

The bench by the slide was a comfortable place to sit and watch the water rush over and down the slippery rocks. One would get quite a ride in this water!

And then back up the path. You can still see the smooth river rocks lining the path from Mormor's 80th birthday party. Nature has a way of reminding us of the inevitability of change and the comfort of the familiar.  I left feeling refreshed, ready to go back to the everyday world.

Happy Fall? It is 68 degrees, even in the valley that is Pine Brook. I met Harvey, the repair man, and he had the refrigerator fan replaced in no time. I left it on, thinking someone would be up soon. [next time I'm down, I'll turn it back off]. Harvey is very appreciative of being able to hunt (with his son, Harvey Jr.) He said he'd spotted a big buck off of rt 196 going our way. He'll be in touch with Steve and Rene to coordinate hunting times, he said. While he was fixing, I pulled weeds in the pond/patio gardens. It felt good to be outdoors on the 19 of October in short sleeves! I also mowed where the new septic area is, that grass is very healthy! The rest hasn't grown any since a couple weeks ago.
Sad news - Phyllis K. has died. I'll go to the service next week to represent Nanny's family.

The lawn is mowed (maybe the last time? or one more for the season), the refrigerator is turned off. All is well. I'll see if we can coordinate meeting this next week with Harvey and Steve to get the keys exchanged and the fridge part installed. It is still warm! at 75+ degrees.

Bob and I went down to mow. A lovely warm fall day. We checked the furnace, no more noise, so I must have gotten there last time when it had just cycled off and was cooling. We heard gun shots in the distance, didn't sound very close, but hunting season is evidently started. Some leaves are just starting to brown and fall. So the season is changing!

I went down to turn off the water and water heater, it had been bothering me that they were on all this time - found no issues with the water, of course.
However, I noticed that the furnace was making a humming noise, so I checked the oil tank (3/4 full) and then the living room thermostat. It was set at 70 Degrees!?! so I think the furnace has been running when the nights have been cooler. I turned it down to 55.
There are a lot of mouse turds in the kitchen. And Bob and I will hopefully get down in the next week or so to mow the yard. The maple trees that were eaten by the caterpillars have not fully recovered, we'll see how they do next spring.
I've scheduled the annual Forest Legacy property visit with Dan from the DEEP for September 29 in the morning. I hope to see some of you there!

Bob and I went down to mow yesterday. Actually, I went down twice - I went in the early afternoon to mow and couldn't get Johnny Deere started! The battery was dead; nothing happened when I turned the key. Oh bother, I thought. But I was already there, so I went into the house and turned on the water heater and the water in preparation for Labor Day visitors, walked around the supremely quiet yard, and did some weeding. I mostly pulled those pesky ferns from around the door. Weeding is so satisfying. Then I drove over to the cemetery and cleaned up a bit around Poppa and Nanny and Uncle Chuck's graves, which actually look very good. A very peaceful visit.
Bob and I went back after he got home from work and it turns out that 'someone' left the mowing blade engaged when Johnny Deere was put away last time and the lawn mower won't start that way for safety. Whew! We had driven Bert down with the jumper cables just in case. So we cleaned up the grass. Happy Labor Day visit! Enjoy the Fair!
Note: there are 3 'faults' on the alarm screen now, something should probably be done about that. I did set the alarm when we left, call if you need help setting it.

A lot of late summer pictures!

Bob and I have been down twice to mow since Daniel and Julie's wedding and the grass is still thriving. It's been a wetter summer than usual! Here are some pictures of late summer blooms. Enjoy.

 The butterfly bush, though smaller due to winter trauma, still produced some flowers.

 Resurrection lilies still coming back year after year! This year in the midst of lots of volunteer phlox.

 Two black and blue butterflies followed each other around the garden and yard.

 Nanny's 'golden glow' by the barn.

 The picture doesn't show that the road is mostly green from much less travel the past few years.

The whole yard and field look very park-like this summer. So beautiful.

