The basement...a room with a view...

...even though it's mostly underground.

I mentioned that the basement ceiling was finished last week. Well, Terry has moved a goodly portion of her “office” stuff down there and set herself up in the corner. She’s got a phone extension, a filing cabinet, two desks, a printer, her laptop, and a copy machine down there. She’s all set for when she has Smocking Arts Guild of America business to attend to. As for stitching, she still has her “little” sewing room. (One of the two first floor bedrooms.)

Actually, the basement will be a cool place (literally) to hang out when/if the temperature gets up to 90 degrees or so this summer. (It did get above 80 today, but it's only going to be in the low/mid 60s tomorrow.) There’s a love seat, a TV and a small beverage fridge down there. You’ve even got a bathroom so you don’t need to climb stairs when nature calls. In the winter, there’s the woodstove and ceiling fan to circulate heat and the radiant floor heating if you don’t want to bother with the fire.

Terry’s corner office:


Further down the wall….

…there’s a hutch, a banker’s desk that needs refinishing but that is just huge. Don’t know what we’ll do with the deacons’ bench yet.

On the other side of the basement…

…there’s a TV and mini fridge. A love seat, wood stove and, for the time being, lots of boxes and a ladder and saw horses.

The wall divider on the office side consists of…

…an armoire, a chest-on-chest, and a dresser. There’s lots of storage space in there.

On the TV side of the divider, we have…

…two large bookcases and the love seat. (The planer and the shop vac—like the ladder and saw horses—need to be put away.)

Well, obviously there’s still work to be done and on the next rainy day I just might get around to some of it.

A day at the Aerie

I mentioned yesterday that I’ve been having a tough time sleeping. Actually, I’m getting about 7 hours of sleep it’s just that I’m starting too damn early. Last night I hit the sack about 9 PM and was awake at 4 AM. Do the math. That’s 7 hours of sleep.

Obviously my circadian clock is all screwed up and I’m going to have to do something to straighten it out. I’ll probably resort to a couple of fingers of Glenlivet over ice about 9 PM tonight and, by slowly sipping that 15-year-old Scotch I’ll be ready for the sack about 10 PM. Even if it doesn’t work and I still wake up early, I’ll at least have enjoyed my nightcap.

So what did I do this morning? Well, it’s true that I first woke up at 4 AM and tried to go back to sleep after a visit to the bathroom. When that didn’t work out (getting back to sleep), and Chester started to howl outside the door (Can cats “howl”?), I went downstairs and fed the cats, and the birds, and made myself a cup of coffee. Then I sat down and fired up the ole laptop and started surfing the net. Of course, much of what was new was posted late last night except for the news. And, being as it was Sunday night, there wasn’t much new.

I sat and listened to the birds and watched the sun come up. And while it rose, I thought of all those men and women who have died in service to our great country and who did not get to see as many sunrises as they should have. I said a silent prayer for them and their families and said thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice so the USA could continue to be the envy of the world.

Terry finally came downstairs around 7 AM and did her thing with tea and TV. We had some breakfast (Cheerios for me, Special K for her) and then we went down to Agway for some more bird feed (they’re going through 50 pounds of black oil sunflower seeds in two weeks, which is better than back in February when it was 50 pounds in a week to 10 days), a rose bush and a pot for some Coral Bells Terry bought last week for the front door.

We got back to the Aerie around 11:30 AM (we took the scenic route home) and the cats wanted to be fed again. Hey, why not. They got breakfast at 5 AM and their tummies have a schedule.

