Titan Sphinx

Whose heinie is sticking out of the nasturtium?

Why, it's the Titan Sphinx moth of course. 

Aelepos titan is far from home. The most southern edge of his or her range is Uruguay. Wisconsin is about as far north as titan sightings are reported and their brooding area is the Florida Keys. Seems like someone heeded hurricane evacuation orders and hightailed it to safe space. Good call!

I guess if your favorite tropical hibiscus lunch has been blown out to sea, a northern nasturtium will do. Any port in a storm, eh?

Spring Beauty

Oh My!

Gorgeous!

Thank you soooo much to the mystery May Day gift giver. 

Did you know May Day is one of NDL's very favorite days of the year?

We started the day with snow in Cable, WI and came home to this beautiful burst of spring.

And that is why it is a wonderfully, whimsical (we are at the whim of Mother Nature) day to celebrate spring in Wisconsin.

It's About Time

For some excitement on the West Hill. (It has been a painfully long dry spell for neighborhood intrigue and looky-loo opportunities.)

What could possibly be more exciting than a bear hanging around knocking over bird feeders, looking in patio doors, and upsetting bee hives? 

Absolutely nothing. Except the attempt to trap and relocate that bear.

In addition to living up to their reputation for jonesing for honey,  

bears are huge suckers for cookies. Trite for sure, but according to succesful USDA wildlife trappers, apparently true.

We are eager to see if this works and if it does we will report back.

Come out, come out wherever you are!

Update 4/12/15: No bear this a.m. we checked. Even thought it was still darkish out we got dressed first in case there was one. Otherwise every time we would tell the story we might have to say that we shot a photo of a bear in our pajamas and then someone would have to ask every time, 

"What was the bear doing in your pajamas?".

Would You Be Mine?

Could you be mine?

I'd like to be yours!

No Horse Play in the Garden

In an obviously desperate and very transparent attempt to gain blog mention (or perhaps a restraining order) someone has left us an anonymous gift.

We spied it during our morning inspection of the yard from the stair landing window.







We are slightly amused, but Black Beauty will soon be put out to pasture. Yes, he's kind of cute, but he is seriously upsetting the gnomes, not to mention disturbing the feng shui of the ostrich fern plantation.

Thanks, though. It's the thought that counts.

I'll Just Have a Piece of Toast Thank You

Somebody had a hankerin' for some Raisin Bran and tried to help themselves from the basement pantry shelf.




Perhaps it was Rocky IV (We didn't bother to tell you about Rocky III) who was captured in the family room last week after midnight by the nightowl teen who didn't mention the incident until questioned several days later about why an afghan was thrown into the laundry. (Is it bad that this is becoming a common enough occurrence that it's not even worth mentioning anymore?) Washing the blanket seemed like a good idea after it was used to transport Rocky to the great outdoors. The nightowl is becoming a regular squirrel whisperer. Thanks kid. Good and tidy job well done!

Calling Sargent Preston

We need a, well, a Mountie - to solve the case of the phantom plate gifter.

Found in the mailbox a few days ago.








Mystery gifts are great. Gifts that fit the week's theme and combine several of our favorite things are fantastic.

Will the generous, stealth gifter please speak up?

If not, we may have to call in the R.C.M.P. and as you know - They always get their man.

Neighborhood Watch Caught Napping

A giftwrapped parcel was left in our mailbox a few nights ago.

Inside we found this book:

With the following note attached:

For Dr. Retlow,

Important:

Open Immediately!

DO NOT WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS!

The note was unsigned. We love/hate a mystery.

Handwriting analysis has eliminated some obvious suspects.

The use of a title of respect has cleared even more persons of interest.

Alibis have been provided by yet another category of possible stealth gifters.

Who could have left this anonymous present?

At this time we are pursuing the theory that the gnomes themselves have planted this intel because they do enjoy a fair fight.

If you witnessed any suspicious activity on the night of December 10, between 6:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. please contact our anonymous tip line at 1-888-ISN-ITCH.

Perhaps the gift giver truly has our best interests in mind, however the possibility of a psych-out by the enemy is not out of the question.

Keep your eyes peeled.

Waiting for the Big Chill

Every neighborhood needs one. The tinkerer, the gadget guy, the crazy inventor. Fortunately we have the king of all of the above who is also a really sweet guy with the nextdoorneighborly patience of a saint with all the little kids who constantly stream through his yard asking a million questions about his very interesting activities. And it is no wonder they are drawn to the kidmagnet he has created by building ponds, bridges, treehouses, playground equipment, stilts, sandboxes, and anything else that anybody even slightly mentions might be fun addition to his amusement park. Last summer the inventor took on the ultimate big project - a beautiful new garage and workshop built in cooperation with his equally handy son.

This summer's plan (after the sailboat was scraped, repainted, and moored at the yacht club) was an iceboat. One day we looked down the alley and saw this headshaking hallucination.




On approach it seemed that the inventor was napping in the sun, sitting straight up in his new contraption. If one of the 55 MPH wind bursts that we have been experiencing for the last few days had come along just then, it would have been a very exciting surprise launch. We asked and he sheepishly admitted he had been dozing, and then goodnaturedly recreated the situation for the camera.







