Leaf Peeper? Just not happening....

Usually the 2nd weekend in October is the prime time to take a drive and look at the colorful leaves here in SE Ohio.....  This year I'll be the first to admit that it's a big disappointment.  Okay...  I love driving around the county roads no matter what time of year, but if I want to see the fiery reds and yellow of the maples, the oranges and Lord only knows what colors of the sweet gum....  the bright yellow of the poplars...  even the mahogany reds of the oaks...  this year it "just aint'a gonna happen".

The lane going back to our RV site here on the farm....

At least the white of the sycamores trunks have the decency to "look"  like it's autumn!

Driving through the State Park heading home...  where are the colors?

Okay, I guess I can live with that.  Come Sunday Bill & I will be driving the nearly 300 miles east...  through West Virginia...  over to Baltimore, Maryland.  Surely the trees will be more colorful there!

We've been checking out a lot of cemeteries since we've been here.  Today I headed back up to the old Glouster cemetery (Bill stayed home to do yard work)....  and of course, since I had some time, I had to do a little geocaching along the way.

This old Covered Bridge is just a few miles up the road from where I was born...

 I have no idea how many Covered Bridges are left in Ohio (or even the USA), but it was built in 1880 and is not only standing, but still in use.

Looks like it should be in Vermont, doesn't it?  But..  no, we still have quite a few left in SE Ohio.  

I realized after I took this, that the other side of the bridge has a marker that is easier to read...  doesn't even have the bird poop on it.  Of course, the covered bridge that I remember best from my childhood (scary as hell to walk through it!!!) is long gone.  It now is a bridge that looks like an Erector Set...  except this time there, it is totally closed...  made me take a detour of several miles...  so I don't know what's happening to it now.

Yes...  I did find 10 geocaches today...  which is a heck of a lot better than I did finding my relatives in the cemetery....  I never did find them.    Oh well....  maybe next time we're in the area I'll have better luck.

Just because I love my game camera and can't resist including these photos...

 Mama deer kinda thinking this fawn has nursed long enough!  Maybe a swift kick will send it on its way!

 Kinda hard to have any dignity when you have a wreath of vegetation hanging all around your lovely rack of antlers.  Oh well.....  maybe they'll fall off before he meets up with a lady friend.

Who's the "man-liest"?  (buck-liest?  deer-liest?)  My rack IS bigger than your rack!

Like I wrote earlier....  Sunday morning we'll be heading out to Baltimore, MD.  We'll leave our motorhome here....  stay in a hotel (YIKES!) until our cruise leaves port and heads up to Nova Scotia.  Not sure when/if I'll be able to blog in the next couple of weeks, but I hope to ...  at least sign in now and then.

Tomorrow we have to pack (at least we don't have to worry about weight as we don't have to fly to Baltimore!!!!) and have a last (at least for now) breakfast with family.

So....  until the next time....

That's All For Today!

Endangered? Invasive?

I don't know about you, but if I find a plant that I just can't identify I take a sample of it to the local State Extension Agent.  What is the "Home Extension Agency"?  Well, it seems that every State has one...  it's an agency in your county (sometimes the agent services more than 1 county) that you can get help from everything from canning peaches to planting crops.  When my kids were young, they belonged to 4H...  a youth program that does everything from help a youngster raise pigs or chickens to learn to sew a dress or bake a cake.  In Ohio, Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, is the main headquarters.  Here, in my home county of Athens, we share an extension agent with neighboring Meigs County.

About OSU Extension

Ohio State University Extension brings the knowledge of the university directly to you. We fulfill the land-grant mission of The Ohio State University by interpreting knowledge and research developed by Extension and other faculty and staff at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State main campus, and other land-grant universities – so Ohioans can use the scientifically based information to better their lives, businesses and communities.

The Extension system is the world’s largest non-formal educational system. Extension’s hallmark is programming delivered by professionals to address the needs of the local community while also addressing state, national, and global issues. Our practical educational programs combine the needs of local citizens and communities with new research and technical information.

