the answer is 33

 This is a little embarrassing but funny too.

The Sasquatch signed up for some online surveys that paid off with big discounts on certain products.

He knows I wear only "Crocs" shoes now, so he chose to do their survey then asked if I'd like to use his discount.  Well sure!

It was a heck of a deal so I picked out 3 pair (he only got one pair) and placed the order. I liked all 3 pairs when they arrived but when I put them away I noticed that I was running out of room for shoes.

I wondered how many I really did have...so got them all out to count...

So the answer is 33.

 But whoops, I forgot about a pair of boots down in the front closet plus a really old pair that I wear for yard work. Oh yeah and a pair of old flip flops.

So make that 36!

The cat and I stared at each other wide-eyed with surprise!

Actually there are some duplicates in the collection.  The ones I wear a lot get worn smooth at the heels and get relegated for only doing yard work...so I have replacements ready.

Yep, I need to lay off the shoe shopping for the next 10 or 12 years!

P.S.  Don't tell Lonnie! Shhhh!

3D Printer - impressive

 Starting with a story about my kitchen sink.  I have posted about it here before. Every couple of years it needs it's cartridge replaced and Moen sends them for free.

But this time it was something else, the aerator, that little thingy in the end of the spout that keeps the water from pouring out like an outdoor faucet.

Mine had started spraying off to the side. I unscrewed it and found some black rubber chunks inside but I also saw a crack in the plastic that was causing the problem.

I thought it would be easy to find a replacement locally...rather than waiting for Moen to mail one.

But no, I bought one at Lowes...too tall, so I looked at Ace Hardware - no, didn't have it.

The Sasquatch has been making some small items on a 3D printer so he said he'd try printing the plastic parts.  He was finished with it in just a couple of hours and brought it over.

It worked wonderfully for about a day and a half, then failed. The Sasquatch pryed it open and looked at it and found that some of the thinner plastic inside had melted, just from hot water.

The red one is the old one, the white one is the one he made.

The plastic for the printers comes in different types and grades. This particular one was a cheaper one...good to use while in the learning curve.  He said a better grade of plastic probably wouldn't have melted so easily.

Anyway, I was impressed.   

I called Moen and 8 days later I received my new free aerator, including a new metal screw on part.

He's been using the 3D printer a lot...making custom fittings and so forth for some equipment he has.

Also, several accessories for a friends HO scale train set.

Last week the Sasquatch had a surprise for me.  At first I couldn't figure out what it was.

Then he brought my laundry detergent bottle up from the basement to demonstrate.

I buy the giant size Tide with a spigot dispenser.  This gadget screws into the top opening...

After pouring the detergent from the measuring cup into the machine, you turn the cup upside down on the platform.

Any remaining detergent drains from the cup and funnels back into the bottle.

You can just leave the cup sitting there until next wash day. No build up of detergent in the bottom.

What a smart man! Although he found the pattern for this online for free. He is also learning how to use the settings and program to create patterns of his own.

Hmmm, now what else do I need?

wildlife

 No, I'm not living a wild life, I am referring to wildlife. as in the creatures that live in the wild.

I guess the dry spell we are experiencing draws animals into the yard looking for water.  Can they sense or smell the water in the pool?

Of course this hawk could see it from above.

She walked along the edge for a few minutes, trying to figure out a way to reach the water.

Finally she took off and splashed into the water and right back out again. Not sure if she was actually able to get a drink or not.

Puss was watching the action and rushed over to poolside to see if a rescue was necessary (yeah, right).

On another day I carried out a rescue....

A box turtle in the pool with no way to climb out.

I scooped her out with the net and then splashed her around in the bird bath to rinse the chlorinated water from her skin and eyes.

She wasn't too shaken up about it.  Pretty markings!

Next time, it was a deer up near the pool.  She looked at the water but didn't get too close.

It turns out she was thirsty because she went over and got a drink from the bird bath.

Then topped that off with a drink from another bird bath.

Then she thought she might as well have a snack of Phlox from the flower bed. 

That's the only flower she found appealing but the grass nearby was mighty tasty!

Earlier that day, I had noticed something that looked like a wide ribbon flapping around at the right side of the swing...moving back and forth in the breeze.

I had an idea what it was and as I got closer...yep, a snake skin.  A long one, too!

I was trying to look overhead and at the ground too, making sure the snake wasn't still around.