I went out to move some more soil about and plant some bulbs/corms for some Liatris I picked up from Agway. Terry grilled some burgers for our lunch and then came outside to repot her Coral Bells and plant her rose bush. I helped dig the rose bush hole in the rocky fill we have and moved some more dirt from the rapidly shrinking pile in front of the house. When I got to 10 or so wheelbarrow loads I called it quits for the day. I’ve about 10 more loads to move but I’m running out of places to put it. I want to have some of it retrievable for when we decided to put in another bed or two. I’ve already filled the areas behind the retaining walls, the raised bed in front and a makeshift bed beyond the bird feeders. I’ve also put quite a bit in the “compost” bin. (In reality, the compost bin is a couple of logs forming a U into which I’ve dumped grass clippings, sawdust, some vegetable peelings, etc. and about a dozen wheelbarrows of soil.) I’ll probably use what soil that’s left as top dressing. I’ll first rake up what stones have popped to the surface on our “lawn”, broadcast the soil with the shovel, rake it with a leaf rake, spread some starter fertilizer, and then over seed with some grass. With luck, it won’t get washed away in the first thunderstorm and even if it does, it might end up on the lower shelf where it can add nutrients for the grass that’s there. Of course, if I put some stone or landscape timbers at the bottom of the slope and fill the area behind with soil we could hold back some of the erosion and have more places for plants. I believe I’m going to have to learn to pace myself.

Liatris Bed

10 or 12 wheelbarrows full of soil on top of some leaves and grass clippings have made a nice deep 6' x 4' bed at the base of the slope by the power line.The 30 Liatris I put in here will, with luck supply food for butterflies and hummingbirds. I'll probably edge the front with stones. Lord knows we have enough to go around!
Compost Pile

Grass clippings, sawdust, soil and some kitchen scraps (here it's cantaloupe rinds) all held in place by some logs. I know I should be burying the kitchen scraps but 1) the rabbits like the cantaloupe 2) the raccoons haven't been around and 3) neither has the bear. 4) opossums are not to be feared 5) skunks are welcome (as long as they don't spray!)

(I really don't have a great deal of kitchen scraps in here anyway.)

One Sub-zero rose, yellow

Why do I feel this will be a continuing project.

The incredible shrinking dirt pile.

This was a huge mound of dirt when it arrived last fall. Three tarps barely covered it. Now, one is more than enough. I've been whittling it down a little at a time and can see the end is near!

Summer jobs

In the Business section of today’s New York Times we have a report about teens having difficulty landing a seasonal summer job. ( Toughest Summer Job This Year Is Finding One )

As the forces of economic downturn ripple widely across the United States, the job market of 2008 is shaping up as the weakest in more than half a century for teenagers looking for summer work, according to labor economists, government data and companies that hire young people.
…
“When you go into a recession, kids always get hit the hardest,” said Andrew Sum, an economist at the Center for Labor Market Studies who led the study on the summer job market. “Kids always go to the back of the hiring queue. Now, they find themselves with a lot of other people in line ahead of them.”

We’re in a recession? When did we have two consecutive quarters of negative growth? Did I miss that report somewhere? They later throw in the line: “… with the economy gripped by what many experts believe is a recession…” just in case you missed the reference the first time.

At the lower end of the market, adult Mexican immigrants, in particular, pose competition for jobs traditionally filled by younger Americans, like those at fast food chains.

“Spanish-speaking team members in our stores have increased the age a little bit,” said Andy Lorenzen, senior manager for human resources at Chick-fil-A, a national chain of chicken restaurants based in Atlanta, where 70 percent of the work force is 14 to 19 years old.

How sure can they be that these folks are all legal?

But then again it may not matter because some of the youth searching for summer employment find slinging burgers and waiting on customers to be, well, beneath them.

She and the other students stammered in veritable horror when asked if they would consider working in fast food.

“I don’t see myself saying, ‘Hey, sir, may I take your order,’ ” Ms. Henderson said. “I don’t see any growth in it.”

From an 18-year-old young lady working as an optometrists assistant in the Tulsa area.

As a graduating senior I could see her point. An interning position would definitely be a leg up and assist you in deciding whether the career or college program you are embarking upon is right for you.

I feel sorry for the kids looking for summer employment but the quotes about not seeing any growth in working at a fast food joint…well, that takes a little of the empathy out of the equation.

