Friday, October 31, 2008

Boo 2 U

Photo altered by SnaggleTooth Oct 31 2008
Spooky greetings courtesy of Mischief n Paintshop Pro 7.0...
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This is it- my big celebration. Gotta work n miss most of the silliness. I hope to rise early enough to visit the gang down the hill all dressed for the show.
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Have fun goblin up sweets!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Leaf Me

Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 2008


The sight across from my driveway two days ago is shown in the sunshine.

Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 2008
Today it was clouding up before the storm, n the colors got more interesting.

Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 2008
A very small, wild, brown-eyed-Susan peeks out next to my front walk, surrounded by tree-sheddings in the gusty wind today. While I was at work, there was a storm, n alot more leaves are down now.
I really miss not getting my Day Off. I'm so sore n tired. I've been informed that next week will be another six-day work marathon- Ugh!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Cool Color

Photo of MapleBeard by SnaggleTooth Oct 2008
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Out front MapleBeard is looking pretty cool this week. I haven't seen such vibrant color since the time we took fall fam pics on the deck to give out for Xmas, way back in the mid-'90s. In recent years, it's been too dry n the moth catepillars had caused alot of leaf damage, muting in a browner Autumn hue.
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Yesterday was pouring, today is chillin' in the 40s. I'm wearing so many layers in an attempt to feel warm, I feel like an onion! This am we're expecting the first freeze here. By the ocean, we're usually the last in New England to frost.
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I went out n covered the few, still flowering plants on the deck with plastic, so maybe they'll get some more bloom time in during the upcoming week, when it'll get warmer again. I still haven't picked seeds from them for next year. The herbs are all in the house ready for harvesting again.
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The people downstairs haven't made it down to button up their part of the house for winter time, n it's getting cold now. I'm kinda annoyed I just spent hours of my Day Off putting down their storm windows, n finding the glass inserts for the front screen door. All the windows down there were stuck, some were missing sash cords, n the storm sliders had stuck spring-locks. Also, the dust down there is thick, n I'm very allergic to it. (Sinus head-ache-) Their heat is still totally off, with a locked thermostat. They better get it turned on before pipe-freeze time.
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If I want to stay warm up here, n not pay more than I have to, it's important to cut down on the breeze a bit- So I wasted some of my own weather stripping on the gaps down there, too. I just finished paying for last year's heat this week! (Yikes)! So you know, I'll not be basking in here until next summer... Unless I suddenly become wealthy, that is! (Crankin' the heat to 70F is the first thing I'd do)!
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When I did my very short errand run, I kept smelling burning things. (Makes me react, "Fire!") Alot of folks are doing wood n pellet burning around here. Wish I could, with a forest full of hard wood across the road. But I don't have a hearth or pipe-flue to accommodate the apparatus. It's all electric n expensive up here.
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Again, I have to work on Halloween evening, n will miss all the fun with the kids. Next week is another six-day workweek because of the holiday orders.
I'm going to find a movie to watch, n try to lose this head-ache...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Wow Weeds

photo by Snaggletooth Oct 2008

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Strange

photo by SnaggleTooth fall 2008

A trying time for Day Off again. Little Truck sprung a leak n wasted all my time n bux again.
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I had to sweat out yesterday's ride to work, then home again. I performed alot of extra prayers for safety. Alot of fluid got wasted dripping down the pavement. Every few miles I had to stop to put in more to drip out, in hopes Little Truck's parts wouldn't run bone dry.
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All the free-time for sleep I should've had was cast aside in favor of a quest to hurry n solve the problem before Little Truck needed a complete transplant, which would strand me.
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But I made it thru the troubles to the other side of being able to get errands done in time for the next work shift, n Little Truck can still shift gears- whew!
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I went to a little shop just down the street from this pic spot, where I shot this cute, wierd house across from the Wind Turbine in September (near the RR bridge in the BG). Thankfully, they didn't care it was Saturday Afternoon, n shouldn't have been open. I got to leave with a little money for necessities in my pocket, n Little Truck stopped peeing down the road.
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Just when you've written off folks as mean n selfish, you can happen on the nicest people who go out of their way to prove you wrong.
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My nail-biting angst is over for the day. Now all I need is the sleep I didn't get- Here I am feeling wide awake with tons of weight off my shoulder, while knowing an earlier work-shift is looming next.
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How do you spell relief?

