Spoiled food

No, I'm not talking about food that is unfit to eat - I'm talking about spoiled chickens - (also know by their names - Chip and Dale.) They are our Dark Cornish Bantams, Chip is the girl and Dale is the boy.

I am waiting for my pre-fab chicken coop to arrive so I can get our spoiled bantams out of the house. Here is a picture of the coop I am getting - It is sold online for almost $500 but thanks to a fellow BYC member I am not paying anywhere even close to that!

Chip and Dale have spent so much time around us they have become "pets" and spend their nights in a brooder under the kitchen table and during the day they have the run of our deck. They are very heavy footed and sound like mini T-Rex dinosaurs running to and fro. We have had a lot of rain here in the North East the past month so on several occasions the birds get a good towel drying and lots of snuggling before they get tucked in for the night.

I am also ready for them to get moved off the deck as they have discovered my patio garden and like the rest of us really enjoy the taste of jalapenos much to my dismay! Here they are hanging out with the family during one of our brief sunny moments recently.



Here are some pictures of our other chickens - I can't wait until they start earning their keep and laying some eggs - our mature chickens have been going through their molt which has really slowed down our egg production. So far everyone has been getting along while free ranging around the property and hopefully there are enough girls that the 2 roosters will get along.



Here are our favorite chickens - Our Silkie rooster "Sokka" and our Polish hens "Shiloh" on right and "Edwina" on left.


Alex and I also took the time to bury the ashes of our cat "Britney" who died during the late winter months. As everyone knows I am not a cat person but this was the first animal I ever bought for Rebecca and she was a great pet over the years. Alex really loved her and after we buried her ashes he took the time to make a simple memorial for her and my son's kindness really touched my heart.

The Miracle of Life

We were excited to find a birds nest under the deck this spring and it was full of babies. We are unsure what kind of birds they were but the nest was similar to the style of a barn swallow. We have been having a lot of crazy rain storms here and were sad to find the nest and all its babies scattered on the ground one morning. I did my best to reassemble the nest and tuck everyone into a safe spot but the parents never returned.

Several days later I noticed a new nest being built on the main beam under the deck and it turned out to be a robins nest. With all of our outdoor activity I was unsure if they would stick around - surprisingly they finished the nest and laid 3 pretty blue eggs. I checked in on them last week and all 3 eggs had hatched. Today I decided to take a couple pictures of the babies and was amazed at how quickly they had grown. Mom and Dad robin kept a close eye on me during my visit but have become use to us and don't seem to scared when we are enjoying the back yard with them. Watching the chickens we have raised grow up has been fun but there is something about watching a wild animal raise its offspring and survive the elements that readily reminds us how awesome God is! Here are some pictures of the family under the deck. The last picture is the daddy bird sitting on the kids swing set and the momma bird is the blur of wing beats as she flies off the plant post towards the right side of the picture. Just click on the picture to get a better view.

Meat, Metal & Fire!!!!!!

Tonight I finally had a chance to spend some time with the family thanks to a job cancellation and after a yummy dinner I cashed in my Fathers Day IOU! I've been looking around for a good deal as we wanted to pay cash and I found exactly what I was looking for at the house of Joey Logano - good ol' Home Depot! Here are some pictures of my new pride and joy, now I wish I had skipped dinner so I could test it out - as Annie sang - "Tomorrow, Tomorrow - I Love You Tomorrow, Your Only a Day Away" !

TRAPPED!

Unlike the song by Aerosmith there was no Love in the elevator! Yesterday while working in Boston, Massachusetts me, two of my co-workers and one poor stranger got stuck in an elevator!

Now I found the situation rather humorous and was having a great time joking around much to the amusement of my coworkers - that is until I saw the panic on the strangers face when I joked that the elevator mechanic was on the bottom of the shaft with large bolt cutters trying to cut the main cable in order to get us down - you know like the ride at the amusement parks!
After apologizing to the poor gentleman we all talked calmly while waiting for the elevator to get fixed. After quite some time they re energized the car and it moved up - unfortunately it was only about 3 feet.
Thankfully myself and my coworkers had our tool bags and with the approval of the elevator repair man we pried the elevator doors open. Once they were open we were able to squeeze the actuator for the floor level doors. To all of our surprise they actually opened! We were all able to pass our tool and computer bags up through the opening and then one by one we squeezed our way out. After giving the emergency crew our information we were able to proceed into the elevator on the other side of the wing! Thankfully this one took us to ground level without any further incidents. The people waiting on the ground level looked confused when I threw myself onto the ground and kissed it passionately (OK so there was love outside the elevator!)

