About WVU and ~~ JAMIE the Great Moose Hunter

Ok first it is my Alma Mater as well as hubby’s. We just like College football. We have for many years done football picks when the season heads into the COLLEGE BOWLS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We like other sports,

The Pittsburgh Steelers, The Pittsburgh Pirates, The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions. The Pirates are also referred to as the Bucs (derived from buccaneer)… even The Pittsburgh Penguins.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's too early to tell if young Sidney will reach the level that hockey greats Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux did before him, but he definitely has the hype.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions. The Pirates are also referred to as the Bucs (derived from buccaneer).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. He was the first pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and one of the leading scorers during the 2005-06 NHL season, finishing 6th in scoring with 102 points (39 G, 63 A). Crosby was one of the most highly regarded draft picks in hockey history, leading many to refer to the 2005 Draft Lottery as the 'Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And in all that mix we have donated the use of some of our farm to the youth Soccer Leagues in our counties. YUP we love Soccer. Hubby’s has been a ref for the youth leagues and all of our kids played soccer from the youth leagues to high schools. Youngest son was also a youth Ref.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Add to that all the kids were swimmers, Hubby a swim team coach, youngest son also a youth coach and lifeguard as was eldest daughter…we spent many a time with four kids at many sports events. TIME WELL SPENT!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Might add Hubby was on his under grad college swim team and still EVEN now can impress me with his BUTTERLFY!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seems to go faster in the farm pond knowing full well that there are snapping turtles in there let alone the Bass and bluegill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ So that brings me to our Great Nephew that bagged this Moose…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lets hear it for JAMIE! WHAT a MOOSE!

Sap-Feeding Insects

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~

One day bummed out then TODAY I found the sense of humor…HA under da ROCK!

~~~~~~~~~~ I remember one year when our children were little and the Seventeen Year Locusts came out…we used the old Peanut Butter buckets to gather the shells. Of course there was a prize for the most found. But then they all got a prize of some kind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sounds was deafening like a Chain saw conventions. A few years ago when they were due to emerge again our eldest son and I wrapped our newly planted trees as well as some other ones with aluminum foil. We were told if we put the shiny side out the Cicada was less likely to harm the tree. Well it MIGHT have helped a TAD… the larva was not on the young tree when we planted it… Still there could have been some drifters. ;(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BUGS Cicada Dog-day Cicada (Cicadidae family, superfamily Cicadoidea, suborder Auchenorrhyncha),

~~~~~~~~~

Locust or Cicada

~~~~~~~~ Cicadas are related to leafhoppers and spittlebugs. In parts of the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States they are known as "dry flies" because of the dry shell they leave behind. The name is a direct derivation of the Latin cicada. (In classical Greek it was called a tettix, and in modern Greek tzitzikas.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~ Dog-day Harvest fly singing

~~~~ MINUSCULE - NAP TIME:

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here's the basic cicada life cycle: Hatch from eggs laid in tree branches; drop to the ground, burrow about a foot deep; hang out for 17 (or 13) years; climb back to the surface; fly around, make a lot of noise, mate and die. Rinse, repeat, ad infinitum.

~~~~~~~~~~

U S Midwest readies for emergence of 17-year cicadas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Seventeen Year Blues" to the tune of the Rolling Stones

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Miss You" They've been living b'lo ground

Now they're nearing their rebound

Yeah, we miss you

By late May they'll all emerge,

Sooner if they feel the urge

Yeah, we miss you

By the zillions gonna swarm

Four weeks is bout the norm Oh, cada why you wait so long

Won't you come on! Come on! Is this real or hocus-pocus?

Are they cicada or locusts?

Yeah, we miss you

Ten plus seven they've had to wait

Just to court a bit, then mate

Yeah, we miss you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Song FUN!!!!!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ But as FOOD??? YIKES! Funny to eat what bugs ya! Cicadas as Food: Summer’s Low Fat Snack?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh things are getting closer!

MAYBE today the insider painter of our bed and bathroom will be able to begin painting the floor. OH JOY! In our home circa late 1800’s the floors upstairs were painted. In order to maintain some credence to the age and appropriateness, we have chosen to maintain that look and or appeal as it were. By the early 1800's more parquet patterns were in use, but only in the richest of homes and rooms. Wooden plank flooring remained the norm and were usually painted, and in the better homes laid in a tongue and grove configuration. More modest houses would have random width boards simply face nailed to the joists. With the advent of tongue and groove milling, the floors could be laid in a more level fashion before they were painted. This still required a lot of labor to install as well as to maintain. Of course if you had these types of floors you probably had some servants that did the work! NOW there is a concept! Servants? HA! http://university.floormall.com/hardwood-flooring-101.php At any hoot, we are doing the floors of these two rooms. We had years ago painted one of the rooms down stairs and have since replaced the wood with newer oak flooring as the joists were beyond repair. The old floors were too dry and did not withstand being even the best sanding equipment. Now the upside to the old uneven floors was that one could play marbles and NEVER win! ???? My hope and wish that these two rooms would be ready for occupancy by this weekend is CLOSE to happening. But as they say Close only counts in Horseshoes and hand grenades. [It's a baseball saying that first started around 1935. The full quote is: “Close doesn't count in baseball. Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades.” http://www.mindlesscrap.com/stumpme/03-02.htm A HUGE THANK YOU for my Sweetie and both of our sons as they got all the trim ready for these two rooms so the Painting goes on. Boring as it was, it is FINI. Well that part is! Also JUST for my Sweetie…a GUSHY MOMENT…tee hee, bet he thought I forgot! ;) “Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Fog or Cloud?

I have surfaced and still feel in a fog or the clouds! Almost 700 pages and the last ten or so chapters I felt I was reading with speeds analogous to the Shinkansen.*** see note Thanks to my Sweetie, who only harrassed me occassionally, the queries being , “How is Harry now?” To eldest son just smiling, while youngest son is finishing the book. I shall lend my book to eldest son as he got half way through before youngest son returned home work. I will re read the last few chapters again for sure…possibly the entire book. For now I am content KNOWING how it ended! ***Note: The Tokaido Shinkansen, connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, was inaugurated in the year 1964 as the first shinkansen line and the world's first high speed train. In 1964 the trains already run with speeds of about 200 km/h. Nowadays they reach speeds of over 300 km/h.

What fun I had riding that!

Will and "Pond Orca"

After a grueling day of pushing, toting that barge and lifting that bale, it was time for our sons to CHILL OUT. It is amazing what one small container of worms, a pole, and a farm pond can do for the soul. Followed by grilled steak, fresh corn on the cob and potatoes. Plus promises of letting them sleep in tomorrow. ;) The leveling out for the patio by the little Koi pond is progressing. I had to chuckle to my self when I learned of the different levels of STUFF before the Flagstone is placed. Here it is ~ G. P. S. Yup bet ya could guess what I chuckled about. Not [Global positioning system] but Gravel ~ Pea Gravel ~ Sand ~ HA, I am easily amused. Here is to the efforts of our sons and my Sweetie. Pictured is the 3.7-pound Large Mouth Bass our other son got one on his line but it was only a 6 # test line, so that one got away with some dangling monofilament. Our guess is that it was larger, but who knows? Could just be a good FISH Story.

Open Wide Big Mouth

Catch and Release of the Day...Bass 16 inches and @ 3 1/2 pounds easy!

Today is gonna be PEACHY

Here is an almost 16 inch @ 2 1/2 # bass from our farm pond…and other things from here on the Funny Farm.

Grand news, my camera is back from Sick Bay. After a mere 52 shots to be sure it works I am satisfied. Thanks to my Sweetie for lending me his in the interim!

…As for the Peachy… News and Pictures at Eleven!

Fish TALE?

Happy Birthday Eldest son!!! His fish is the bass that ate a bluegill Nephew Jamie has the red shirt on!