No matter which county you visit, you can find people who are helped by the four major OSU Extension program areas: family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development, community development, and agriculture and natural resources. These program areas – and many other special topics – are continuously being evaluated and updated to meet the changing needs and issues facing each community.

Extension provides practical advice, sensible solutions, and realistic down-to-earth answers for ALL Ohioans.

(Wikipedia)

When we were living in Somervell County in Texas, (which is the next to smallest county in all of Texas) I'd take my problems to the Hood County Extension Agent, because that's the closest office.  Usually my question would be "What is this species of....  tree?....  flower:....shrub?"  We got so we kind of knew the agent on a first name basis because of my never-ending curiosity.

My latest problem has been a shrub-like tree that seems to have grown in many places on our farm since we left in 2001.  It's actually quite lovely...  at least this time of year...

It first got our attention when a flock of Cedar Waxwings descended upon it early one morning when we first arrived here.  The whole "herd" of them arrived....  fluttered around the top area of the tree...  ate their fill, and about 20 minutes later flew off again.  We haven't seen them since.

I didn't think any wild grapes grew in that area...  nor did I think any Virginia Creeper was there.  I knew that the Japanese Honeysuckle grew there, but in the past, the berries of both weren't eaten until later in the winter... possibly when all other fruit supplies had been diminished.

Hmmm...  opposite leaves...  red, succulent berries...  hmmm...  sort of like a dogwood... but not really.  Sort of like a honeysuckle...  but berries are red, not blue...  hmmmm....  what is it?   I took a sample to the local Extension agent.  What!  The office is closed on Fridays.  Went back the following Monday...  the agent is working in Meigs Co. today.  Went back a couple of days later...  this time he was called out for some other problem.  I kind of put the problem on a back burner after 4 trips to the office.

This afternoon, he phoned us...  apologizing for the delay in getting back to us.  But...  he had an answer.

The plant in question is.... Amur Lonicera...  Lonicera maackii...  an Asian and Chinese honeysuckle that is actually on the endangered species list in Japan, but since being brought to the USA as an ornamental has spread so rapidly that it's now banned in at least 3 states and now on the Invasive Species list in several others.

Birds are the biggest "carriers"...  they ingest the seeds...  then poop all over the place...  The Extension Agent told me that the seeds aren't as nutritious as the "native" plants.  So these prolific honeysuckle plants are taking over the "good" stuff and crowding it out...  but they don't provide the wildlife the quality of food they need.

Having worked to help control Purple Loosestrife and Salt Cedar, among others, Bill & I know what damage invasive species can do...  and in a short time.  We're here in Ohio for such a short time we know we can barely make a dent in the progress this species of honeysuckle has already made. 

Isn't it amazing how quickly a new species (plant or animal) can be introduced...  take over...  and completely change the whole picture?  I know... we're not to that stage yet here on the farm, but as I walk around, I see this plant flourishing where  it's never been before.

Looks like pruning shears, maybe a bow saw and a lot of Round-up are going to be needed soon.

That's All For Today!

Captured Wildlife... But Only on Camera...

I have a lot of fun seeing what my game camera "captures" when I'm not around.  I use a Bushnell game camera that I bought at Cabela's a year or so ago.  I've used Bushnell, Cuddyback and Moultrie. Actually had a Moultrie that was stolen while we were in Texas. (another story... another time).  The Bushnell I use is easy to handle and we have it set so that when it "senses" movement, it will take 3 photos at 1 second intervals.  During the daylight hours the photos are in color...  the night time shots are infra-red produced so appear as black and white.  I've cropped all of the photos below, but the original photo shows the date and time of the shot as well as the temperature, moon phase and a place for to add a location or camera name.

All these were taken in the past 24 hours.  You'll be happy to know that I did not include all 749 photos that were taken.  Yes... I use a 4 GB memory card...  don't want to miss anything.

A Mama Doe and her fawn sharing the mineral block that I put out last week.  I'm going to have to buy another one tomorrow...  they've just about finished this one off.

I can't tell what kind of bird has lit... or is trying to light....  on the deer's back.  The closest I can come up with is an Eastern Phoebe....

