Weekly Chores

Well, it was time for weekly Chores,  I had a Doctors appointment yesterday due to severe neck, upper back and side pain !  I have on a 5 % Lidocaine Pain Patch on my back and neck, and it is out and at em !
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My Honey on the Electric Weed Eater trimming up where the Law Mower can not get to, just makes it look better and she enjoys the exercise !

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Rhubarb Patch we put in last May before we moved in did great and My Honey will pull some today and take some to her mother up in Castorland this afternoon when we go up to visit and have dinner with her !

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I am on the Green Machine getting the grass cut and composted at the same time, there is no exit chute for the grass to be blown out, it is cut up several times by the 3 blades in the compost deck !   Does a nice job, no grass trail !

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Close up of the Blue Spruce tree growth, it is budding and in late June or July I will trim it !  I worked for New York State after High School in the Forest an my job was trimming up thousands of these trees by hand, it was a sucky job and only paid back in 1964 $ .75 Cents an hour and 32 hours a week !

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Just finishing up the back lawn, Front lawn all done and looks we are gonna be set for another week !!!

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Back Lawn all mowed and trimmed and looks nice !

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Front lawn and Flowers all trimmed and then I mowed it !  Next Month we have been in our New (Old) Home 1 Year !!!

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Hoping we can get squared away and head out on a Picnic and some long overdue Fishing. 

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Jealous as I read "Shipslog" Blog Post an Jack and Sherry are out on the AT Train and a Lake having a Picnic ! 

http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/ 

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All Stay Safe, Wear Your Mask around Crowds, and also,

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Don't Forget Our Vets !

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Quiet Day

We had a quiet Day today, after our morning Coffee and daily Bran Oat Muffin we went down in the Basement and I did 10 minutes on the Bike while My Honey worked out on the Pulleys !
  After showers we just relaxed and watched the Birds and sat with the Air Conditioners and Fans running, The Basement is nice and cool at 70 degrees, outside it was 88 degrees and 58% Humidity !
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Sitting in my Recliner dozing on and off when I heard a rather loud noise and when looked out the window and saw a big Plane approaching !
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Looking out my Window this was the first Plane I saw, It was rather loud but not unusual as we are right beside Fort Drum !

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What was different today was there was another Plane right behind the first one, I think they are a C17 or C17A,  not sure !

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These Planes are awesome, they go directly over the House enroute to the Airfield on Drum, not many here in our little village mind seeing them or the Jets that fly in and out or the Helicopters!  On a clear quiet night you can hear "Taps" and also "Colors" but we can not hear "Reveille" !

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We went out on the back Deck and watched them come in and also could see them take off once they got above tree tops !

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Got too Hot outside in the sun so in we came.    Had a good day !

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Don't forget, Remember our Vets !

Warm one

Today was a warm one,   We had snow her couple of weeks ago, now it is 90+, I was inside most of today, Ice Water and the Fans and Air Conditioners going full bore !
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My Honey pretty much did the same as I did and stayed inside out of the Heat and Sun !

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The poor cat, "Tipper" was streched out flat on the floor in front of the fan !!!!

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I think we got too used to those cold days here in our New (Old) House !

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Today it was in the 90's and also tomorrow will get right up there but then the weekend temps will be dropping down into the 60's !

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Mother Nature needs to Calm Down and settle in for the summer and stop going to extremes !

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Don't forget our Veterans !

Visiting Old Family

We went on an excursion, loaded up the car and headed out to go "Back Home" !   We went up to where I grew up, about an hour and a half from here to a Place called "Pond Settlement", you will not find it on a map nor will you find "Shawville" on the Map. 

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I read on "Shipslog" Post about talking to the Dead !  I always have, My Father would and so would most on my Family growing up as it was just normal to say Hell'o, Or Shout there name, was just something that was done !  

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. The first stop was to check in with my Father and Mother,  John and Ethel Wood, they are resting in Gates Cemetery just about a mile from the house I was born and raised in, this is a Cemetery that is for the residents of Pond Settlement and Shawville who lived there and there is not a fee charged for the Family Plots. Outsiders pay $250.00 for a "Plot" !    My 2 brothers John and Donnie, are here and my Sister Janice .

