Tag Archives: backyard

Another miracle.

June 23, 2020 Rivergirl 23 Comments

Strange things are happening at Casa River this year.

First, the husband wanted to clean out the big barn ( Okay, he didn’t really. It was just a bit of organizing… but I’m counting it.)

Second, the husband helped me make a garden bed. ( I would have laid money on that never happening. )

And a week ago…

I looked out back….

And saw the husband planting a tree.

Planting! Not chopping down.

Somewhere in America, pigs are flying.

Okay, he didn’t buy them.

And only one of the three stands taller than my knee, but hey.

It’s still a miracle.

He dug them up from the wood line and I seriously doubt he got enough roots to make them viable…. which is why I told him they were going to need lots of water for the first few weeks.

Shall I give you one guess who has to drag that water to the far reaches of our property line because we only have 200 feet of hose and it won’t reach?

Yeah.

I didn’t think so.

Apparently even miracles have limits.

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I love trees.

June 21, 2020 Rivergirl 17 Comments

So, can you see it?

Look closely now.

Not until you get near enough to look up.

There.

The neighbor’s tree adjacant tree house, hidden from sight by trees.

I love trees.

Here’s the husband for size reference, holding the enemy of trees. The chain saw birthday gift I’ve lived to regret.

I neither know, nor want to find out what he was cutting down there.

I shall just enjoy the leaf cover those glorious trees provide.

And maybe do this –

TREEHUG-monsieur-123_Design-07

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What’s all the fuss about?

June 20, 2020 Rivergirl 30 Comments

I heard some Hellacious (Yes, that’s a word. At least in Maine.) chattering the other afternoon.

Looked out back…

And saw momma red squirrel perched on the plant hanger.

She was flicking her tail and screeching like a Hollywood starlet who ran out of Botox.

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She screeched so hard a seed fell out of her mouth.

It only took me a minute to figure out why.

The other visitor.

No worries readers, momma escaped unharmed.

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I thought I saw a dog.

June 17, 2020 Rivergirl 27 Comments

At least that’s what it looked like in the field across the street.

(Pardon the picture quality, it was far away and my zoom was maxxed out.)

I thought it was a dog…..

But it wasn’t a dog.

It was the often heard, but seldom seen coyote.

And while I recognize his necessary part in the eco system…..

I admit I was a little nervous seeing him cross the street….

And head down into the woods where our deer, fox, raccoons, skunks and woodchucks live.

But what made me even more nervous?

Was realizing there were actually two of them.

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Babies!

June 15, 2020 Rivergirl 15 Comments

First there were two in back of the big barn.

Then three.

Then four.

Then five little scampers!

No wonder momma chucker needs a support bra.

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Bird brains.

June 14, 2020 Rivergirl 25 Comments

First let’s deal with the peckers.

Because we all know not paying attention to peckers makes them crazy.

This is a hairy woodpecker.

Why hairy?

Your guess is as good as mine.

He loves the peanut nugget feeder and is an expert at extracting them.

There.

Now you can say you’ve had a hairy pecker wink at you.

This is a downy woodpecker.

Why downy?

Your guess is as good as mine.

To be honest, he looks more like a Storm Trooper from Star Wars to me.

Then we have a pair of Mallard ducks who visit daily.

The female strolls around under the bird feeder collecting scraps….

While the drake plops down and takes a load off.

That’s one chill duck.

Big Tom turkey?

Yes, we have one of those too.

And finally, a Baltimore Oriole getting his junk food Jones satisfied with some grape jelly.

It would be nice if he didn’t poo all over the feeder…. but hey.

Who am I to judge?

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Gender reassignment.

June 12, 2020 Rivergirl 30 Comments

So.

Our resident woodchuck….

Who we (ever so creatively) call Mr. Chuck?

Yeah.

We may need to rethink that.

Can someone please call Jane Russell?

Because momma woodchuck is in serious need of a few eighteen hour bras.

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Random critters.

June 10, 2020 Rivergirl 17 Comments

Squirrels have to be brave to cross the wide treeless open that is the bird feeder area of our backyard.

So we rarely see more than one grey.

Until there’s something worth having that is.

These little sparrows adore the boxwood shrubs.

And the woodchuck?

Still feeding, still fat…

And now?

Winking and waving as well.

This last pic looks like a little inter species communication is happening.

Although aside from the deer saying “Please don’t poop on me.” I’m not sure what they have to talk about.

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I love our backyard.

June 9, 2020 Rivergirl 18 Comments

Of course some days are better than others.

But rainbow days?

Are simply the best.

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And we’re back.

June 1, 2020 Rivergirl 25 Comments

Baby barn work commences…. again.

And I have to ask – are we the only ones who take a year to remodel what is in essence a small shed?

On second thought, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.

So we’ve moved around to the back half to finish our utterly favorite part…..and by that I mean the hellish nightmare that is angled trim work. I believe we’ve established we suck at this and not wanting to break tradition, we still do.

How badly do we suck?

I’m glad you asked.

Badly enough to require shaving corners with less than modern tools if you’re my other half.

What….

You mean 1940’s saws aren’t still viable members of the tool arsenal?

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Yes, that’s always my reaction as well….

But the husband says it still has life left in it.

Corners were turned…

Though not all of them where they should be…

As the poppa barn ( who’s still screaming for paint and agrees with River how wonderful he would look in a nice rusty red with white trim ) looked on in horror.