The Harsh Reality of Nature

We had a little visitor this past week, a mole. We’ve had plenty of mice over the years but never a mole in the house. Joseph, our rabbit’s, area was the main attraction. In the above photo is a seed bar that the little guy, Mark named him Marvin, loved. You can see a little of Marvin to the left of the seed bar. He wasn’t very cooperative when it came to posing for a photo. He first came to our attention because he would drag the chunk of seed behind Joseph’s potty and as he ripped at it it would bang against the register and was pretty loud.

Mark, Greg and I tried to catch him over the course of the week. He’s not quite as fast as mice. He has no eyes but seemed to navigate without any difficulty. He’d travel along the edge of the walls and eventually run down the stairs to the basement and into Mark’s room. After a few days of this we set a humane trap. Wednesday morning I heard him at the seed bar and then he ran down the stairs and I heard the trap. Greg had put some of the seed bar in the trap. Greg took him with him when he left for work and went to the nearby high school. He set him free and watched him scurry about. To his horror a crow swooped down but he was able to flip around and escape. But… in a matter of minutes three crows were upon him and Marvin was no more. We tried… but in the end it was nature that claimed poor Marvin.

The Kindness of Strangers

Derek’s stick bag arrived yesterday. The exterior was pretty beat, dirty and looking like it had been run over. Some of the sticks were broken but many were intact. The practice pad was broken around the edges and the metronome is beyond use. Included in the box was a check for $40 and this note:

Hi Diane,

I am sorry I could not get this to you sooner. Thank you for your generous gift, (I had included a check for $50 for his efforts), but I cannot accept it. I used a portion for the purchase of a box and shipping tape, the remaining amount is in this check. I hope your son has a great future in music!

Thanks, Chris

I am so blown away by the actions of this young man. We hear so many horrible things on the news everyday. It’s easy to feel that the world is falling apart. But every once in awhile something comes along to remind us that there is still good in this world. Chris did much more then return a stick bag to a young musician.

What, No Snow Pictures

Just a quick day after Valentine’s Day note. Anyone who’s had Winfrey’s chocolates knows what a slice of heaven is like. Greg gave me the fantasy box of caramels, half for him and the heart-healthy half for me

The granite top was installed in the kids/guest bathroom yesterday. I’ll update with pictures when Greg gets the faucets, etc. installed.

Still on stick bag alert.

First Week of February, No Spring in Sight

Last week saw another run of storms. Not a good way to welcome in a new month. The poor John Deere keeps on trucking but it’s taken a beating this winter. If this keeps up we’re going to need a bigger blower.

In all the time we’ve lived here we’ve never seen the banks so high. Our little barn is sporting a new look on top.

Before the last storm we were able to fill the feeder in front. At this rate the squirrels will be able to set right on it. Unfortunately for them we have stopped filling this one because we can’t get to it anymore.

The end of our driveway, like most in the area have become difficult to get out of. It’s an inch as you go venture. Our mailbox is nestled snuggly in place. Luckily the mailman has continued to deliver our mail.

Greg is posing for scale.

On the home front Derek has joined another orchestra. This one is the Boston Civic Orchestra and meets Monday evenings. Unfortunately this past Monday he didn’t make it because the address was inadvertently programed in the GPS with the wrong town. It was supposed to be Brookline instead of Boston. We received a panicked call from Derek that he was in the bowels of Boston. He was able to select the go back to school setting and made it safely. I got another panicked call that he lost his wallet during the adventure. He had put it in his lap in case he hit a toll and had gotten out of the car at one point. I ordered him a duplicate license and when I called to let him know he was still searching the car and found it. Unfortunately I could not cancel the license. Perhaps it’s not a bad idea having a backup for him.

I can’t remember if I told this Derek story (there are so many of them). A few weeks ago when he went to the Sunday Boston rehearsal the next day I got the call… he had to bring some of his own equipment to the rehearsal and when it was over and he was loading the car he set his stick bag (new for Christmas) full of years of accumulated sticks and mallets by the side of the car and drove off. The bag was worth close to $1000. Of course the next day another storm hit, so that next week was spend ordering and replacing key pieces of equipment. But the story doesn’t end with this. A few days ago we got a call from someone who had the bag. His buddy is a crane operator and saw it laying in the road in Boston. He picked it up and gave it to his friend because he used to play the drums. Chris, the friend, looked through it and found Derek’s name and got our number. He told me he thought it looked pretty valuable. On Monday I send him a prepaid label to mail it back and included a reward for doing what he did. We haven’t gotten the bag back yet so I’ll keep you posted. He said it looked like it had gotten run over but all the sticks were intact. His practice drum pad and metronome looked broken. Hopefully there will be a happy ending to this Derek story. I think I’ll write a book. I’m sure it would become a Lifetime Movie.

