Woods and weeds

I found out for certain that my new patio in the backyard is not going to happen until spring. The proposed location at the bottom of the stairs pretty much went to weeds because I was expecting it all to be torn up in October. The lone survivors of the weed invasion and recent frost are the Zebrina hollyhocks that take over wherever they are allowed. And I have been allowing the WoodMan to dig wherever he pleases, figuring this could be his last summer. In other words, the yard is a bit of a mess...

Don on the Hill came down yesterday afternoon to have a beer with me and the boys. He commented on our beautiful weeds, and on the fact that the WoodMan has lived long past his 6-month predicted demise.

This is the look Woody gets when he hears us talking about him leaving us. Or maybe it's just because we ran out of cheese and crackers.

Fall fog and 4 chickens

A thick fog was hiding the mountains long after the sun came up this morning. Most of the trees lost their leaves before they changed color, but the sugar maples in the front, and some of the younger trees in the back managed to put on a good show.

Our friend Lydia from Trees for Tribs dropped off 15 little swamp oaks to fill in where those young trees are planted. In addition to the swamp oaks, there are bur oaks, river birch, red maples, London planes, and a variety of shrubs that struggle to survive the deer.

Lester's Flat has a baby forest. 

Lester's Flat also has 4 new chickens, thanks to friends Terry and Alice. 3 Rhode Island Red mixes, and a white leghorn named Veronica Lake are all fitting in just fine.

Another chicken on the move, Big Roo went to his retirement home with Tom and Julie. We have 2 young roosters who were vying for control, and decided it was best to move him. He is missing the tips of his toes and comb from previous bouts of frostbite, and he is about 8YO with not a lot of time left. Warm and cozy in a big barn with 5 new young ladies, I hope he will enjoy his retirement.

Downstairs Willie and the little dragon

Willie the cat had been living upstairs almost totally since we moved him up here in 2010. He made a few visits downstairs, but was usually chased back up by Woody. 

For some reason we will never understand, in the past 6 months or so he has become a downstairs cat, even to the point of being annoying. He spends most of his time on the kitchen island begging for anything that looks like it could be food. 

He also finds the open mandolin case to be quite the cozy spot.

We have had the back screen door open for the past few days because it has been so cold, and it is just easier to open the inside door to let the dogs out.

This unidentified (darner?) dragonfly found her way inside overnight. Luckily I found her before Willie did. I know she's a female, because when I escorted her outside, she promptly laid a whole clutch of eggs in the pot of rosemary where I set her free.

That other lake

Who knew that there was a competition for the best lake?

I learned on Facebook that Canadarago Lake, the one near our house, was called the "Redneck Riviera". This is most likely because Otsego Lake, in Cooperstown, is surrounded mostly by property owned by the Clark family, not a redneck in sight.

We were very lucky this year to make it out on the Redneck Riviera on Cousin Greg's boat on a perfect day in September, and very lucky just yesterday to be invited on a tour of Otsego Lake on an equally perfect day with the Shelbys (the boat owners), the Rigbys, and the Hohensees.

That is Kingfisher Tower in the top pic. There are conflicting stories about the reason for its creation, but the link here seems to be a reasonable combination of all the ones that I have heard. Even with no rednecks anywhere near this lake (unless you count the Hub and me) you are not allowed to set foot anywhere near the tower, or anywhere along the shoreline behind it for that matter. So are the rednecks allowed to take photos of it and post them for all the world to see?

It is a little crooked from this angle...

Chillin'

First nice day in a long time with no mosquitoes...nice for sitting outside with the pooches. 

I still haven't completely recovered from the house sale in NJ. We were able to pay off our home equity loan and the loan on the truck. Banking life will be much less complicated, soon enough.

Still waiting for the dust to settle.