The fawn doesn't even know it's there...  but Mama looks kind of startled.

A Murder of Crows...

Thought I'd get fancy and be "proper"...   you know... like a gaggle of geese, or a flock of pigeons... well, a bunch of crows is called a "murder".  See....  it pays to read all those mysteries!

Look here...

 I don't know if they are brothers or just hanging out together...  

But...

It looks like there could be a little sibling rivalry over who eats first....

 Uh Oh...

 What's this guy doing here?  

 Guess the raccoon wins out for dinner tonight...

And...  Another Night Visitor....

That oppossum ambled into the range of the camera, but apparently he didn't stay.  

I am taking down my bird feeders every night now... it took the raccoons and oppossums 2 weeks to find them, but once they did, they'll destroy them if I forget to take them inside.

Haven't done one of these shots for a while...

The End!

And, just in case you missed it....

The End!

The End!

That's All For Today!

A Little of This... Some of That....

A couple of days ago we woke up to heavy fog (and we're UP on a RIDGE!) with lots of dew.  Bill told me that he'd heard the weather...  100% humidity...  and there was no rain... just ... WET!  You walk outside at 7:30 in the morning and your tee-shirt sticks to you... sweat collects on your upper lip...  and the day just keeps getting heavier.

I think the temps are in the high 80's during the day...  certainly not the hottest we've known lately by any means...  but.. darn!  that humidity is something else!

Not only that....  my allergies have been protesting my return to SE Ohio...  as usual.  My "post nasal drip" rivals Niagara Falls....  so far my sinus cavities aren't so put-out at being here that I have headaches.  We'll be heading to the east coast in a week... I hope the full-blown allergy thing holds off for a while.

Most of what we've been doing would lead to redundancy in a blog post....

The Farmer's Market....

 Of course if this were MY stall, the sign would read...

"No Strings Attached"

Celastrus Scandens

 Bittersweet, in plain English

I used to make wreaths and sell them right here in this market....

I walk down the path now and haven't seen even the first vine.  No, I didn't decimate it...  but it's been so many years since it grew there and now the tree canopy is closing in...  and taking over a lot of the lower vines and scrubby trees.

I write often about the bread...  Avalanche Bakery makes the best bread in the world!

 Okay... I'm biased.

But where else can a person buy "artichoke leek bread"...  or today we bought "pesto, sun dried tomato, garlic bread".  It was a hard choice...  there was also "Yukon Gold Potato, ripe olive and parmesan cheese bread".  Oh....  I start salivating even thinking of those wonders!

We've been hearing the Red Bellied Woodpecker...  Finally got a fairly decent photo of him today...

If this were "the Mrs", there wouldn't be as much red on the head.  "Red Bellied" I said?  Yep...  if you could see his belly, you'd see a tinge of red under his wings and along his belly.

Hey, my game camera (Bushnell) isn't the only one those deer pose for...

Here's my favorite Mom and baby...

Of course you can tell that Mom's checking me out.  Looks like the kid is more interested in taking another lick on that mineral block.

Well, the Game Camera is hard at work as well...

This buck has been showing up at least once each night.  His rack isn't terribly impressive for this part of Ohio, but it's not bad.  We're hearing that there's a trophy buck in the area.  Apparently one of our neighbors runs a "hunting camp" and "invites" hunters to come and hunt (for a hefty price).  I'm kinda hoping that that big buck that's around will stick close to our place during hunting season.  I'm not anti-hunting, and the deer population is too high here...  but I'll admit I'd like to see those big, strong guys be the gene pool to propagate.  

Well, Prairie Home Companion is just signing off....  if you missed it tonight, you missed Garrison Keillor at his best...  his "discussion" about the Federal Gov't Shutdown.  Oh, so true.

We'll be here another week before heading to Baltimore next Sunday...  so if I can come up with something else, I'll write again soon.  But...

That's All For Today!

I Spy With My Little Eye...

