They’re baaaaaaack.
Well, at least the babies are.
And they’re making themselves right at home on the deck.
A little too much at home for my liking.
Because they’re trying to get back into the hole they all came tumbling out of last month.
Cute? Yes.
Respectful house guests? No.
And then the other day, a friend helped me out.
No, it’s not the same picture.
Look in the lower right hand corner….
Baby woodchuck is finally earning his keep.
Well done sir.
Carry on.
Don’t get excited, it’s a photo dump. No one wants to see the other kind.
My files are filled with woodchuck pictures.
Mother and baby on the rock wall.
Mother bringing Junior to the back deck.
Junior checking out the back deck.
Junior checking out the new grill.
Two babies on the other rock wall.
Two babies playing tag.
Two babies eating apples.
You see how this goes? I flood you with woodchuck photos and you say awww.
Here’s a woodchuck, a turkey and a duck for variety.
Momma had 6 babies and I have yet to get them all in one picture.
But now would probably be a good time to say awww.
Four days in and we were finally ready to start adding the balustrades.
This involved a large amount of math, which as we have previously discussed… is not our strong suit.
Measuring was required. So much measuring. The fractions, the division…
Oh! The horror.
I carefully calculated the spacing of 8 rails for each section. I checked and rechecked to make sure it was accurate.
Which meant 7 of them fit perfectly.
Am I good or what?
Okay, so there were seven instead of 8.
It still looked good and things were flowing smoothly.
Until the screw heads starting popping off.
Once they were in the railing.
Which made me cringe…. and the husband grab his all purpose fix it tool.
Have hammer, will travel.
Thankfully no harm was done and we finished 3 out of the 4 sections before calling it a day.
One more section here..
Then we’ll move on to the other side.
Hopefully the heat wave will be over by then.
Hot flashing menopausal Maine women with broken toes do not fare well in temperatures over 90.
But not before another trip to the store to buy wood.
(Yes, I know the husband is wearing his mask incorrectly but his glasses kept fogging up)
Two perfect pieces for the top of the railing had to be found. And even though we were searching through the more expensive smoothed cedar boards?
They were rife with holes, chops, cracks and warty blemishes.
After 45 minutes…
We moved on to the 2×4’s.
Is it any wonder our small weekend projects turn into 3 month long slog fests?
So this is our deck, and those are the railings that will be replaced.
Hopefully by the end of summer.
Of 2020.
First step…. remove the old railings.
The first few were easy as they had been screwed.
Then it got harder with massive doubled rusty nails that didn’t want to let go.
Did I mention we picked the middle of a heat wave with record breaking temperatures to start this project.
How hot was it….?
Okay, not quite. Though it felt that way.
That thermometer was sitting on the table in direct sunlight.
It was actually this hot, in the shade.
And for Maine?
That is insanely frickin’ hot.
But progress was made.
And halted when rotting beam sections had to be cut out.
With 1950’s era tools.
Yes, I’m afraid so.
And you know what happens when you use power tools from the middle of the last century?
Nothing good.
We were invited to a few get togethers last weekend, but passed on all of them. I’m afraid I just don’t trust people well enough to gather in groups yet.
So I took a picture of my new, appropriately patriotic flowering plant….
And we stayed home to mow the lawn instead.
Yard work is an all day event ’round here, but it’s quite satisfying.
The daylilies are popping…. and when we were through mowing and whacking and trimming we fired up the grill.
And had an adult beverage while the husband stared, still enraptured by his new toy and it’s viewing window.
( Latest Seagram’s flavor review: Wild Berries – meh. Won’t be buying that one again.)
After some truly marvelous steaks, husband raked grass clumps…. and while I was cleaning up the kitchen?
I looked out the window….. and took a picture through the screen which looks like a bad acid trip.
( Or so I’ve been told. I have no personal experience. No. Not me. Uh uh. )
But yes.
That cute little bugger was at it again.
Eating one of the flowers he’s not supposed to like to eat.
Someone needs to revise that list.
Do you see him?
They really do blend in.
But the little chuckers are in there.
Destructive…. but too damn cute to stay mad at.
Yes, you.
And your five furry little brothers.
(Two chucks in this photo)
You never know who’s going to wander up from the woods lately.
The other day….
It was a pair of deer and a pair of turkeys.
One of the turkeys was occasionally headless.
But they all kept pace.
Right up to the feeders for a nosh.
Mother and son.
And on the ground.
It was a meet cute.
And apparently they hit it off.
She was a foxy lady after all.
A little snuggling.
A few nips behind the ear.
And viola.
A happy couple.
Or not.
What do I know?
I have no idea why we have a pair of visiting Mallard ducks this year…
But like all the other critters who venture in….. they’re welcome.
Though the drake’s table manners leave a little to be desired.
Is standing in the dish of deer grain really necessary?
Other times he’s a bit like Caligula.
And eats lying down.
Ducks.
I hope they remember how nice we are to them.
It’s fierce.
And when her babies are around?
(Yes, I’m talking about woodchucks…. were you expecting something else?)
When her babies are here….
And her babies are there…
Momma knows no fear.
Take a look at who she chased the other evening.
You go momma chucker!
River's world..... 