On This Day – Choring Around

November 26, 2023 (Sunday)

It is a chilly 24 degrees with a clear sky. There will be a full “beaver” moon tomorrow. Only 114 days till the Vernal Equinox. My first chore was to extract as much meat from the turkey carcass and make some soup. What remains will be given to the crows. I found a recipe and made a decent turkey and rice soup for lunch. While I was eating I saw a forlorn bluebird standing on the frozen birdbath. I tried to remember where I had put the defroster. It was either in the basement or the garage.

For the Birds

Providing drinking water for birds during the winter months is possible with one of these bird bath defrosters

Did you ever notice how chores can lead to other chores? While i was looking for the defroster, I notice that I had not closed off the basement windows. That might explain why it was so cold down there. I also noticed that the salt was low in the water treatment tank. I also noticed that I hadn’t covered the dahlia and canna bulbs with wood shavings. It probably isn’t necessary but I think it keeps them from drying out.

Dahlia Storage

Dahlias and Canna are packed in wood shavings in the basement for the winter.

I needed to run an extension cord to the defroster. I noted to my dismay that the holly bushes had sent branches against the house including some that crept beneath the siding. I love holly but this was a little too much. My next chore was getting out the loppers and hacking away. I have a large pile of holly clippings that I’m sure I can give away as Christmas decor.

Pruning

I had to cut back the English Ivy that was growing next to the house. It was sending shoots under the vinyl siding,

Daily Picture Theme – Trust

I participate in a daily photo challenge on the social media site Spoutible. Everyday there is a different subject announced as a Daily Picture Theme. I select an appropriate  photo from my collection to share. I have been sharing these exclusively on Improves With Age, my Substack newsletter. However since I have untaken the task of writing daily entries, I decided to introduce a daily picture theme photo to this website.

This was a difficult theme to tackle, but then I remember a hike we took in August of this year. It was sponsored by the Friends of the Wapack to celebrate their 100th Anniversary. The hike was led by Shelby Perry of the Northeast Wilderness TRUST. There was my hook for the theme. If we cannot trust nature, who can we trust? Their mission is a rewilding approach to conservation. TRUST nature to take care of itself with no human interference.

It was a great hike and I was pleased to see this property is located in our town.