The fact that the Times could find no one willing to speculate that the rise in the minimum wage and demands that employers over a certain size provide all sorts of benefits just might have produced a tightening in the entry level/seasonal jobs marked is just a little peculiar. They do point out that the rise in fuel prices makes it difficult for some of these kids to get to their jobs. And, of course, they have “experts,” named and unnamed, who seem to lean on the “recession” theme. (Way to ignore the facts, NYT!)

Oh, yeah, then there’s Jose.

a 15-year-old sophomore named José, who has lived here since he was 2 years old but lacks legal immigration papers, worried that he would not find a job. He would happily work in fast food, he said, but word is that more places are checking papers.

“It limits your choices,” he said. “A lot of people are afraid.”

Oh brother! Where to start.
1- Age: 15 what’s the law in Tulsa? Are you old enough to work in fast food?
2- You are here illegally. Granted you probably didn’t have much of a say in the matter at age 2 but your mom and/or dad smuggled you across the border. If you and they are afraid, they can either smuggle you back (after you have benefited from some 10 years of education on citizens’ dime) or you can all get yourselves arrested and deported. That’s what illegal means.

Another lousy night

If you noticed the time stamp on this and the previous post, you'll note that I did not sleep well last night. I woke around 3 AM and struggled unsuccessfully to fall asleep again before finally giving up around 4 AM and moving downstairs to the delight of the kitty-cats who got fed early. Precisely why I woke and stayed awake may remain a mystery. I seldom remember any dreams and, until I was awake for a while, I had little difficulty breathing. (I've still got a small amount of the bronchial problems that sent me to the doc two weeks ago. Most of what remains can probably be blamed upon tree pollen and cat dander.)

I do know that once I had awakened I found the pillows a cold, sweaty, clammy mess. The sort of thing that would make me feel uncomfortably putting my head upon. I also was extremely warm which is odd since the room was only 65 degrees or so. (The heat is turned off, the window was open 4 inches and it was a bare 40 degrees outside.) It was extremely quiet outside and the cats were sound asleep until I got up and switched on the lights. Even then they remained silent knowing I was getting dressed and would be out shortly to feed them.

As I lay there in bed attempting to get some more shut-eye, I kept thinking about the three trips I've got to make this summer/fall. The first is a short hop to NJ for a retirement party for several former coworkers. This little one day jaunt will require driving about 250 miles one way (one tank of gas in the Tundra) and a stay in a motel for the night. With the current gas prices I figure the total bill will be around $250 Not including the cost of the party and the associated booze.

The second trip will be a bit more extensive and expensive. My niece/God-daughter is getting wed in San Francisco the end of June and Terry and I are flying out of Newark airport for a long weekend stay. Air fare, motel, rental car, meals (at least those that are not part the wedding), Terry's new dress, possible new sport jacket and slacks.... It's already starting to show up on the credit card bills. And I hate to fly commercial. Especially looooong flights like these.

The third trip will be the end of September/beginning of October. Terry will be installed as the national president of the Smocking Arts Guild of America (see the sidebar for the link) and I must play first husband or some such roll. This takes place at SAGAs National Convention held this year in Atlanta, Georgia. Two years ago we took the trailer and I parked on the outskirts of town for a couple of days while she did her thing. I can't get away with that this year. I'd still like to have the trailer so we could do some sightseeing/visiting while down that way but it's the middle of the bear/deer season in the Adirondacks. Archery is ending and muzzleloader will just be starting. The freezer will be empty of venison unless I get into the woods. I've got a feeling we may be flying again. Did I mention how much I hate to fly commercial?

Damn, another good one gone.

Sad news via Glenn Reynolds:

ROBERT ASPRIN has died. He will be mythed.

Perhaps he has merely moved on to another dimension.

Wiki entry on Robert Asprin here.

