That's my buddy John Lopez, after a very hard, hot day of putting up about 275 feet of deer fencing.
Clothes by WalMart!
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June=Wildflowers
More Pix in the blog below
Spring 2012 Inspiration
Bluebirds Invade Brooksbend. Time only for one new house on the property. See below for more info and pix.
Somebodys Home
A Rare Peek Inside
Due to multiple images, I had to place the brief posting about some new "art" that showed up at our home way down below. This Blogger medium won't let me post but this one sample piece, a poster that has invaded and taken captive our living room. See below is you care for it at all.
July 2011 Update
That's a mason bee house in the picture. Whether my poor honey bees survive this year or not, I'll be making a major comiittment in 2012 to import and nurture Mason Bees. ///// The garden has really taken off with monster squash plants eyeballing the house for additional support. Unfortunately, I've had a major change in lifestyle over the past 2 weeks as a miscreant EKG test led me to a triple artery heart bypass and it has fully crimped my ability to do anything requireing physical activity, even watering the garden. Debbie has done her best to keep up with things but I have to admit I created a monster of a garden - al with the intent on my devoting 1/2 my time to it. I can't even lift the sugar water buckets to feed the honey bees, although they seem to be having a good old time playing in the assortment of fruits, vegetables and flowers arounf the place. Funny, I can't get anyone to volunteer to feed those bees! ///// Hopefully things will return to near normal in a few weeks and I'll atone for my wayward gardening obligations and the bees.
John Lopez thought for the Day
He must have come straight from the WalMart in that get-up. Scroll further down for more garden pix from June, right before John and Jane lopez and Debbie R put up a huge deer fence.
April 2011
The soil is actually tillable compliments of 3 CYds of leaf compost. More pix way below.
The Only Bet I Cashed in Spring of 2011
No Extra Charge for the Snow
So Debbie and I decide to go to Williamsburg, Va. for the umpteenth time but the first time ever on Christmas day in 2010 and wowsa on Xmas eve we catch a rare snowstorm that paralyzes the north East but wallops Glouster Counter, Va. with over a foot of snow. The Williamsburg Inn can't figure out how to charge guests extra for it so everyone makes the bset of it and has a good time. It is....beautiful. Quiet, uncrowded, people are are polite, staff are making the best of it, cresste fires are burning in the old town along with some street fires. The silence and snow scene is a real rarity and beyond a price. I'm going to post some before and after pictures below. The after pix are compromised by my shaky hand and a cardboard camera with electrical tape over the flash. Flash doesn't work so well on landscape pix...apparemtly a shaky hand does't either.
May Harvey be with you
Throughout my last 4 years of employment with the County I pretty much worked alone, that is in an offive with no one supervising me and no one to supervise. I managed my own time and projects, came up with my own ideas, work schedules, and promotions. Some people who passed by though I was talking to myself but they didn't know about Harvey, my 6'3" closest friend and Pookah. Harvey was left to me By Mr. Elwood Dowd in his will when he passed in 2002, that's him in the picture with Harvey. Harvey has sustained me in the most difficult of times with some of the best thoughts on life and companionship when I needed it the most, like when I got into the ATV melee as Zoning Administtrator and when they told me I have leukemia. He does have a penchant for getting snockered around 3:30 every day on abisinthe but there are worse habits. He loves to spend time in bars with other folks, just listening to them talk about their woes. The great thing about Harvey is he can always be there for you too when you need him - he'll never actually leave me though.
Hard Times In The Job Market
First things first, I am very thankfull to former County Commissioners Julia Gouge and Dean Minnnich for being stand up individuals who honored my contract with the County and paid me the severance and leave allowed for in that contract. They are now taking a shellacking in the press most undeservedly and are not being given the credit they deserve for all the good things they did for the county while they were in office, Dean for 8 years and Julia for 20. The number of things to their credit are many but the big one I must mention is that they opened up government to the public - I participated in it and assisted in it - it was their mandate from the year 2002 forward and the changes were huge. I am sorry that their decision to do the right thing by me and three other County managers has put a damper on the story of their successes in their terms in office./// Well cry me a river, I left, or got lefted from, my County job on December 1st 2010 and I haven't found a job yet! The fact that I'm 61 years of age, have a slight medical problem involving some fugged up cells in my bone marrow and a bad wheel (recalled hip replacement) hasn't helped. Add to that, it's not unlike when I was 18, I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up, again. I have a few clues, some of which sound like self-employment but also require money, spell that debt - something that I don't ever need again in my life, particularly after a little surprise incident 3 years ago that liked to have killed me and the person who created it. Besides that, I can see me taking the first pfou, pfou latte de creme that some 20 something would complain about and pouring it over their head so that cafe / music thingy idea probably wouldn't work out too well. So if you see me sitting out alongside MD Rt 140 selling Cozy Custom Cuckoo Cottages don't be surprised. It's either that or I finally buy that racehorse that my Dad always wanted. I could name it Chicolini after my favorite character in the Marx Brothers' Movie Duck Soup. I want to hear the track announcer call the race: " And hereza come Chicolini downa the stretch. Looka that horse a run. Heza passin' all the other horses. By golly it's Chicolini to winna by a nose. Chicolini he winna the race!