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Next to the stone marker is a Rose Brush, it was purchased back in 1937 when my sister was born, he bought about 10 of them off a truck from a group of Italians that were peddling roses, flowers, apple trees from the Utica Area.     We have off shoots of them scattered around different places we lived, some places they grow big and other places they grow smaller, they are "Tea Roses".   

I have some planted at our New (Old) House here in Deferiet, Also buried here are my Mothers Parents and Grand Parents and Great Grandparents, the Whitford Family, also my cousins.

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. We went from Gates over about 3 miles to Shawville, here is another Family Cemetery, I am standing at the resting place of my Grandfather and Grandmother, Silas and Margaret Wood,  he was a Farmer and I grew up on his Farm !

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Next we visited with my Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother, not far from his Son, Silas Wood.

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My Honey has taken me thru her Family Plots and showed me all her relatives we also said "Hell'o" to as we walked around !

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. In the same Cemetery is my Great-Great Grandfather, Silas and Laura Wood.  Silas was a Civil War Veteran, enlisted 2 times and was discharged at age 44, he came home, was cutting trees and a tree fell and hit him in the head, killing him, he fought in some terrible battles in the south, survived 2 enlistments in the 60th Infantry Regiment of the New York State Vols, in Company B under Capt. Thomas..

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Soon these Stones will topple over and become part of the Landscape sadly !    No one wants to put money into them or the time needed and now I am too old to tackle it !

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There are many many relatives buried in Gates and Shawville Cemetery.  They contain both My Fathers family and also my Mothers Family, the Whitfords.

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Most all of the stones you can see belong to my Family !!!

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Never forget, Remember the Vet !

LAZY AKERS

I have my Old Sign out, I have it Painted and hung here at "Lazy Akers" !  My sign was made for me by my Oldest Brother John who passed away from Lung Cancer.
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My Brother John was very handy at making Crafts and what not and I cherish my Sign he made me for a House we owned years ago !  I just got it redone and rehung here at our New (Old) House !

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My Honey putting in a stringer to support the Tomato Frame for the Tomatoes !

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We planted directly in the Ground this year and only 4 "Sweet 100 Cherry" Tomatoes !

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Generator checked and it ran almost 5 hours the other night when we lost all power around this area, a Transformer exploded down past us !

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Putting up Thorn Briers on the feeder trying to keep a Big Fat Grey Squirrel out of it, will see if I can, It is sunny and about high noon and very warm and muggy !    Makes it a little hard to breathe !

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Put in some flowers, reworked the rose bushes, Planted some Impatients and Port a lacta on left side !

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Retrimmed 2 rose bushes in the white sand and got it done early in the morning !

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This Memorial Day don't forget, Remember our Veterans !

Mail Call

My Honey drove over to get the Mail, we do not have home delivery here, the Post Office is about 4 miles from here, they bring our mail over and put it in Mail Boxes in the Village Offices and we get it there from an old fashioned lock Box.
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Well she yelled as she came thru the Door, "What did YOU order from Amazon ???   I had no idea what she was talking about and said that I had not ordered anything, she then held up a package  and said someone is !!
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She handed me the Package and we opened it and "SURPRISE", there was a Book from Jack Darnell, it is "Johnny, The Trail and Trials", what a nice surprise and gift !!!

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Well, Today will be a Nice R & R day in the recliner with my book !!

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Don't forget our Veterans as we approach this Memorial Day !

A Great Day

What a Great Day !   We spent most of it outside, we were up early, Coffee and off to the Bank to make the Church Deposit and Drop off the Weekly Statement at the Church Office, check the property and home !   
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If you can see the speck in the lower left corner at 7 O Clock in the above picture you have good eyes !!

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 This is one of those unmanned Drones that fly from Fort Drum around the area and well off base,  they are not quiet, they have a distinct noise that even if you don't see it, you know it is there !

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My Honey separating and trimming Grape Hyacinth's and trimming off the ends to transplant them in another spot !

