After painting the chicken coop we put the run up against it. (This was a while ago, I'm just getting around to posting some month old photos..........
These next few are me just TRYING to get a group photo of the cousins. These were the better ones. They at least had everyone IN them.

Hairy woodpecker
Claire, helping put away the groceries. Wonder where she'll put the cookies?
Kathleen catches the local dusky salamanders with fair regularity. They're so small. This was a big one.
Somebody's got blue eyes!

DOWNTOWN MONTPELIER

Montpelier is the nation's smallest state capital. Here, 2 doors down from the capitol, smack downtown, is an example of a local full serve gas station.
Many gas stations around have electronic readout pumps, but many of these remain. Remember the 'ding-ding' sound when you'd pull up to the station? We've got it. This downtown gas station doesn't sell drinks or cigarettes or anything but oil, antifreeze, and wiper fluid. (Not because of any regulation, just because.)

Can't help but take pictures of the friendly birds!

I know, I know

But I just can't help it! If you look, you see a cloud layer, the ridge behind it, then another denser cloud layer beyond that, and another ridge. Sorry about the birdhouse at the top, I wasn't dressed to go out to take a photo. Oh, and wow, did the leaves disappear fast. There are still some yellows hanging on, but the reds are gone, and the hills with mostly hardwoods are looking barer. I guess I'm just a newcomer because I just can't get over how great the views are here!

you must be tired of these same shots,

but I can't help it! I love looking out the slider in the morning to see what there is to see today. I love that the clouds in the valley are below us. The colors everywhere are starting to fade as the leaves fall off. Still, beautiful, IMHO.

cute school pics

Wrightsville resevoir, Middlesex, VT
The colors are like a rainbow, everywhere you look!

view from inside my car when I pull up to the house. (taken with phone; low res)

my backyard view since color has developed

 
 
 
 

Red squirrel trapped in chicken coop.

Bantam Orpington rooster was NOT happy about his company!
fattened chipmunk on deck, right by door.
Bantam Orpington hen lays 1 cream colored egg. (Shown next to golf ball to promote broodiness)

This titmouse was brave enough to come to the feeder, and then decided right up to the door was okay too. The wildlife here is getting aggressive. Squirrels and chipmunks and chickadees wait for us to open the slider door to come in and shop for seeds. (The kids encourage this.)

Kathleen's soccer game

neat hairdo, too!

chickadees are getting pretty aggressive

I took these pictures while sitting within 3 feet of these little birds.
They came right in looking for food.


I had, (admittedly) put out hulled sunflower seeds to see if they'd take them. They did.

Open house at

Kathleen's class made self portraits with clues to help identify them. (I hope she wasn't talking about MY cooking! HA !
You can see here that hers was a real stand out. Her teacher called her a "Power House". I asked what that meant, and she just explained that Kathleen was great at everything. Sports, academics, art, everything. "Wow!" she said.
Kathleen was nominated for a "Rumney CARES Award". This was presented at an all school assembly, and consisted of a wristband (you know, those plastic/rubber ones...)and a photo on their web page. (www.rumney.org) She was chosen because of her great sportsmanship. When someone falls or gets hurt playing soccer, she stops, helps them, makes sure they're okay, THEN proceeds to score. ::grin::
Kids in the yard while working on a project. More on this later.