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Berry Good

Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 16 2008

Thought I'd get out during the overcast daylight n make a trip to the dump today, but I missed it by just a couple of minutes- darn! oh well, I'll try again tomorrow before work, n at least the truck's already loaded this time. That's half the battle (the other half is waking up early enough, n allowing enough travel time.)
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So on my meander back toward the stores n home, I thought I'd check to see if the back-road to my old cranberry job had any turned color yet. there's a couple of low s-curves around bogs. Of course no cranberry bog is complete without a water supply pond to cover the berries when the temp frosts threaten to ruin the crop. These are some of the pics I scored.
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Sunshine n blue sky would make for better pics, but at least it was a mild day without rain, n the fav spot I was thinking of payed off without going very far out of the way.
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What excited me more was scoring a couple pounds of dry-picked cranberries a messy truck very recently dropped all along the side of the road right where the turn-out was where I was parked. Cranberry muffins n bread for free, here I come! They were all fresh, bouncy, n in good shape of the "Early Blacks" berry variety.
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Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 16 2008
They're all washed n draining on the table now. So I got in some time walking, n bending exercises n in the process saved a few bux... n got something healthy to eat. I do really miss the handfuls of free berries I used to get working on the bogs.
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I'm creative with my berry recipes, using orange juice for liquid, raisins for sweetener, n oatmeal n rice flour for filler. It'll be a nice change from work cast-offs which aren't very nutritional.
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Last night at work the Corporate inspector dude finally showed up, n we did well for points. It's been stressful all week thinking he'd show up any day now. Get ready, get ready again, n again... Work hasn't let up on my hours at all yet.
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Apparently, the more the economy plays naughty with folks well-being, the more they order our products... The revolving door hasn't stopped spitting folks out, n someone or three are always missing from the line-up.
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Where did slow-season go? Now Halloween n the holidays are coming up to increase orders. I'm too pooped to ponder all I'll have to do. I bought more spinach too- looks like I better load up on high energy fuel. The mighty little native berry will really help!
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Is your week going slow?

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Light Travel

Photo by SnaggleTooth 2008
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Poor Dennis the manatee didn't make it to his destination. Some where in Georgia, only one state away from the planned recovery spot, his spirit swam away to the light.
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How depressing!
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Sometimes people mean well by helping wild animals, but it doesn't work out. Just being restrained in a tight spot when you're used to open space can cause too much stress.
The scientists are testing to see if they can figure out what happened.
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I wonder what the longest distance manatee land transport record is...
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I'm even more tired than last week- When people get stressed out, they tend to eat more of our products from where I work.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Dis n Dat

Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 2008
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Almost time to start taking foliage pics. The TV weather experts say the colors should be good this year. I've only driven by one turned sugar maple so far (below). The native Holly vines always turn red first here. This one is right across from my house.
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On NECN news I saw a story that at Sesuit harbor in Dennis on the north side of the Cape facing Cape Cod Bay, there's a manatee swimming around! (see article, video) That's as unusual as the other tropical sea creatures out of place which I previously pondered on ESR.
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There was a huge sea turtle in the news last year, n then there was a flock of about fifty poisonous Portugeuese Man-o-war (jellyfish like critters with long tentricles) in the waters of Buzzards Bay near southeastern MA. One, normal- fifty, unheard of... There've also recently been Great White Shark sightings around the Islands. These creatures normally stay in the southern USA waters, n the water here is cooling down drastically. The Striped bass n Blues run in with the cooler water. Authorities are planning a manatee rescue.
Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 2008 .

This is all further proof, in my opinion, of how messed up the ocean species lives are becoming, having to travel so far to find territory, n the food.
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I just managed to cram six days of work hours into five days.
Day Off this week will be unconscious...

SunFluerz

from SnaggleTooth's deck garden 2008

from SnaggleTooth's deck garden 2008
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I traded in one large, squirrel-eaten model for five, small, slightly irregular specimens crammed onto one stem. Apparently of the three varieties of sunflowers I planted from seeds, the lone survivor is of the "Velvet Queen" breed.
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Lesson: Remember to count your many, unobvious, hidden blessings.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Fish Tales

Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 2008 .
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Finally! A dry afternoon arrived after some early thunder showers I didn't quite sleep thru. Everything outside is still pretty damp, but I got myself up n out there anyhow. My eyes were stinging with the sunshine glare as most of the clouds moved out. It's been a week since I'd seen Sol.
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Looks like most of Canada's getting a major storm and what just left here is adding into it. (Good luck up there- getting out of that extensive cloud cover).
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Again, this week I've been working way too hard due to employee shortages at work. People who haven't taken vacation time seem to be dropping like flies hitting a bug-zapper. Getting tired, aggrivated, n pushing the self-destruct buttons... A theft of an expensive, electronic device prodded a normally calm person to violence on the perp caught with the goods. Injuries, arrests, broken alliances, n a split relationship all followed the breakdown.
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There went another three, hard workers. Unfortunately, the orders have to get out nightly, no matter the circumstances. Always the same people, over n over are expected to pick up the slack. Always the same quick to burn-out positions to fill. All because they don't offer decent time off, n a few more bux an hour. Bad economy news just fuels the cheap excuses.
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I'd been looking forward to shorter hours instead of running the marathon on a daily basis, but it seems I have to keep running to total exhaustion repeatedly. Unfortunately, I already feel like I never even had that time off! I'd be more rested, but the power-washer next door did me in for yesterday's sleep, then the longer night-shift, then the thunder interrupted today. Right back to burn-out Day Off...
Photo by SnaggleTooth Oct 2008
I found this 3.5 foot fillet remnant down on Bcove under the D-bridge at mid-low tide. I was anxious to get some new October pics to share here so stopped on the way back from the store.
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Finally, on dry land, but skinned alive....