I had my eye doctor appt last week...  the irritation I was having was from a busted stitch...  from cataract surgery 2 years ago.  Tiny little thing about an eighth of an inch long was poking me in the eye... from the inside out.  Dr McAdoo quickly removed it...  then went on to tell me that in about 50% of lens replacements for cataract surgery, the lens gets cloudy and vision is impaired.  I guess I'm no exception...  my left eye has good vision...  my right eye has had increasingly blurred vision.  The good news is that a couple days ago I made a quick trip (yes, it was fast) to the surgery suite and had a laser treatment on the right eye.  While I won't go into the details, it was painless, non-invasive, and the only "side" effects has been immediate improved vision.

Then it was on down the street to the Optical place for new spectacles. 

I tend to scratch up my lenses...  cameras and binoculars take their toll, despite the rubber caps on them.  I'm just plain hard on glasses.  The technician asked me what I'd been painting...  hmmm.... I had to ask him what color....

I put my game camera out a couple nights ago...

 Doe and Fawn

Even though it's October, I see this fawn still has some leftover spots from "babyhood".

I picked out new frames as my current ones are several years old and have been weakened through several different lens replacements as well as many adjustments...  and a few hard knocks.  Guess I'll use them as a back-up...  just in case.

I don't like doing this...  it's not how they look ...  heck, I can't even see them...  it's that once I find something I like I could wear the same style forever... but, no...  they don't make those kind now.  

Another view of the Doe...

There were a total of 309 photos taken within 24 hours...  the mineral block and sweet mix I put out every day was quickly found and eaten.

I have lowered the camera a few inches...  hope I got better photos last night.

I did pick out frames I think I'll like...  and, I left with a very flat wallet....  In about 10 days I'll be wearing my new glasses ...  both new frames and new prescription.

Whooo...Hoooo... look out birds...  I'll soon be seeing you!

That's All For Today!

A Wonderful Weekend... Family Time!

Since Bill and I started Full-Time RVing nearly 13 years ago, family get-togethers have been few and far between.  Yeah, we see everyone at least once a year, but seldom get the chance to see everyone at the same time.  

I thought it had been over 13 years since I saw my son and daughter together, but they reminded me of the cruise we all took 5 years ago.  Don't you love it when your kids correct you..  and they're right!?  

Well, this past weekend was special!

Bill & I are back in Ohio for a few weeks.  Our son lives here in Athens as does my sister and brother.  Our daughter lives in NY, and my siblings kids live in various cities in Ohio.

Donna and Glenn (son-in-law) were able to plan a long weekend and come to Ohio for a visit.  We planned to have a "family dinner" at a local restaurant, and hoped at least a few of the family could attend.

WOW!  My sister and my brother...  AND every one of their kids (and grandkids) came!

All the cousins were together for a great visit.

Hugs, Hugs and More Hugs!

They all were so happy to see each other and catch up on their lives.

I might mention here that finally, after 50 years, I'm able to tell Kim and Cindy, my brother's twin daughters, apart.... but only if I see them together.

The Cousins

Back row:  Cindy, Kim, Kristin, Caitlin, Ernie (Cindy's spouse), Glenn (Donna's spouse)

Front Row:  Danny, Chris, Cindy (Chris's wife), Donna, Cassidy, Calista, and Tammie

 The only ones who couldn't come were Donna's daughters... one lives in San Diego, CA, the other would have had to drive 10 hours with a 2 year old, our great-granddaughter.  

We asked the waitress to take a group photo of us all...

Same folks...  except my brother is on the far left, and my sister and I are on the far right with Bill behind Cynthia.

Quite a group, aren't we?

We had another get-together out on our farm the following day, but on such short notice, not as many were able to attend.  Soccer games and such were already on the schedule.  

This was a very special weekend for me...  and I think it's one we'll all remember and treasure.

Yep!  She's one of us.

That's All For Today!

