Brief Blackout *November 18, 2025
At this time of year, I try to be intentionally thankful. It’s a good practice year-round, but I’m still working on that.
I was half asleep this morning when I heard a BOOM. It was loud but sufficiently far away not to rouse me. When I got up a few minutes later, I discovered we had no power. A text exchange with my neighbor confirmed the problem didn’t extend beyond my house.
I called the power company, and repairmen arrived within two hours. I pulled on my boots and trudged up the hill to meet them.
“Can you tell what the problem is?” I asked.
“Squirrel,” said one of the repairmen, hands in his pockets.
The other repairman extended a long yellow rod and used it to flip something at the top of the power pole.
“Did it go in?” he asked.
“Yep,” said the man with warm hands.
Then to me he said, “You’ve got power.”
I’m thankful for an incredibly quick fix to my power outage. But apparently we have one less squirrel.
Low Water*November 17, 2025
I can’t remember the last time the water was this low.
Acorns*October 23, 2025
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dewy Webs * October 3, 2025
Summer Critters * August 14, 2025
Katydid, shell of a Cicada, and a Tick still clinging to a piece of my flesh.
Rainy Days * August 13, 2025
We’ve had a few rainy days lately, and the lake seems to be at full pond. I’m itching to fish, now that the weather has cooled slightly. Sometimes you just have to fish in the rain. After all, the fish are already wet.
Turtle Snack * July 20, 2025
Born in a Thunderstorm
I was heading out to check on my boat after a thunderstorm. We have had several inches of rain in the last two days, and my lift isn’t working well. I wanted to make sure my boat wasn’t floating away.
A big-eyed doe stared at me through the basement door. It’s not unusual to see deer here. It was those wide, frightened eyes that got my attention. She ran off when I came outside.
In the wet weeds, I saw a newborn fawn.
I got close enough to snap a picture and retreated.
When I came back to the house, I looked out the window. The fawn still lay hidden in the foliage. The mother was nowhere around. I hoped the baby would be okay.
I took my dogs out to the front of the house, away from the deer. Next time I looked, the fawn mounted his ungainly legs and was struggling in the direction the doe had departed.
Looks Fishy to Me
A scene like this makes me want to get on the water and fish.
Turtle On A Log
As the weather warms, the lake is getting busier. Fishermen are out in force, and I’m spying animals I haven’t seen in a while. The picture doesn’t do justice to this colorful turtle sunning himself on a log. Google tells me this type of turtle is a Pond Slider. I couldn’t get close enough for a better shot. When I tried, he slipped out of sight into the water.
Runaway Floating Dock…And Wonderful Neighbors!
We live on a creek, a tributary of a beautiful lake in Virginia. I prefer not living on the lake proper because we don’t have as much boat and jet ski traffic. A steep bank opposite our property means it is unlikely anyone will build there. If that’s the case, the natural view will be preserved for us.
For the second time in five years, the surface of the creek froze over. The ice wasn’t solid enough to support my weight, but it was enough to cause damage. It wrenched our floating dock from its four moorings and deposited it around the bend by my neighbor’s boat lift.
I’m so thankful for good neighbors! We got a text asking if we were missing a floater. Until I checked, we weren’t even aware it was gone. Enough of the ice had melted for me to canoe to the runaway dock. My neighbor allowed me to secure it to the I-beams supporting their lift so it wouldn’t float farther. A few days later, my husband, a neighbor, and I paddled our raft home. I felt like Huck Finn, floating the Mississippi.
#ice #floatingdock #raft #goodneighbors #HuckFinn
These HISEA Deck Boots keep my feet dry and warm in cold weather. My husband and I went striper fishing today, a cold, windy November day. The cold and wind are intensified on the water, especially when the boat is moving. But my feet stayed comfortable. Too bad the stripers weren’t biting.
You’ll notice these are sold as men’s boots. When I discover an item of apparel only available for men, particularly in sporting or outdoors, I find they can often be adapted for my use. In US sizes, you can usually subtract two from the women’s size to get the corresponding size in men’s. I normally wear a women’s 10, so a men’s 8 tends to fit me well.
I have several pairs of HISEA boots, tall hunting, low gardening, and rain. They all are great quality and have held up well through years of regular use.
GENEINNO S2 Underwater Scooter
This underwater scooter is loads of fun. These are often used to aid snorkelers in viewing incredible sights below the water’s surface. But even in my lake, where the underwater visibility is practically nil, I still have a great time zooming through the water. I’m not a strong swimmer, but this scooter gives me the confidence to go all the way to the opposite bank in my cove.
