Archive for the ‘Chronicle’ Category
Cardinal Drama
Long time readers might remember the story of the resident cardinal that repeatedly does battle with his reflection in the windows of our house, in attempt to drive the apparent challenger away. I had read that the behavior, which I discovered is not uncommon, usually occurs for about a month in springtime. Our guy was still busy at it in October. …And November. …And December.
Lately, we have had very few of the gentle kerfluffles on our windows. The males seem to all be getting along with each other just fine during the month of February. We counted 6 of them out there together yesterday.
Then the peace and quiet was disrupted by an impact that gave the distinct impression of a bird colliding at full flight speed. Out of the corner of my eye, I detected a blur of red deflecting down and to the right. Based on the sound of the initial impact, I was hesitant about wanting look, but there is something about it. You just have to look.
My suspicion that it was a cardinal was confirmed, and it did not look good. I was definitely influenced by the sound the impact had made. I was expecting the worst.
He had landed in an evergreen shrub below the window. His tail feathers were sticking out like he was still in flight, and one wing was visible, feathers spread unnaturally, for a perched bird. I could see the trunk moving rhythmically, as if breathing. I expected motion to stop any second. I watched for what seemed like a long time. It was probably a few minutes.
Suddenly, surprisingly, he flopped to the ground, under the tree. He was on his feet, and he looked perfectly normal, except for the fact that he wasn’t moving. At all.
It was about this time that I realized there were no other birds around anymore. There had been dozens before this occurred. Now, not a one. That cardinal seemed totally immobilized. The thought that came to my mind was, he was a very high risk of becoming some other creature’s prey. I wondered if the other birds were aware of the same thing, and were choosing to keep a lot of distance between themselves and him.
He stood there, motionless, for a very long time. I wandered off to do something, but kept stopping back to check. Still there. Eventually, I noticed birds were starting to make a return appearance. Slowly, but surely, they made their way toward the feeder, and their previous level of activity.
The cardinal stayed motionless. Then I caught him making a slight glance to the side, toward some of the little juncos or chickadees that were ground feeding. But that was it. Back to motionless.
I bet it was over 5 minutes that I had been walking in there to see if there was any progress. Finally, I walked up just as a flash of red from another cardinal swooped down under that bush and …nothing. He was gone. Nothing under that tree except a scattering of feathers.
I don’t know what that behavior was, but it worked, and that concussed bird was off cavorting with the rest of the flock.
A happy ending! I was impressed. From the sound of that initial impact, and the sight of him sprawled out on that branch, I figured he was a goner.
Hilarious Mistake
I appear to be missing the gene for interest in guns, and as a result, have almost no experience with them beyond the safety course I took as a youth. I recall having returned home from one of the sessions to tell my dad about the plan to have us shoot a shotgun the next time we met, and that I had some apprehension about it. He seemed surprised. Maybe because I was the 5th of his 6 kids, he had lost track of who had done what, but I think it was probably more a function of his level of inebriation at the time. He didn’t realize I hadn’t fired a shotgun, and decided to remedy that right then and there.
He walked me out in the driveway, and we took a couple shots up in the air. I remember thinking what we were doing was violating a lot of what I was being taught in the safety course, but it was with my dad, and I was about 12, so who was I to argue?
As a parent, I didn’t encourage our children to learn anything about guns, but that didn’t stop Julian. He took up the hobby of Airsoft, became an active member of the MAA, and would buy and sell those non-lethal guns, often dismantling new ones to customize and modify them to higher levels of performance.
Recently, we asked him if he could loan us one of those guns to shoot plastic bb’s at a squirrel that is helping himself to the bird feeders. Julian brought over a simple spring-operated, single fire version of an assault rifle style gun, and gave me a quick lesson on loading and firing it.
We were both sober at the time.
Yesterday, I had the first opportunity to introduce the squirrel to our new toy. Eventually, I had fired enough times that I figured I should refill the magazine. Julian had only showed me once, so I’m not sure I was doing it by the book.
