Tag Archives: West HoCo

The Backyard Hunter

Posted on January 3, 2013 by AnnieRie

This is one of at least three hawks who hunt in our yard. He came in low and fast today trying to grab a squirrel. The squirrel did manage to evade.

And yes, he is quite large. He wasn’t interested in the small birds. He was after squirrel. When he got tired of me trying to take his picture through the kitchen doors, he flew off to his favorite hunting spot on the edge of the meadow.

It didn’t take the squirrels long to return to their grazing through the suet and the corn.

Creating the habitat has presented challenges. Keeping squirrels out of the good stuff. The green feeder where the hawk was standing is where I put the good seed. It is fully squirrel proof. As for the suet, sometimes I put out basic suet and let the squirrels get into it, but I now buy the hot pepper suet. They don’t stop, but it slows them down.

I do put out seed on the ground, out under the azalea bushes, in a somewhat protected area. What is amazing is how quickly the “word” spreads, once I slam the top of the green feeder, birds come swooping in to see what is out there. This is my ground mix.

Fruit and nut mix. Unsalted peanuts in the shell. Some cracked corn. A few safflower hearts. I put this out every few days. The birds mostly come to the feeders but the jays and the resident crows forage around in the bushes for this mix.

The most important thing out there, though, is the heated water in the birdbath. I have a bird spa heater in it. It has to be cleaned out about once a week. You can see how it gets messed up with all the use. Today again the birds are bathing in it. This is something that attracts a very large amount of birds in the winter.

Now I have juncos, downy woodpeckers, red bellied woodpeckers, goldfinches, house finches, titmice, chickadees, wrens, red and white breasted nuthatches, cardinals, blue jays and crows daily. We also get two or three different sparrows occasionally. I have a rare visit from a hairy woodpecker, and the robins come in for water too. We have not seen the cedar waxwings yet this year, and the bluebirds showed up this week for the first time.

When I do the backyard bird count in February, I get at least eighteen different species, when you count the geese and the vultures and the hawks, all who fly over during the day.

To me, having this entertainment outside my kitchen windows makes doing dishes a treat and not a chore. You never know what will be seen next.

I hope the cedar waxwings return as they are really a cute bird to watch.

The Year 2012 In Review, from the Blog

Posted on December 30, 2012 by AnnieRie

I was going to do a highlights post. Lo and Behold, WordPress did a year in review for me. Weird that I clicked on my dashboard and found the year summary just as I was sitting down to write about the most popular posts.

In my summary page, it showed many views of the local resource page, and my About page. I decided this afternoon to update them to make sure they were current. Including more detail and a few more pictures.

As for my most popular posts, the top five came out this way.

Number Five — Baby Chicks at Tractor Supply — people still click on this one. It is from last April. I suppose this year I need to take pictures of the chicks. I only did a superficial summary last year without finding out how many people buy chicks from them every year. They certainly had a nice variety, and they sold out quickly.

Number Four — CQ Field Day, CQ Field Day — my account of the amateur radio weekend at the local school yard, with the local clubs. I cook for them, and I blogged about it. It got picked up on a national radio club feed and it still gets views, when people search on their call sign, W3AO, or Whiskey Three Atlantic Ocean. We won this past year. We are used to winning. A large group of very competitive hams.

W3AO Field Day 2012 Class 27A

Number Three — Brighton Dam Azalea Gardens — I shouldn’t be surprised by this one. Lots of people want to know when the azaleas peak. This year, again, I will be monitoring them and taking pictures, and posting them. We live right up the road from the gardens and visit them frequently. We also have been all over the property doing bird counts with the local club. One of my favorite places in Howard County.

Brighton dam azaleas

Number Two — The YEMMies are Coming — Why? I have no idea, but lately every time I look at the sidebar where it lists most recent popular posts, the YEMMie post is there. It has over 200 views, most of them recent. Obviously, there is adequate discussion on the media about the Young Educated Millennial Mothers. I discussed in my post about mothers in my CSA making baby food themselves from the organic veggies and fruits, and of former coworkers looking for pasture fed, and/or free range meat and eggs and dairy. We certainly see an increase in younger patrons at the farm stands and markets we frequent.

And, the Number One post for the year, my personal view after the fatal accident that closed rte.32 in November, that was picked up by the Preserve Woodmont facebook page, was My View from West County. That was one of the crazier days out here, with people we know stranded, or rerouted, or lost trying to get through the clogged roads.

