A Summer Day With Jack

Jack with a fresh new haircut and a lost front tooth

Yesterday our daughter needed us to watch our grandson Jack for the day.  Jack will be seven in a couple weeks.  He came with his eyes glued to his Samsung tablet.  I was trying to figure out how to limit his screen time, but I think his parents were way ahead of me.  Within a short time, he came to me asking for a charger.  His tablet needed charging.  I told him we only have Apple products and those chargers won't work on his tablet.  He accepted it well, and so our day began.

Today my husband posted this on Facebook.

This is exactly what we did.  We did a bunch of ordinary things with him.  First of all Jack and I did a little cleaning up and vacuuming.  Then we went around and looked at the birdhouses and talked about the bluebirds and the orioles that were coming in large numbers to eat the grape jelly we put out.  Next we checked the hanging baskets, and Jack picked a ripe cherry tomato and popped it in his mouth.  He told us that 7 times 8 is 56 and that any number divided by its self is one.  These were taught to him by his brother Sam.  So we asked him if he knew that any number times 0 equals 0.  He was going to see if his brother knew that.

After a while it was time to help papa.  We had two dehumidifiers that would frost up and another that didn't work at all.  They were all old and were not energy efficient.  They were just sitting in our storeroom.  It was Jack and papa's job to bring them out to the garage and take them apart so the part with the cooling freon could be taken to the recycler.

Jack needed help getting them up the steps from the basement, but after they got to the top, it was free sailing for him.

We found Jack some safety glasses and a carpenter apron.  Then they started taking apart the dehumidifiers.  They would take the screws out, and Jack would put them in his apron pocket to keep them from falling on the garage floor.

Despite the best efforts to keep the screws from falling on the floor, one escaped.  That is where the big magnet with a handle came in handy.  Jack really liked using that.  He found the missing screw and then proceeded to see what else it would stick to.

He discovered a contraption in our garage that he wasn't sure what it was.  Papa told him it was for crushing aluminum cans.  Jack came running into the house to ask me if we had any cans to crush.  We don't drink much soda, but I found a couple for him to crush.  I think this was better than an expensive toy.  He was sorry we didn't have more cans to crush.

After lunch and some snacks, it was almost time for mom to come.  Imagine how excited she was when he wanted to bring home a souvenir from the day.  It was a fan from inside one of the dehumidifiers.

He had big plans for the fan.  He did a few experiments during the afternoon.  One of them included a control knob and the crushed soda cans.  He would spin the fan by hand until the can flew off.

The next adventure of the day was driving to a nearby city to see his sister play softball.  I went along because I don't get to many games.  In fact, this was the first one this season.  Papa stayed home with great grandpa so I could go.  Jack gets a little bored with the games, but he really liked playing on the playground adjacent to the ball diamond.

Our granddaughter Melissa also gets a little bored with the games.  She likes being on the team, but she will never be a dedicated star athlete.  She isn't the least bit competitive.

Melissa would rather be performing in plays.  Here she is as the Wicked Witch in Snow White.  She really does look angry because Snow White was the fairest of them all.

I wasn't able to see Sam yesterday.  Sam, Melissa's and Jack's brother, was with his dad.  They had a very hard day.  One of Sam's teammates from his football team was tragically killed in a ATV accident.  The whole team went to the funeral home visitation.  This is the first death experience for many of the boys and being it was a friend made it very very difficult.  I am very proud of them for being able to do such a hard thing.  I'm not sure I could have gone through with it at age ten or eleven.

So as my husband's posting says, we tasted the tomatoes, we cried at death and we made an ordinary day into to something special to remember.  I think Jack enjoyed it too.

My Bunn Coffeemaker

I love to drink coffee.  Not the strong fancy coffee, but the common ordinary coffee you make at home.  It is the first thing I do in the morning. As soon as I get up, I make a pot of coffee.   I used to buy less expensive Mr. Coffee type coffeemakers.  They would last a year or two, quit working and I would go get another.  Then 13 or 14 years ago, I received a Bunn coffeemaker for Christmas.  My sister had one at the time, and I loved it.  The best part is that you can make a pot of coffee in three minutes.  I used that coffeemaker everyday for all those years.  For the past few years it leaked onto the counter.  I didn't care.  It made coffee in three minutes, and I could easily wipe up the counter.

My old friend coffee pot.

Then recently I decided I should really buy a new one.  We shopped around and found a pretty good deal although they are somewhat expensive.  I don't like it as well as my old one because it is louder. When the water heats, it is very loud.   It does brew the coffee equally as well as the old one and I do like the new coffee pot design and best of all, it doesn't leak.