Needless to say it was an exciting experience and the best part was I was getting paid through the entire ordeal and with the exception of the stranger I was in good company. I guess it is one more strange experience I can check off my list! Oh and I want to know why there wasn't an escape/service hatch like there is in all the elevators from the movies!

When did she grow up?

Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was holding my little baby girl for the first time. Now here she is entering into her 11th year of life. Boy does time fly! In the past 11 years I have shared some great moments with my daughter that I will hold dear until the day I die.

Ariel,

You are a special girl and a blessing to me and your Mother (and believe it or not - to Alex also.) I am thankful that we have a lot in common and that you share my love of the great outdoors. We have had some great times fishing from shore, in the boat, and on the ice - as well as time spent together in the woods hunting. I look forward to watching you grow up despite the fact I wish you would always be a cute little girl! You will always be my "Bubbies" - I love you very much.

Happy Birthday.

Here are some of my favorite Pictures of Ariel from the past several years.

Eggs with a Bite!

The other day I was on my home and as I was going up the hill something caught my eye. It had rained just a little bit so what caught my eye was the shine a deep dark color of a large turtle. Now it is our family tradition saving turtles every year and even though this one was no longer in the road I wanted to make sure it was not hurt and I was curious about what kind of turtle it was.

Much to my surprise it was a large female snapping turtle and she wasn't hurt she was laying a clutch of eggs in the sandy hill top. I noticed several other areas that appeared to have been dug up and patted back down so I am assuming that it is a seasonal breeding ground for the local snapping turtle population.

I wear a size 11 and 1/2 boot so you can get an idea of how big she really is! I also moved her off the hole so I could get a good picture of all the eggs. When I was done I moved her back over the hole and she resumed laying. I also returned later that night and verified that she had covered the nest. I marked the spot and I am hoping to catch some of the babies when they hatch out of the nest but it will be purely luck to time it right as the hatch date will vary a day or two.

Men of Honor - Fathers Day

Father's Day is one of the days that I find myself reflecting on the men who have helped mold me into the man I am today. Especially my Father but also those who are close to me and my family. Here is my chance to say "Thank You" to those men - Chuck - I will always consider you my father - not just one through marriage, My brother Stephen - I am thankful that although you are on the other side of the country you are still part of my life, Roger - you have impressed me in more ways than you can imagine and I feel like you have always been a part of our life, Luke - you are my brother, my friend, and someone I look up to (even though you may be younger). I am also grateful for the memories I have of Boppy (Fred). He was a man who accepted me into the family and made our family feel "whole" when he and Nina moved back to New England from North Carolina. I am thankful that my children got to know him as well as they did and that they will always have memories of the times we spent together. I am also Blessed with two wonderful children who not only honor me on this day but so many others throughout the entire year. I hope that the life lessons I have learned from the men mentioned above will make me into the Father that will not only make my children proud but will also mold them into the person I strive to be.

Fathers are Wonderful People

Fathers are wonderful people

Too little understood,

And we do not sing their praises

As often as we should...

For, somehow, Father seems to be

The man who pays the bills,

While Mother binds up little hurts

And nurses all our ills...

And Father struggles daily

To live up to "HIS IMAGE"

As protector and provider

And "hero or the scrimmage"...

And perhaps that is the reason

We sometimes get the notion,

That Fathers are not subject

To the thing we call emotion,

But if you look inside Dad's heart,

Where no one else can see

You'll find he's sentimental

And as "soft" as he can be...

But he's so busy every day

In the grueling race of life,

He leaves the sentimental stuff

To his partner and his wife...

But Fathers are just WONDERFUL

In a million different ways,

And they merit loving compliments

And accolade of praise,

For the only reason Dad aspires

To fortune and success

Is to make the family proud of him

And to bring them happiness...

And like OUR HEAVENLY FATHER,

He's a guardian and a guide,

Someone that we can count on

To be ALWAYS ON OUR SIDE.

Helen Steiner Rice

Father's Day

Over the years

As we grow old,

We remember our father

So brave and bold.

In the garden,

Leaning on the plow,

He would listen to me;

I see him now.

He would give advice

And understand;

He was always there

To lend a hand.

