Ch-Ch-Changes

A late summer bouquet from the garden.

 
I walked by the caterpillar jar and saw this recent development.

I brought her outside so she could finish the wing drying process.

My lovely deck addition next to the hot tub needs to be changed out; reconfigured. I had the spa techs out to make a minor adjustment and they told me when one of the pumps goes, (and they will at some point) the deck blocks access to fix or remove it. I called my contractor, Wayne, who already stopped over. He is going to move it (rebuild it)  away from the access panel next month. I'm so relieved - I was so worried about a breakdown last winter, that it is worth the extra $$ to have it rebuilt. Peace of mind is worth the price.

On another note, I have some voles trying to nest in the insulation of the hot tub. I set traps and have dispatched 2 adult and 2 baby voles so far. From what I read, there are likely many more. It's sad, but I cannot have them destroy my spa! First red squirrels, now voles. 

I opened my curtains this morning to see two fawns in my driveway. At least 
this species no longer bothers me too much.

Another change I'm making is to get rid of plastics, mostly in the kitchen. I love stopping at the local thrift shop each week, and have picked up silicone spatulas and wooden utensils to replace my plastic ones. I also have been picking up glass storage dishes and canning jars. The canning jars are great for reducing packaging (mostly plastic). My food co-operative lets us bring in reusable containers, weighs them, then just charges for the weight of the food we actually buy. They have an extensive bulk inventory and lots of organic produce. Little by little, I hope to have a low plastic home. I can't see getting rid of it entirely, but I don't want it holding my food. 

I was not expecting any great sights on my walk, but a raft of 20+ turkeys was nice!

I'm still working on my name change project - issues reveal themselves over time. Medical offices, streaming services, online shopping venues all need to be changed over. Most just require a drivers license which I can email a photo of it to them. My flight ticket was an issue. I had to use the name on my ID, which does not match my online account info. I just applied to change my account name and sent in my ID, which will hopefully be resolved within a week. I really don't want my flights disrupted for yet another reason. I am also setting up trust accounts which require lots of phone time, emailing proof of ID, and follow up calls since mistakes are made so often. It's my part time job lately!

I just met with Peggy and Charlene and we signed up to volunteer at a mountain biking competition next month with ORDA. I'll be earning ski lift tickets in no time. Then I went on a solo bike ride on the Zim Smith trail. Thirteen miles in just over an hour and I was getting hungry! 

This very long train made me head east as I couldn't cross the tracks for a while.

I managed to ram into this pole head-on as I was looking at my phone. Two things saved me from injury - 1) it was uphill so I wasn't going very fast, and 2) my tire hit dead center of the pole, so it just bounced me back a few feet. I didn't even fall, though I was stopped short. I uttered to myself, "you bonehead!" and continued on my way.

A public flower garden on the trail made me take a 10 minute break to admire the flowers.

I wish my sunflowers had grown this well.

I just started watching The Marlow Murder Club on Masterpiece. It's a typical fun British murder mystery which has many plot twists so I still have no inkling who the murderer is after 3 episodes.

Today I organized a biking excursion from Glens Falls to Lake George. The five riders were me, Ann Marie, Patty, Amyjean, and Susan. A few more backed out due to illnesses. I'm glad I went and got both flu and Covid vaccines yesterday; I especially don't want the California trip marred by illness.

Just a big dinosaur along the bike trail. 

We stopped for a bit at Shepard's park to rest and admire the lake.

I'm hoping for a quiet weekend with just one hike scheduled, but things change...


Comments

  1. PamSeptember 11, 2025 at 3:21 PM

    Oh dear, how sad about the voles. And your crash!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MargaretSeptember 13, 2025 at 12:12 AM

    Voles are like mice, right? I'm not sure I've ever seen one. Name changing is TOUGH. I have a hyphenated name which has caused me nothing but issues. I wish I'd stayed with my maiden name. Beautiful flowers and scenery! Ouch about the pole. :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maureen MSeptember 14, 2025 at 9:47 AM

    Voles are very large mice. The traps are barely big enough for them. Living next to the woods, there are so many critters I deal with. I try to discourage them rather than kill them, when possible.

    ReplyDelete

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