Saturday Bird Walk at Hills Creek SP

Another Saturday bird walk at Hills Creek State Park. These walks are supposed to be for the campers at the park but in the two years that they have been part of the activities offered at the park there have been only two or three campers that have participated. Today we had the three of us from TAS, a pair of professors from Mansfield University and a local grandfather and his young (8 years-old) grandson. The latter pair has been out three weeks in a row now and are about ready to lead the next walk! Each walk is a leisurely 2 ½ hours in length and we get to see quite a few different birds. It’s a good time as we do a lot of socializing as well as bird watching.

Here’s the list I compiled for today:

Location: Hills Creek State Park
Observation date: 5/24/08
Notes: Cool but lovely morning at Hills Creek SP. Gary led us on a different route today--one that was more of a circuit than our usual path. Far more variety in habitat and some nice areas just to walk. Many wildflowers are in bloom: Trilliums, Wild Lily of the Valley, Star Flowers and more.
Number of species: 35

Canada Goose X
Mallard X
Wild Turkey X
Common Loon X
Spotted Sandpiper X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Hairy Woodpecker X
Northern Flicker X
Eastern Phoebe X
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Brown Creeper X
House Wren X
Eastern Bluebird X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Brown Thrasher X
European Starling X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Black-throated Green Warbler X
Ovenbird X
Common Yellowthroat X
Eastern Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) X
Northern Cardinal X
Indigo Bunting X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Cats and Light

Cats are firm believers in the Particle Theory of Light.

At least that's what I can deduce from watching Chester and Shadow case the flash from the sunlight reflecting off the Toshiba logo on the cover on my laptop. Not to mention the riot that occurs if I play the beam from a laser pointer on the walls and floor.

They just do not understand why they can not grasp that flashy thing on the floor or wall. Its true nature eludes them in more ways than one.

Tell me...

Is this Pelosi's cat?


more cat pictures

By the way...

...right now the Mets really, really suck.

Swept in a four game series in Atlanta 6-1, 6-2, 11-3, and 4-2.

Has it's voice changed?

Some say it’s due to warming but personally I believe it’s a sign that Jupiter has reached puberty. These red spots that have been appearing are nothing more than zits.
Jupiter gets a brand-new Red Spot

(The title of this post refers to the Music of the Spheres.)

Birding in Asaph, PA

A small group from Tiadaghton Audubon Society enjoyed a fantastic morning birding today. After all the wind and rain of the last few days, today dawned nice and clear with just a touch of a breeze (although it was still very chilly!). Four of us met at the USGS Research Labs at Asaph and birded along portions of Straight Run creek looking for water thrushes before turning our attention to the section of the rails-to-trails bike path that ran from Straight Run Road toward Webster Road to the east. We succeeded in finding a pair of Louisiana Water Thrushes along Straight Run as well as three Veerys and a pair of Ovenbirds and another pair of Scarlet Tanagers not to mention several other birds in a short walk in the woods. The bike path proved even more productive as it runs next to Dantz Run and we had permission from a private land owner to walk the banks of a huge shallow horseshoe bend between Lower Marsh Creek Road and Route 6.

The number of Baltimore Orioles was really impressive. They seemed to be everywhere as we walked along the bike path.
Anyway, enough of that. Here’s the list of birds that we saw.
 


Location: Asaph USGS Labs & Rails to Trails
Observation date: 5/23/08
Notes: Clear, cool morning with just a few cumulus clouds and little breeze until 9 AM. Temps from 40 degrees along Straight Run to close to 55 degrees when we finished.
Number of species: 55

Canada Goose X
Wood Duck X
Mallard X
Great Blue Heron X
Turkey Vulture X
Red-tailed Hawk X
American Kestrel X
Solitary Sandpiper X
Mourning Dove X
Black-billed Cuckoo X
Chimney Swift X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird X
Belted Kingfisher X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Hairy Woodpecker X
Northern Flicker X
Alder Flycatcher X
Least Flycatcher X
Eastern Phoebe X
Eastern Kingbird X
Blue-headed Vireo X
Warbling Vireo X
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Eastern Bluebird X
Veery X
Wood Thrush X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Brown Thrasher X
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Black-throated Green Warbler X
American Redstart X
Ovenbird X
Louisiana Waterthrush X
Common Yellowthroat X
Wilson's Warbler X
Scarlet Tanager X
Chipping Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Swamp Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Baltimore Oriole X
House Finch X
American Goldfinch X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Cookie Jar is full (for now)

It never got above 51 degrees today and the stiff breeze (20-25 mph) out of the north made it feel much cooler. The winds also brought waves of cloud banks that produced heavy but brief showers.

