Mongrel Snowflakes!

Mongrel snowflakes! #winter #snow #kentucky #giantsnowflakes #henrycounty #backyard

A video posted by Christy Mesker (@christymesker) on Feb 8, 2016 at 7:31am PST

Solo Fall Kayaking

Tuesday late afternoon I took my first solo kayak outing at Lake Jericho. There was only one other kayaker on the lake and he was fishing. I think it was the most peaceful trip I've ever taken out there. It was nice to paddle around leisurely and watch the wildlife. I found that slow paddling and waiting and watching yields animals that don't even know or care that you are there.

A video posted by Christy Mesker (@christymesker) on Nov 3, 2015 at 2:28pm PST

Before I even got to the lake I ran into a minor detour. This little guy got out of the farm fencing and was just hanging out in the road. He finally moooooooved on and I could pass by. I was sure to tell the park worker that he was out and she informed me they were trying to contact the farm owner, so apparently he'd been hanging out for a while.

I was surprised to see turtles still out and about with how cool it was, but I suppose they try to absorb as much sun as possible while they have the chance.

And then I came upon this small hawk. I couldn't get a great photo of him, but it's clear enough to see what he is.  I came across another very large bird in a tree but it hopped onto the ground and out of the tree before I could tell if it was an eagle or a vulture.

I'm hoping to get back out again before I have to shelve the kayak for the winter.

Kayaking Shelby Lake

Yesterday was a gorgeous fall day in the mid 70's with the sun shining bright and a nice breeze blowing all day.  Christina and I decided to try out a new kayaking spot in Shelbyville, Ky called Shelby Lake.  It's a small 20 acre fishing lake in a Clear Creek Park with a tiny campground, volleyball nets, hiking trails and lots of wooded areas with picnic tables to hike or boat to and pull out to relax and have a bite to eat.

Once you get to the end of the lake you can continue on for quite a while on Clear Creek, which feeds Shelby Lake. We went as far as the highway overpass and then turned around and we paddled for about two hours.  We will go back earlier in the day where we can paddle further and pull out at one of the picnic areas and have lunch.

Here are a few photos of our expeditions. The rest can be seen on my Kayaking Lake Shelby Flickr album - more will be added with upcoming visits.

Casey County Apple Festival

Saturday I traveled with my Mom and Aunt Cindy to Liberty, Kentucky to pick up my Mama Rosie and go to the Casey County Apple Festival.  I had never been to this one before, I do love festivals, and it did not disappoint!  It was small, but had a lot of different vendors, tons of food, and the main attraction - the biggest apple pie I have ever seen in my entire life!  

Pie Ingredient Amount, excluding the pie crust:

• 50 Bushels Granny Smith Apples
• 175 lb Sugar
• 50 lb Corn Starch
• 30 lb Butter
• 2 lb Salt
• 3 lb Cinnamon

I couldn't get through the crowd for a photo before it was served out to the crowd, but this gives a good picture of the shear size of it. I didn't eat any because I'm on a strict diet and sugar is no part of it, but it smelled delicious!

We walked around, purchased some vendor goodies, and ate lunch.

Main Festival Strip

Mom

Me & Mama Rosie

My New Shirt - Couldn't pass it up!

Once we got back to the house we set Mama Rosie up with her early Christmas gift - a keyboard so she can play like she used to on her organ.  We also broke out the selfie stick for a group shot.  ;)  (I need to get a mirror attached to the stick so I can use the good rear camera instead of the blurry, front facing camera with no flash).

Mama Rosie trying out her new keyboard

Group Shot!
Aunt Cindy, Mama Rosie, Mom, Me

Kayaking Floyds Fork at The Parklands

This past weekend we tried some moving water kayaking at The Parklands of Floyds Fork.  We put in at Creekside and paddled to the Fisherville takeout. The water, running at 94 CFS, was up just enough for us to do a four mile run without having to walk the kayaks over low areas along the way. We did get stuck a few times but were able to scoot ourselves over the shallow areas enough to keep going.  There were many areas of fast moving water followed by areas of flat water we had to paddle until we got to the next moving water area.  We even timed it where we floated under the train bridge just as a train was passing overhead.

We loved trying something other than the flat water lakes that we have been to since we purchased the kayaks. The Sea Eagle SE330s did great, even with the shallow rocked areas we came upon, and is a great boat for this type of water. I almost flipped once due to going down a small rapid sideways, but managed to save myself at the last minute.  Christina, in her hard shell Perception Swifty kayak, wasn't so lucky and dumped out just around the corner from our takeout spot.  Her boat filled up with water so we had to get her dumped out before continuing on. It was a tricky area with fast moving water and a tree in the way, so I'm surprised she is the only one that went overboard!  She managed to save everything except for her sunglasses, which are now somewhere at the bottom of the creek.  Win some, lose some!

I didn't feel safe taking my camera on this trip since I don't have a waterproof case for it, but I did get some great photos with my Samsung Note 3 phone, which I do have a waterproof case for.  You can view the photos on my Flickr account. I will be adding to this album once the water is high enough to go again, which at this point may not be until next spring, it just depends on how much rain we get through the rest of the season.

