Walking

 This afternoon I made the decision to head home tonight rather than try to find a place to camp.  I ended up sleeping in a rest area last night and it is supposed to rain tomorrow.  It was supposed to rain today too, but all we had was an occasional sprinkle.  That is, until I was about ten minutes from home.  The rain came down hard making it hard to see the roads with all the water on it.  I only felt one small moment of hydroplaning and I was very glad that I wasn't trying to sleep in a tent tonight.  Other happy things for today:

• There was a pay phone at the rest area.  I don't see those very often anymore.

There used to be two payphones here.

• The reason I chose this weekend to go north was to be with some other SCA folk to tour some fair grounds for an event next year.  I didn't have to be there until 11:30 though and I was awake and ready to do other things by eight or so.  Instead I used the Alltrails app and found a short trail nearby.  

The view overlooking Littleton, NH.

• It was great to see people I haven't seen in over a year.  The site the event will be at was pretty cool too.

These little footprints were not very big,
I think they might be squirrel prints.

• After all the business was done I headed for the Mount Prospect Fire Tower.  This is a beautiful stone structure like one might see as part of a castle.

Spectacular views of the mountains.

The house is now a museum commemorating the life
and achievements of John Wingate Weeks.
I learned a lot today.

• There are a few different trails at the State Park and I chose to do the Around the Mountain Trail.

The map.

Lens says that these are flowering raspberries.

Also according to Lens, this is brown knapweed.

The smudge in the top left of this picture is 
a raindrop on the windshield.

☮

I tried starting a different book today, but fell asleep.  

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Pretty Weeds

 For my first day of work off, I slept in.  Isn't that what one is 'supposed' to do on a day off?  I spent part of the morning either being mildly productive or avoiding being productive.  Another classic day off strategy.  After lunch I made my way out to the garden.  Here I was very productive doing things that I wanted to do, but that weren't the high parts of my priority list.  It was a good day.  Here are other happy things from today:

• I planted something.  There is a small section of the garden that I pulled roots from, strained dirt back into, and needed to finish putting dirt back into.  I found even more roots that I missed the first time through, but got the dirt back in.  I had a zinnia that looked close to gone that is now planted there.  Maybe tomorrow I will get some more into that area.  

Poor lonely zinnia.
I hope it makes it.

• Some of the tiger daylilies that are by the common milkweed have opened.

Tiger daylilies with common milkweed behind.

• Yesterday I weed whacked in the garden and today I pulled weeds.  A few weeks ago I had noticed that the woodchucks, or some other critter, had eaten the greens off the radish plants.  While pulling weeds I found that some of the radish bottoms were still okay and I pulled them to eat.  Yay! A small harvest.

Radishes.

Midway into weeding.
The garden needs more of my attention.

• There is a trip that I am planning with some friends at the end of August.  I sent out an email this morning in preparation.  This trip is to check the contents of our SCA trailer in Pennsylvania and I am more excited to go than I probably should be for this task.
• It was just Zed and I for dinner and Zed had errands.  He picked up dinner at Subway-I am very full and it is good.
• Here are some pictures that I took today of some plants on the property.

The butterfly weeds.

Butterfly weed up close.
No butterflies on it when I looked.

Common milkweed up close.
It is so pretty.
I can see the relationship between this and the butterfly weed.

Yarrow.

Black-eyed Susan.

Raspberry, it may be a black raspberry
not yet ripe.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thanks for reading, stay safe.

Yesterday's News

  Last night, after the blog was written, midnight was close, and I was preparing for sleep. I realized that I was about 400 steps away from 20,000 for the day.   That is why I didn't get right to sleep, I paced until I got those last steps in for the day.  Another thing I realized is that all my photos hadn't backed up.  When I think back on my day to write this blog I look over the things I have taken pictures of.  Yesterday I took pictures of a bird so that I could identify it later, then forgot.

The northern flicker.

When I first saw this bird from a distance I thought of a mourning dove, then looked again and decided that it was built almost nothing like a mourning dove.  This bird has brought up some distant memory of my father and a flicker.  I imagine that he was probably pointing one out to me.  Those are happy things that got missed on yesterday's blog.  Here are some happy things for today:

• After mowing more of the lawn today I took some time and pulled out my bottle of spiced sekanjabin.  Here is a recipe for a mint sekanjabin.  This bottle was a gift when I stepped into the role of Baroness over two years ago.  It got misplaced for a little while, then I probably went through a quarter of the bottle, then about half the bottle last summer.  This leaves about a quarter of the bottle that the sugar has crystalized, but it is still delicious.  I tried soaking the bottle in hot water today to loosen it some.  Tomorrow I will just add water since it is a concentrate.

• Earlier in the spring I planted a raspberry bush that has done nothing.  The wild ones on the property seem to be doing alright though.  I expect that the birds will get them before I do, I'm okay with that, this year.  

Little raspberries are growing.

• I was lamenting with Keziah about an exchequer issue I have been having.  She doesn't exchequer.  She claims that spreadsheets break when she looks at them.  This issue though, she understood my frustration and made sure I knew it.  It is nice when my daughter 'gets me.'  It doesn't always happen. 

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan

Thanks for checking in, stay safe.

Venus

 Sometimes, a plan for the day works and happens.  Sometimes, it does not.  Yesterday when I got up I found that the freezer had been left open just enough that a bunch of food was partially thawed.  We cooked things and then I got productive in the garden.  Today I got up and did some things in the garden and then learned that the company that is spraying the yard for ticks would be here today.  We don't tend to know what time so I cleaned up the yard a bit and then puttered inside the house instead.  This meant that I wasn't very busy when TF called to let me know she was going to have a job interview.  Talking on the phone for a bit allowed me to work on the latch hook from my youth that I am trying to finish.  These are good things.  Other things I am happy for today:

• Around lunch time Keziah, two friends, and I went to a store in town called Penumbra.  This adorable shop had all sorts of houseplants and plant containers as well as jewelry and greeting cards that were most likely from local artists.  Keziah got a Venus flytrap for Gideon.

It is going to be a kitchen plant.

• In the afternoon I met with a friend to go for a walk.  Always enjoyable catching up with friends.  We hope to continue these Tuesday walks going forward now that we are all vaccinated.  

The green is like a tent over the stream.

Ducks!

More ducks!

• Back home I took a walk around the garden and did some watering.  

 I read that Egyptian walking onion
can be used like other onions
but have a stronger flavor.

A flower on one of the raspberry plants
that came with the property.

☮

Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.

Stay safe.

Planting the Raspberry Bush.

 Yesterday's attempt at using the axe to cut a branch was more than what my body was prepared for.  My list of things to do today did not get completed because I took many breaks.  Breaks are important though, as was the nap I took.  Other things I am happy about:

• Keziah put the swings and hammocks up today.  Gideon has a new swing, just for him.

• I took a piece of earth, dug a hole in it, added some things (like manure, fresh potting soil and water) and then the raspberry plant.  This took most of the day because of breaks, but it is done!

Untamed earth.

A hole that is larger than needed.
I wanted to loosen up the nearby soil
and remove some weeds and rocks.

That stick will hopefully become a raspberry bush.

• Zed and I went for a nice walk.  We are working out a plan to get the trails a little more manicured on the property.

We walked a little over a mile.

• Keziah and Zed got their first covid vaccines today.  

☮

 Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe.