The Tree Campus USA Committee planted a redbud tree at the southwest corner of the Rike Center at Otterbein University in observance of Arbor Day.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Saturday, April 23, 2016
5K for K9 Cancer
Great time photographing the 5K for K9 Cancer at Otterbein. The pups had fun too. @800 run/walk; @400 dogs and 1 pig.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Sweet Little Bichons
Another cute puppy pic. They are getting to be quite the little clowns and are loving the spring weather.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
The Buzz
When I kept bees in the 90's the last brood that I raised was rather nasty and stung me 12 times in one outing. (They had a disease called foul brood and I burned the hive shortly thereafter as recommended by the Ohio Agricultural extension office). I bought a bottle of Benadryl gel and liberally spread it over my wounds.
Fast forward to last year. I find this cute little bee hive on line and decide to raise bees again because pollinators in general are in a crisis state worldwide. After an episode in which the hive is stolen by thieves from our porch after being delivered and we subsequently recover it with the help of the Westerville Police I get Carnolian bees (native to Serbia) from an apiary out of Georgia. We enjoy a lovely summer with them pollinating all the blooms in our yard and nary a sting. I open and close bee hive with no smoker and often times without any gear or at least bare handed. Shame on me. For some unknown reason (probably death of the queen) the hive departs and leaves me with an empty bee box at the end of September.
After a nightmarish year of family medical crisis and death I debate whether or not to refill the hive. Leaning toward not I remind myself that pollinators in general are in a crisis state worldwide and tell myself to suck it up and get moving. I order lovely Carnolian bees from the same apiary that we got such wonderful bees from last year. I'm given the choice of April 9, 16, 23rd for delivery. I choose April 9th as on the outside chance that the lovely bees might sting me I don't want to be covered in welts as we have an event to attend the last weekend in April. My first sign should have been that it snowed and was 24 degrees on bee pick up day....in April My second sign should have been that I accidently released the queen by taking the plug out of the wrong end of her cage when I installed the hive. According to best practices I should have let the bees release her by eating the plug made of candy out of the other end of her cage although some internet sources state that this isn't really a huge make it or break it mistake. On day two after installation I open the hive to check the food supply and find it depleted with more cold weather on the way. It rained all day Monday and Tuesday night we had a work thing that I had to attend. I was left with no choice so I put on my head gear and gloves at lunch time yesterday and headed out to open the hive. Half way across the yard I say to myself - crap I should have put rubber bands around my ankles to keep a bee from flying up my pant leg, which has never happened previously, though having the bands is the usual protection protocol. But I'm in a hurry and I say to myself - I don't have time this will only take a minute. I open the hive and all the bees had swarmed to the top of the hive, probably for warmth, and onto the food dish that I had placed in the empty top compartment. I take out the food dish put frames into empty compartment, close up the hive and congratulate myself on a job well done. I walk back toward the house and onto the deck. When I step up onto the deck the bee that had flown up my left pant leg stings me with a vengeance. I drop my pants right there in the yard and scrap off the stinger. I'm now standing in the middle of the backyard in my underwear and the dogs are yapping like mad men at the back door. Crap #@! I say to myself. But I didn't think much more about it until last night when I was in my bathrobe and getting ready to take a shower and Andrew says to me - what in the hell did you do to your leg? I explain. Then he says- I was going to tell you that I didn't think the bees that we got this year were as friendly as the ones we had last year. This morning I get up and I can hardly bend my knee and my legs itches like the devil. I say don't we have some Benadryl around here. He rummages through the linen closet and produces a bottle of gel...with an expiration date of 16 years ago when I was last stung. I made a trip to Walgreens at lunch time for some new Benadryl....Needless to say I will be in full gear at all times this year. My own fault; can't blame it on the bees.
Fast forward to last year. I find this cute little bee hive on line and decide to raise bees again because pollinators in general are in a crisis state worldwide. After an episode in which the hive is stolen by thieves from our porch after being delivered and we subsequently recover it with the help of the Westerville Police I get Carnolian bees (native to Serbia) from an apiary out of Georgia. We enjoy a lovely summer with them pollinating all the blooms in our yard and nary a sting. I open and close bee hive with no smoker and often times without any gear or at least bare handed. Shame on me. For some unknown reason (probably death of the queen) the hive departs and leaves me with an empty bee box at the end of September.
After a nightmarish year of family medical crisis and death I debate whether or not to refill the hive. Leaning toward not I remind myself that pollinators in general are in a crisis state worldwide and tell myself to suck it up and get moving. I order lovely Carnolian bees from the same apiary that we got such wonderful bees from last year. I'm given the choice of April 9, 16, 23rd for delivery. I choose April 9th as on the outside chance that the lovely bees might sting me I don't want to be covered in welts as we have an event to attend the last weekend in April. My first sign should have been that it snowed and was 24 degrees on bee pick up day....in April My second sign should have been that I accidently released the queen by taking the plug out of the wrong end of her cage when I installed the hive. According to best practices I should have let the bees release her by eating the plug made of candy out of the other end of her cage although some internet sources state that this isn't really a huge make it or break it mistake. On day two after installation I open the hive to check the food supply and find it depleted with more cold weather on the way. It rained all day Monday and Tuesday night we had a work thing that I had to attend. I was left with no choice so I put on my head gear and gloves at lunch time yesterday and headed out to open the hive. Half way across the yard I say to myself - crap I should have put rubber bands around my ankles to keep a bee from flying up my pant leg, which has never happened previously, though having the bands is the usual protection protocol. But I'm in a hurry and I say to myself - I don't have time this will only take a minute. I open the hive and all the bees had swarmed to the top of the hive, probably for warmth, and onto the food dish that I had placed in the empty top compartment. I take out the food dish put frames into empty compartment, close up the hive and congratulate myself on a job well done. I walk back toward the house and onto the deck. When I step up onto the deck the bee that had flown up my left pant leg stings me with a vengeance. I drop my pants right there in the yard and scrap off the stinger. I'm now standing in the middle of the backyard in my underwear and the dogs are yapping like mad men at the back door. Crap #@! I say to myself. But I didn't think much more about it until last night when I was in my bathrobe and getting ready to take a shower and Andrew says to me - what in the hell did you do to your leg? I explain. Then he says- I was going to tell you that I didn't think the bees that we got this year were as friendly as the ones we had last year. This morning I get up and I can hardly bend my knee and my legs itches like the devil. I say don't we have some Benadryl around here. He rummages through the linen closet and produces a bottle of gel...with an expiration date of 16 years ago when I was last stung. I made a trip to Walgreens at lunch time for some new Benadryl....Needless to say I will be in full gear at all times this year. My own fault; can't blame it on the bees.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Meanwhile in Ohio...
Meanwhile in Ohio: pansies blooming, still wearing winter coat, neighbor mowing lawn, other neighbor having lawn treated, heater on in my office, students in shorts, snow falling in April...
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Life Moves Pretty Fast..
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it. Ferris Bueller Or in other words catching up on nine months of blogging in one day...Enjoy
April 2, 2016
New doggie trailer for behind my bike. Bring on the warm weather!!
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Andrew attended the Ohio Hellbender Partnership meeting today and toured a facility where hellbenders are bred for release in designated Ohio streams. Hellbenders are the largest amphibians in Ohio sometimes growing to 2 feet in length and are currently listed as an endangered species by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. You can read more about Hellbenders at http://home.greglipps.com/surveys/eastern-hellbender/ohio-hellbender-partnership
March 24-29th
Boose household crippled by confirmed influenza virus. Thankful for TamifulWednesday, March 23, 2016
It's National Puppy Day. Here they are in their boating attire. No spoiled dogs at our house...
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Projects for the day - picket fence around front porch (in progress); coat of paint on bee hive.
Sunday March 12, 2016
Spotted SalamandersJust a quick jaunt around the vernal pool at Sharon Woods looking for frog eggs and whatever salamanders we can find. It's still chilly.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Why yes I did just lay down a set of muddy footprints throughout the entire house and I am particularly proud of myself for getting away with it!
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Very nice article about Mac from Jim McCormac of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.Sunday, March 6, 2016
Andrew and I would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming support and cards, letters, messages and remembrances from our family, friends and co-workers for both his mom and our special friend Howard "Mac" Albin. We are so very blessed to have you all in our lives and especially during those very difficult two weeks filled with immeasurable loss and sadness.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Mating Red-shouldered hawks. Back to the same nest site now for 6 + years.
