What Happened to Spring ?

OK, I’m seriously confused here.  April opened with a half an inch of snow.  That’s right, a half an inch of snow at 7am on April 2nd.  Chilly, blustery, just what I’d expect for April.  Then POOF – its summer.  Temps in the high 70’s.  WHAT HAPPENED TO SPRING?  Where’s those 50 & 60 degree days that tease, the soft breezes that hint of summer-yet-to-come?  Nope.  Just an hour or two in the wee hours of the morning and then Bazinga - full blown summer.  The ticks are out, the stink bugs are out, the little wasps are looking for home sites.  The trees, bushes and plants are acting likes its May and they’ve overslept. 

The Forsythia

The snow in March confused the forsythia and it bloomed later this year than it ever has before.  Then it went from buds to full bloom in 2 days.  The crocus stayed confused but the daffodils came on like gang busters.

More Forsythia

Only the oldest 4 bushes put out a really thick display of blooms.  The other bushes just couldn’t figure out what to do.  Now the forsythia was way late, but the grass is way early.

The Back Yard Half Mowed

On Wednesday, the back yard had a lot of green onions and not much else.  By Thursday it was greening up nicely.  Friday it rained.  Saturday I struggled through mowing the back yard.  I have my mower set on the highest grass length setting, but you can see how much there was to cut on Saturday.  This is the 1st time in 21 years that I’ve mowed before income taxes were due.

Nicely Mown Back Yard

At least the initial mowing is done.  The front & side yard haven’t taken off yet, which is good because I’ve got about 2 hours more of white pine to trim up from the 2 snowstorms in March.  Right now I’m one sore Mighty Mouse with a date tonight involving a very hot bath followed by judicious application of liniment.

Bird Nest in a Forsythia Bush

I’m not sure who used this nest last year but there were 5 of these nests in the forsythia bushes.  Two years ago there were only 2 nests.  I suspect the Cardinals who are spending a fair amount of time in the forsythia in pairs.  I’m also seeing the Carolina wrens hopping about in pairs.  I really like the wrens, they have such sweet songs.  I’ve also got 6-8 Little Brown Bats using the kitchen side attic louvers as a hunting roost.  They rest there on and off during the night between bug catching.

The New Sawbuck

Last weekend when I visited Da Urchin I cut out the pieces to make 2 sawbucks, one for her and one for me.  I got her sawbuck put together while I was at her place and put mine together today.  The wood came from the not-to-code framing in her basement which we had already torn out.  I had just enough straight wood for the sawbucks, the rest of the wood from the framing is badly warped.  I also made her cheese Pascha while I was there.

Cool Toy, I Mean Tool Set

When I went to Lowes for screws for the sawbuck project they had this really really cool tool set on sale.  Yes it followed me home.  There’s a .5 inch drill, a 6.25 inch circular saw, 2 batteries, a battery charge and the bag to carry them in.  The guide rail is from my hobby 3.5 inch circular saw but it fits this one too.  I’ve been doing all my woodwork cutting for years with a Stanley cross cut saw.  This makes the job so much easier.  The drill also serves as a screwdriver and the saw adjusted for both depth of cut and beveled cuts.  The batteries give just over an hours of steady use at full charge.  I see a bunch more projects getting done real soon. 

Photographic Gear

OK, so last January Best Buy put the Canon 60D camera body on sale.  The price was really really good.  So I ordered one and sold my Canon 30D on Amazon.com.  I’m one happy camper here.

Canon 60D Body

Now don’t get me wrong.  The Canon 30D was a really really nice camera body.  But for me the 60D body is just plain awesome.  It fits my hand better, it’s a bit lighter,  the controls are easier for me to use and its just plain more fun.  Thank you Canon.

For the record, this is the lens I usually use with the 60D.  Almost all of the blog photos I’ve posted since I got the 60D were taken with this lens. 

So what’s this?  This is one awesome present from Gypsy Jane.  Its my lens except it’s a coffee travel mug.  Its got all the right markings and it even came with a lens bag. 

Here’s the lens and mug side by side.  THANK YOU GYPSY JANE !

P.S. I’ve finished editing my recent blog entries, so now there’s text to go with all the pictures.  Enjoy.

