Monthly Archives: August 2020

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Random wildlife shots.

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Because it’s time to clear out the photo files again.

 

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Momma chuck has been packing on the pounds with an eye toward winter..

 

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But it doesn’t stop her from scrambling up and over the rock wall quicker than I can move my shutter finger.

 

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I have a feeling at least one of her two remaining offspring will be sticking around when the snow flies.

 

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I keep catching him rooting around under the daylilies, filling his mouth with dead leaves and making off for parts unknown with nesting material.

 

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Last year’s fawn comes every night, and since his new antlers are decidedly unbranched, I’ve taken to calling him the antenna buck. Because I’m old… and remember when you had to wiggle those things every afternoon to watch Dark Shadows.

 

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Though these next two pics were at the outermost limit of my zoom, I’m including them because we rarely see momma turkey and her young.

 

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She raises them in the woods and neighboring meadows, never crossing our large expanse of open lawn.

 

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And finally, a few Bambi shots.

 

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Because they’re so damned sweet, I can’t help it.

 

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My blue heaven….

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We’re rapidly running out of fresh blueberries thanks to the crows…. so it was time to whip out my all time favorite blue recipe.

Lemon blueberry pound cake with a lemon zest glaze.

 

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Ooh la la…. the batter has a stick of butter in it.

 

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And once you add the berries?

I eat it like ice cream.

Do I make a mess when I bake?

 

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You could say that.

But it’s so worth it.

 

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Three loaves of buttery berried goodness.

I ran into a little SNAFU after they cooled and I started to make the glaze.

 

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2017? No problem….

Expiration dates are for the weak.

But settle down, I Googled it.

 

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There.

If Google says it’s alright? Who am I to argue.

 

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Lemon zest glaze.

 

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I tend to do more than drizzle.

 

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Because when have you ever heard someone say,  “I’ll take mine with less fabulousness please?”

 

 

 

Recipe as requested.

It should be noted I double…. oh alright, sometimes triple…. the glaze ingredients.

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Still stuffing.

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It’s not often I get to tell my husband to stuff it, but lately….

 

 

There’s been ample opportunity.

 

 

There’s a whole lotta stuffing going on.

 

 

OSHA approved light fixture removal?

Not quite.

 

 

But it was in the way of the stuff.

 

 

And there’s a lot more stuff that needs to be stuffed.

 

 

But progress was made.

 

 

And other lights worked around.

 

 

Heck, the husband even found an old box of masks in one of his piles of stuff.

 

 

Stuff.

 

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More stuffing.

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When you’re doing a lot of stuffing?

You need a lot of stuff.

 

 

Truck loads full of stuff.

 

 

Stuff that needs to be dragged across the porch….

 

 

Through the little door… (because the big doors are temporarily blocked)

 

 

Stuff that has to be carefully maneuvered past all the other indoor stuff….

 

 

And stored amongst useless piles of other stuff.

(Yes, that’s a giant metal chicken. It was a gift I can’t seem …or want… to find a place for.)

 

 

Once the stuff was in the building, stuffing resumed.

Although there was a bit too much stuff in the way.

So stuff was moved from here..

 

 

To here….

 

 

But then that stuff was in the way of the temporarily blocked doors and it’s stereo.

Stuff blocking the power button?

No problem.

 

 

A pool cue reaches over the massive pile of stuff.

Feel free to roll your eyes.

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Another Bambi sighting.

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These two cuties came running up from the woods the other day while I was reading on the barn porch.

 

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They’ve grown so quickly.

 

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Getting taller every day.

 

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We have a total of four fawns who visit.

 

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But I’m guessing these two are twins since they’re always together.

 

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Mom wandered up shortly after.

 

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And kept an eagle eye on me and my camera.

 

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No worries momma.

 

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Bambi is safe with me.

 

 

 

 

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And we’re stuffing…

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Now that the  not even friggin’ close to   temporary doors were finished, it was time to start insulating the ceiling.

 

 

This product is great, not nearly as toxic and itchy as the old pink stuff….. but still, masks and gloves help.

 

 

Many, many small pieces had to be cut.

 

 

With (for once! ) the appropriate tool.

Imagine cutting into a large, dry, rectangular angel food cake and you get the idea.

 

 

Stuff. Stuff. Stuff.

Into all the spaces in between.

 

 

After he built shelves for his speakers….

 

 

And tucked all the wires away.

Oh, you spotted that ancient electric typewriter?

Of course he had to bring it home when his office threw it away.  It works! And heck, you never know when you might need one.

 

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It took a whole day to stuff the small corners and when I tried to leave to cook dinner?

 

 

I had to wait.

 

 

But the sunset was nice.

 

 

So it wasn’t really a hardship.

 

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Can someone please explain the logic?

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Because I’m a mere woman and not able to comprehend the genius that is the male mind.

 

 

I understand the need to temporarily seal up the big barn doors for winter. If the husband is going to spend all that money for a heat pump, we don’t want all the lovely warm air escaping. So a few insulated foam boards, some tape and call it good… right?

(Please remember the key word is temporary. This will be important later on.)

In my previous post I shared pictures of the frame, the double layer of foam boards, the plywood, and the finishing border.

 

 

And yes, those are two antique safes that weigh the combined equivalent of a small elephant herd.

 

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Do they open?

Well, they would if my husband had the combinations… which he doesn’t.

Good times.

But back to the doors. The temporary doors that he keeps assuring me will be easily removed.

When I went out there the other day?

This:

 

 

Yes.

 

 

There is now a shelf with an old stereo mounted on the temporary doors.

 

 

And quite high up on the temporary doors I might add.

 

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High enough so yours truly can’t reach the power button… which may or may not have been intentional.

So please help me out with the male logic of this.

In the event we need to open the barn doors… because you know, they’re doors and that’s kind of their thing…. we will need to:

 

1. unscrew the shelf brackets

2. remove the shelf

3. unhook the speaker wires

4. take down the stereo

5. remove the border frame

6. remove the plywood

7. remove the double layers of foam boards

8. remove the inner frame

 

Does this sound temporary to you?

Because my female brain is having  a hard time reconciling this kind of temporary.