Life in Antrim

Bird on a bike ride...

A couple days ago Mikey, his friend David, and I rode our bikes into Hillsborough to return a video game. On the way back we stopped by a farm stand to get some cucumbers, and then took a back road to get back to the highway. Our efforts were rewarded with seeing this bird. :-)

The Leica D-LUX 3 I have has a 4x zoom, so I couldn't get a close-up, but if you click on either image you will get a larger version.

Augie comes home!

Although some late-in-the-day jaundice almost prevented Augie from coming home today, he is now safely in his bassinet at home here in Antrim. His grandmom is visiting, so the dogs haven't had too much time to sniff him yet, but their initial reaction does not appear to include a perception of him being a chew-toy :-)

This picture is of mom and Augie in mom's car outside the hospital--preparing to have daddy chauffeur them home.

Well, grandma has cooked up some tacos for the family, so time to head into the kitchen...

Being born is tiring...

At the same time that dad is about to have time free up by finishing college, a little bundle of joy has arrived to make sure he doesn't get bored. Augustine joined the Fahrner clan yesterday at 8AM (8/15). There are no words that can fully express the blessing from God a child is...

No escaping NH...

Well, I'm supposed to be halfway across the country right now (about 30,000 feet up) on my way to California...but as you can see from the photo I took driving back from Manchester's airport, Mother Nature had other ideas.

So, I'll try it again tomorrow. I think the family will be hoping for another day of fog so as to cause my trip to be canceled instead of just delayed :-)

If you click on the image, you can see a larger version...

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

As you can see, the first snow came on Thanksgiving. Here is Mikey standing in front of a leafless oak in our front yard. He and his friend David are especially enjoying the white stuff, although they would have preferred a bit more :-)

We technically did have a little snow mixed with rain a while back, but so little our Thanksgiving weather wins the "time to break out the snowblower" award.

We have flurries again today, but nothing that will force me back outside...

The first frost of Autumn 2005...

I'm not out of shorts yet...but today was the first day since spring we've had frost on the ground. I took this photo quickly stopped on the side of Elm Avenue (coming back from an almost daily run to Dunkin' Donuts)...

Ayuh, can't get thair for hee-yah...

On the right side of our house (facing it), we have a creek in our woods. On the left side we have a culvert (under the road) to help alleviate the surge of water caused by heavy rain and/or melting.

Guess what backed up this past weekend on the other side of the road. Guess what is being fixed as I write this.

So, if you want to visit the Fahrners right now, you better come from the Route 9 side...the 202 side has an impediment :-)

If you click on the picture you'll get a larger version...

40 days and 40 nights...

Okay, so it hasn't quite been 40 days and 40 nights, and nobody has encouraged me to go on an ark :-)

However, it was big news last weekend how there was a bunch of flooding in New Hampshire. It affected all around us, but didn't hit Antrim very badly.

Well, that's no longer true thanks to this weekend's heavy rains. The photos (in order) are of our closed road (leading to people having to turn around in our driveway), the creek in our woods, pumpkins floating in the distance at Tenney's farm, and water attempting to take out a bridge downtown that is in the midst of be replaced from a previous wash-out.

If you click on any of the pictures, you'll get a larger version.

Other "news" that I'm aware of is that part of the Greg Lake damn has washed away (the top maybe?) Also, two of our friends are now accessing their house from an old logging road because the bridge leading to it is no longer safe. Should be interesting in the winter :-)

But, compared to some other recent natural disasters, we can't complain. And Mikey loves the water...he might still be out there playing by it if I didn't make him come in with me :-)

Maybe a dog's life isn't so bad...

I can't help but think a dog's life isn't so bad. I sure feel like doing what Pascal is in the picture below. He'll be our third dog...should have him in two weeks.

An old stone bridge and a new camera...

During a recent trip, my Pentax Optio camera disappeared. There is still a chance we may locate it somewhere in my home...but I've been going nuts because unlike my Canon Rebel, the Optio was small enough to keep with me regularly -- and I keep not having a camera handy when I want it...

Well, as a bit of a combined birthday/Father's Day gift, I now have a Casio Exilim EX-Z50. So far I'm pretty impressed...the picture you see if you click on the thumbnail was taken on my way home from getting it...

Wind didn't blow away the birds...

Although, from bird watcher standards, they are pretty ordinary, I was enjoying all the different types that were visiting our backyard yesterday. The Bluejay seems to be saying, "You lookin' at me?!?!?!" and I got more than one shot where I seemed to be catching a husband-and-wife Evening Grossbeaks.

As I mentioned on this web log before, I'm a big fan of animals, including the little varmits. Even the "common" ones awe me...

If you click on either image, you'll see a larger version...

Bear attack!!!