Jason in the Shallows

Watching the Train Above

Pulling Over After Christina Went Overboard

Zooming Down the Creek

Winter Wildlife

It's been a while since I've posted some photos of our local backyard wildlife (or front yard as it generally is around here).

This little opossum was scrounging around the bird feeder and eating up the sweet potato fries we had thrown out for the birds.  The birds didn't touch them, but he located all of them, even the ones still under the snow, and had a nice little meal.  I felt bad for him because he was limping and favoring his back left foot.  I hope he heals up soon and doesn't become an easier prey target because of it.

We feed the birds throughout the winter and the little Tufted Titmouse is one of my favorite little birds. When food is scarce they appreciate the feeders and become very brave when we refill them. They want to be on standby as soon as the new stuff gets loaded into the feeder!

The Northern Cardinals and Mourning Doves aren't so brave, but they do sit in the closest tree waiting for me to move back a safe distance.

This little mourning dove wasn't concerned about the food - he was peeping inside the french door window while I was clearing off the table.  (Pardon the blurry shot - my windows are very dirty).

SOLD! - House for Sale in Crestwood, Ky - Oldham County

After only eight days on the market we accepted an offer and the sale is pending.  Woot!

We are selling our house in Crestwood, Ky so I thought I'd list the info here as well - you never know who might stumble on it!  :)  View all details below the photos.

Photos courtesty of John Adkins Photography

3 BDR, 2.5 BTH Home w/ Large Fenced Yard in Cul-de-Sac -Crestwood, Ky (Oldham County)

$154,900

Contact Linda Jackson, Listing Agent for more information or to schedule a walk-through. (502) 655-1256 cell phone - (502) 716-7290 office - blkjeepisme@aol.com

Located in the Orchard Grass Hills neighborhood in Crestwood (Oldham County), this house was built in 1977 and sits on a quarter of an acre lot. The house is empty and ready for immediate move in.

Features:

• Approximately 2693 square feet (1708 on main and upper level, 985 in the mostly finished basement)


• Oldham County Schools (Kenwood Elementary, South Oldham Middle School, South Oldham High School)


• 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths on upper level - livingroom, dining room, kitchen, den and 1/2 bath on main level - rec room, laundry room, large room and small room in basement


• Mostly finished basement


• 2 car garage


• Located in quiet cul-de-sac


• New triple pane windows with 25 year transferable warranty


• Laminate flooring throughout


• Kitchen appliances remain (Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Stove/Oven)


• A/C unit (4 years old)


• Garage door openers (3 years old)


• Breaker box wired for generator
   
• Back yard backs up to beautiful woods


• Storage shed in back yard


• Large chain link fenced yard


• Large covered back deck


• Just 4 miles to Springhurst / Summit shopping and dining areas in Louisville

Me and Blackjack

Blackjack is a resident raccoon at Second Chances Wildlife Center. He can not be re-released into the wild due to metabolic bone disease caused from an incorrect diet by the initial people that tried to rescue him and were not aware of a raccoon's diet needs. He was a very friendly dude who likes to give lots of kisses.  While we were there we also met two other raccoons, two skunks, several opossums, two flying squirrels, two baby squirrels and a little brown bat.  If you have some spare change, I urge you to donate to Second Chances - they stand for a great cause and work hard at what they do.

Red River Gorge & Natural Bridge

Last weekend we joined C. and C. for a weekend get away to celebrate Mr. C's birthday.  We rented a small, cozy cabin in the Red River Gorge area called the Star Gap.

We relaxed and played cards on Friday and then on Saturday we decided to hike up to Natural Bridge.  What a hike!  We took the "easy" trail and after getting up it we all decided we'd hate to see what the other trails were like.  It was a difficult climb at times, but it was overall fantastic.  The view from on top of Natural Bridge was gorgeous, and a bit scary at the same time with the wind gusts up that high.  We stayed at the top for half an hour or so and then made the hike back down, which went much faster.

Once back at the cabin we took a much needed soak in the hot tub, had another fantastic dinner and vegged for the evening.  It was a great trip and a much needed get away.

All Trip Photos

Our fabulous chefs of the weekend:

Trail to Natural Bridge:

Standing on top of Natural Bridge

The view from Natural Bridge.  We walked over to that cliff as well.

A view down from the cliff. We could see the car from here!

Birding in January - 23/52

Juvenile White Crowned Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Adult White Crowned Sparrow

Birdies - 19/52

Now that snow is covering the ground the bird feeders in the yard have become very popular.  At one point we had about 30 mourning doves on the ground picking up the seeds that the cardinals, blue jays, chickadees and titmouse scattered off of the feeder.

Dove Buffet:

Pretty boy:

April Sunrise - 103/365

Project 365: 103/365

Have I ever mentioned how much I love a spring, Kentucky sunrise?  As much as I'm not a morning person, I'm glad that I get to capture these beautiful skies on my way to work each morning.  It puts me in a great mood for the day!