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All Mowed and trimmed and watered !

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My Honey has St. Francis cleaned and the Circle planted and done !

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Outside relaxing on the Deck watching all the Birds and just enjoying the sunshine and warmth of a Blessed Day !

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Relaxing with the Dobro and relearning some slides and patterns that I have forgotten, enjoying myself !

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My Honey on the Deck, I am standing in the Garden Shed behind the Feeder Station, top left of the picture is the cup of Grape Jelly the Orioles love !   My Honey is calling me for Dinner !

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Our first Picnic eating out on the Deck of our New (Old) House and enjoying it a great deal !  

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I hid in the Garden Shed long enough to get 1 Baltimore Oriole, a Female coming in for some Grape Jelly !

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Hope it was a good day for My Friend Jack and his Bride Sherry as they are ON THE ROAD AGAIN"  from Shipslog Blog at:    http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/

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Don't Forget, Remember our Veterans !    

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Outside Day

Today was a good day, We were warm again and so I went outside and redid all of the Bird Feeders, cleaned them out, restocked the Oranges for our Feathered Friends !
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We have Baltimore Orioles, and other people who feed them also said they have them this spring more than they ever have, must be something going on, we have 5 of the Males like the one above sitting on the feeder.

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We have 2 Female Orioles as the Females are more Yellow that the Males and this was the best Picture I could get of her as she just landed on the fresh Oranges I put out !

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The Rose Breasted Grosbeaks are back, there is 4 of these males and 3 females so far !

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The Cardinals are coming in for Suet and Seeds,   The Old Timers say that if you get a Cardinal to your Feeder in the Morning, It is the Spirit of a Friend or Loved One visiting you telling you that they are OK,  I believe it as did my Father !

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Puttered around on the front of the House, the Memorial Day Parade and Function's have been cancelled this year, Sad this Covid 19, so much people are going to miss ! 

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I am "Squared Away" out front,  The one Swabby is one my Brother John made for me 25 or more years ago,  The one holding the Flag is one I made 15 years ago when I lived next door to former Owner of our New (Old) House, Norm Lovejoy who was on the Destroyer USS Shangri La  CV-38 , we would sit out back and talk and talk, I mainly listened to his Stories which never, ever were boring as Norm was a "Plank Owner" of the "Shang" ! Norm and I also belonged to the American Legion and would often ride together to our Monthly Meetings.

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I would see Norm after we sold the house next door around town or at Legion Meetings and would always Visit or Stop and see him and visit.

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Norm passed away 2 years ago, in settling his affairs we were to be contacted when his house was to be sold and it was to be offered to us, it was so we bought it.

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That is how we ended up here in our New (Old) House !

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Don't Forget, Remember our Vets !

Leek, (Ramps) Hunt

We both felt good, we went on a Wild Leek Hunt today !  It was a really nice day, just needed a flannel shirt, no jacket so off we went headed into the woods !
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Heading into the woods with my "Entrenchment Tool" and 5 gallon pails to seek out the elusive Wild Leek or if from the South, "Ramps" !    

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We walked about a 1/4 mile back into the Hard Woods,  there is our first patch of Wild Leeks as You can spot them by their leaves and the Green tint ! !

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Slowly I start to loosen the clumps of Leeks so they can be pulled, the dirt around the roots sticks and they are Heavy if you don't take the dirt off !

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Leeks, rather small but still delicious ate Raw, in a Sandwich or Soup or Stew of Pickled !

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My Honey filling the 5 gallon pails with Leeks we both are pulling and knocking the dirt off !

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Headed Home with all of our Treasure, there is still a lot of Leeks left as we didn't dig them all !

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Tops and bottoms cut and peeled, brought inside after washing off for final cleaning !

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This is some of what I separated, cleaned and cut from the 2- 5 gallon pails of leeks !

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Here we start the Hot Brine Pack of Leeks and start to can a few of these for later, nice being in our New (Old) House where we can do this !

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Was a Nice day, almost 65 degrees today !  

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Don't forget, Remember our Vets !