I got the fixin's out and made a gross of cookies. (That's 12 dozen or 12 x 12 = 144 for those who are mathematically below mean.) Half of them were chocolate chips made with the Toll House recipe and the other half used the same recipe but with Heath's Butter Brickle chips and Chocolate Toffee chips. The latter cookies turned out quite good and, unlike the chocolate chips, pretty uniform in size and shape.

It took me about an hour and a half to mix and bake the cookies and another half hour to clean up. Time well spent in front of a warm stove and with my hands immersed in hot water.

(Terry wants to know if I think the cookies will make it to Monday. I don't know, that's a loooong way away.)

I think the blue is too large.

more song chart memes

Otherwise it is accurate.

Baby it's cold outside.

I just saw a couple of blue jays attack one of the neighborhoods free range cats that had staked itself out under the bird feeders. I think they wanted its fur coat to stay warm.

Another chilly day

One HVAC system that we did not install at the Aerie when we built her was central air conditioning. Part of the reason for that was the question of just where we were to run the duct work to deliver the cool air and, since we had opted for radiant floor heating, the fact that the ducts would have but a single purpose. We also reasoned that with a huge walk-in basement built of poured concrete with Styrofoam insulation inside and out and three quarters of the walls below grade, we could always spend more time in the basement if it got too warm upstairs. Or we could install a single window AC unit in the bedroom for comfortable sleeping.

Well, I'm glad I haven't bothered to go out an purchase that AC unit or move the bed to the basement. As noon time approaches, it's a chilly (and very breezy) 42 degrees outside. The weather mavens say it will get to around 51 or 52 today. Since it's heavily overcast and that breeze is from Canada, I won't be holding my breath. (Actually, if it wasn't for the cloud cover, I probably would have been able to see my breath this morning. Instead, it only fell to around 38 degrees.)

This is not so good for the tomato plants sitting in pots on the deck. And we haven't even thought about purchasing any peppers yet.

Average high temperature for this date according to Weather.com is 71 degrees while the average low is 44 degrees. We haven't gotten UP to the average low yet.

If it stays like this much longer, I expect to see a polar bear in the back yard instead of a black bear.

I may have to break down and bake some chocolate chip cookies just to stay warm. Like firewood, CCCs can warm you twice provided you don't dunk 'em in cold milk.

Cats are back to normal**Whatever that is fot a cat.

For the second consecutive morning I was up at 5 AM today. yesterday it was due to concerns over the cats. Today...who knows?

After they got their shots the Tuesday, the cats--all three of them--became as moribund as the New York Mets' offense in Atlanta. Chester and Shadow plopped down to sleep and barely moved from noon Tuesday until Wednesday afternoon.

I was really concerned about Chester because he actually felt warm to the touch, didn't want to get off the couch even for food, and could barely be teased into opening his eyes. I felt I might find him curled into a cooling ball of fur Wednesday morning.

Shadow, too, acted totally out of it, although not nearly as badly as Chester. She would occasionally shift from couch to recliner, but slept the better part of 24 hours.

Julie, the old girl of 7, was off her stride a little but not nearly as much as the younger pair.

When they did eat, they (can't pin point which) would go down stairs to te basement and throw up.

We were concerned enough to call the vet to find out if this was normal behavior. She said to give them another 24 hours and if they hadn't returned to normal to bring them back to the office.

By bedtime last evening (Wednesday), all three were back to normal. Which is a good thing because I imagine putting them into their carry cages would have at least brought out the vocal portion of their nature.