Yesterday morning, Michelle noticed our feeders didn't look as healthy as they had the day before. If you click on the image, you'll see why :-)

(Both poles are bent, but only one is finished off...)

Last night a couple friends, Don and Francis, taught us something important -- suet feeders are referred to as "bear feeders" after about March 1st :-)

So, before going to bed we pulled the one remaining healthy suet feeder inside...putting it back out this morning...

New TV for Antrim Village

Long before I became a Lion, the Antrim-Bennington Lions Club gave a TV to Antrim Village, a senior citizens' complex. It finally died after many years...so yesterday we replaced it with a new 27 inch flat screen TV/DVD/VCR (and TV stand). They seemed pretty happy (you can see their smiles through the blurs I put on for anonymity)...

If you click on the picture, you'll see a larger version.

Purple finch

I've got to figure out a way to take pictures of our birds without glass in between. This is a purple finch (I believe)...the state bird of New Hampshire.

If you click on the image you'll get a larger version...

Oh, did I mention it's also very cold?

I forgot to mention...it is also very cold and windy...something that made my shoveling a bit nippy...

Nothing communicates how cold it is better than the poor freezing squirrel munching down on some sunflower seeds I refilled this morning...

If you click on the image, you'll get a larger version...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I was just about to write that this was our first "real" snow this year...but as I think of it, while I was away in southern California there was a decent amount of accumulation. If anything, I'm wondering if the town fathers will request the Lion's Club stop meeting for the remainder of the winter -- the last snow was on the 7th...postponed (due to that snow storm) until tonight :-)

Kind of a wimpy one though -- shovel only. Yesterday I did get the snow blower in place for future ones...

If you click on the photo you'll see a larger version...

I need Weight Watchers

I believe this is the same squirrel as pictured in the previous post. I just figured I'd give more proof that no squirrel on Fahrner land goes hungry. :-)

Not that I couldn't use Weight Watchers too :-)

(If you click on the photo you'll see a larger version...)

Quite the pose...

My daughter, April, pointed this squirrel out to me. If you click on the image, you'll see why this really is, "Quite the pose..."

We had snow again last night, but it's now rain. That made it good for packing this morning, and Mikey and I had a small snowball fight this morning :-)

A dog's life

The Antrim Marketplace was an extra stop on my almost daily trek to the center of town -- we needed some more turkey gravy to properly consume the remnants of yesterday's Thanksgiving feast.

(As a "almost entirely vegetarian" I can only enjoy the flavor of past memories of post-holiday hot turkey gravy sandwiches...)

After properly obtaining seven cans, I headed back to the Dodge Dakota, climbed in the cab, and buckled up. Looking out the driver's window I saw exactly what you now see (you can get a bigger version by clicking on the image). Although he/she flopped down to enjoy the sun before I could get a perfect image, you can see how the dog looked apt sitting in the van's passenger seat :-)

In your face Accuweather!!!

In yesterday's post I noted that I didn't think that we'd really get any accumulation, but Accuweather.com said 3 to 6 inches over night. If you click on the thumbnail you'll see I was right :-)

Snow!!!

Based on looking at last years blogs, the first snow was back on October 22nd (although the first accumulation was on the 23rd). As you can see, there isn't a whole bunch on the ground right now, and I don't expect a whole bunch.

(Hmmm...Accuweather.com disagrees with me. Their forecast for today: "Cloudy and cold with a little snow and rain, accumulating a coating to an inch." Tonight: "Considerable cloudiness and cold with snow much of the time, accumulating 3-6 inches." Perhaps we'll see who was right with a picture tomorrow.)

And speaking of pictures, this is the closest one I've gotten of one of my favorite birds, a Downy Woodpecker. I probably like the Hairy Woodpecker (pretty much the same bird but larger) slightly more...but I think you can still see why I enjoy seeing them so much.

It would be a better image...but generally the only way to get critter-photos is through window glass (as this one was).

If you click on either thumbnail you'll get a larger version.

The Moon...

I'm starting to play with how to take pictures of the moon...here are a couple examples.

The first is during last night's lunar eclipse...the second an earlier combination of crisp skies, clouds, and full moon...

If you click on either picture, you'll get a larger version...

To bridge a creek...

Mikey and I used the last vestiges of light yesterday to finish the bridge in the picture. We have a creek which dissects our property...and it's always been a bit interesting finding a safe spot to cross without getting wet.

The bridge is not as I originally intended. I didn't follow the rule to "measure first"...and bought eight foot landscaping logs to work as trusses. I found out after that our creek is almost always at least eight feet wide :-)

The location I chose has a large rock jutting out, but it did mean the bridge had to be thinner than desired. I may design a more elaborate bridge in the future...who knows if this one will survive the spring flooding :-)

If you click on the image you'll see a larger version...