A Good Day

Carol here ~ 

Thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday  Vanessa, Kailey, Jakob and Erin came over to enjoy the beautiful summer day and celebrate with me.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening out by the fire. It has been good fire nights, the last couple, at least. Dead calm and warm, we’ll see how the mosquitos are as it gets closer to dark. I just had to move back away from the fire, it was too damn hot. The way the wood gets stacked up on the fire, you would think it grew on trees. My wood pile is going down ever so slowly but is going down. I brought down three loads with the tractor this afternoon and filled the wood box. With the fire roaring now the box is being depleted quickly. Something to do tomorrow. Job security.

Not much has been going on around here. Some days it is too hot for this old man, others not so bad if I can get out of the sun. The sun and I are not the best of friends. I feel guilty spending all my time in the studio in the air conditioned coolness.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening by the fire. The day started out nice. I mowed my lawn, raked out some moss and reseeded and wed some flower beds. Remember, my lawn is not very big. Hopefully the reseed will fill in where the moss was and not just have the moss coming back. I would really like to see mostly grass in my 10 x 15 lawn, not weeds and moss. Oh well, time will tell.

Last night I was sitting in a chair out near the fire pit, no fire though, I was just sitting there. I must have been thinking very heavy thoughts because the next think I knew, I had settled into my seat. 

 

I stood up and thought, boy it’s a good thing someone a lot heavier didn’t sit in it. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening out by the fire. A little breeze now and starting to get chilly, we’ll see if it dies down. Rather a slow week with not a lot happening around here. 

Another “glamping” cabin showed up at the “camping area” beside us. It feels like it is in my back pocket but there is little I can do about it. What happens on the neighbors, hopefully stays on the neighbors. I don’t know how many more they plan on installing up there, you guessed it time will tell.

The peepers are loud tonight but it is difficult to show a picture of a sound. So if you have ever heard the peepers just imagine the sound. If you never have heard the sound, I feel sorry for you.

What I saw this week with my eyes open is this bellwort that grows along our driveway. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening. A beautiful day and evening spent picking up and burning sticks. Last winter is slowly getting cleaned up.

Here is a three second time lapse of tonight’s up the pond at 8 o’clock view. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

A nice calm Thursday evening out by the fire. Tonight’s view up the pond. 

I finally was able to buy the steel that I wanted for my fire pit. It has taken almost all summer, I now have it and put it in place as soon as I got it home. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Out by the fire. One thing is for sure, I’m not sitting too close. The fire is certainly not needed for heat. Boy hasn’t it been hot, coupled with the humidity breathing can be a struggle. Thank goodness for the heat pump and the AC. It would be unbearable for this old curmudgeon without it. 

I spent much of the day yesterday cleaning up brush around the area. Most of the time I was in under the trees so it wasn’t too bad. Today I opted to do errands because the forecast last night was that today was to be a rainy day. It was far from it. Carol commented, asking me if I could imagine doing construction in this heat. Thank goodness, I don’t remember working many days like these last few, when I worked for a living up in Rangeley.

That said, I did a plumbing job for a neighbor up the pond. I replaced his toilet for him, not a real big deal but doing that type of activity I consider work. The cutting and stacking of all the wood I have been accumulating is just something to do, not considered work. I guess it’s all in the state of the mind.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~ 

By the fire. Beautiful, calm and warm evening. Time will tell if there is a decent sunset. It’s nice finally to have a calm evening and be able to have a fire. My wood pile is getting enormous. There must be close to 12 cord up on the hill. All split and stacked. I suspect that none of the big pile will get used before next season.

