Musings...

Sunrise Park, a local park we visited recently. May 19th was my last blog? I didn't realize it was that long ago. I have a couple of posts in draft mode, but they aren't a happy light subject, so it's taking me longer to write and edit them. In the mean time, just so you don't think I've fallen off the face of the earth (at least, not yet) I better write something on here today. What's new, you ask? Hmmm... lets see, what's new.... Oh Yes. 15 % salary cut. Yup. Got the news Friday. Real thrilled. There goes the 'leeway'. On the other hand, we are grateful to still have a job. We hope this is just a short season, and that things will pick up again soon. Although in the steel fabrication business, it can take awhile for the actual work to funnel down after winning the bid on a quote. There are papers to sign,blueprints to draft, inventory lists, purchase orders, deliveries... but, you'd rather not hear about all that. Suffice it to say, it's likely gonna be a few months before we can see our old salary back. We hope. We had breakfast at Friendly's on Saturday morning, and we had an unexpected treat. There were 4 or 5 guys who were apparently part of an A Cappella group, and they quietly sung a neat 'restaurant' song about liking coffee and tea, about a waitress, - just a fun song. After they were finished, the whole restaurant clapped. It was great. The old timers there were smiling during the whole song. I smiled too, and got all teary eyed. (I cry at parades, fireworks, and horseshows too. I know. I'm weird. But, as I tell my hubby, it's in a good way. :0)) My husband comes from a singing family background, and this just reminded me of family, good times, and how far away everyone lives from us. And also, I appreciate that this type of singing is still around, and that it might not always be. Barbershop quartets are not as popular as they once were. Yet it requires such talent to harmonize with several others, all without the benefit of music. It sure was a treat. Below: Just above the red bobber is a blue dragonfly. The catbird has taken to singing daily from an ornamental evergreen right outside my livingroom window. He has such a funny repertoire of music and sounds. I really enjoy listening to him. The neighbor cat caught a chipmunk yesterday. I think it was a younger one, as he was quite small. We have several, and they hang out at the bird feeder daily. I felt badly for the chipmunk. I like the little critters, even though they built a nest in the motor of my van last fall. We know to check every once in a while now for that. Speakng of the van, our lovely 1997 plymouth voyager - which, btw, has terrible ratings, lol, - just had a complete brake job done by my honey. He bought the manual several years ago, and whenever he can, does what needs to be done. Saves us a lot of money, especially here in CT, where labor is very high. Seems to be working better, anyway. Brakes went out twice on me in the last year or two - very scary when that happens. God sure protected me both times. It's a good thing I'm not a fast or 'sketchy' driver. I like to brake early, and give myself lots of room between vehicles. I'm just not in that big of a hurry any more. I used to be, when I was younger. It was all about how fast you could get from A to B. A lot of people here are in a hurry all the time, and they let you know, by horns or those not so nice hand signals. Don't those people realize that there could be something in the road ahead of me, that they can't see? Or that I might have a reason for not zipping in and out around turning cars? That I don't HAVE to turn right on red if I don't want to? Sure can upset one's day getting ripped by another driver when you really did nothing wrong at all. Ok. Don't get me started on that. Happy thoughts...happy thoughts... 

I bought basil today. Plus another 4 plants. Bad girl, I know. I was done for the summer. But, when I went for the basil, the lantana, lobelia, and million bells just called out to me. I did manage to ignore the vast majority of flowers in the greenhouse, but it was hard. I did one more flower box, and it looks good. 

I want to attract hummingbird moths again this year. They are so neat. If you've never heard of them, look them up. They are like tiny hummingbirds, but really a moth. Their wings really do move that fast. I have my hummingbird feeder up now, since that one looked in the dining room window at me as if to say - 'where's my dinner?!' I now have 2 pairs at least that visit several times a day. I bought an oriole feeder, my first, but haven't got it up yet. I saw 2 Baltimore Orioles last week just down the road, so perhaps I can entice one to my feeder. 

The crow continues to eat the suet out of my suet feeder. I've just about given up on having it down in the lawn. I usually have it hanging off the deck, but wanted for the summer to have all feeders down in the lawn. Less bird doo-doo on the deck. Oh well. This crazy (smart) crow jumps up about 4 feet and grabs a chunk of suet with his beak out of the suet cage . Until it is empty. My poor woodpeckers. I have several pairs of downys, hairys, and red bellieds that come daily to an almost empty feeder. They are not happy. And momma ain't happy either. Guess I'm going to have to bring it back up after all.