Life in the slow lane
Well ain't this a bitch. Three weeks out of a job and I'm ready to go nuts for sure. There appears to be something wrong with my right wheel and that has to be settled before I get serious about looking for a new job. Either my hip replacement has gone bad - the best possible evil - or the leukemia has oozed out of the bone, which it ain't supposed to do. Meanwhile my home desk is so tidy I can't stand it, my notes are neatened up and anything I write past this point is sure to get me in trouble. I have actually established a daily routine! Ugh! Soon it will be Christmas, who cares. My new blog, Chaos In Carroll.com is up and running but I have it on hold as I'd rather not nit pick and second guess the new Commissioners, figuring they will provide plenty of material in due time worth writing about. So I guess I'll be cranking up Cornelius' Cottage shack sooner than expected. Stay tuned for some new Art Deco designs.
Who is this Man?
Damned if I know. Never met the guy. He sure ain't Jose Jimanez. He claims to be Brooks Emmory from Union Bridge and he corresponds, if only telepathically, with me pretty routinely. Well, he certainly raised a bit of a ruckus with his blog, Chaos Comes To Carroll County over the last year and scored one helluvalotta hits every week. Unfortunately, he didn't make so much as a dent in the results of the election, despite all the ruckus and disclosure. Brooks now tells me that he may continue to write on about matters in Carroll post the election but that he doesn't mind if I go on and try my hand at it too and borrow from the name of his blog, so I am. Look soon for a new blog with a link to Brook's at www.Carrollinchaos.com
Crazy Cornelius' Sustainable Cuckoo Cottages
I do not make ceramic birdhouses like the one above. I do make perfectly nice wooden birdhouses from wood salvaged from construction sites and finished to last a very long time outdoors. If you are here to look at samples of these birdhouses scrool down past all the silly conversation below until you reach the birdhouses. They make sense to me and I've never had a bird complain about a one of them.
Go Figure
Bees. I got bees. Has nothing to do with honey. Just something I've wanted to do for 30 years. I suppose it all has something to do with what all makes it all work.
Two Queens from Hilo and their Wop Workers
So I go out and buy enough bee hive boxes and gear to produce 400 pounds of honey and a zillion bees. What do I know? Turns out 2 nucs need all of 2 boxes and 2 feeders - that's right, I have to feed them! The queens are genuine Hawiians and the rest of the gangsta bees are Italians. I'd name them all but it's hard coming up with a few thousand Italian names. You can only stick an "o" on the end of so many names after all: RobertO, ThomasO, EugeneO...
Other bees
I really didn't expect this experiment to work but sure enough by the 1st of May the Mason Bee gizmo I made during the winter is now filled with little Mason Bees.
More Masons
So now they''re working on filling up gizmo #2 which is made from cut bamboo...
At least it's being used
More winter pix below
Spring Jumps in
I'm pushing all those snow scenes down the page! It was interesting while it lasted but here are a few of the place now thatMay and some flowers have arrived.
The Ecclectic Garden
This year I decided to add some more permanent "crops". Asparagus, raspberries, grapes, Loganberries.
What's up with those poles?
They'll make more sense in a month or two. They are for the clematis and passion flowers to grow up into, the tomatoes to use as support and even the squash to get their carcasses up off the ground.
Garlic
If nothing else, I have garlic. 3 kinds in 3 locations and it's looking good. The idea is to harvest it in a few weeks and replant the area with sunflowers. I can't wait to bake up some of the elephant variety.
Gotta love Clematis
But it takes patience
Two years for this one bloom!
Worth the wait
These will reach 10 ft. this year
Satomi Hybrid Dogwood
It survived the winter of winters and is almost 18 ft. tall and as wide.
A pooped out perennial garden
Some day some year, I'm going to renovate it, not that it's such an awful place to sit with a cockatoo or three.
1st Butterfly "House"
A pretty rough affair but no complaints from the residents so far. New router blades will make future efforts a tad better.
Snow. More Freakin Snow!
This is one of the guys up on the roof. It's the 7th of February 2010 and I just finished digging out the mailbox for the second time and I'm puffing like this guy. We recieved between 26 and 30 inches of snow and where it felt like drifting, like in front of the garage doors and on top of the deck it was an easy 48 inches. Gotta feel for the wildlife. Pine branches breaking sound like rifle shots. Very pretty but very hard to find a place for it all.Now if you want a great laugh at it all, click on the first pic and watch Herr Hitler flip out about the snow int the bunker scene from "The Downfall" with some new subtitles! [Editors note May 2010, the SOB's took the video down because of complaints from the original film maker who obviously didn't see the humor in it all]
Enough already!