There is a spring in the magazine, that needs to be pulled down and set, allowing the bb’s to be inserted. I know to be careful not to let the spring snap back up, because it could break the plastic, so I was careful to hold it in the detent while I dropped a couple of dozen little green plastic balls in.
Then I released the spring.
The entire cartridge of bb’s shot up into the air and came raining down in the kitchen, bouncing and rolling in every direction. It was like being in a rain shower of plastic balls. It made a really cool sound. I couldn’t help but laugh at the hilarity of my action. I think I missed some part of the lesson. Do you put the magazine back in the gun before you release the spring?
I’m just really glad I don’t play with a gun that has real bullets.
Dang Critters
I’ve got a lot to learn about mouse-proofing. Yesterday, I discovered that the fresh air intake for our fireplace, outside on the rock structure of our chimney, was again plugged by a nest. I assume it was a mouse’s nest.
The interesting thing about this is that I had cleaned it out last fall, and then put up a screen to barricade access. Or so I thought. I think what I did was make it even more secure for the little critters.
The actual opening to the tube that runs to the fireplace is protected by a wire mesh that is cemented in place. From what I can see, it appears intact. That screen is about 8 inches back in the structure,
about the depth of the stones that form the face of the chimney. That creates a wonderful crater for a nest.
When we bought the place, there was a bunch of insulation, and a lot of chewed acorns stored in there. I cleaned it out and improvised a screened cover to block the entrance to the cave. As I was hauling in some firewood yesterday, I thought I noticed some debris accumulated inside my outer screen. I grabbed a light and discovered it was filled. There were some pieces of insulation in there, but mostly, it appeared to be animal hair. In fact, it looked exactly like the deer hair that was strewn in the area around the carcass the 
coyotes took down in our woods last fall.
Did some critter really haul this from way down the hill in the woods? I don’t know. I also don’t know if the nest-builder was able to sneak around the edge of my barrier, or if there is an internal route that I can’t see, along the blocks on the inside of the stone facade.
I may resort to constructing some form of tube from the inner screen to the edge of the rocks, and then filling the surrounding space with expanding foam. That way the critter will have something to chew on in order to open up another entrance to build his next nest.
At least the fire was looking real good yesterday, with the return of a full dose of fresh air available at the intake again. Since the screen wasn’t keeping the nest-builder out, I didn’t put it back. For the immediate time being, I plan to watch for signs of activity in there, and just clean it out as fast as they try to fill it up.
I’ll know now, to check it right away if I notice the fire seems to be burning slower than usual. Before, I thought it was probably just the wood. Now I know better.
Special Helper
When we adopted our cats, I discovered some cardboard scratchers at the rescue organization which were distributed throughout their facility. I hadn’t seen such a thing before, and I was intrigued by them. We had just recently moved to our new home, and had a LOT of cardboard left over from boxes, so I cut some up and make a scratcher of my own.
Pequenita still seems to prefer our furniture, but Mozyr has really taken to the cardboard. He shredded this one until it didn’t work so well anymore, and then turned around and began clawing the other end.
As I was cleaning up the packaging from our new gas barbeque grill last week, it occurred to me that the heavy box would work great for restoring the cat scratcher. I brought the cardboard inside where it was warm, and started cutting it down to size. Mozyr showed up right away to offer his assistance.
It was special to have his help, and I think it makes him even more attached to using the cardboard scratcher. It appears he has acquired a sense of ownership from having participated in its construction.
Little Victories
First off, I want to thank everyone who took time yesterday to contact me with valuable information in support of my education in sink drain plumbing. Of course, the secret ingredient was, Plumber’s Putty!
I started the morning with a review of some youtube videos that revealed tips and tricks, which bolstered my confidence that stopping the leak was well within my capabilities. It also verified my suspicion that it would probably involve something like Plumber’s Putty. Sure enough, front and center, that is what was needed.
I headed to town with my sights set on the fireplace store, and the hardware store. I came home with new rope door gaskets, high temp silicone sealant, and the putty.
The day was filled with a series of minor accomplishments.
- Cleaned out some pallets and tires from the house garage, and got them moved down to the shop garage for storage.
