Category Archives: animals

The First Whale

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It’s very exciting. My fall vacation is approaching. I planned it for November because I had to use the trip I was awarded by my time share before December 3 or it would expire. I try not to broadcast exact dates for security reasons but my house won’t be empty this trip. I have my pet sitter going in and out, a house keeper and my neighbor keeping an eye out on Rocky. This will be his first time ever alone so I made sure there will be lots of people around him.

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The first half of the trip will be with my sister, good travel companion that she is,  and we will be joined the 2nd half by my cousin. That will be fun. Growing up I could always count on summers with my “Cuz “(and the trouble we managed to get in and out of) .  We have plenty of accommodations so we’ll have lots of room and not have to be on top of each other. Relax and enjoy the Aloha spirit.

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Another reason I chose November was because the humpback whale migration is usually November  – March and I really want to see them. We’ve gone to Hawaii in early October in the past but that’s too early for the whales. I wasn’t sure if even November would be too early but it was the best I could do on this trip. Luckily I got a Facebook post that the first whale has been officially spotted off Maui.

http://mauinow.com/2016/10/20/pwf-spots-its-first-whale-of-the-season/

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I hope I can get a photo like this one.

My best shot so far was one this summer.

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But it was just too far away for a good enlargement. Fingers crossed for Maui!

 

Best of Intentions

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With the laundry done on Saturday I had no excuse not to get out on Sunday and do something interesting to tell you about. But when I woke up it was dark and it was raining…hard.  It was a perfect day for sleeping in and my bed felt so warm and comfy. As I’ve gotten older comfy has become very important to me. Even so, Rocky wasn’t going to be patient forever. He wanted his breakfast so began poking me in the face with his paw and walking all over me. Might as well get up.

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I was thinking about making the drive to Vermont today. It’s quite a long haul from where I live but the news was going on about the beautiful colors this year. I’m not much of a leaf peeper but still I thought a dreary day might be good for photographing the foliage and maybe the rain would keep the fair weather tourists away.

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I wasn’t thrilled with my plan but I was determined to have something interesting to write about so off I went, camera and rain gear in hand. By the time I had topped off the gas tank and made it to the highway it was almost 9 am. I should be in Stow Vt around 1 pm. The most direct route was to take Rt 93 which goes through Boston. Since it was a Sunday and raining I gambled that the expressway would be clear and not its normal bumper to bumper nightmare.

I lucked out. The traffic was moving at about 40-45 MPH. Pretty good for that stretch of highway but the rain was getting worse the farther north I traveled. By 10:30 I was just getting to the Rt 95 Split just north of Stoneham and already my shoulders were tight. It had taken me 90 minutes to go 60 miles. At this rate I wouldn’t get to Stowe until closer to 3 pm, not 1 pm and I’d be looking a a return drive in the rain and dark. As the Rt 95 split approached my car seemed to develop a mind of its own and I was off 93 heading south on 95.

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It took another hour plus to get back to Taunton. The rain had settled in for an all day drizzle and we need it but I was done running around in it. I made a quick grocery run and headed inside for the rest of the day. Still no big stories to share.

Time to put on the Pat’s game and welcome Tom Brady back to the field.

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Better luck next weekend!

 

 

 

The Best of Plans

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Well folks, I had a fun packed weekend planned but things just didn’t go the way I expected.

Since I’m  on a 5 day a week office schedule now I have to cram my homemaking chores into the weekend. My plan has been to do the laundry in the morning on Saturday and get it out of the way. This Saturday was no exception.

By 8 am I had 2 loads going. By 8:30 they were in the dryer and I was on track to be finished by 10 am so I would have the rest of the day to play. The Mystic Aquarium had emailed that they were rehabilitating a Florida Manatee that had strayed too far north.

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They would be exhibiting it just this weekend before sending it back to the warm waters of Southern Florida. I was seriously thinking about taking a drive down to Connecticut to see it. But then I got side tracked.

 

Rocky was following me around and being very vocal so once I took my clothes out of the dryer I set them aside to give him some attention. Big mistake. I should know better than to get comfy in my recliner with a warm kitty body on my lap.

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You guessed it. Our quality time turned into long nap and I do mean long. I woke up at almost 1 pm! I still had clothes to fold and I hadn’t even showered yet.

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So much for my big plans for Saturday. By the time I finished up it was time for a very late lunch! Too late for a drive to the Mystic Aquarium so I curled up with a book and planed to make up for it on Sunday.

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Pretty Penny

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Friday was another really busy day at work so it was nice to have a little comic relief.

One of my co workers has a pet pig.  Having grown up on a farm I am not a fan of pigs, big or small, but I had to admit that “Penny” is adorable. We’d all heard about this pig and seen pictures but finally Nicole brought her in to meet us all.

When it was my turn Penny was hiding under the conference table. I began to chant “Hi Pretty Penny Pig” and she headed right over to me. Nicole laughed and said now she could see why I was called the animal whisperer. (I didn’t know that but I take it as a compliment)  Penny had run away from everyone else. I guess my animal lover reputation is still safe for another day!

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Penny followed me around off and on all afternoon. She soon figured out where the dog treats were kept in my desk drawer and occupied herself trying to figure out how to open the drawer. Although she wasn’t successful she came close. Pretty smart little thing.

At lunch she came trotting along behind me. As soon as I sat down at the table she tried to climb up on my lap~ Nicole was horrified but the rest of us thought it was funny. By afternoon the little pig’s adventures began to wear her out. Nicole wrapped her in a blanket and Penny immediately fell asleep on Nicole’s lap.  Of course we all made Pig in a Blanket jokes.

Mostly she had a cute little oink when she vocalized but when Nicole and Ryan tried to get her harness on it turned to squeals. You would have thought she was being murdered! For a little pig she had a big set of lungs.

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She was certainly a happy little thing. Her little piggy tail never stopped wagging. She’s about 5 months old now and Nicole expects her to weigh in at about 45 lbs when she is full grown. Nothing like the big old sows we had down on the farm.

Penny’s a cutie pie and I hope Nicole brings her for a visit again soon.

 

 

 

 

Happy Weekend

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I made it to Saratoga, NY last weekend where I caught up with my Mom and my sister. It was about a 4 hour drive both ways but it was worth it. I’m not allowed to say how old my Mom is but she is holding strong in her 9th decade so I think every year older deserves a celebration.

The drive was pretty uneventful driving  up. I always watch for wildlife but mostly I saw the usual carnage of dead animal carcasses along the sides of the road. The exception was the gang of turkeys that grazed by the side of the highway.

After an enjoyable lunch at the 99 Restaurant I headed back to Taunton, MA. It was now later in the day so there was a bit more animal life. I saw 3 deer, several turkey vultures, more turkeys and a rabbit. Too bad you can’t stop on the interstate for pictures.

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This weekend I did get out briefly so I made a return trip to the sanctuary where I saw the fox a few weeks ago. It was later in the day so I hoped he’d be out and about if indeed he had a den nearby.

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I lugged 2 lenses with me a zoom 24-300 and my big telephoto 300-500, in case he was farther away. I’m thrilled to announce that I was successful, at least in part. He is a fast little bugger so I only got a glimpse of him.

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