JR: American Woodcock in our backyard - Apr 8, 2014 - From about 1:30 p.m. to 2:10 p.m., I watched an American Woodcock slowly wobble from the flower bed along the west side our house, southward through our west spirea flower bed. It disappeared from my view when it moved behind the big oak tree at the ... more>> 10 min read
- Apr 08, 2014 - #birds #home #yard #blog_jr

JR: Yard photos - Apr 1, 2014 - The little flowers are blooming today on our devil's strip. These are always the first flowers to bloom in our yard. On Sat morning, Mar 29, 2014, I noticed short stalks or nubs. I did not check for the flowers on Sunday nor yesterday. But I noticed ... more>>
- Apr 04, 2014 - #home #yard #weather #flowers #pets #photos #blog_jr

JR: Our Toledo Area Activities for Sat, Mar 8, 2014 - Downtown Toledo Farmers Market and Library We started the morning at the downtown Toledo farmers market where we purchased apples, carrots, eggs, greens, coffee beans, yellow onions, a soft pretzel, and either turnips or parsnips. Then we briefly... more>> 6 min read
- Mar 19, 2014 - #toledo #home #birds #cheese #beer #wine #pizza #blog_jr

JR: Mother Earth News Fair - April 12-13, 2014 - Asheville, NC Fair Home Page Info - tickets, maps, lodging Workshops Exhibitors Wikipedia - Mount Mitchell - 32 miles northeast of Asheville. From the fair home page: Western North Carolina Agricultural Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Road... more>> 2 min read
- Feb 16, 2014 - #home #event #blog_jr

JR: Backyard Tall Coreopsis flowers - 2013 - #todo - [add photos and edit text] Peak bloom for our backyard tall coreops is now (Aug 30, 2013). They've been looking great for the past two weeks, and especially over the past seven days. Huge expansion of the tall coreopsis in our backyard this... more>> 4 min read
- Jan 15, 2014 - #todo #home #nature #flowers #yard #blog_jr

JR: We don't need cable and satellite TV - ( my Jan 1, 2014 comments in a ToledoTalk.com thread about the dispute between Block Communications and WNWO ) I watched last Sunday's Eagles-Cowboys game just fine on WNWO, using a TV with an over-the-air antenna. We're able to watch enough NFL an... more>>
- Jan 02, 2014 - #tv #home #blog_jr

JR: Our CFL light bulb experiences - (Related to this December 2013 ToledoTalk.com thread. ) In 2006, I installed two curly CFL bulbs on our front porch, and both are still working, and I never turn off our front porch lights. Yeah, I should have installed something so that the fron... more>> 1 min read
- Dec 18, 2013 - #home #energy #blog_jr

JR: Mon, Dec 9, 2013 winter storm forecast for Sat, Dec 14 - #toledo #weather Computer models predicting extended forecasts. 1:00 p.m., Dec 9, 2013 comment by JustaSooner at ToledoTalk.com: Last couple of GFS runs hinting at a possible significant snow for you guys by the weekend. Forecast will likely chan... more>> 34 min read
- Dec 14, 2013 - #toledo #weather #home #birds

JR: Asian Multicolored Lady Beetle - (Someone spotted a large number of these insects in their yard on Oct 30, 2013 in Toledo. This is my comment at ToledoTalk.com.) Count the spots on the shell, but when you encounter that many, it's probably the Asian Multicolored Lady Beetle, which ... more>> 1 min read
- Nov 05, 2013 - #home #insects #nature #blog_jr

JR: Growing tomatoes in our garden 2013 - We grew four species of tomatoes in our backyard garden in 2013. As of now, October 16, the garden is still producing tomatoes. Many green ones are still ripening slowly. No frost yet this season. No real threat of a frost thus far this season, so I ... more>> 2 min read
- Nov 02, 2013 - #todo #home #garden #food #blog_jr

JR: Dining at Element 112 in Sylvania - (This info is from my ToledoTalk.com comment about our December 2012 visit to Element 112.) Element 112, located in Sylvania, also provides a spectacular dining experience. When you call with reservations, indicate why you plan to visit, and they wi... more>> 2 min read
- Oct 29, 2013 - #restaurant #food #home #blog_jr

JR: Homemade Ricotta Cheese - The following ingredients and procedure were used in the Oct 12, 2013 version. Ingredients: half gallon (2 quarts) natural milk - Calder Dairy - we buy it at the Phoenix Earth Food Co-op. 4 tablespoons whipping cream - Calder Dairy 1.5 teaspoons ... more>> 1 min read
- Oct 12, 2013 - #food #recipe #cheese #home #blog_jr

JR: Cleaning a window air conditioner - Our two small window AC units purchased in July 2011: Frigidaire model number: LRA074AT7 6500 BTU manual for unit that's similar to ours: Care and Cleaning Energy Saving Ideas Clean your air conditioner occasionally to keep it looking new. ... more>> 3 min read
- Oct 09, 2013 - #home

JR: Vitamix and Blendtec comparisons - juicing smoothies soups ice cream grinding grains To my ears, the Vitamix 5200 is noticeably less noisy than the Blendtec. I havent put a decibel meter to it, but it is definitely less noisy, even on the highest speed setting. Thanks to the tam... more>> 7 min read
- Oct 08, 2013 - #food #home

JR: To-dos for the week of June 17, 2013 - [done 18june] mow entire yard. done 20 june change Munster's cage. [done 18june] apply landscaping cloth and pine bark mulch to one oval backyard flower bed. [didn't work. pan too hard. 18june] drill drainage holes on the underside of one planter pan... more>>
- Jun 24, 2013 - #home #yard #garden #yardtodo