Pam – Page 97 – New England's Narrow Road

One Man’s Junk…

This piece of furniture is not exactly junk, but I need to get rid of it. I recently contacted a local shop that sells used furniture and all kinds of things, to see if they might take this entertainment center of mine and sell it. I have been hoping to add it to a consignment shop, but I have no way to get it there. I’m hoping that this place will pick it up.

Murray’s Home Again store is located in Peterborough, New Hampshire on the corner of Routes 101 and 123 and I’ve passed by often and seen chairs and bed frames and such out on the lawn. I have too much furniture as it is, so I never bothered to stop in, but I thought they might be able to help me sell my cherry wood, 3-piece entertainment center. I don’t want this set to get ruined in my garage and I have no room for it in my present home. We bought it in Florida, many years ago, and it fit perfectly in my living room there.

Now it’s time to make room in my garage. This is one of my big chores to accomplish this summer.

I just sent pictures to them so we’ll see what they say. But the store looks very interesting and their Facebook page is great too. They have more than just furniture and provide lots of pictures too. Now I can’t wait to check the place out. I think it could be addicting.

10 Tips for Cleaning and Maintaining Patio Furniture (doorfly.com)
InteriorMark Launches a New Furniture Retail Website – EntertainmentCenterSpot.com (prweb.com)

Getting Rid of The Dead Wood

Cutting down trees — Removing dead trees in my yard.

Trees are one of the important things that make this world beautiful and I hate to see them cut down, but the three I recently had removed were dead and dying.

When I moved into my house last year, I surveyed the tree line along the front yard. Those trees are very close to the house and fortunately they all looked like they were in good shape, except for the one on the end. It was July, and that tree had no leaves. I also noticed that the big one, in the cluster of three, had a big gouge in the trunk that looked like it had been there for many years.

The top branches of the two remaining had bare branches, so I knew that something was going on with the entire cluster.

The tree guys were across the street dropping some huge pines for my neighbor and they came by to give me an estimate. They also said that I was correct and that those trees were dying. They were black birch.

So they were cut down and then cut into large sections which I will have my son cut smaller when he comes to visit in another week. I’ll let the wood dry and burn it in my wood stove, probably next year.

black birch tree cut down — Falling Black Birch

New Front Yard: Getting Rid of Trees and Grass (todaysmama.com)
Why am I raking leaves in July? (ireport.cnn.com)
Texas Forest Service Warns Homeowners Of Dead Trees (dfw.cbslocal.com)

My Encounter With The Milk Snake

A few days ago I was doing yard work and walked into my garage to see a long snake stretched out beneath the house doorway.

I got the shovel thinking I would chase him outside, but I realized he couldn’t move. His tail was wedged into the wall.

So – I’m thinking – what does that mean? Was he up inside the wall? How did this happen? Does he have family left inside my wall too?

There was no time to worry about swarms of snakes all cozied up in my insulation. I had to call someone to help him.

I found 2 numbers and no one answered at either one. It was 5:30 and all the wildlife people were gone for the day.

By now, the snake had stretched himself across the bottom of the doorway and had stuck his head under the threshold – between the cement and the wood. So I could no longer see his head. His tail was still stuck and it was an odd view. I should have taken a picture, but it was just freaking me out and I still wanted to find someone to come help him.

I went inside and had a beer while I contemplated calling the cops. Maybe they were not busy and they had an officer who actually liked snakes and he’d be happy to come out and help. Then again, maybe they would tell me they don’t do that sort of thing, take my name and address and consider me a nuisance.

The story has a happy ending. When I went back outside I was just in time to see his tail slip through the crack beneath the door. He had pulled it free. I was hoping that crack led him outside. At least he was out of the wall.

The next day I noticed a snake skin along the bottom of the house just outside the garage.
I pulled it out and measured it – the markings were just like the markings on the milk snake. I don’t know if the skin had been there a while or if he had shed it after his escape.

I didn’t know that there were snakes that big in New Hampshire. I did get a call back from Fish and Game the next day and they left a message saying that I should put on some gloves and help him get free! Uh… I don’t think so!

snake skin measurement — Measuring at 41 inches.

NATURE KNOWLEDGE: Milk Snake (sillyfrogsusan.wordpress.com)
A Mailbox, a Snake, and a Lesson (cmbratcher.wordpress.com)
Don’t Look If You’re Afraid of Snakes… (bellasugar.com)

Blueberry Picking on Pitcher Mountain

blueberry picking sign — Blueberry picking sign and cash box at Pitcher Mountain

We had started a tradition years ago when we first moved to New Hampshire. We found a great little mountain to climb that offered a gorgeous panoramic view and it was loaded with blueberry bushes.

We’d head up to Pitcher Mountain in Stoddard in July and each of the kids would help me fill our little buckets full of blueberries.
This year my son was not too thrilled with the idea. It’s boring. He’s 14 now. But he was hanging around the house without anything to do and I convinced him to go just for the hike. He whined and moaned and couldn’t wait to leave, but I managed to get him to help me pick at least a few berries.

I asked him which trail he wanted to take back down and he said “the fastest one”.

Then I put my dollar into the box when we got to the parking area at the bottom, and he said that I was probably the only person who put any money in. He said it like I was such a moron. Teenagers.

Pitcher Mountain is quite a drive for us now that we have moved, but it’s still one of my favorite places to hike. We had a great time! 😉

The view in the photo below is one of the best from the top. It was clear enough to see Mount Monadnock.