Well, Fall is about half over, and most of the leaves have changed from their summer outfit of green to their fall coat of many colors with many trees having shed that coat for winter nakedness. While that is true for most of the trees here in CT, I have the fortunate pleasure of having oak trees. My oak trees like to hang on to their leaves as if to laughingly say to Fall, "We are not going to bare it all for you!" They like to hang on to their leaves for as long as possible which they then just turn a yucky brown color as if to give Fall a taunt of 'No pretty Fall colors from us -- Na-Na-Na-Na-Na". It usually isn't until around Thanksgiving that the oak trees have to cry "Uncle", and Fall wins out. One would think the oaks would know by now that they never win. Silly oaks!!
So why am I telling you this, and what does it all mean? The short answer is so you'll feel sorry for me as I have to keep my fingers crossed that we don't have an early blanket of white before I get the opportunity to go outside in the cold November winds to rake up all my fallen leaves. (Okay, let's hear it ----- Ohhhh, poor Ron.) The long answer would be, well, too long so I will not tire you with it now. ( I will keep it as a possible blog entry for the future in case I happen to run out of blogging ideas.)
On a positive note concerning Fall chores (because after all - we are to accentuate the positive - eliminate the negative), I was able to clean out the garage last weekend (which you know if you have read my last blog). That means the cars can be put to bed inside - away from the overnight frost - and not be awakened prematurely in the morning to be defrosted.
Happy Fall, and God bless us everyone!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Farmer in the Dell
The mouse takes the cheese. The mouse takes the cheese. Hi-ho, the-derry-o. The mouse takes the cheese. (Yep, you know you were singing along, and now won't be able to get the tune out of your head. You're welcome.)
Actually, the mouse (or it could be mice) have taken a lot more than the cheese. For those of us who live in the colder climates, fall means field mice don't want to stay in the fields. They want to winter in the warmth of a garage or home. (Seeing as to how the mice can't be like what we Northerners call "snowbirds" who head south every winter, the mice have to make do with what they have and apparently a garage/home will do.)
I prefer the mice stay in their natural habitats and have therefore been on a weeks-long mission to catch the mouse/mice who have decided to winter in my garage. Tammy purchased for me four old fashioned mouse traps. I set three of them up with a nice morsel of cheese pressed onto the spring mechanism. I then snuggled in to bed with visions of "captured" mice dancing in my head. In the morning, I sprang to me feet and flew to the garage and what to my wondering eyes should appear but no mice --- and no cheese. Okay, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Apparently, I didn't put the cheese on well enough. So this time I smear the cheese in to the crevices of the spring mechanism. Wake up on day two. No mice -- no cheese. Day three, decided to try something a little different. Peanut butter. It's sticky and won't come off the spring mechanism so easily. Wake up. Not a lick of peanut butter left, nor a mouse to be found. Okay, how about some bread pressed into the crevices of the spring mechanism. Nope, they got that too.
To move things along, I will just list for you the smorgasbord I have shared with my garage mice -- pepperoni, apples, sunflower seeds, and mint dental floss (figured they might need to use some after all they had eaten). In all my endeavors, I have caught only two mice (No, Randi, I will not be posting pictures of them. So don't bother asking), but I know there must be more of them as the food keeps disappearing off the traps.
While cleaning the garage on Saturday, I found some old "sonic" pest noisemakers that are supposed to keep mice away. As a last resort (and the fact that I need to go grocery shopping), I plugged them in and am hoping the unbearable noise will make them leave my garage and begin their trek south for the winter allowing the cheese to stand alone. The good Lord knows I have provided them with enough nutrients to make the trip.
Actually, the mouse (or it could be mice) have taken a lot more than the cheese. For those of us who live in the colder climates, fall means field mice don't want to stay in the fields. They want to winter in the warmth of a garage or home. (Seeing as to how the mice can't be like what we Northerners call "snowbirds" who head south every winter, the mice have to make do with what they have and apparently a garage/home will do.)
I prefer the mice stay in their natural habitats and have therefore been on a weeks-long mission to catch the mouse/mice who have decided to winter in my garage. Tammy purchased for me four old fashioned mouse traps. I set three of them up with a nice morsel of cheese pressed onto the spring mechanism. I then snuggled in to bed with visions of "captured" mice dancing in my head. In the morning, I sprang to me feet and flew to the garage and what to my wondering eyes should appear but no mice --- and no cheese. Okay, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Apparently, I didn't put the cheese on well enough. So this time I smear the cheese in to the crevices of the spring mechanism. Wake up on day two. No mice -- no cheese. Day three, decided to try something a little different. Peanut butter. It's sticky and won't come off the spring mechanism so easily. Wake up. Not a lick of peanut butter left, nor a mouse to be found. Okay, how about some bread pressed into the crevices of the spring mechanism. Nope, they got that too.