There I Fixed It

As you My Faithful Loyal Readers may remember, I had the driver’s side mirror smashed before the Ides of March.  I Gator Taped the mirror back in place but that was a stop gap measure.

Obviously this mirror isn’t going to give a good mirror image of much of anything, although it was enough to get on down the road.

WELL I FIXED IT !

I bought a replacement mirror through Amazon.com, read my Haynes manual for Methuselah the Awesome Chevy 2500 Express Cargo Van (aka “The Mule”), and consulted with Wandering John.  Wandering John in particular was very helpful. 

Helpful Wandering John

And here it is, The New Mirror all installed and everything.  The power & defrost hookups work.

Now its an after market mirror, so its not optically nice as a GM mirror.  The all plastic construction does vibrate a bit when I’m driving down the road too.  But it was less than half the cost of a recycled mirror assembly from an auto scrapyard and less than a quarter of the cost of a new unit from GM.  I’m happy, I spent less than $50, the van is fixed, and I can always get a recycled unit later if I want.  The Haynes manual has also now paid for itself. 

NO APRIL FOOL HERE

My Faithful Loyal Readers will also remember the mess the last 2 snow storms made in my yard.  White pine limbs & branches EVERYWHERE!  Well its not all cleaned up yet, but it’s a job well started.

The front yard has been cleared out of all the downed wood from the storm.  The brushy piles on the left will get burned out back on a windless day.  The heavier wood on the right will get cut up by the Mighty Chain Saw for use in the Backyard Fire Ring. 

Unfortunately I’m not done with Basic Cleanup as yet.  The side & backyard areas haven’t been worked on as yet.  But what doesn’t get started doesn’t get done.  Plus I’m trying to work until I’m slightly sore but stop before I’m wicked sore. 

MIGHTY MOUSE LIVES!

Plunder Plunder Plunder

The Spring OVPR was cold – not the coldest ever but cold enough to be unpleasant.  And I’ve not owned much in the way of cold weather gear, what with needing to stay cool in 90+ heat by Memorial Day and all.  Well no more my friends, no more.

Wool Shirt Front

Wool Shirt Back

What I have here is a nice warm 14 oz. wool hunting shirt with a single cape.  It’s a nice tan & dark brown twill pattern and comes to just below my knee.  The sleeves are a bit long (sleeves are always a bit long on me unless I’ve made the garment) but I don’t care because its roasty toasty warm.  The cape is even large enough to flip up over my neck & head for even more toasty warms.  (I do plan on adding some ties or hook & eyes to keep the cape up around my head & neck.) 

Now some of my faithful readers may remember that I bought a brown canvas duck cloth weskit several years back at an EPR.  Well now I own the coat to match it.

Canvas Duck Cloth Coat Front

Canvas Duck Cloth Coat Back

The coat comes a little farther below my knee than the wool shirt and is lined to the waist with the same fabric.  Talk about windproof – the cold may creep in but no wind is getting through this fabric.  The pocket flaps on the front have real pockets under them too (many period pocket flaps are just for show, they don’t cover an actual pocket).  The wool shirt won’t fit under this coat but my weskit does.  Talk about toasty!  Plus I plan to Scotch Guard the coat thoroughly for rainy situations. 

British Half Moon 1 qt. Canteen

Two years ago I had my dining fly go down in a hard wind at the spring OVPR.  Unfortunately the fly ridge pole was cracked and one of my canteens was crunched also.  Both needed to be replaced.  I made a new ridge pole for the fly before my next event.  Well the damaged canteen has now been replaced too.  I can once again have a full gallon of drinking water in my camp without needing to have said water in the plastic container it was sold in.

Now not all Rendezvous plunder is purely practical. 

Baba Yaga’s Chicken Footed Hut

This little box is made of carved birch bark.  Baba Yaga is the Slavic witch of all witches who lives in the deepest darkest woods in a small hut which follows her around on its 2 chicken legs.  Very handy, wherever she goes she’s always home. 

Part of the Side of the Box

These boxes are traditionally decorated on the top, all sides and the bottom of the inside.