It's February 10th and Snowmageddon II has arrived. So far about 10 new inches of snow. My employer has closed for the day (1st I can ever remember) and the DC Federal offices and Congress are closed for the 3rd day. It is coming down strady and the report calls for another 5 to 10 inches. Where I put it I haven't a clue. Not good for trees or our flat roof. This maybe a personal record for an old guy.
Run fer it!
Affordable Housing waiting for the Spring Market
Bobby
I think he was the perfect horse. We'll never know that but no matter because he showed us all such courage after breaking down in the Preakness thatit doesn't matter. And his human connections taught us all a lesson as well. Jockey Edgar Prado, the Chapmans, the Vet and his staff. But look into that horse's eyes, look at his huge chest and his gait. Barbaro will always be #! to me and many others.
About Me
- Neil Ridgely
- Finksburg, Maryland, Christmas Island
- What, you were expecting Brooks Emmory? Sorry, wrong blog for that guy, try Chaoscomestocarroll.com. I'm the guy who used to work for Carroll County Government in at least 5 different positions over 13 collective years, finally leaving their employ as the Sustainability guy just as the unsustainable crew of commissioners were coming into office in December of 2010. Now I am currently on sabbatical doing a research project on the deconstruction of local government and the casual placement of personal finances upon slow race horses. I believe in sustainability as a simple life ethic, not unlike what smart farmers have done for centuries but called stewardship. I also believe in community character as opposed to community ugly and I had a bit of a hand in putting some things in place at the County to put better design into where we live; preserve good old things and trees. The Unsustainables will probably undo a lot of that. I maintain another web blog about what is really me, The Finksburgian, so enough about me, lets get on with what may be happing TO our county. May Harvey be with you.
Dad
Howard, but they called him Ridge. (He didn't sit a horse quite as well as my grandfather). Some how his nickname never made it down to me.
Cornelius Kehoe, my Grandfather
1918 and yes, he was in the Calvalry
But they did have these gadgets too
He did get some R&R after the war!
BIG THOUGHTS
"The mind is like a diaper. It's got to be changed every once in a while or it starts to stink." Jeff Kauppi /// "Use what talents you posess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." Henry VanDyke
Don't ask
I just always wanted a winking monkey on my web site. He is winking isn't he?
Yet another try. Wink you damn monkey, wink!
That other winking monkey may be cuter but this is the genuine article (I hope). You may have to click on the chimp to get him to wink.
What is wrong with this picture?
Answer: There are no cartoons in Gent magazine
The things people will do for a $1 double cheeseburger
What, you thought Ronald was gay?
Rule of Holes Award
I don't have anyone in mind at the moment but someone should show up any second now.
It's Only Money
Easy Come, Easy Go. And boy have I ever seen it go.
Busload of Bozos
I couldn't find a picture of them on the bus so this will have to do. They remind me of my favorite County department. For now, you'll have to guess which one but it shouldn't take a genius to figue it out.
It's getting pretty deep in here
They Really Expect Us To Buy This Shit Department
In case there is any doubt...
Vote for Mike!
Neo Luddites are in vogue in Carroll County these days
Exactly What I was Looking For!
Now there's something you can't get over the internet!
Whatever happened to Ma and Pa Kettle? (adult content)
Pa Died young at 80, which may be best because Ma broke bad not long after (click photo)
Stupid Sign of the Month
Worked for last month. Can't see a blessed reason it shouldn't work equally as well for this month. Handy to take to Tea Party rallies and any event having to do with either Haven Shoemaker or Richard Rothschild.
It's a Cockatoo World
Larry, Whitey (Harpo), and Cuddles Run the Show Here. Larry arrived as a baby bird from a pet store despite advice from a good bird veterinarian to never get a Cockatoo. Then along came Whitey as a rescue adoption. Then there was Cuddles, an 18 year old whose owner had died - another adoption and now we had to move out of out breakfast nook to make room. Fostering and adoption is the way to go through Phoenix Landing. Click on Larry for their web site. Large birds are not cheap, nor are their cages, food requirements and regular veterinarian bills. They are challenging rewarding pets that will outlive you and need to be provided for accordingly. Don't rush into an impulsive purchase or adoption. Think about it - then go do it !
Yeah I did it!
A word of caution about cockatoos, don't turn your back on them. Our pal Harpo here figured out how to take advantage of a loose screw on his cage this week and escaped his cage through a food service door while we were weeding the garden. Within 45 minutes he managed to destroy 1 entire wooden door frame and 1/2 of a window frame. Chomping and splitting wood is what cockatoos love to do most. When we came back in the house and discovered him and his little surprise he started his little "look what I did" dance on top of his cage while Larry & Cuddles screamed with joy, like he was the player who hit a grand slam home run. You can't discipline a bird for doing what he was born to do. But you you can sure tighten up the screws on all 3 cages!
Mass Transit Comes to Finksburg
Of Course it doesn't work very well
The Geography of Nowhere
James H Kunstler, He's the Pro From Dover on Ugly. Click the image to visit his site.
Not the Geography of Nowhere. Just Plain Ugly Though
Yeesh!
Alternatives to Billboards
But first you need politicians with balls
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