- Tossed out dead mousesicle and reset trap in the garage. (Steve, I haven’t got the new trap you gave me set up in the barn yet.)
- Scraped some of the melting ice off the upper portion of the driveway, near the house.
- Sprayed lubricant into the latch for the hood of my car, getting it to hold the hood down properly (securely).
- Installed batteries and started the indoor/outdoor thermometer we bought weeks ago.
No, it wasn’t 75° here yesterday; I just didn’t clear the initial data
- Got the remote sensor mounted up under the eave, to protect it from rain.
- Mounted the other thermometer we bought, which sticks directly to the window.
- Dismantled drain of kitchen sink, cleaned all the parts.
- Re-installed sink drain, with putty, and snugged it up tight.
- Replaced rope gaskets on fireplace doors.
The number of obstructions to the success of each project were minimal, and I won praise from Cyndie for my success with the plumbing lesson, so it was a rewarding day of work.
We have an appointment this morning for the dishwasher, for which Cyndie accepted responsibility to be home, so I could get to my day-job.
At the end of the day yesterday, I had saved the expense of hiring a plumber, but I may have initiated something that will cost me a lot more than one service call. While at the fireplace store, I inquired about their geothermal heating and cooling system installations. I now have an appointment next Monday to host a visit from a salesman. We’ll talk about how such a system might fit this location, and what kind of financial commitment it would require to pull it off.
In my dream world, I would also add solar, or wind generated power for the electrical needs of the system.
As long as we are in this Wintervale Ranch dream, we might as well dream big.
Nuisance Items
Sunday dawned to an open agenda for us at the ranch, and I had it in mind to chip away at some small nuisance items that have been lingering, but not demanding immediate action.
Recently, the rope gasket around one of the fireplace doors came loose and it flaps around, getting caught out of position when the door is swung shut. Also, Cyndie has been saying that the soap dispenser on the door of the dishwasher is not working correctly. I planned to do some online research for both topics, so started there.
I quickly refined my search for rope gasket replacement kits, and then learned that one of the pieces, specifically, the one that has come loose on ours, is glued in place. Seriously? What glue do they use for that!? Something non-flammable, and able to endure extreme heat and still hold, I hope. I redirected my search to looking for a dealer in my area.
Being located as close to the Twin Cities as we are, I often question whether I should be looking in Minnesota, or Wisconsin, for good and services. Usually, results are better when searching Minneapolis/St. Paul. I found a couple of options for moderately convenient dealer locations in Minnesota for our fireplace. Then I checked Wisconsin and discovered a renewable energy expert company just 5-miles from us in Ellsworth. That’ll do just fine. I’m hoping to visit them today and discuss my situation with a knowledgeable professional.
Next, to the dishwasher.
I had pretty good luck finding a service manual and parts list for our model. Troubleshooting advice was harder to uncover. It appears the dispenser assembly will be about $70, and is in stock, if that ends up needing to be replaced. I decided to remove screws in the door and get inside for a look. I’m guessing my odds of making it better are about equal with my chances of making it worse. It didn’t leak when I started, I sure hope it won’t when I’m through.
I got to the business side of the dispenser and found a solenoid that should release the soap door latch. I removed the solenoid and then rigged up a way to put voltage to the coil. It worked, so I put it back together to test it again, in place. That also worked. The soap door popped open when I triggered the solenoid. Unfortunately, that leaves me to think it isn’t receiving a signal from the controller during the cycle. I don’t know how to test that. We are down to calling an appliance technician.
With luck, we might find someone who knows a little plumbing, too. While I was working on the kitchen floor, and Cyndie was occasionally using the sink, I found we have a leak around one of the sink drains. I developed a suspicion about it when I reached for the box of dishwasher soap, and the bottom appeared to have gotten wet at some time. I was keeping one eye under the sink as she used it, and caught it dripping.
My plumbing expertise is limited to tightening a nut or a fitting, to get a better seal. I tried turning a nut under the drain, and it turned rather easy. I was hoping to feel it get tighter, but it didn’t. It started to deform the rounded metal underside of the drain that it pushes against. I stopped and checked to find it still leaks. Whatever I was doing, it wasn’t helping.