Our visit that night to Bistro Blanc included conversations with a number of people who had real problems getting anywhere that day. If we had medical emergencies, or a fire out here, the gridlock would have made it next to impossible to get emergency vehicles in. It took people three or four hours to get through west county that day. I lamented the fact that our infrastructure upgrades that were in process when we moved here in 2005, have pretty much not materialized.

They are only now working on the second interchange up near us, with the Rte. 144/Rte. 32 one still in the planning stages. Even then, the two lane road is still overcrowded, and has been overwhelmed by commuters traveling from north and west of Howard County.

It will be interesting to see what happens once they finish the Linden Church interchange next fall. Will the clogged up area move north to 144? Will they see the bailing out of traffic on roads like Pfeffercorn? We see it now on Triadelphia, Linthicum, Burnt Woods, Ten Oaks and Howard. I think it will just make the funnel move further north, but still create hazards for those living here.

I really wish they would just at least do something about the mailboxes, trash collection and recycling. Having only one way delivery for mail, and one way pick up for trash and recycling has made driving even more dangerous due to the sheer number of cars, trucks and buses on our roads.

I find it interesting that my most viewed post had to do with west county infrastructure. I have noticed, reading the local blogs, that most of them focus on Columbia and Ellicott City. I am not sure how many of my fellow local bloggers have been out here other than to pick strawberries at Larriland. At eight years in, we have seen many changes, but also have seen much that keeps us rural and disconnected. Not a bad thing, most of the time. It still is a lovely place to live. And, to blog.

Have a safe New Year’s Eve. We are staying in, eating well and popping the cork on a split of champagne, if we can stay up until midnight. A few people will shoot off fireworks at some of the more remote properties not far from us, if the weather cooperates. We hear them and see them every year.

hocoblogs@@@

Snow Days

Posted on December 26, 2012 by AnnieRie

I don’t mind snow days like these. We needed the rain, and we got almost an inch so far today. It is snow mixed with sleet and rain, so it will be gone soon. The birds are frantically looking for food. It’s junco and blue jay reunion out there. Although the blue jays flew away once the camera came out.

Today was one of those stay inside and do projects kind of days. I am cleaning out the bedside nightstand drawers and doing some shredding. I did put tuna and tomatoes, with a base of canellini beans, in the oven on slow cook. A good hearty cold weather dish. Using some of my oven dried tomatoes that I froze. Plus, that end of the Costco tuna loin. It looks so dark and meaty, you wouldn’t think it was a fish dish.

We are keeping a close eye on the trees to make sure they don’t get weighed down with wet snow. We lost too many branches during those storms a few years back. We were supposed to have the final high tree pruning today, but the weather forced a cancellation. Without leaves, though, the deciduous trees will do OK, it’s the coniferous trees that worry me. We have a wind advisory for tomorrow with a potential for downed power lines again. The big question always is, “Should we fill the tubs with water in case we lose power and can’t flush toilets?” With all the weakened trees after the hurricane, power losses are still possible.

I do have to admit that it is beautiful out there. All Christmasy with the twinkling lights. Glad we don’t commute anymore, but can enjoy the view.

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Birds, Food, Howard County, Nature, Real Food, Retirement, Weather, West HoCo and tagged birds, commentary, community, cooking, Food, foodie, heirloom tomatoes, Howard County, Locavore, nature, real food, retirement, tomatoes, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Home for the Holidays

Posted on December 25, 2012 by AnnieRie

Loving the fact that we don’t have to travel on the holidays anymore. Getting up when we want, and having a leisurely breakfast. Watching the animals in the yard, and watching the snow melt. Hearing my neighbor’s children running around out in the last of the snow. Just one of the reasons we came here. Peace. Quiet. Doing what we want for the day.

A couple of Breezy Willow’s eggs, over easy. Served with Spring Mill honey wheat bread, and Trickling Springs butter. A nice cup of coffee. The view out the dining room window. Still snow on the ground.

What did you get for Christmas? We always pick one thing we want and go and get it. I wanted a new lasagna pan. He wanted a rotor (rotator) for his tower. Obviously, we feed our hobbies.

My new pan:

I think it is much better than his refurbished, newly painted, good as new, rotor. It came back the other day. Looks brand new.

I did put a flat iron steak in the crock pot, to cook all day and enjoy with an old wine, for dinner tonight. Rubbed with the dry rub mix that I put together as part of the gifts for my relatives.

The flat iron steak came from England Acres. And, all the veggies in the pot are CSA, so this will be a mostly local Christmas dinner. The dry rub came out nicely.