New machine that looks nearly the same.

Of course being the frugal person that I am, I decided to take the old coffee maker apart to see what was wrong.  I found a gasket that had deteriorated.  I put it in an envelope.  I was going to check at the hardware store to see if I could find a similar type gasket.  Then I got the bright idea to email the BUNN company to see where I could purchase this part.  Within two hours they emailed me back.  They said they would send me a repair kit with instructions at no cost to me.  I thought that was really good customer service, and I had nothing to lose.  Two days later the part arrived.  It took five minutes to install and to put the machine back together.  I set it up and it doesn't leak at all and makes wonderful coffee.  I wish I would have thought to email them years ago.  I can't return the new one because there is nothing wrong with it and I threw away the packaging.  I will keep the old coffeemaker.  I will put it in our camper and if we ever go camping, I will have my favorite coffee. 

I moral to this story is that it doesn't hurt to ask.  With email it makes the job even easier.  So next time you have a broken appliance, see if there is an easy fix.  I really am pleased with the BUNN corporation and their customer service.

Angel Number 600 Suggests That All Is Well In My World

This is my 600th blog post.  It is hard to believe I have written about that many topics.  When a friend encouraged me to do this and actually signed me up with Blogger, I couldn't think of one thing to write about.  I still struggle from time to time with subject matter, but then some little thing will spark an idea.  Some of the topics are of no interest to anyone and some topics spark a lot of conversation. 

I decided to look up the number 600 to see if it has any significance in the universe.  This is what I found.

Angel Number 600 suggests that all is well in your world.

And so for today, that is a true statement.  All is well in my world, or at least good enough.  My heart breaks for so many others who are struggling with tragedy and illness.  May they find peace.

Besides my family and friends being part of my wellness with the world, so are (of all things), our resident bluebirds.  Anyone who has read my stories will know about my struggle between the House Wren and the Eastern Bluebird.  Earlier this Spring I wrote about the thrill of seeing a pair of bluebirds inspecting the birdhouses.  Then later how they built a nest and the female laying five eggs.  I was so happy until I witnessed a house wren destroying three of the eggs by piercing them and throwing them to the ground.   Two of the eggs remained, but they never hatched.

I was sure that was going to be our only chance to have nesting bluebirds this summer.  I cleaned out the nest and the two unhatched eggs.  Within a few days, the pair of bluebirds were back.  Almost immediately they began making a new nest in the same house.

The bluebird collecting nesting material.

After the first egg appeared, we put on a new improved wren guard.  The old guard only partially covered the entrance hole.  I was under the assumption that the birds needed to see some of the hole.  We decided to extend the guard so none of the hole could be seen from the front, and then the house wren couldn't easily dive in and out.  With one egg in the nest, we figured the mama bluebird would figure out how to get in and out to protect the existing egg and hopefully lay more.

That was three weeks ago.  About a week ago  I checked the nest, there were five perfectly arranged eggs.  The parents have been very protective and yesterday I heard tiny tweets coming from the house.  The bluebirds have been in and out with food.  We decided it was time to take the wren guard off.  In the nest were newly hatched baby bluebirds.  As they grow the birds will have to be able to see the world outside and eventually leave the nest.  The wren guard worked this time.  Hopefully we will be successful again next summer.

2-3 day old Bluebird babies in the nest after the guard was removed.

We sat outside a while today just enjoying the day.

At one point we even had a visitor.

Cedar Waxwings

These early days of June are some of my favorite days.  The temperature is perfect in Wisconsin and there is a lot of wildlife activity to observe in our area.  I have posted some similar cedar waxwing photos on my Facebook page, but I also want to share them with my other readers.

One of my favorite times is when the Cedar Waxwings come in to eat the berries off our Serviceberry tree.  Serviceberry trees attract all kinds of birds.  Besides the cedar waxwings, the orioles and cardinals enjoy the berries. The waxwings love crab apples too, so keep an eye out.  Sometimes these beautiful birds come in large flocks to eat the dried up crab apples.

This Cedar Waxwing found a ripe serviceberry.  Notice the beautiful markings on this bird.

Serviceberries (also called June berries)  look like a blueberry.  Some say they taste a little like them too.  I have never tried them. The birds eat them before they are totally ripe.  I like the tree but it only looks nice for a short time.  The blossoms are pretty in the spring and the berries are nice, but by the middle of summer the leaves start to turn brown and they fall from the tree earlier than most of our trees.  I don't know if the tree does this in other locations.  The one in our yard seems to be very sensitive to heat and moisture, probably because of the sandy soil which doesn't hold moisture.