God made fathers

Strong and firm,

For he knew our lives

Would have great concerns.

So he gave us fathers

To teach us to pray,

And guide our lives,

And show us the way.

So on his day

Let's take the time

To say "Thanks, dad.

I'm glad you're mine."

Mary Frances Bogle

Life after Death.....

Okay - so maybe I am being a tad bit dramatic but it makes for a compelling story. I have been inattentive to my blog for several reasons but this story is about my main excuse. Two weeks ago I ended up working in at least 1 hospital a day throughout the entire week - I love my job but I HATE working in hospitals. On Friday of that week I noticed the other side of the door I was working next to all day was the Infectious Disease Ward - Great! Throughout each day I constantly washed up and I carry a tube of alcohol based sanitizer so I was praying it would all be okay.

Thankfully I woke up Saturday morning and despite feeling the effects of allergy season I was able to do my weekend chores and enjoy the day with my family and dinner with our karate club members. Sunday started out well but by dinner time reality had begun to set in. It wasn't allergies I was getting sick.

By Sunday night I had a bad fever and Rebecca was dreading the thought of being in the same room as me. I came to the conclusion that I had the flu - I decided that since I probably picked it up while working in one of the hospitals there was no way I was going back unless it was a life or death situation. I ended up taking the week off from work as I had a fever on and off over a 4 day period. I think that I might have either cooked a few brain cells or I had the much publicized "Swine Flu" because there were several occasions that I swear my sweat smelled like smoked bacon - and despite my miserable condition I was in the mood for a good Southern down home Pig pickin' - (aka... Pig roast.)

Thankfully after a week of being quarantined to my room I am healthy and back to normal. I have several different things I want to post so as long a work cooperates I will be keeping everyone entertained with family updates, nature pictures, and random rambling. So for now I am back and the Grim Reaper will need to find work somewhere else and while he is waiting may I suggest a nice Pulled Pork sandwich with some vinegar slaw and a nice tall glass of sweet tea!

Family Visit = FUN!

My brother Stephen and his family made the trip from out west to New England last week for a family vacation. My brother and I had the chance to spend a few days together when our Grandmother passed away but other than that, we have only been able to keep in touch via telephone and computer correspondence the past 10 years. When they moved, other than my nephew, the children were too young to remember each other so this was a great chance for us all to get to know each other again. Everyone stayed at my house the first week they were here and every morning my brother and Alex got up at the crack of dawn to spoil us all with fresh Dunkin' Donuts - needless to say my pants are a little tighter this morning! We made a trip one day to Yankee Candle Village and the next to Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration. We ate like kings and queens - one night we had Mona's Pizza, I spoiled everyone the next night with my home made baby back pork ribs and my Brother treated us all to a great meal at the Steak Loft Restaurant during our day trip to Mystic. It was great spending time with my brother, his lovely wife and all three quickly growing up kids! I hope to get a chance to spend more time with them after work this week while they are staying with our Mom and wished I had another week of vacation available. I miss having family around and now that I am a grown man ( yet not quite an adult!) I realize that I have a lot in common with my brother and feel as close to him as ever. Probably because our age difference isn't evident any more like it was as kids. It was entertaining watching from a distance as my nephew spend time with Alex, the memories of me spending time with him at that age came flooding back. I hope and pray that some day we will all live closer together but till then I think regular vacations/visits with each other will become one of our goals in life.

The Girls

The Boys

The Whole Crew

The Kids (minus Ben as he was still in route)

A taste of summer

Yesterday I went down to the shore to help out a close friend/family member ( long story short - I consider him family and have always thought of him as my cousin due to our family ties) with installing a few marine electronics and wiring in his boat. When we were done it was such a beautiful day we decided to head out into the open water and do a little fishing despite it being the wrong part of the tide cycle for optimal fish catching.

On our first pass I picked up a nice striped bass which ended up being a keeper. A short time later I hooked into an even nicer fish but due to the rough surf I had a hard time keeping my balance while keeping my line nice and tight so despite fighting it to within a few yards of the boat I never landed it. It was a great afternoon on the water and despite being a little rough thanks to my wrist bands I was able to spend a day on the water and enjoy my first taste of summer - and an awesome Italian Cold Cut Grinder without any effects of motion sickness. I look forward to many more trips out in Rick's boat and watching the kids experience the trill of catching some big Stripers and Blues! Till then I will savor a few fresh fish dinners!