I worked on some big wood today to help out a neighbor. A big tree came down during the spring storms and was still up against the house in the back yard. It was a lot bigger wood than I normally like to play with, but I was able to utilize my tractor to do the heavy lifting. I could roll the two foot diameter chunks unto the bucket fitting only two side by side. A few times I was able to lift another on top to move three at a time to get them down to the hill to be split. At the point I am at the splitter, I can stand the splitter on it’s nose and roll the wood right onto it. I can then split it into small enough pieces so I can right the splitter and split them normally. Good exercise, I can’t quilt all the time, I don’t think I can at least. Well, maybe, time will tell.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

By the fire on a dead calm Sunday evening. The day after the effects of Hurricane Lee.

We had very limited ramifications as result of the event. For us, it was an almost non-event. No complaints mind you, but I had spent my efforts on cleaning the ditch and driveway of pine needles and debris. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening already. Boy doesn’t Mother Nature want to keep us on our toes this season. I suppose there needs to be something different about every season. First it’s warm, then it’s cold. On my Facebook memories today I found a picture of a lady slipper. It was still all green and had not really blossomed yet, I have not seen anything like it this year. I will say I miss the things I used to see as I spent 2-3 hours walking down the dirt roads and pathways around here, just getting steps the last few years. As you know, I no longer do that. I have found other things to do instead. When I remember what they are, I’ll let you know.

The view tonight up the pond, 

as I sit by the fire. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~ 

Sunday evening, sitting by the fire. 

It was supposed to be a cloudy day, but it turned out to be quite nice. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~ 

Tuesday evening, nice evening out by the fire. 

Well, I got my tractor on Monday. Carol took some pictures of it and me out on the beach. 

It worked quite well and once I got the leaves out of the pond, Carol drove the tractor and I filled up the bucket. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Sunday evening, set out by the fire tonight in the rain under the umbrella.

Was pretty earlier before it clouded over completely. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here, sitting by the fire on Tuesday evening. It rained earlier this evening just before I cooked supper’s burgers on the grill. It cleared up rather nicely and I have, so far, enjoyed a pleasant evening. My view tonight with the time lapse off, letting the camera only use the light it sees as available. 

 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

What a nice day yesterday was, dare I say it, almost too hot. I guess we have more coming. Time for it anyway. Will need to walk earlier in the day before it warms up too much.

We had a visitor the other day, an otter came to visit. I think it wanted to cross over to Mud Pond but the beach it had to cross smelt too much like the neighbor’s dog. Pretty animal, fun to watch.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

What a beautiful day yesterday was. A lot of puttering happened. Some wood splitting, some raking and some general sprucing up of the woods around the area. No real reason for it but it gives me something to do. Here are a couple shots of my view as I sit by the fire last evening. 

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Not much happening on this end. Hard to get anything accomplished around here. There is two adult bald eagles and one younger one that have been harassing the ducks of late. They are fascinating to watch. 

The young one is by far the largest of the three. We have been watching, trying to figure out whether the eagles are trying to catch a duck or to startle one as it pops up from it’s fishing dive and maybe loose it’s catch. When the ducks are close to this end you can see that they have fish in their beaks. Sometimes there are other ducks that will chase them trying to steal their catch. Nature, fun to watch.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here, from the fire, Thursday evening. Beautiful evening after a beautiful day. I know this will be over, probably very soon, but I am sitting by the fire in my shorts and I just put on my long sleeved shirt layer. Pretty dang nice for October 14th. I’ll take it.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here from the fire. Beautiful evening and sunset time. 

Here is what the normal by the fire looks like. 

I guess I fibbed Ethan, these chairs are a little bit more comfortable than the folding ones, although they get used as well.

Dan's Ramblings

Dan here, Thursday night, no fire. 

Good night for it but just got home from Freeport and another high school soccer game. Boys lost, girls won. Girls won in the final two seconds. Both were good games. After attending several games this season, I’m afraid I must admit something. I really have no idea how the game is played. I get the object is to get the ball into the other teams net and keep them out of yours, but beyond that I have no idea what is going on or what they are blowing the whistle at. Oh well, I guess its good I’m not playing. Still fun to watch the kids play and only a few games left this year.