Painted Lady Butterflies

Some time in late April our daughter went to pick up our grandson from 4K.  They had a class project going on which looked like a lot of fun.  They wanted to try this project at home.  She got the information and placed an order from http://www.insectlore.com/.  In a short amount of time the package arrived.  It was a batch of small caterpillars.  These caterpillars came in a container containing food and a net called a live butterfly pavilion.  The caterpillars were quite small but grew very fast.

The caterpillars after a week or so.

It only took around ten days before the caterpillars began to form their chrysalis.

The beginning of the chrysalis process.

Here the chrysalis's are formed.  It only took 1 1/2 hours for the entire process.

After the chrysalis's are formed they are transferred to their pavilion home.  After they hatch into butterflies  they will be contained in the pavilion habitat until they are ready to be set free. 

After another ten days the hatching process began.  One by one the butterflies emerged.

When they all hatched, it was time to set them free.  They took the habitat outside and Ewan unzipped the netting.

The butterflies weren't that eager to leave.  Some spent time sitting on Ewan's finger and others sat in the trees and on the grass.

These butterflies are called Painted Lady butterflies.  The entire metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly only took about three weeks.  It was a great learning activity for the whole family.  Some of the butterflies stayed in the area for a few days, but then they were off to start their life cycle again.

A Painted Lady butterfly about to be set free.

Our New Supply of Compost is Coming In Handy

Every year we struggle with our yard.  The soil is so sandy that it doesn't hold enough moisture and nutrients.  It is green in the Spring, but soon only the weeds survive.  It means we don't have to mow as often as many other people but that is the only advantage.  I won't use chemicals and tons of water on the yard, so that is the way it is.  Next to our sidewalk, near the front porch, the grass does not survive the winter and the soil somehow erodes away.  My husband usually takes some our our good compost mixed with some top soil, and fills in the space.  Then he puts down grass seed.  We water it often and eventually get some decent grass in that area.  At least it looks nice for most of the summer.

We are always making compost.  We have two compost bins.  One is an active section and one just sits until the compost is ready.  Last week my husband cleaned out the left side of the picture.  The right section will now become the inactive section and the empty section on the left will get the new scraps.  We put almost everything in the compost except meat and things that don't decompose.  Some shredded paper and peelings go into the worm farm but most end up in the compost bin.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/05/a-return-visit-to-worm-farm.html

This is the compost we get.  It takes several years to get this beautiful dirt.

It is a good thing we have a fresh batch of compost.  We definitely need it.  As I mentioned we plant grass seed next to our front sidewalk near the porch.  It has been growing great and was almost ready to mow.  Now we have to start all over again.  When I went outside this morning, this is what I saw.

A snapping turtle had piled up all the new grass and dug down into the soil to lay some eggs.

I thought she was dead.

She was fine and here she is leaving the scene of the crime.

Either this turtle or another had already dug up another area of the yard to lay eggs.  Then, as usual, a raccoon came along and dug them all up.  It is amazing we get any baby turtles.  I guess they lay so many eggs because they know that most of them won't make it.  I have written about this subject for years.  Here is one blog from a couple years ago  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/06/turtles-are-finally-laying-their-eggs.html

The raccoon really dug up the yard searching for turtle eggs.

This happens every year so we as humans have to learn from it.  We need to be patient and plant new grass seed after the turtles are finished and not before.

Mother Deer and Her Fawn

It is finally nice enough for my 90 year old dad to sit out on the screened porch.  He spends most of the day out there listening to his books or just listening to sounds of nature.  Between the frogs and birds there is always something going on.  Every now and then I go out to see if he needs anything like coffee or a snack.  I usually sit for a short time to tell him about the bluebirds or any other activity I have noticed.  I tell him about what animals appeared on the trail camera during the previous twenty four hours.  Last night we had some rambunctious raccoons, a fox, a lot of squirrels and birds and one solitary deer.  We were talking about the deer and how we should be seeing some fawns soon.  As we were talking, I heard splashing in the water.  I thought it was a duck scurrying her babies to safety, but I got out of the chair to check.   Right below the deck in the reeds I saw a deer.  She was splashing as she walked through the shallow water.  As I looked closer, I saw she had a fawn.  I ran for the camera just as she was trying to cross the water.  She was able to jump across but I worried that that baby would drown.  It didn't, it swam.  The little fawn swam to the other side.  I was able to capture a couple pictures, but I wish I would have seen them earlier.  You may have to look closely to see the fawn because she is still very small.

