Leek Hunting

 Well, it quit raining, dried out a bit so we went huntin for Leeks !   "Bingo", we found a couple nice Patches of them and started to Dig !

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We found a nice patch to start off with !

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Didn't take long, all this rain and cool temps made the Leeks nice and firm and rather large !

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Now its cut ends off, strip and pile up for washing !

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My Honey cleaning out the Holly Hocks and Glads while I clean leeks !

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Cleaned and ready for Dinner tonight !

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Dinner was Leek Greens an Leeks, Garlic Shrimp and Buttered Grits and man oh man was it ever flavorful !   

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We have to now Pickle some leeks for later and go get another couple of Batches of them for a Nice Ham/Leek Soup !

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Welcome Back

 We watch Birds, We Feed Birds, We Photograph Birds, have a lot of Bird Pics from where we have lived !  Yesterday we were sitting and Anna Mae said there is the Rose Breasted Grossbeak and sure enough he came back again this spring !    Beautiful Bird and we only get 2 or 3 Pairs of them !

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We hope they keep coming back to the feeder !

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While having dinner we looked out back and Lo an Behold there was the Humming Bird at the Feeder and to our surprise there was a Baltimore Oriole !!!!!!  INTERNET PHOTO !

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I hid in the Garage to catch this Female Hummer coming to the Feeder, we welcome them back from a Long Winter !

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Baltimore Oriole on top and nice pretty Goldfinch in Tray !

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I never knew how easy it was to get Baltimore Orioles to come in, just cut an Orange in two and stick up, I also found out they love "Grape Jelly" and I put some out in a little cup and they love it !

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Barn Swallows are back but the Sparrows sadly have taken over their House !

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Hell'o Sun !

This morning before Church it rained an was windy, sitting in Church we saw an felt the warm Sun come blazing thru the Stained Glass Windows about 11:30AM !  We got home at 12:30PM and had Lunch, Sun and a slight Breeze dried off the lawn,  I gassed up the Mowers and about 3:30 we went outside and Mowed and Weed eated as it is supposed to rain again tonight.

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I mowed the back 40 and My Honey mowed the Front Edges with the Push Mower !

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Back Lawn done with the Rider cut a little shorter as we are supposed to get rain for a week !!!

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My Honey with the Push Mower mowing where I can not get to with the Rider, The Black Bags are full of Fire wood that sat there all Winter protected !   We will take it out of the bags soon for our fire in the Fire Pit !

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Getting finishing touches on the Lawn in front of the Garage !

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All Mowed and ready for a week or 2 !

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Everything to start the Morning Glory Seeds inside for planting by end of month !

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Morning Glory seeds take weeks and need moisture if they are spread.  There is a quick way to Germinate the seed and have it earlier !

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 I take each seed and notch it making a small cut in the hard outside shell.  I take a Tupperware Container, line the bottom with paper towel cut to size of the Container , wet it and have it ready for all of the seeds !

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 I separate the seeds by Color,  I like the Blue on the outside of the Vines and the mixed colors on the inside !  After each side is slightly and gently notched I place it with tweezers on the wet Paper Towel, then close it up and set it in a window doe light and wait !  I love plants that climb, cling and strech out.

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Our First Years Vines of Morning Glories climbing the Trellis of metal and baling twine up the Clothes Pole !

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This is why I like the Blue Morning Glories on the outside Vines !   I have grown Morning Glories an Clematis and Trumpter Vines just about at all our old Houses, Could not grow them at Senior Housing !

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This is my Vines climbing and creeping along the clothes line !

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Good Bye Stewart

 I got news last night that I lost one of my Best Friends, he passed away in his sleep in Franklin, Virginia !  Stu was just past 80 years old and had suffered Dementia for past year !

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Stewart Dimick lived in Franklin Virginia, He was originally from up here in Natural Bridge.  He moved south answering an ad in the paper for help in the Paper Mills years ago so he spent his life working in the Union Camp Paper Mill and raising a family . 

