Nasturtiums can always be depended on for a nice showing, lasting well into the late fall. Plus they attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. I love the way they cascade down the front of their pots and their bright and cheerful faces.
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A planting close to my back steps.
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| Up close and personal. |
Last winter and spring, this area was hit by several ice storms. Branches and trees downed everywhere! One of these storm casualties was my owl box which was bashed to the ground by a large, ice laden branch. This month, I neatened up the ravaged old Manitoba Maple and built a new box. I used the front of an older one.
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| New winter roosting box for my screech owls. |
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| It was tricky fastening it to a leaning and uneven surface. |
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| Tossed in some dry leaves for soft furnishing. |
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The front is from an old box. Added a perch.
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Looking out my kitchen sink window. Waiting for owl visits.
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My cell phone signal has been weakening to the point where I've been missing calls. And deep and meaningful conversations would rudely end mid-sentence with a dial tone.
Part of the problem is that my house has a metal roof, metal siding and even metal doors. Also, I'm situated in a bit of a valley. Although the relay tower is only a few miles away, I've got mature spruce trees that now block much of the signal. Cutting down my precious trees just did not appeal!
If I wanted an uninterrupted chat, I'd have to either take my cell phone outside or sit close to a north window. From my favourite spot on the living room couch, I'd only get one bar or no service at all. My signal certainly needed a boost.
Reluctantly, I bought a cell phone booster kit. I say 'reluctantly' because I'd have to drill a hole through a wall and I was not keen on more wires and gadgets about. On the other hand, I do like my little gabfests.
So I broke down and bought a cell phone booster kit. And very glad I did because it works beautifully! From the comfort of my oh so comfortable couch I'm now getting a quite respectable 4 out of 5 bars! Yay-y-y-y!!!
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Best choice for youth? Huh?!?!
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A solid four out of five bars on my trusty flip phone.
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A few October snaps of my fellow creatures:
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A bespeckled young robin stopping by on it's way south.
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They sure like to keep their feathers clean.
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Catching the morning sun.
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A katydid perched on my garden hose hanger.
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The cottontails here are almost tame.
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Washing up after another satisfying meal.
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Yay, a new post! Florence, your nasturtiums are just what the doctor ordered--I'm not kidding, it's been darkness, rain & 24 hour gloom here in Pittsburgh for the last 3-4 days. What a burst of sunshine! I also love the view out your kitchen window and (forgive me) had a good chuckle over your cellphone booster story. GOOD FOR YOU! Love the robin pics and that katydid--I can't stop looking at it, I have to save a copy. PS Ellie Mae always steals the show :^)
ReplyDeleteAs always, thank you for the kind words, Doug. They motivate me to keep sharing. Dark and rain\snow here as well. Lights, music and snacks help us cope! The next nice day I'm going to change my car tires. Then I can say I'm really ready for winter. Hard to believe that the area outside my kitchen window was once a large, productive vegetable garden. Full sized when my parents were here and gradually shrunk down under my care until the last couple of years when I quit cultivating altogether. Looks more like a little park now.
DeleteFlorence I didn't realize you still had a trusty flip-phone. Are these wonderful pictures courtesy of that retro camera you got a couple years ago?
DeleteYes, my compact little Olympus Pen is what I mostly use. Thought I'd go to their website and look at lenses but was shocked to find that Olympus has folded. Likely because of smart phone photo competition. I suspect my sister and I are the last two people on the planet who use flip phones. (She uses her iPad to take pictures.) Must admit, the smarties do take excellent photos.
DeleteYou saved my favourite photo to the end.!!! Flip phones have come back in a newer and smarter version.Hugh bought one, a Samsung, but sadly it had a huge fault that wasn't disclosed to us when he bought it.So he has joined the rest of the family Apple gang, and has an iPhone now. The booster, what an innovation to get you good coverage.Well done to get it all connected. For Youth, that was wrong packaging for sure!!! Maybe someone misspelt the word and it was meant to be " For You" !!!
ReplyDeleteEllie Mae loves her food and washes after every moist meal. Even behind her ears. Mom used to say company was coming if a cat washed it's ears or if a tea towel dropped to the floor. If I were to buy a smart phone someday, I'd like it to be an Apple product. I never thought of the puzzling package writing being a mistranslation, Jean. Maybe they did intend "For You"! It's been many decades since I qualified as a youth. Labels seem to be getting weird these days.
DeleteWell done with the booster. Our kids have one in their Ottawa backyard for their solarium.
ReplyDeleteJB has a flip phone!
Good work on the owl box. I have a duck box I need to fix. I must get to it.
Ah, so with the addition of JB, there are at least three people on this planet not using smartphones. Ha! Not sure what the screech owls will think of that now very scraggly tree or the newly painted box. Usually it's in December that they first use the boxes as hideouts and larders. Your duck box has the extra challenge of Buster Bear to contend with.
DeleteWow, your owl box looks wonderful and I can't wait to see the new inhabitants...fingers crossed. You are so good to figure out that phone issue and solve it. Love the photos of your visitors...I've not seen a katydid here, and your lovely happy kittie. Happy New Month to you Florence!
ReplyDeleteHi Jocelyn! We are having long john weather these days, eh? Thanks for your interest in the owl box. You have Barred Owls and I have the little screechies. I think your area has more woodland than mine and that might be why. Owls are so special, aren't they? It's been a year for katydids here. Found several this summer. Unlike you (and I give you my sympathy) I've not seen a single tick in 2023.
ReplyDeleteHi Florence, love all your photos. Your nasturtiums are lovely, I totally forgot to plant any this year. That must have been fun (not!) leaning against the tree putting up the owl box! The view out your kitchen window is tremendous. We don’t have personal cell phones but Chuck has one work gave him so he can be contacted while away on a job. Sometimes he is where there is spotty cell service so can just say “No service” when asked why he didn’t answer the phone. He used to have a flip phone but it was replaced a few years ago with “the brick” he has now. Look at all your critters! I have noticed in the last week the chipmunks have disappeared. Our bird feeders aren’t emptied in a day now. Ellie Mae is beautiful as always. Our neighbours cat Hercules reminds me of Ellie Mae except his fur is a bit darker. Lovely to read your October report. Take care Florence!❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteRobin
Hi Robin, yes it was quite tricky attaching that box to the very uneven surface. Not happy with the sloppy looking lower portion but given the increasing ice storms, that old tree may not last much longer anyway. (sigh) I can just picture your chipmunks curled up in their cozy, well provisioned burrows. I've got bluejays that love to haul away the birdseed as fast as they can. At least my mesh feeders slow down their plunder. Must admit that Ellie Mae is good company for me. We accept each other as we are. Picturing Chuck with his "brick" phone. I have a smidgen of envie. Take care, Robin. Lovely chatting with you. ❤️❤️
DeleteOh what a sweet kittie! I lost my Katie Kat last September and I miss her so! We, too, have the issue of poor cell phone connection in our home. We also have a metal roof, but honestly it's not much better outdoors. It makes me mad that we have had the same poor service for as long as we have had cell phones. While the big company gets richer and richer not caring a whit about service after the sale. I hope you have a lovely day!
ReplyDeleteI'm all too familiar with mourning pets when their lives are over. I always say, "No more pets!!" And I always relent -- so far. Just a note on my cell phone: I tweaked the direction of my indoor antenna and now get a steady 5 out of 5 bars!!! No more dropped calls!
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