Kentucky Dawn (89/365)

This is what the start of a sunrise in Kentucky in March looks like.  I wanted to get the sun peeking over the trees, but I was already late for work.  Maybe next time!

Power Back Up and Running

We finally got power back this afternoon.  Normally the power being out for a while doesn't bother me, but when the power, and thus heat and hot water, goes away on days where the high temp is still below freezing isn't my idea of a good time.  All I can say is, thank goodness for generators!  We had several  friends and family members offer to take us in for the duration, but with three unruly dogs, one cantankerous cat, three mice, one evil rabbit and two beta fish we figured we were better off staying put.

We settled in for the long haul by hooking up the generator under the back porch (to lessen the noise) and running extension cords up through the deck and into the kitchen window, which we then sealed off with masking tape and plastic.  We have a 5000 watt generator so we were able to run both fridge's, the freezer, the tv, the Wii, two laptops, two lights, one space heater and a few other things as needed.  One little space heater wasn't going to cut it for the entire house, so we settled into the living room and put plastic up over the doorway leading to the rest of the house.  It worked brilliantly!  The  living room stayed at a nice 65 degrees while the rest of the main floor was around 50 degrees and the upstairs bedroms around 42 degrees.  We still slept in the bedroom and kept really warm up there due to our awesome bed and mattress.  The issue was getting out of bed in the morning...brrr...talk about a wake up call!

Wednesday wasn't too bad.  We had only generator power, but we still had our cable modem for Internet usage.  By the time we woke up Thursday morning the cable was out as well.  So no tv and no Internet.  Luckily the TiVo was hooked up so we had tons of stuff to watch. But there is only so much tv one can watch in a day.  And no Internet - gasp!  What did we do before Internet?!  I thought I was going to lose my mind.  I was actually excited to get back to work!  Luckily the power came back on about 2 hours before I got home from work today so it was already almost back up to normal temp...and I got to take a shower!  Ahhh clean and warm.  Life is good.

Brrrr!

So we got this nice ice storm yesterday and we were doing pretty good until this morning.  At 9:45am our power went out.  It is now after 10:30pm and still no power.  Worse yet, the word is it could be 7 - 10 days before they get it restored due to the 475,000 homes without power.  All I can say is thank goodness for generators!  We sectioned off the main living room from the rest of the house with plastic over the door to the kitchen (and thus the rest of the house) and powered the living room for the lights, tv, laptops and a space heater.  The plastic is keeping the heat in the room - though the rest of the house is freezing!  I think I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight for the sake of my appendages staying intact.

Our office closed today, but I'm sure we'll be back in business tomorrow.  At least there I can get warm, assuming I can make it out of my driveway.

A branch of the maple tree in our front yard - this is pretty much what all of our surrounds look like, with an inch of snow on top:

Yup, Snow!

Wow, it actually happened!  We got about 4" of snow.  We're now getting a nice layer of ice before the next 4" comes in.  Got out of work at 2:00 today, too!  Happy birthday to me!  :D

The sparkly view from my front porch while waiting for my truck to thaw out this morning:

Got Snow?

Looks like we will after tonight - possibly 10 inches of snow and ice by Tuesday evening for the Kentuckiana area.  I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Spring in January

Welcome to Kentucky - where if you don't like the weather, just stick around for a few days, it'll
change!  Here it is, the beginning of January when it's usually beginning to hit the bitterly cold temperatures, and I'm sitting on the screened in porch with my laptop,  in my pj's, drinking coffee, blogging and listening the birds chirping like it's a nice spring morning.  At 9:00 am it was 59 degrees.  The only thing keeping it from being warmer is the overcast skies that will bring in the thunderstorms later this afternoon.

The dogs are getting a kick out of it, too.  When it's nice like this we leave the back door open so they can come in and out as they please.  I think they spend a lot of the day going in and out just because they can!

Yup, my kind of weather.  Anything to be outside and I'm happy!  So if you're in the Kentuckiana area, get outside and enjoy because snow is in the forecast for Wednesday!

Shot Me an 8-Point Buck!

Shot with my Nikon, that is. ;) You all know I could never kill an animal! This guy was a beauty. We were hanging with some friends and he walked through with four of his lady friends. He was kind enough to stop and pose for a few minutes before resuming his evening stroll.

(Please ignore the graininess of this photo - it was getting dark and this was the best I could do!)

I <3 Hummingbirds

Today I was finally able to capture hummingbird photos without them being on the feeder - something I've been trying to accomplish for quite some time. When Ike came through Kentucky last weekend our screen got torn off the side of the deck where the feeder usually hangs. Without the screen there the hummingbirds kept getting caught inside the porch. For fear of them not finding their way out, being hit by a ceiling fan or eaten by a dog we decided it would be best to move the feeder to the evergreen tree in the backyard until we get the screen fixed. Had I known that was all it would take I'd have tried this a year ago! Now when the hummingbirds decide to take a rest from eating or want to check things out before they approach the feeder they perch in the branches of the evergreen - perfect photo op!

(Click for a larger view)