A few days later it was raining.  My husband called me into the dining room to look out the window.  There was another mama deer but this one had twin fawns.  They were chasing and playing, and weren't paying any attention to the rain.  It was such a wonderful experience to see.

My Experience Making Bridget's Cradles

About six weeks ago I saw a television piece that got my attention.  It was about knitting small cradles for families who have lost babies between 14-26 weeks gestation.  Many of these women want to hold their babies but because they are so small and fragile, it is very difficult to wrap them in a blanket.  These knit or crocheted cradles make it easier.  http://wbay.com/2015/04/23/woman-knits-special-cradles-for-stillborn-babies/

I contacted the Bridget's Cradles website and applied.  Soon I received the specific instructions and the acceptable yarns to use.  I bought pink, blue and yellow yarn and began making them.  I reacted to doing this in a very unexpected way.  I had a very hard time at first.  As I was knitting all I could think about is that some day a dead baby would be laying in the cradle.  The first night I even dreamt about babies who have died.  I miscarried my first child, but I don't think that was the reason this was so hard for me.  I think it was just the upsetting idea of why these cradles are important.  I almost didn't continue and took a short break.  Then I got an email from them thanking me for doing this.  It is getting a little easier because I know it is helping families during a very difficult time.  I am almost ready to mail my first batch.  I will continue for a while.  There are no expectations as to the number of cradles, so I will make as many as I am comfortable with.

Each set consists of the cradle, a small prayer square and a tapered blanket.

The cradle is to hold the baby.  The blanket is for inside the cradle to cover the baby and the prayer square is for the family to keep as a keepsake knowing it touched their child.  Prayer squares are also given to those who lost their child in the 1st trimester.

I crocheted some and knit some in different pattern stitches.

If anyone else is interested in doing this, either search Bridget's Cradles on Facebook or go to their website http://www.bridgetscradles.com

Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole

It has been quite some time since I posted a Tuesday recipe.  The reason is partly due to laziness and the other is my recipes were getting very boring.  This recipe itself isn't that interesting either, but the way and ease of preparation works out great.  I like not having to pre-cook the pasta.  This recipe is also fairly low in calories

Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole

1 box whole grain rotini pasta (uncooked but rinsed)
1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup pepperoni
1 small can sliced black olives
1 jar (16-24 oz.) pizza sauce or pasta sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray or use a slow cooker liner.
Brown the ground turkey with the onion, garlic and green pepper.
Rinse the pasta and place it in the slow cooker.  Stir in the browned ground turkey, sliced black olives, and pepperoni.  Pour on the pasta sauce mixed with 1/2 cup water.  Stir again to mix well.
Top with the mozzarella cheese.  Cover and cook on low for four hours (don't peek).

Growing a Cucumber Plant in a Hanging Basket

I am guardedly declaring that I can feel summer in the air.  Today is in the 80's and even though the weekend will bring cooler temperatures, the long range forecast looks good.  I feel so bad for the people who are having flooding and tornadoes.  It must be a very difficult time for many.

I have mentioned that I am not a vegetable gardener.  We have lousy sandy soil and don't have the love for gardening to work on conditioning it.  I tried the lasagna garden where you put cardboard over the sod and add organic material in layers.  If you search "lasagna garden", you can learn all about it.  It's a great idea and it worked in the past, but now it sits unused.  The trees have grown, and we really don't have a place sunny enough to grow anything.  The only sunny place is in the middle of the yard.  We considered the hay bale gardening but my husband didn't want all those bales sitting in the middle of the yard.  We had given up growing our own fresh vegetables.  Our daughter has a big garden, and we do have access to whatever produce we want.

Then while out shopping for flowers, we saw a sign on the highway.  It said perennials and hanging baskets for sale.  We stopped and there was an aged hippie type fellow watering his plants.  He had a variety of interesting legal plants as opposed to the illegal plants he probably grew in his younger days.  Of course, I have no proof of this.  One of the first things I noticed was a hanging basket of cucumbers.  He said that was his own creation, and it is the perfect way to grow cucumbers.  I never saw that method before, so I bought a basket.  There were small cucumbers already forming on the plants.  We also bought a cherry tomato basket.  We brought them home, and my husband constructed a pole in full sun to hang the plants on.  We will use it for birdfeeders this winter.

We have a cherry tomato plant, two peppers and the cucumber basket.  It will be interesting to see if they continue to produce.  If so, that's my kind of gardening.

This variety is called Eureka.  It is a small cucumber perfect for the basket.

I picked three today.  They only get 4 inches long.

This is a cherry tomato plant.  It is loaded with blossoms and green tomatoes.