Another Part of the Side of the Box

I gave Da Urchin one of these carved boxes for Christmas several years ago.  This is the 1st one I’ve ever gotten for myself.  I just couldn’t pass on Baba Yaga’s hut! 

The Inside of the Box

I’m also back in project mode.  Here’s 2 knife sheaths I re-stitched.  The linen thread in both of them needed replacing. 

STOOPY SNO

Backyard

Birdfeeders

I DOON WAN NO MORES STOOPY SNO!

 

Spring OVPR–March 21st - 24th

Once again its march and time for the Olde Virginia Primitive Riflemen’s Spring Rendezvous.  Well OK, it was cold, unpleasantly cold for the whole event but what’s a little cold for Your Intrepid Blogger.  I’m from the Great Frozen Northern State of Michigan after all.

My Camp on Wednesday Afternoon

I arrived on site Wednesday afternoon after visiting the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.  By 4 in the afternoon my lodge was up, the trade blanket was out and I was ready to rendezvous. 

Now 1st & foremost I want to thank the wonderful folks of OVPR who make this whole thing happen.  The site needs prepping, wood heeds splitting and stacking, hooters need cleaning (ugh), ranges need staffing.  You get the picture. 

These folks are manning the gate so folks can register.  There’s a heater in the shed, but that only makes things a little less cold.  It doesn’t make them really warm. 

This group of ladies might be socializing now but they were all busy as bees earlier trying to make sure we could all come play in the woods.

Hootie Owl runs the Tavern on Friday & Saturday night but that’s only the work we all see him do.  Like most OVPR folks he works on the event long before the event.

That’s Tim there in the center.  For years and years he has seen to it that we get fine BBQ chicken for the camp feed on Saturday evening. 

He’s got a crew of helpers too.  By mid-morning Saturday the fires are going (thus the smoky picture) and the grates are getting a final cleaning before they’re oiled up for the chicken quarters. 

More OVPR Folks Wednesday Afternoon

I could do a whole album of folks who make this fine event happen.  Your labors are much appreciated.  Hugs to you all.

Wandering John

This is Wandering John.  Wandering John has a very nice Marque know as the Music Emporium.  It’s a grand space for making music, having dinner, playing Cribbage or just hanging out.  It also has a lovely wood stove, so I hung out there a lot this ‘Vous. 

The music is usually an evening thing.  Here its lunch of cheese & sausage. 

This fine fellow from North Carolina joined Wandering John for the ‘Vous.  It turns out he also does Crusader era Living History in armor and everything.  Whod-a-Thunk.

Of course this ‘Vous is very much a family affair.  Its not unusual to have 3 generations of a family all here and busy having fun. 

 

This warmly dresses little lady was running around playing with several other kids. 

These folks had their lodge in a section of the camp I haven’t had the opportunity to stay in.  I stopped by there lodge one afternoon for a nice visit.  I also saw them early on at some of the singing.

Dulcimer Dave

Dulcimer Dave hosts a music session at his marque every night.  There’s also music around the fire at various lodges throughout the camp.  Shooting by day, music by night. 

There’s also usually music at the Spider Inn when its open.  The Spider Band plays there plus there’s an open session on Friday night. 

Dulcimer Dave and Preacher Ken play at the Saturday Ladies Social too.  Ken was a bit under the weather so he sat this year out.

The Ladies Social is a lot about socializing,

but its about sashaying too.  Besides a bit of dancing really warms one up.

With dancing it’s the more the merrier

Several years ago 2 ladies starting hosting an afternoon ladies tea on Friday.  Its now a regular part of an OVPR ‘Vous. 

The Hostesses standing behind the table richly laden.

It’s a grand time to just meet and chat, although given how cold it was a cup of hot tea is a wonderfully grand and glorious thing. thing.

Fortunately it wasn’t windy and the sun was warming during the tea.

Lou (on the right) in his camp with a friend

The Crazy Russian Trader of Old Dominion Mercantile.  He came last year after another event booking fell through.  He liked us so much he’s put us on his circuit.  Which is grand because he sells stuff that no one else carries.  Besides his fiancé lives in tidewater. 

Just another Happy Rendezvous lady

Another Lady at the Social

Well the Spring 2013 OVPR Rendezvous is History.  How many days until the Fall event?