Friday, March 4, 2016
The bluebirds in our backyard were really chowing down on meal worms today!
Friday, March 4
How we spent our "spring" break...
Saturday, February 27, 2016
The Home Depot.You can do it we can help.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
A well written and moving tribute with a dash of humor by Tommy Springer as he remembers his friend and colleague Mac Albin. Tommy Springer started his environmental career as a resource management intern for the Metro Parks and worked closely with Andrew and Mac for two seasons. He was a park technician for almost a decade after that and is now the conservation technician and wildlife specialist for Fairfield County Soil and Water. Andrew and Mac have had many fine interns over the years that they thought very highly of and Tommy is one.Monday, February 22, 2016
I’ve known the Honorable Howard T. since 1993 when I was an intern with the parks. Andrew became the park arborist on the same day as Mac became the aquatic ecologist and they have shared an office for almost 20 years. Outside of their work the three of us have spent those years tromping through creeks and woods making observations about every living species that has crossed our path. We’ve taken almost 10,000 photos, had passionate conversations about an assortment of environmental topics, put three restaurants out of business, worked on biotic surveys and programs, slogged through every type of weather imaginable on countless adventures, and consumed I don’t know how many bottles of wine and steaks on the grill at the field station in the process. There is nothing I can say that will convey the depth and breadth of our friendship. Spring on the blue trail, fall on the creek. This closes the final chapter in the Schlotzsky Chronicles. Andrew and Mac. Last program together June 2015.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
RIP Howard T. "Mac" Albin
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Worst Valentine's Day of my life. We spent it with Mac. Just hoping we were able to give him some comfort during his final days on this earth. Being a teenager and not getting a Valentine card somehow doesn't compare...Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park.
"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer" Albert Camus -on the bridge - State Rte 665
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016 RIP Marlene Boose
Andrew's mother passed today after a long and horrendous battle with cancer. Her body is not so white as anemone petals nor so smooth—nor so remote a thing. It is a field of the wild carrot taking the field by force; the grass does not raise above it. Here is no question of whiteness, white as can be, with a purple mole at the center of each flower. Each flower is a hand’s span of her whiteness. Wherever his hand has lain there is a tiny purple blemish. Each part is a blossom under his touch to which the fibres of her being stem one by one, each to its end, until the whole field is a white desire, empty, a single stem, a cluster, flower by flower, a pious wish to whiteness gone over— or nothing. William Carlos
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park."Though we travel the world to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wednesday, February 3
Heartbreaking news from Howard T. on the cancer front. I can hardly breathe.Sunday, January 31, 2016
Went to mom and dad's to celebrate Bob's birthday by eating Marion's piazza and then stopped on the way home at Prairie Oaks Metro Park. Andrew wanted to show me where he has been working recently and this stately swamp white oak. We were lucky to catch the sky light show. Happy Birthday Bob!
Thursday, January 21, 2016
I got Lacy a new bed last week b/c she lays under the buffet. I didn't get Nolan one b/c he has chewed up two of them and he's always on the move. This morning he was letting me know that his feelings were hurt b/c Lacy got a bed and he didn't. I went and got him one on my lunch hour. No spoiled dogs live in this house...
January 20, 2016
Grandpa Vincent worked aboard the Moses Taylor, built in Lorain, OH in 1906. (later renamed SooDoc). I got these photos from Roger Roger LeLievre, author of "Know Your Ships".
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Snow dogs loving the snow...
January 5, 2016
It's National Bird Day. Tafari sends his best.
Happy New Year
Christmas
Homemade pasties (Cornish meat pies)
Sunday, December 20, 2015
May the force be with you!
December 15, 2016
Mom's famous lasagna
December 6, 2016
Roof repair in progress. Always fun to find a leak when you are putting up Christmas lights....
Saturday, December 5, 2015
My friend Beth and I took our fur kids to have their photos taken with Santa to benefit CHA Animal Shelter. It was a lot of fun and the place was packed with dogs in their holiday finery.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Winter ParkScope is out. Our article starts on page 7.Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Five months out from thumb joint replacement; still doing therapy with putty but joint is stable and I'm getting my grip strength back.