Garlic powder is predominant in my spice rubs. This one is for beef and venison. It also includes peppers, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, savory and just a small amount of salt. I think I am forgetting something, but since I just wing it with spice rubs, it comes out fine. The house does smell wonderful at the moment. Dessert tonight will be a few of my orange chocolate truffles I made. With the last of the wine, after dinner, while watching Santa Paws II. Does Christmas get any better?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Weather, West HoCo and tagged amateur radio, cooking, crock pot cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, holidays, local businesses, Locavore, real food, weather, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Shopping at the Farms

Posted on December 22, 2012 by AnnieRie

It was a vow I made, to support local farmers. Eat more local foods, and even if they cost more, buy them and just adjust how much we eat. It is really easy around here to do that.

You don’t have to fight crowds with carts at grocery stores for many items. I learned to love markets in France. Our first trip to Provence.

My dream home. Provence. If I had my way, I would live there. I speak passable French. Understand more than I can articulate. Fell completely in love with the food and the land, and would move in a heartbeat to live that life style. Shopping for fresh foods locally. I didn’t have pictures of the live chickens. You picked the one you wanted and they dispatched it for you.

So, I do the next best thing. I shop here at our local farms. Even in the winter they are open for business. Today I went food shopping at two farms and one farm stand. We decided to take a ride because it was cold, windy and we didn’t feel like fighting crowds in stores and malls. The itimerary: Breezy Willow, England Acres and Baughers in Westminster.

On a mission. For holiday ice cream. Eggs. Fixings for tomorrow’s venison roast. And, possibly to have lunch at Baughers. I did get some great things there, like out of date peanuts, that they sell for $2.99 a case to feed the birds and the squirrels. Celery and mushrooms. Pears. Mixed nuts in the shell. The mushrooms for the venison roast. The celery to use to make some soup next week.

From Breezy Willow, pumpkin ice cream. Eggs. Great Harvest whole wheat flour, since I am running out of flour from baking.

From England Acres. Cauliflower. Spring Mill Bread. Sausage. Onions. Popcorn. Honey. Goat cheese. Baby Spinach. By the time I came home, I have all I need to make dinner tomorrow, and to make soup next week. And, a salad tonight. England Acres now is buying wholesale from Lancaster Farm Fresh, the cooperative that supplies my CSA. All winter. Open Saturday and Sunday, I can pick up fresh organic veggies from the same farms that supply me my CSA for 33 weeks a year. How can I go wrong with them? They have been my major source of food for the past 20 months. Love what they grow.

So, I use Roots, Wegmans, Harris Teeter and Costco for staples I can’t get at the markets. But, year round, we have great stuff not far from us. Fresher than foods flown and trucked in from across the country and the world. I just wish we had something like this up the road. The Arles market.

Being a locavore is not hard around here. Wishing for unlimited spices, now that is a stretch.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, Food, Real Food, West HoCo, Winter Eat Local and tagged cooking, CSA, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, real food, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Tree and Garden Maintenance

Posted on December 19, 2012 by AnnieRie

Today was a clean up day. We had landscapers come out to do the final clean up of derecho damaged trees, before we put up the crank up tower in the yard. We don’t need trees coming down on the guy wires or the tower. Now that the leaves are gone, you could definitely pick out damaged trees that strong winds could bring down.

While out there, I took advantage of the mild weather and finished the haircuts on the spirea. Cleaned out those flower beds.

I really cut them way back. Not a bad idea. They come in more vigorous every summer and have created almost a hedge of sorts. This is what they looked like in the summer. The bunny is a bonus. Baby bunnies, birds, chipmunks, all love to hide in the spirea.

I also made my first attempt to clean out the veggie garden. It is a real mess. Full of dead tomato plants and overtaken by morning glory vines. I pulled out many of the cages and cleaned them.

I was careful to salvage my tomato ties and not throw away any sticks, ties or rope. The tomato plants will not go into compost. I don’t need them growing in the compost pile. The twisty ties were collected and brought in the house to put away for next year.

This garden plot is going to become herbs, lettuces and cool weather plants only. There will be a new garden next year. I need to get out into the field where I get more sunshine. The trees have now grown to a point where they shade the current garden site. Morning sun doesn’t come in until after 7 am. The sun starts disappearing behind the maple after 3 pm. Next year it will be worse as the trees get even taller.

There will be a new plot dug in and fenced. 20 by 40 is my goal. My 30 by 10 garden will now have a very large neighbor. This is the year I will do pumpkins, watermelon and lots more squash. Off into the field we will go. Oasis, who did today’s tree maintenance will be tilling and creating my new one. Ron is a local business owner, just a few miles down the road on Triadelphia Mill Rd. He and his crew did a great job today.

The new home for the garden.