Here We Go Again

Last Wednesday we picked up another foot of snow. Boston broke a total for the season so far of 60.2”. Typically it would only be a foot at this point. I know you New Yorkers are laughing but for a big city this amount is a real nightmare in terms of where do you put it. The weather has stayed cold so it keeps piling up. Roofs have been collapsing.

This is the path Mark made on the deck so I could get to the composter.

No grilling for awhile.

We do our best to keep the feeder full.

These are deer tracks leading to the bush in the next picture. The snow has flattened it so it makes for easy feeding.

Mark is posing to give some scale to the photos.

The feeder in the front yard has become inaccessible so I think I may have to throw the seed on the front porch. You can see the little snow covered dome behind Mark.

Even the little gazebo by the side of the driveway is sporting a hat. Hmm, we keep forgetting to cover that at the start of the season.

I had a pleasant surprise with this storm… our neighbor plowed out the driveway for us. Very thoughtful… It’s a good feeling to have nice neighbors.

Guess what the weatherman is predicting for the middle of this week? I’m afraid to even put it into words. I’ll leave it to you imaginations.

Warmer Climates

Greg left for Arizona on Monday and is due back today. He recently switched jobs within the company so this was a training thing he was attending. These photos were taken with his cell phone. He said a lot of the house had walls around them.

The hot tub was at his hotel.

He tried to entice Mark to do some landscaping here but there aren’t too many lawns to mow.

There are Dunkin Donuts all over. A bit fancier than we’re used to.

On one of his adventures Greg found an ATV store. 

Hopefully when Greg gets back I can get him to comment more on his trip and these photos. His flight is due in late tonight but seeing that we’re currently having a snow storm time will tell. He’s been enjoying 70 degrees all week. Well back to reality.

Winter Wonderland 2011 and Other Info

Yesterday was our first Nor’easter 0f 2011. The snow came down fast and furious. Greg took Mark’s truck to work in 4 wheel drive all the way. I am an avid bird watcher so first on the storm prep list was making sure the feeders were filled.

Emily’s inner child was in full force. She enjoyed the storm.

Everything is always so beautiful right after a storm.

 

My small army swung into action to help with snow removal. Mark and Derek’s cars were buried. Derek is shoveling out his.

Em is working up near the house and Mark has the big guns going.

We took our official measurement from the snow on the deck.

These shots were taken the day after. Almost all the area schools were closed for a second day. One of the big problems in this area is the lack of places to put snow after such a big storm.

The above picture doesn’t due justice to the size of the branch that broke off. Luckily it didn’t hit the house. It’s huge.

Looks like we won’t be grilling for awhile this time.

Spring can’t be too far away, is it…

No, we don’t have a bathroom on our deck. With the new year came our to do list. We’ve decided it’s a year of home improvement. We are starting with the bathroom the kids/guests use. Last weekend Greg replaced the toilet. This new model is a super flusher. We were assured it would flush golf balls. So far it has handled everything we’ve put in it. It also is a little higher to sit on. Taller folks will find it the best seat in the house.

We have ordered granite for the sink top and will also replace the faucets. We’re waiting to hear from the plumber to change the shower faucets which will lead to new tile.

Some other goals are to have the house painted and the driveway redone. These are all contingent upon not having the unforeseen come up.

Here’s a little update on the family. Emily will be going back on Sunday. We’re driving her to the south shore to her boyfriends house to catch a ride back. Greg did the preholiday pickup and his mom is taking them back. Derek has another week off. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned that he has a part time job. One of the area high schools was looking for someone to teach their marching band percussion winter drill team. Derek’s marching band director highly recommended him. He was interviewed by a team of 3 at a local restaurant and got the job. They quizzed him on how he would handle discipline situations should they arise, they commented on how young he looked but in the end said they would take a chance on him because of how highly recommended he came. He works Tuesday’s and Thursdays’ 6-9 pm. and Saturday’s 10-2. He loves it and the kids want him to do it in the fall. Another perk of the job is a new lady friend. She is in charge of the color guard. She graduated from Syracuse University a year or so ago and is a video editor.

Derek has also joined the New England Philharmonic Orchestra by being recommended from the guy he was replacing. They took him sight unseen. They rehearse every Sunday from 7-10 p.m. at Simmons College in Boston. Last Sunday was his first time in. He was very excited about it. I was on needles and pins about him driving in but he did okay with the GPS. He did make a wrong turn, but it got him back on course. The other group he will be joining is the Stowe, MA orchestra, that starts in March. His percussion instructor recommended him. The key to the music world is networking. Derek has a firm handle on that.