To move things along, I will just list for you the smorgasbord I have shared with my garage mice -- pepperoni, apples, sunflower seeds, and mint dental floss (figured they might need to use some after all they had eaten). In all my endeavors, I have caught only two mice (No, Randi, I will not be posting pictures of them. So don't bother asking), but I know there must be more of them as the food keeps disappearing off the traps.
While cleaning the garage on Saturday, I found some old "sonic" pest noisemakers that are supposed to keep mice away. As a last resort (and the fact that I need to go grocery shopping), I plugged them in and am hoping the unbearable noise will make them leave my garage and begin their trek south for the winter allowing the cheese to stand alone. The good Lord knows I have provided them with enough nutrients to make the trip.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Apple Picking 2008
Well, you need not wait any longer. They are here. The much anticipated photos of our annual Columbus Day tradition. If you want to see them without comment, then just allow them to fade in and out for your viewing pleasure. If you would like some commentary on what you are seeing, then click on the photo and go to the Picasa site for some Ron Gangwerian comments.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
It's Official
Well, golden boy is no more. (Please no sympathy cards. I am having a hard enough time dealing with it.) The pool is officially closed as I just moments ago put the cover over it. Now begins the long, dreary, and dark winter months where we hold up in the house shivering because the cost of fuel oil is so much we keep the thermostat at around 64. (Just a heads up Rick -- we might be visiting you a lot so we can thaw out seeing as how you use wood.)
I would also like to make a disclaimer less sometime in the future a video pops up of me cutting my grass after I had blogged that I had cut it for the last time earlier. We have had a pretty wet summer and fall (17 inches of rain above normal so far) so the grass just keeps growing and growing. I will only comment at this point that I hope that I have cut my the grass for the last time.
Sometime this week we are going to go on our only real family tradition that we have kept year after year -- our annual family apple picking trip. We will pick several bags of various kinds of apples; come home and peel, core, and slice them; then make about 8 apple pies (we give away 6 of them usually to neighbors and friends -- if you don't get one then you know why now don't you), two apple crisps (given to Jaclyn's and Lizzy's teachers as a bribe for good grades and report card comments), and freeze the rest for use at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Blog you later.
I would also like to make a disclaimer less sometime in the future a video pops up of me cutting my grass after I had blogged that I had cut it for the last time earlier. We have had a pretty wet summer and fall (17 inches of rain above normal so far) so the grass just keeps growing and growing. I will only comment at this point that I hope that I have cut my the grass for the last time.
Sometime this week we are going to go on our only real family tradition that we have kept year after year -- our annual family apple picking trip. We will pick several bags of various kinds of apples; come home and peel, core, and slice them; then make about 8 apple pies (we give away 6 of them usually to neighbors and friends -- if you don't get one then you know why now don't you), two apple crisps (given to Jaclyn's and Lizzy's teachers as a bribe for good grades and report card comments), and freeze the rest for use at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Blog you later.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Ghost Writer
This week, Lizzy is taking responsibility for the blog. The opinions expressed are solely her's and not those of the other ctgangwers.
Well, I am writing this blog today because my dad is obviously too lazy to make one. Nothing of importance really happened this week as our homestead remains quite ordinary with no politically involved children, unless you want to count my government class as such. It has been a slow week,the highlight would most likely be last night(Friday the 3rd) as Jackie was at a concert & I was out at the mall with some friends.Tonight I believe my dad is making an appearance at his WIHS banquet without us because Jaclyn and I would rather not go. They, in my opinion, have food that is quite unappetizing, the music is droll, the speakers are usually quite good, but their messages are above my knowledge level. Those are about all the reasons we do not enjoy the event, besides the fact the hours seem to drone on. Well back to the actual blogging, I don't have a lot to say about anyone else because no one really talks to me that much so I guess that's about all I can come up with.
Well, I am writing this blog today because my dad is obviously too lazy to make one. Nothing of importance really happened this week as our homestead remains quite ordinary with no politically involved children, unless you want to count my government class as such. It has been a slow week,the highlight would most likely be last night(Friday the 3rd) as Jackie was at a concert & I was out at the mall with some friends.Tonight I believe my dad is making an appearance at his WIHS banquet without us because Jaclyn and I would rather not go. They, in my opinion, have food that is quite unappetizing, the music is droll, the speakers are usually quite good, but their messages are above my knowledge level. Those are about all the reasons we do not enjoy the event, besides the fact the hours seem to drone on. Well back to the actual blogging, I don't have a lot to say about anyone else because no one really talks to me that much so I guess that's about all I can come up with.
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