The tall grasses are my neighbor’s property. We cut ours so we can put the radio towers there. Now, I just have to find a way to keep these visitors from jumping the fence.

The deer think nothing about galloping through our meadow and racing across my other neighbor’s front yard. The day I caught this one with the camera there were four of them out there.

Well, winter will be here in two days. I think this year is the earliest for my plant pruning, and I have a head start on garden maintenance. Time to hibernate for the winter, and hope we don’t have ice storms. At least if we do, we have pruned the trees to keep them from breaking off.

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Posted in Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged gardening, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, nature, photography, spring flowers, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Eight Years In

Posted on December 15, 2012 by AnnieRie

December 2004. The first time we saw our house. After months of frustrating searching and one bad experience with misrepresentation on a disclosure form. We drove by at night to check it out. It is dark out here. Really dark. But, the house was decorated and looked great. On the 16th we came back to tour it.

And, fell in love. It was probably the kitchen that did it for me.

450 square feet. OK, so we have replaced the refrigerator and ovens. They were 18 years old when we moved in. I still love this room. The heart of our home.

My husband fell in love with the family room. The paneling. That manly thing. The fireplace. The entire back of this house is kitchen and family room.

We had no idea how different things are, in west county. Learning to be self sufficient. Thankfully, with a gas fireplace, and a wood stove in the basement. With snow throwers, tractors, pick up truck. Way different than living in Columbia. Things really are different out here. And so worth it. Nights are dark, yes. No glow from lights anywhere. Amazing sunsets.

Peace and quiet. Privacy. I can’t think of any better place to live. Far from the noise and light. Even when it is crazy with the snow.

So glad we made the leap into living here.

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Posted in Adventures, Commentary, Howard County, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged commentary, community, Howard County, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

The Geminids

Posted on December 11, 2012 by AnnieRie

With a bonus. A comet has left behind some debris. If you come out to the Howard County Conservancy Thursday night, you could find a rare treat.

The weather is supposed to cooperate. Clear, cold. Very little moon light.

Dr. Alex Storrs and Dr. Joel Goodman (stardoc) will be there. Starting at 9:30 pm until you can’t stay awake. After all, the site is nice and dark, and the astronomers are an awesome set of teachers about the night sky.

Don’t miss it.

hocoblogs@@@

Maple. Bacon. Ice. Cream.

Posted on December 10, 2012 by AnnieRie

You heard me. Worth the trip to Breezy Willow.

Maple bacon flavor. Really, maple ice cream with bacon pieces in it. My new favorite flavor. Beating out the salted caramel. I went out shopping to Breezy Willow and England Acres Saturday. Who needs grocery stores when you can get wonderful food, check out the chickens, and on the way home, watch the end of the Lisbon holiday horse parade. Beats Giant Food anyday.

At Breezy Willow, the chickens were out foraging. There I picked up the ice cream, some cheese, some stocking stuffers and some meat for the freezer.

Sage sausage, short ribs and chicken thighs. Lots of things to do my local food challenge. From there, I headed west on Old Frederick Road to England Acres to get the last of the whole chickens. One of them was that dinner a few nights ago. I also found some bread, egg noodles, cauliflower, oranges and the hot dogs for my chili dogs while I was there.

Oh, and their egg laying hens were running around enjoying the weather, too. Of course, the grass is always greener outside of the fence.

Besides looking for bugs and tasty treats, one decided to enjoy a dustbath. Interesting to watch. Chickens are such fun.

Later Saturday we got to the Tree Farm for my roping. Still waiting to get the tree. It is too early to put it up. But, today the front was being decorated with the roping. I just need to find my ribbons.

Fraser fir roping, just enough to frame the front door. All in all, a very productive Saturday in our part of the world.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Adventures, Day Trips, Farmer's Markets, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, West HoCo and tagged cooking, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

The Predators are Back

Posted on December 10, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yes, the hawk has returned. And not your garden variety wimpy hawk.

The other day I found squirrel feathers in the side yard. This has to be the hunter. He decided to plop himself on my feeder tree, and he proceeded to ignore all the little birds out there. He was looking for bigger rewards. The little hawk was out there a while back, but this is the first visit for our large hawks. He looks to be one of the Cooper’s hawks. We shall see if he decides to stand out in the meadow and hunt. Last year it was the favorite spot for mouse hunting.

Two weeks ago, the little sharp shinned hawk was out there. So, now both predators have come home for the winter. It should be interesting out here. We will see if these visitors get as bold as the ones a few years ago. The ones that liked to hang around on my patio furniture about five feet from the back door and make way too much noise.