Category Archives: The Cabin

Small Area, Lots of Life!

I walked down my long gravel driveway to get to the mailbox. Twenty feet or so up from the road, I saw a critter eating leaves; I could hear it biting the leaf! I went to get my camera and took pictures of the small area around that critter including mostly flowers. Hope you like them!

A Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar
Driveway across the front of the cabin, curving down
Driveway down to the road

To Bee or Not to Bee

I have a 2-story log cabin in the woods and wood bees are having a party drilling holes in the logs. This has happened for years now and I have filled so many holes and put up so many traps! The climate changes have altered the yard all around the cabin from grass to mainly clover. Also associated with climate issues is the dearth of honey bees, those precious pollinators. Until recently, I have only seen one or two each time I go out. Still, I do not use masses of insect poison on the wood bees because I don’t want to harm the little honeys.

A couple days ago there must have been a massive spawning of wood bees as small wood bees were everywhere I walked! Not to alarm anyone, but I started stomping all I could find. In one day, I got 111 before I had to go in and cook supper. Today when I went out, I saw HONEY BEES! Many of them! Looks like they were scared away by those big ol’ wood bees. I got 63 more of the wood bees all around the cabin and spotted at least fifty honey bees!

Good thing I did not use bug spray (except for direct spray into the drilled holes). I use bee repellent in the brown stain I put on the cabin every other year, but being here alone makes me very wary of climbing a ladder all the way up to the second story, thus the wood bee problem. If I can take out most of the offspring though, that might make a real difference!

Getting Fruity Around Here!

I adore seeing fruit trees and vines and such leafing out, blossoming and getting the goodies growing! Here are some of the favorites I have; I already have picked a bowlful of the strawberries! I also have grapes, peaches and such, but these were the easiest to photograph.

Here are what they produce: Across the top are apples (I have five different kinds) and blackberries, the biggie below is blueberries and the stacked ones to the right are raspberries and strawberries. Come on cobblers, bread additions, muffins and lots of other ethereal edibles!

Pretty Yellow Angels

The yellow daffodils that I saw here and there a couple decades ago when I built this place have spread like wildfire! They’re along the ditches, up the roadsides, all through the forest, along people’s driveways and more!

This makes me imagine how the first Dutch settlers came here with just a meager collection of these. They put them in front of their homey little cabin. Then it rained and washed some away. Then on and on. Wow!

I also have an update on the Mouse Maven…here is the embellished version:

Satin walkway
Must have guards!

A Jar of This, A Pack of That!

I adore making things as many of you already know. Today as the mighty Christmas holiday is so near, I thought I’d show some of what I have accumulated to cook with. Why not?

Aw, NUTS!

You think this is a bunch, you should see the big ol’ pantry! And the 20-pound capacity flour bins with white, whole wheat and cake flours!

A Nutsy Cartoon

This is just a silly cartoon that occurred to me, thought I’d share it. I also did a painting yesterday that might be a bit more appealing!

The idea here was to give the little snowman a wide-open way ahead, a future bright and clear. That’s why there’s only the one tree in the corner. BTW, it’s 16×12 canvas, and the picture didn’t come out as clear and frosty as it should have, alas! I used titanium white for the fella and iridescent white for the snow which makes Frosty show up better and the hillside whiter than the photo reveals.

I did another earlier that is about a group of Frosties singing. I’ll get that picture up soon; I wrapped it to send to my sister as a Christmas present and wouldn’t want to give too much away!

Porch Chimes Ho!

I went nuts over porch chimes for a few years, so even though that ended a while back I yet have plenty. Some don’t really chatter, they glitter or twirl. Here they are!

I’m not a chime, but gee whiz, I didn’t want to be left out!
I didn’t want to be passed up either!
Tinkle, tinkle (or twirl), little stars!

Woody, Please Try a Tree Instead!

I heard some seriously hard knocking recently and walked all around the cabin (noting the grass needed mowing among other things) and finally saw the culprit: Woody Woodpecker!

Dah-Dah Dah DANT Dah! Woody Woodpecker!

True, there are holes up there with wood bees. Woody, I don’t need the holes even bigger! That’s what I get for living deep in a wild forest…and I would not trade it for anything!