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He starting out as a Helper on the Paper Machines and working his way up thru the ranks to that of Mill Supervisor, working Shift work and being in Charge of the Paper Mill Part an Handling any an all issues !   24 years ago while working the night shift of 12Mid to 8AM while having trouble getting Paper onto the Paper Machine Stu while helping the men he Supervised which he was not supposed to do caught his right hand and lower arm in the paper machine and crushed it !

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This is what the Stacks look like that Caught Stu's hand and arm located on the dry end of the Paper Machine where the finished sheet comes off winding onto a big roll !

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Years of Surgery, Therapy and rehab and putting of 2 toes on his hand and a muscle from his leg they rebuilt his arm !   Stu went back to work and finished his career!! 

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Stu was my "Best Man" at my Wedding to My Honey !

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We spent vacations staying with him In Virginia, Fishing the Chesapeake Bay and Hunting.

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So Long Stewart till we meet up on the other side !

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Tragic Day

 We are a pretty quiet community around here, Watertown is our closest City,  With a 2020 population of 23,828, Crime is like other Cities.   Today was a Tragic day !!

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A Former employee who had been fired went inside this Real Estate Office pictured above and opened fire with a weapon and killed a man and a woman then fled from the crime  scene !

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Man fled the Scene in this Vehicle and a Massive Man Hunt began,  Subject was considered "Armed and Dangerous".

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Police released this Picture of Suspect, Barry Stewart.

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The search for the person of interest is about a 70-mile radius from the scene in the 100 block of Clinton Street in Watertown. "We don't know how far he is going or where he is at this point," Sgt. Keller of the New York State Police told the media. Numerous police agencies are assisting the Watertown Police Department in this investigation.

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We locked our doors, locked the Car up and stayed inside an I made sure my Pea Shooter was right beside me while we listened to the Police Scanner !  I would Protect me and my Honey !!

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The Suspected Shooter was found several counties away by State Police and he was found upon approaching the Vehicle that he had shot himself.

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Sad as we know his wife and also him and things like this are Tragic !!

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Nicer Weather Day

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Up Early at "Lazy Akers" today as it was supposed to be a nice day for outside work and puttering so we had a project we wanted to get done,  It was a Bird House we salvaged and we got it last year !  I got the Lazy Akers  sign repainted and sanded down where it faded and paint cracked.

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We needed a 4 X 4 X 8 foot so went to lumber yard, IT WAS $19.95,   I CHOKED !!!!  Last 4 X 4 I bought a few years back if memory serves me right was just over $6.00 !!!!!!  Oh well, we needed it and glad it was only 1 we needed !

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Got the Pole set, lining up the Bird house with the Plywood Platform !   We use the wagon and 5 gallon Pails to put dug dirt in as it makes disposal easier and clean up a breeze !

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We picked our spot and with a shovel and Post Hole Diggers set to work putting in a hole for the 4 X 4,  at 2 feet down we hit solid Rock,  We were lucky,  NO, we were Blessed as beside 1 slanted rock we were able to carefully did past and got a nice 6 inch flat sided hole which allowed the 4 X 4 to rest one side against solid rock, we filled in the other 3 sides with small rock and dirt layers!

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Putting the finishing touches on the Bird House,  it has 3 stories and 10 seperate Houses inside !

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I got the Bird House lined up on the Plywood Platform and secured it down then caulked the sides between the 2 pieces of Plywood to keep water out.

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The Boss checking to see if maybe we want to put some wooden Lath up one side and grow some Morning Glories to climb it like a Trellis !

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My Honey over at the small inground Garden Spot removing grass, sod and weeds as we figure out what to Plant in it !!!

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After all that work today I fired up the Gas Grill and My Honey had unthawed some Venison Steaks so I grilled us some Deer for dinner tonight !

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Supper was Venison Steak Sandwich , Fried Onions, Tossed Salad, Johnny Cake, and it was delicious !   

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