Thanksgiving and Lacy getting the Blessing of the Animals.
November 16, 2016
Prescribed burn today at Glacier Ridge
November 7, 2016
Happy 2nd Birthday Nolan
Sunday, November 1, 2015
The pups, a beautiful sunset and a cool app on my phone.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Big kids celebrating Halloween!
October 31, 2016
Clean bill of health at the vet for Miss Lacy
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Two Bichons for the Boose's! Nolan's mama Lacy has joined our family.
Saturday October 17, 2015
Fall outing with the family and cousins from Tucson.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Fall break on Drummond Island! Perfect weather and beautiful scenery...Elisha did the BOOse pumpkin and I did the other one. Isn't she creative??
Me and Andrew with Elisha and Brooks heading to Harbor Island
October 3, 2015
This is the area where prairie seed is being dried at Sharon Woods. Andrew and his co workers have been gathering these forb seeds over the past few days. The prairie seed is harvested by hand, by combine or by seed stripper. It then has to be dried which requires it to be turned twice a day for about a week. A labor intensive endeavor, which has to be done under dry weather conditions, all in order to keep the Metro Park prairies in top notch condition.
September 30, 2015
Article about our new facility at the UniversitySeptember 27, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Perfect day for Homecoming. Academic spotlight on my major Life Science. Open house for HSS's new digs!
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
My boys getting me a garage door opener.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Fayette County Fairgrounds. Great time today at the show after a three year hiatus from showing. Beautiful weather, nice facility, well organized gathering. Was pleased with the judges remarks on my juniors and also found a nice chocolate agouti doe for my line. Big Darby just took first in his class and went on to compete for Best of Breed at only 10 weeks old.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Happiness is when your brother walks into your new office with a bonsai plant as an office warming gift.
Friday, September 11, 2015
I love this picture. A student that was passing by took the photo for us. It was so nice and relaxing sitting on the lawn in the shade in those ever so comfortable chairs.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
I'm in heaven.. .my new workspace. Sixteen years in the same office at the same desk...love my employer and my job but super excited that we are getting new digs!
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
The land yacht has arrived! I bought Dad's Mercury Grand Marquis 25 year anniversary edition.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Rocky Fork Metro Park.-Awesome dog park with partition for small and large breed dogs soon to open along with a very nice trail that Nolan enjoyed very much. Andrew and his co-workers put a lot of sweat into this park all the way from clearing trails to developing some very nice interpretive signage. If you are in Franklin County your tax dollars helped build it so check it out and enjoy!! Get outside people!! And if you have a dog please remember to scoop your poop....
Friday, August 21, 2015
HSS is ready for a new academic year!
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Hand therapy Rx requires a ball... it was this or Ninja Turtles...
Monday, August 17, 2015
That moment when you walk into the Welcome Back Celebration and discover you are on the front cover of the program.
August 14, 2016
Horrendous storm near Saginaw; heading home from vacation early due to family medical emergency.
August 8 through 14th
Drummond Island with Robin and Tracy. Great week with great friends.
Our annual visit to the Tee Pee. I've been here every year since 1967. Tracy probably has too.
Nolan ready for a boating adventure.
August 7, 2016
Lavender Hill Farm-Boyne City Michigan
Thursday, August 6, 2015
5 hours to freedom and blue skies on top! Doctor's appt. to have cast removed in Michigan and then onward to vacation.Saturday, August 1, 2015
This is the first day since I had hand surgery that I have been able to do any creative photography with my Nikon. Nolan and Little Darby were such willing participants that I got carried away. Nolan actually put himself into the scene; sometimes you just have to go with it...Prepare for incredible cuteness...
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Yes I am counting...feeling great with minimal pain and still a bit of swelling.
July 11, 2015
I love the family portrait we had taken at my aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary party.
Wednesday July 7, 2015
Bob at hospital for emergency appendectomy. Were supposed to go to dinner with Robin and Tracy for their anniversary. They ended up bringing dinner to us and met me at the hospital. Overwhelmed with gratitude at this gesture. It's been one hell of a week.Wednesday July 1, 2015
Otsego Memorial Hospital, Gaylord, MINew thumb joint. Read more here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)