Bob and I went down yesterday evening (a little less hot and nicely shady) and mowed the yard. It really needed it. We've had plenty of rain this summer. The gypsy moth trees are leafing out slowly. The old swing maple may be on its last legs, though. There are a LOT of bare branches. The crab apple next to it has totally re-leafed out, but the other one by the field is still barren of leaves. There are lots of yellow daisies blooming in the garden in front of the barn. And flowering 'weeds', too.
I turned on the water heater and fridge again in preparation for Aunt and Cousins visit next week! I'm so looking forward to the whole weekend!

I'd like to report that Daniel and Julie had a wonderful time. Thank you for letting them come. They worked on their wedding planning, and made their rings! It must have been hot, they found several fans from somewhere and put them out. I think they washed the sheets they used: when I went down last week, there was a folded pile of sheets in the kitchen. I'll put them away this week when I go down to mow the lawn. They left the house in good shape. I turned the water heater and refrigerator off again; I'll turn them on again for the 28th weekend!

Beautiful once again. I mowed the yard on a beautiful 70 degree day. The maples and oaks are leafing out again after being denuded by gypsy moths, so it looks like a combination of spring and summer. The crab apples are still barren. Not sure they'll make it. But there's a GOLDFISH in the pond! I fed him/her immediately with the fish food from the kitchen counter.
Daniel has asked to spend some getaway time with Julie at Thicut this long weekend. Aunt Sandy has said yes, so while I was there I turned on the hot water, water, and refrigerator for them.

ADT Security alert

No fire, no break in, but the house alarm went off this afternoon. ADT called Angie first, she called Connie, who called me. Evidently Angie couldn't go down to see why the alarm went off and Connie couldn't find her keys to the house (she went down anyway; we had a good reunion once the excitement died down). The fire department was called by ADT because it was a smoke detector (in the basement) that set off the alarm. When I got there to let everyone in, we discovered that there was no fire or smoke. The alarm probably went off because of moisture on the  ceiling dripping on the alarm. It was very hot and muggy/humid yesterday, so I am not surprised. This has happened before. At least this time it was in the day time! I left the alarm on the kitchen table because I couldn't find any new batteries.
The 2 big fire trucks wouldn't go over the bridge because they didn't know what the weight limit is on the new bridge. As in the past, just the smaller truck drove up to the house. They looked in all the windows while they were waiting for me and the key, to make sure no one was inside hurt, etc. They didn't want to break in unless there was evidence of a fire or medical emergency.
They would like a sign at the bridge indicating weight limit (like we had many years ago). They also asked if we could put a sign at the bridge indicating the house number and an arrow pointing across the bridge. They weren't sure how far down the road the house was.
So now the security system has 3 malfunctioning elements (kitchen window, dining room back door, and now basement smoke detector).

That was the excitement for the afternoon.

No pictures this time for a reason....
The Mountain Laurel is in full bloom all along Rte 151. The two huge bushes at the top of the driveway are beautiful as well. The clematis on the barn is also in bloom - a cluster of large white blossoms.
But the rest of the yard is not in such beauty: there is an infestation of caterpillars this year in the area. Both fruit trees are totally without leaves and the branches are crawling with tent caterpillars. A bunch of the big trees including the old maple that lost the big branch are also suffering with gypsy moth caterpillars and are struggling to produce new leaves.
The deer (?) ate every single hosta leaf along the back of the house! Just the stalks are left. I guess it was deer; what else would do that?
It has been a banner year for vine-y growth. Poison ivy is everywhere, as is bittersweet. Bob said all the shrubbery has bittersweet growing in it.
Bob mowed and I cleaned off the 5 foot weeds, and others, from the patio so the purple and white flowering thyme can be seen. It is thriving.
There's a wasp nest being rebuilt (I brushed it down last time) between the 'real' front door and the storm door. Watch out.
All in all a bit disheartening visit, the place is looking a bit forlorn and neglected.

A quick visit to look for a Vassar yearbook and banner for Aunt Sandy's 65th reunion! (no luck), But I couldn't resist taking pictures of all the flowers in bloom.

This has been a beautiful spring here in Connecticut!

 The double file viburnum and the other white flowering bush,

 The yellow azalea's by the front door,

and the pond: can you see the yellow iris? and the red azalea and orange poppies? I tried to pull out as many dead iris leaves as I could: I didn't even fall in. (won't say I didn't get a bit wet, though). No frogs yet, but the days have been warm, cold, and today, a beautiful 70 degrees.