Books, Reading, and..... Pondering

I know there was a time when I couldn't read.... I just can't remember when that was.  I can remember spreading the newspaper on the floor and "reading" the comics...  Dagwood, Gasoline Alley, Dick Tracy as well as others.  In school, I can remember reading about Dick, Jane, Sally and Puff and looking forward to the next lesson.  And one of my favorite things was the day the Bookmobile would come to our neighborhood.  Since we lived about 10 or 15 miles from the county library, the Bookmobile would arrive about every two weeks and we could check out several books to read until it arrived again.

Neither of my parents graduated high school, but both were avid readers and could converse (intelligently) about everything.  They belonged to a book club and the postal service brought a new book every month.  Even as a little kid I read adult books...  So Dear To My Heart; Little Britches; Cheaper By the Dozen....  and the list goes on.  Later, I got into a lot of trouble when in junior high and high school I'd choose books like... The Search For Bridey Murphy (reincarnation) and Compulsion, (a story about the Loeb and Leopold murders) as subjects for my book reports.

So I guess it's no wonder that we don't have a TV but prefer reading...  and book stores....  as our favorite things.

Today Bill & I headed off to the big city of Columbus, Ohio...  we had several errands to run, but a stop at the Barnes and Noble is considered mandatory...

 The store at the Easton Center is much like all the others around the USA.  Has the obligatory Starbucks, is a WiFi hotspot...  all that sort of thing.    We kind of by-pass all that and head right to the meat of the matter....

 The Books!

Of course we each have our own topics of choice.  Bill heads to the magazines to find the latest genealogy magazines...  then on to the travel section, the computer tech section etc.

I start out at the travel section...  on to the latest mysteries....  always check out the cookbooks and the essays and biographies...

Now bookstores have a lot more than just books...

 Here's a Godiva Chocolate Display...  And the bottom photo is a set of plastic "hero" figures... yes... Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and a few others that can be your kids (or yours?) favorite toy.  And on the right is a Halloween display.  You can buy greeting cards, games, puzzles...  whatever suits your fancy.  We kind of stay with the books, although I do venture into the music department.  In fact I recently bought a great CD of Yo-Yo Ma and the Goat Rodeo Sessions at another B&N.

Just look at these fantastic displays!

 Oh Wow!

You can buy classics, or regional books...  And look!  Tony Hillerman's daughter has a book out.  Looks like she's following in her Dad's footsteps!

Magazine!  OMG....  what subject are you interested in?  Everything from becoming buff, to eating vegan to science fiction to the latest art and craft.  Just everything.

Sometimes I head over to the "craft" section.  When I was a "stay at home" mom, I used to do custom knitting for a local yarn shop.  They were usually women with a career who didn't have the time, but had the money...  who'd commission knitted items.  I loved doing that and made all kinds of clothing that I could neither afford nor would ever wear anyway.  That was a long time ago and although I just don't knit much anymore, I still love to look at what's out there.

Boy!  Have things changed!

 I almost bought this as I love cats and our lifestyle is such that having a kitty just isn't feasible.  Hey... having a knitted cat sure beats having to clean a litter box all the time!

And, even though I'm not really a "dog" person, I'll give them equal billing...

 With my luck, someone would want me to knit a huge black lab or maybe a St Bernard!

I don't just look through the aisles of books I know I'll like...  heck, I look at them all....

I wish now that I'd opened up this book and looked at what it had to offer.

I mean... really...  duct tape is a mainstay in any RVers toolkit.  Just look at that array of colors and designs!  Our little white Scion has some vital pieces being held together with either white or clear duct tape...  wouldn't a strip of kelly green with silver stars perk THAT up a bit?

They even have a humor section...

I took the photo and then kind of browsed through the book facing us.  However, I'll admit that I didn't check out that 4th book from the left.  Rats!  I always miss the good stuff!

Now, just look at this sign....

I mean... really...  do they honestly think that THESE are the only thought provoking books in the whole store?  I think not....  if I had the time, I'd still be browsing through there...  adding this book or that one to my bag.

We spent quite a bit of time there....  Bill bought 1 magazine and I bought 2 books.  I'll let you wonder what they are.

It may be a while before we hit another books store (not counting Amazon, of course)....  so we take advantage of them when we can.

Happy Reading!

That's All For Today!