Can you see the skin there? Hanging between the swing and the tree?

Looks like the snake snagged the old skin on the rough wood and crawled right out of it.  That was smart - to let gravity help with the job.

Here's the other side. I took the skin down and it looked to be about 5 feet long.

That about wraps up my wildlife for now.

I'm so glad we are finally getting some rain today!

Little snake in the house

 I was just putting a few things away when I noticed something different out of the corner of my eye.

Do you see it?

There under the chair. A short skinny little snake. Not too scary but not something you want in the house either.

The patio doors are right there so I grabbed the broom and used it to encourage the little fellow make his exit.

Well my curious cat, Puss, barged into the middle of things to see what was going on.

 She had her head down sniffing and came right up on the snake... instantly she jumped about two feet straight up into the air!

That startled me more than the snake did!

All turned out fine...the cat recovered and the snake went outside.

 It must have squeezed in through some tiny crack.  Let's hope there is no opening that the big ones can get in through, although we have had larger snakes in the basement a couple of times.

So here are a couple of flowery photos so you won't be left with snakes on your mind.

Peonies and a tomato plant in a grow- bag.

Peonies are so pretty and their blooms last a long time if there's not a lot of rain.

The red peony bush is not so robust.

Too bright for a good photo. The blooms are more red, not the bright color that shows here.

Birthday baking

 

The Sasquatch has been baking up some tasty treats.  He likes trying out recipes that are a little different than things I usually bake.

This is a birthday month for him. When we were celebrating, he brought over this Almond Torte.

Fancy!

Mmmm!

I had baked sugar cookies - at his request instead of cake, and we had two kinds of ice cream so it was quite a bonanza of sweet things...just right for a birthday!

The Sasquatch also tries different bread recipes. Here is a loaf he brought over for us to try, still warm from the oven. Very good and so nicely shaped.

Then there were two different days of Cream Puffs as he tried out a couple of versions of those.

Take a look at all that whipped cream filling!

We don't mind being called on to taste test these goodies.  Cream Puffs are one of Lonnie's long time favorites. He remembers buying them at a bakery before school when he first  started driving.

It's fun having someone show up with surprise desserts.  So what's next, Sasquatch?

Blooms around the yard

Lots of blooms in the flower beds right now.  Purple and yellow Iris.

More Iris, purple and white Salvia.  I can never think of the name of the plant with the bright green leaves...but I like the way it brightens up the empty spaces,

This bloomer is  Weigela.

Same area from a different angle.

These unopened buds are my red peony. 

Iris with a purple and yellow mix.

The plant growing over the top of the trellis is a Silver Lace Vine.  It's an aggressive grower...pretty up close with it's small blooms but not so attractive when viewed from a distance. It has to be trimmed back occasionally because it throws a bit much shade on other plants.  I'll be moving it before it starts new growth next spring.

That seems to be the way it is with flower beds...always changes and rearranging!
 

just a swingin'

 Do you remember the cute country song from back in the early 80's called "Just a Swingin' ?

This new swing made me think of it, so I looked up the lyrics. I don't normally listen to country music so I didn't realize it was made popular again in the 1990's. 

It's a fun song to sing along to.

But anyway, our old swing was getting shabby, with a couple of broken slats and other slats getting rotten and bendy. It's been a good swing and we've had it for years. But we got lazy about taking it inside over the winter and that made it go down hill fast.

We shopped online and found one made from composite rather than wood. It arrived a few days ago.

In a flat box...mostly unassembled.

That's okay. It was easy to sit right down in the driveway and get it put together.  It is a heavy thing but Lonnie helped me get it on a wheelbarrow and get it into position.

Sitting on the wheelbarrow, it was easy to hook up the new chains and slowly pull the wheelbarrow out from under it.

Lonnie liked it right away but at first, I thought the top back was curving in too far.  It just took a little getting used to. Now, I like it too. It should last us many years.

A couple of days later I put the old swing at the end of the driveway along with... 

an old broken rusty wheelbarrow, an electric cook top, a messed up pruner pole, and a fiber glass pool net pole that leaves fiberglass splinters in one's hands.

Within minutes, a guy in a pick up truck pulled in and loaded up every single thing.

The funny thing is...he even took one of my cobblestones that I had put behind the cook top to prop it up!  Not very nice!