Happy Spring!

Here's and update for May.

The magnolia in full bloom on April 27. We visited with Bob's college friends from Seattle. They loved the brook - Phil even put a rock in the dam at the old swimming pool. The dam is holding strong and the water is rushing over the slide by the 'sword factory' or satinet factory or whatever it really was...

Here's a picture of the daffodils and flowering quince by the patio pond. We saw lots of frog eggs, but no fish (yet?)

This was taken May 7 after Bob mowed the yard for the first time. The asparagus are still coming up heartily. I've weeded around them, so the next mower will see them and not cut them down!

Happy birthday, Eric!

 The magnolia is just blooming!

 The Lenten Rose is nearly finished...

'ForCynthia' is at its height, daffodils are blooming all over, too.

The brook is high with spring run-off.

Happy spring? The temperature is about 40 degrees and there is still some snow from the last storm. But the mud is still frozen, some snow on the road, but Bob and I went across the bridge and right up the hill to the house. The only tracks are probably from an ATV, only one set back and forth. The house is fine, the 'check 17 back door' on the security panel is off, so whatever that was fixed itself.
Bob brought his chain saw and cut up some of the big maple branch to see if any of it spalted (black lines in the grain) for wood projects for himself and Dave Kimball; I wandered around outside and in taking in the memories and quiet.
The daffodils are up about 2 inches and everything still looks a bit dreary, but we KNOW spring will come!
Happy Spring!

60 degrees F and snow on the ground! All's ship shape around and in the house. A few notes: there is now a 'check back door 17' note on the alarm panel. I couldn't see why, the doors were all securely closed and locked. But now we have to 'bypass' both the '19 window' and '17 door' before the house alarm can be set. Another dead mouse in the toilet (EWWWW!!), I disposed of it in the old well.
I talked to Rene last week. He came by to plow after the last storm and got terribly stuck in the ditch on the uphill side of the bridge; he finally had to call Nino who pulled him out with his backhoe! (combination of mud, snow and deep ditch) By today, the upper part of the drive was still covered (he hadn't been back) and looks like several snow mobiles and ATV's have driven up the road. The road is very muddy - Rene suggested adding some gravel maybe. (We parked at the Grassy Lane.) There were snowshoe tracks down to the brook where I took these pictures, but no tracks near the house - no deer tracks either, although when I talked to Rene, he said he'd seen lots of does and fauns when he went hunting. The oil had been delivered in late January before all the snow, thank goodness.  Bob and I took advantage of the nice weather to walk up the road a bit and then down to the brook. Here are some pictures:

 The slide and 'sword factory' wall

 The swimming pool and the dam: about a foot drop: good work dam builders!

 The house as we came up the hill from the brook into the old field

And, sorry to say, 'Paul's spruce tree' fell on its own sometime this winter.

Happy New Year!

Bob and I went down today to check on the house and bridge. The bridge looks all fixed, a new concrete corner to the one that slumped. There is still debris around and a 'scar' in the woods from the back hoe and workers, but that will look better in the spring, I'm sure.
The house looks fine:  SOMEONE visited since we were here last! Turns out it was Carlie on her way to and from skiing in Vermont (according to Eric). There were (clean) pots out and chairs moved around, but water off and heat at 55, and alarm set, so I knew it was someone who 'belonged'. All the interior doors were open: was this on purpose? I closed them all again to keep the heat contained and hopefully not on too much. The oil level is at 3/8s. T&S Heating called me on Thursday to say it was time to clean the boiler: I told them you would call, Aunt Sandy. And they were set to deliver more oil, but I told them to hold off until we went to check on the latest status of the bridge. So when you call, Aunt Sandy, let them know it's okay to deliver, but the road is very muddy (it's been in the 40's and 50's today!). They could probably wait until we get a cold spell and the road hardens up a bit. Tell them to drive up on the left side after the bridge to avoid the trench on the right...
Here are pictures of the bridge and road. (and our new Prius in the background!)