Kryptic’s Thoughts

Just a test to see if this still works.

It seems it always does get a bit “deep” in my vicinity!!!

Smile nice for the camera...

Show me some teeth in that smile!!

It’s been a bit snowy here lately.

Record breakingly snowy actually.

So. Taking great shots of expansive views depicting snow covered mountains and trees is out of the realm of possibility. At least, for me.

I don’t own chains.

Since looking at the “big picture” is out…

Looking “small” filled the viewfinder.

Photos dedicated to the memory of John Jasper. Godspeed…

Yesterday as I was pouring my first morning (ok, morning for me is about noon to the rest of you…) I looked out the kitchen window to see what I thought to be a small female hummingbird trying to drink for the frozen feeder. I was stunned and tried to figure out if I was sleep walking again or if this was reality… I got out an “Ughhh…” and then Rose saw it too!!! And just that quick she was gone. Rose refilled the feeder and today at about 1pm, in a balmy 45 degree temperature, she returned and drank her fill. She came back several times during the afternoon so she must have been very hungry. Hummingbirds usually go south for the winter, at least they are supposed to, so this is really unusual. I’m not sure if she just got caught off-guard by the snow storm or if she like so many other creatures of late has forgotten the migration pattern. Does anyone know if they have done studies on bird brains (I know, I know… I couldn’t resist the phrase.) to determine if they are experiencing an increase in dysfunction of normal “instinctual” activities? Similar perhaps to Alzheimers? Just wondering…

Anyway we will keep the feeder full and see if we can find a way to build a bird house that she might use. Perhaps in spring we might have baby hummers!!!

A Bald Eagle flew over the top of the house today. Of course, two crows that were not very pleased by his presence were chasing him. Now I‘ve seen wild bald eagles here in the mountains and in the very large parks, but I had never had a real live bald eagle sharing the same sky as I was watching from my back patio! When I was growing up the number of bald eagles had dropped so dramatically as to almost be extinct. This got me to thinking about all those environmental conservation measures and programs that were enacted when I was a kid. Does anyone besides me remember what a big deal the first “Earth Day” was? Do you remember when recycling was not the norm? Well, I do. And now, thirty some odd years later, I have a Bald Eagle visiting my back yard! It’s nice to know that “change” can mean an improvement and not always disaster, loss, or degradation.

The biggest environmentally friendly change I have made recently is using mostly homemade yard and garden care products. From previous posts you may have gathered that this yard has been ignored for so long and is in pretty bad shape. If I were using commercially available products of everything that needs doing, the cost would be astronomical. While watching PBS one afternoon in California, I happened to catch a program featuring, “Jerry Baker, Master Gardener”. Jerry is a funny old guy and the show kept me entertained enough to actually learn a thing or two about normal everyday household products that when combined in the correct amounts become “miracle mixes”. These mixes cover just about every need your yard will ever have. I sent off for one of Jerry’s books, “Fast Fixes and Miracle Mixes for you Lawn and Garden”, and a pair of the ever-popular “Aerating Sandals”. The results have been dramatic in only a couple of months. First, there is actually a lawn beginning to reappear. The moss in the lawn is beginning to be under control. This is Washington so it will never truly be gone, but more lawn than moss I can live with. The most impressive results have been with the roses. These roses have every disease and pest know to man. Slowly, I am seeing the diseases come under control and have already had more roses than bloomed all of last summer! Next year I should have enough disease and weed free materials to start recycling into compost. That should help just about everything in this yard.

Recycling. That brings me to my next “Odd Thought”. In this age of “green” living, when most of the planet has made recycling a habit, did you ever wonder why gas stations don’t have two sided trash/recycling receptacles like most kitchens in America? Every trip I have ever taken I have had to throw out at least two soda bottles. And having been conditioned in this “Earth Day” world, it just kills me every time I have to do it.

Today was a Costco day. I was walking down the isle, minding my own business, when I saw it. The Beast Slayer. A red, 18 volt, cordless, Milwaukee sawzall. Yep, this oughta do it.

I continued the battle with the beast today. I know, I know… It’s not straight! I decided, at least for this summer, to just get it knocked down to as close to 9′ as I can get it. I’ll worry about perfection next spring.

The ladder that you see is 6 feet tall. Definitely not tall enough, but if I stand on the top, where you are not supposed to stand, and bend at the waist as far as I can… I can cut the top to a depth of about 4.5 feet. The green stuff you see sticking up behind, is the other 2 feet I can’t reach. I’ll have to cut those branches out from behind. Yeah! More firewood!

As you can see I still have a long way to go. This thing is about 200 feet long. Next year we are going to cut it down to 8′, since that is actually the city code. Rose wants to just pull it out and put in a fence but, I have to admit that I am beginning to really like the green wall effect. I’m sure by next year it will begin to fill in from all the cutting and look much healthier than it does now. The neighbor hollered “looks great” from the other side of the other fence. He is also pleasantly surprised that we have the beginnings of a lawn as opposed to a dandelion farm. The yard has been let go for a very long time. Oh well, like rose’s mother used to say, “Each day is progress.”

Rose likes squirrels. I have to admit they are pretty fun to have around. Definitely cheap entertainment! So after months of just piling critter food on the ground when she fills the bird feeders (I guess I forgot to mention she likes birds too.), we found the perfect solution in our friends Ann and Carl’s garage sale pile. The shell reminds us of home and the fish with their mouths open seem to cry, “Feed me! Feed me!” much the same way the birds and squirrels squawk or bark when they are out of food!