We are fast approaching the month that is associated with gratitude and thanksgiving, but not without a blast-from-the-past photo reminding us that this is Halloween! I love how one has no fear of the Jack-o-Lantern while the other would like to push it far, far away.
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I am thankful for the blog hop Ten Things of Thankful hosted by Kristi of Thankful Me. She introduced me to this site long before she was the host. It was her encouragement that made me consider the possibility that I could even attempt entering the world of blogging as a senior citizen.
1. Comfortable fall days
2. The appearance of perhaps actually locating the gopher tunnel that was leading to the open hole and being able to insert the tasty pellets into the tunnel so said gopher would ingest them
There has been no sign of any new mounding activity in that particular area since then.
3. Our big sturdy screwdriver is my go-to tool for digging all the root of a weed out of the ground, but this week I was able to use it to find some of the gopher tunnels that were leading to the open holes created by the gophers!
4. Having my yearly physical this past week with necessary lab work, etc. deemed necessary now in the works to make sure all is in proper operating order
5. Being able to little by little make progress doing big dirty jobs by tackling one small area at a time as I sort through materials in a shed tossing out some stuff, putting similar items together (things to take to hazardous waste, things others might be able to use, things that could be recycled, etc.
6. Driving by a nearby wildlife refuge one day after a doctor appointment
We have not done many of the things during the pandemic that had been a common occurrences before COVID-19. It felt so good to just drive over there and sit in the car watching the birds in the water.
7. When the leaves turn red
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| Japanese Maple tree decked out in its glory |
8. Family group texts/emails to keep everyone informed at the same time when it seems appropriate
9. More restful nights of uninterrupted sleep than not this week for me
10. Vic and his problem solving abilities
One morning at the beginning of the week as I was unloading the dishwasher, I managed somehow to accidentally flip a couple of forks. The result of that amazing flip is shown in the photo below. I could not get them untangled and when I gave them to Vic, he tried the same tug-a-war I had tried and got the same results. Then he came up with another idea and quickly was able to separate them. How would you have tried to separate these two forks?
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| Fork puzzle |
Sliding the fork to the narrowest place? They have a place where I used to live where you could take waste for use by others, such as partial cans of paint and household chemicals. Then others could go in and take what they needed. Great for folks who needed but had no funds.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the forks was that the tines were so stuck they couldn't be budged. Vic resorted to the wisdom of Archimedes. There are several variations of it, but here is one. "Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the earth. Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world. Give me a firm spot on which to stand, and I shall move the earth."
DeleteWe have a place here that takes hazardous waste items too. I will be at some point taking some of these items there.
autumn cleanups! different that spring cleanups, at around here, putting away rather than taking things our of the shed. Trees have pretty much changed color (at least the small percentage of deciduous trees) the pines have dropped their needles, so thats over with.
ReplyDeletewe don't have a gopher problem here, soil is probably too rocky. but they do seem pretty aggressive with the tunneling.
good to get out and drive
The temperatures are beginning to drop at night here, but the daytime temperatures and weather conditions fluctuate enough that I am still able to go outside and a do a few more things on the property.
DeleteI think the gophers must have pretty hard heads with as many rocks as they push out of the tunnels.
Dip one fork in hot very hot water? By the way, when I only saw the top third of the photo before scrolling down, I thought the fork was stuck in the wall!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for Kristi's influence on you to start a blog! I have loved getting to know you (I always think of you as Aunt Pat, since Kristi and I are cousins, but I suppose you're really Cousin Pat!) and look forward to the post-Covid day when we can get together in real life!
Vic resorted to the reasoning of Archimedes ("Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the earth. Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world. Give me a firm spot on which to stand, and I shall move the earth.") and with a tiny bit of help from me, he had it loosened in no time.
DeleteI need to check RelativeFinder and see how you and Kristi connect. I forget if it was through my side or my husband's side, but either way I'd gladly claim you as kin. :-)
If she doesn't want that Jack-o-lantern, more candy for me! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou really will need to give the solution to that question. Glad Dad was able to get it apart.
I hope you solved that gopher problem. Your maple tree is beautiful!
It looks like you have a firm grip on your haul. :-)
DeleteYour Dad, the scientist, drew upon the knowledge of Archimedes." "Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the earth. Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world. Give me a firm spot on which to stand, and I shall move the earth."
I think that tree really outdid itself this year. Thanks to a cold snap one night a week or so ago, the colors on most deciduous trees are especially beautiful here this fall.