I decided to stop trying to fix things for the rest of the day. I’m gonna need to learn a bit more about plumbing or we’ll be facing the added expense of another visit from a service person.
New View
Not long ago, I posted a picture of what our planned hay shed might look like, situated by the barn, and with the new loop of driveway around it. Creating it had been a rather quick effort to find a shed that looks like what we have in mind, and paste it onto the existing image. A little while after that effort, I was walking down our driveway and experienced a moment of clarity. The hay shed in that image was in the wrong orientation.
We have been mulling over how it might look, and I suddenly realized that, when coming up our driveway, the view won’t be directly in at the stored hay, you will see the side of the shed. So, I spent some time last night doctoring up another photo image.
In trying to correct for the scale, I may have overdone it a bit, and made it too big this time, I’m not sure. I also darkened the new portion of driveway, to make it more visible. However, then I went and covered it up by adding some fence for the paddock that will be going in. Here’s a representation of the current plan we have in mind:
The fence line isn’t quite right, as we haven’t exactly determined where we will be putting gates, and what route it will ultimately follow, but it helps to see it there, to envision the impact it makes on the look of the new shed in that location.
I’m feeling encouraged that it might end up to be a logical and coordinated layout, and hopefully won’t look as disjointed as I originally feared it might. Now, if the weather would just cooperate, we could start making some actual physical progress on the project, not just image-manipulated simulations of progress (even though simulations are a lot easier and a heck of a lot cheaper).
Snow Day
While the northeast United States makes news for the big wallop of winter they got socked with, we in the Twin Cities area are left with a drippy mess that surprises me for being another winter rainstorm, turning to sloppy wet snow reminiscent of the April storms of my youth. Unfortunately, they are now occurring in February.
We did what you do with April snow… 
Then we snuggled into the exceptional comfort of our log home, where we had a beautiful fire in the fireplace. We turned on the broadcast of the Grammy Awards show, and let Pequenita step all over us in search of attention. Where was Mozyr? He is much more reserved than that. Sometimes, I think it is just to be different than his sister.
Sunday Morning
It’s Sunday morning, and the precipitation has yet to start. A glance at the radar reveals it is not far off. We are experiencing a fair amount of wind, and the squirrels and birds seem to be putting in extra effort to consume every morsel in and around the feeders.
Cardinal perched in shelter during our last snowfall
On my agenda is to lounge in the comfort of our warm home, and watch nature do its thing.
A quiet day.
a quiet day
to contemplate
take stock
count blessings
restore
revitalize
stretch and recoil
ponder
what is
what can be
visualize
possibilities
allow them
set them free
.
Feel free to join me, wherever this day has you being. Find your optimal health!
In Case
Just in case you are following my saga of solving the problem with my beloved hand plow, I have progress to report. The best thing I did thus far is write about it, and talk with as many people as possible about it. My ideas for ways to add support to prevent future bending, have expanded significantly with the input I have received from a wide variety of sources.
The solution that thrilled me the most, and was much easier than fabricating a bracket, is simply attaching a length of angle iron and using ring clamps to secure it.
I drew my idea for a brace, on this image, in red: 
It was suggested that a bracket underneath, in the area I was considering, should be much longer, to reach further up the handle. Here it is with the suggested bracing:
Laying a piece of angle iron over the top and clamping it seemed like a much easier plan. I stopped by the hardware store on my way home yesterday, and picked up parts. It didn’t take me long to realize an oversight. There is a plastic piece that needs to float back and forth for adjustment of the blade angle. I won’t be able to clamp the angle iron over that. Unfortunately, it is in the exact area that most needs to be braced.
Luckily, it was also suggested to me that if the fit was right, the angle iron could be inserted inside the tube. Walaa! That will work nicely! So, that is the avenue I am pursuing. I think I am close to succeeding, but I still need to work out a problem in one spot where the angle iron is interfering with my getting a bolt through.
I have some work-arounds in mind for that, and hope to be back in business by the next snowfall.
Wish me luck!