We love the detailing that looks like a big old paint chip sample in colors of Sky, Little Boy Baby Bootie, Robin's Egg, Swimming Pool Bottom, Larkspur, Forget-Me-Not, Robert Redford's Eyes, Horizon, Windex, and Anemic Smurf. (We have always wanted to be in charge of naming paint colors. It is actually harder than it seems. Can you tell we had suggestions for this lovely blue spectrum from someone who offered their help, but who is clearly not qualified or able to take the responsibility seriously?)




When the lake freezes over, not so very long from now, and wheels have been replaced with runners, we hope we get an invite to the inagaural ice run. If we do, you will hear about it. Stay tuned.

Very Fishy

A few days after the fishermen returned from Valdez...




...four big boxes followed.




The contents filled the freezer. To the top.




The styrofoam cooler lids had desperate messages written on them.








What to do? Notify the authorities? Organize a mercy mission? Encourage the mayors to form a trade agreement? Ideas anyone?

Gadzukes!

Every year I forget (until it is too late) that August 8th is Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day (night). So, yet again, no motion lights were installed, the guard dogs were not unleashed to patrol the grounds, and we were all sound asleep when this was left on our doorstep.




Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of this anonymous gesture, it is bigger than a bread box...




taller than a garden gnome...




able to feed several large families for a week all by itself... gadzukes it's Super Squash.


No news yet as to whether any other neighbors received similar middle-of-the-night deliveries.

Try to contain your disappointment when I inform you that the powdery mildew that has arrived with the hot humid weather will likely mean the end of bountiful summer squash production. Oh yes, go ahead and pump your fists in jubilation now, but come January, when you are all sadly cucurbitless, you may rue the stifling, damp, August day you composted the last giant zucchini gift of the summer.

Rocky II

It is rare that a sequel equals or surpasses the original, but when a flying squirrel was detected in our house for the second time in one week we were less panicked and could more thoroughly enjoy part II of our unexpected animal adventures.




We were able to get photographic evidence of his visit this time. National Geographic won't be calling for my services anytime soon (although the director of Hoarders might), but I hope the photos are good enough to show how interesting these little creatures are.




The capture was easily made with an ice bucket that doubled as a close-up observation dome for a few minutes before the little guy went outdoors.




He was hesitant to go, and while given the opportunity for a dramatic aerial exit, he would not leave the board he was on until we set it on the ground.

We suspect both little Rockies are juveniles and had not yet been outside the protection of our (varmint ridden) walls. Are there more siblings waiting to fledge?

Good luck little guys. Eat all the slugs off the hosta that you want and look out for those spotted owls!

Hokey Smoke Bullwinkle

Time out from old home week for a report on an unprecedented nocturnal event that happened in our current old home.

Guess who was gliding around the family room in the middle of the night?

If you guessed the ghosts of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers you are wrong.

If you guessed a flying squirrel, you are right.




There was a knock on the bedroom door by the only one in the household still capable of staying up past midnight on a routine basis.

"There's a flying squirrel in the house."

"Are you sure it's not a mouse?"

"It glided down the stairs."

"Are you sure it's not a bat?"

"It glided down the stairs."

"Okay. Sounds like there's a flying squirrel in the house."

A search ensued and the very cute little critter was found perched on the fireplace screen looking a bit stunned in the glare of the living room reading lamp.

A dramatic capture made using only a knit afghan and a brave young man's dexterous bare hands lead to a successful release outdoors. How did it get indoors? We don't really know, but with an old house that's holey as a sieve it's a wonder we haven't seen it or its kin before now.

Here is some fascinating information about flying squirrels. You may be surprised to learn that while they do eat seeds and fungus and are themselves a favorite treat of spotted owls, they don't typically wear little aviator goggles or hang around with moose making corny jokes and trying to outsmart no-goodnick spies.

WWJWD?*

Spotted down the alley to the East.



This is low. Really low. Skunk belly low.




The posse rides at noon. Go get 'em boys.



* What would John Wayne do?

Only the Gnome Knows

Finally, true intrigue in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, a gag order has been issued due to the sensitive nature of the on-going investigation. Details that could only be known by the the perpetrator and the responding crime scene analysts are not being released at this time. We are able report that all husbands and children have been ruled out as suspects due to evidence of a concern for tidiness at the crime scene which does not fit their profile.


The only witness, this guy:





And he is not talking.

If national security were at stake Jack Bauer would be called in, or at least channeled, for the interrogation, but we believe the threat is localized and are confident that questioning by our crack team of Citizen's Academy graduates will eventually get results.

Until there is a suspect in custody, be on the lookout for individuals nervously loitering near vending machines while worrying excessive amounts of change in their pockets. Use all caution as the suspect may be over-caffeinated and dangerous.

As Promised

Neighborhood intrigue is harder to come by in winter when neighbors have hunkered down indoors and are rarely sighted. The great bear scat inquisition of Summer 2008 proved that intrigues often grow in frequency and proportion to the number of persons involved in wild speculation about seemingly small occurrences. So, without that "buzz" going on around the block it is only natural that there is little to report on in the cold weather months. However, that being said, through extraordinary efforts we have managed to dredge up a few mysteries and puzzlements for your consideration.



What is this?



Who ate this? and how do they know which ones cost the most?



Oversight or gauche flaunting of a designer plant's brand?



Were these once orange? Were they intentionally frozen to be used again next Halloween? Will they make it to October?



Could a plate of cookies influence whose driveway gets blocked by this snow?



How many logs did they have to throw on for this display?

Enquiring minds want to know...