Frog and Toad Survey #1

Last night a sibling and an offspring and I did the first of the three frog and toad surveys.  This is a volunteer position. We listen for frogs and toads at ten spots on a designated route in rural Kannebec County, collect data, and turn it into the Department of Natural Resources.  This is our third year on the same route.  Everything went pretty well. We didn't get lost.  We didn't get stuck in the mud.  And we heard lots of frogs.  We heard chorus frogs, wood frogs, and spring peepers.  We heard great horned owls and barred owls.  I try to talk in my best barred owl dialect but I think the owls can tell I am a imposter. We heard what we think was a couple of unknown birds.  One sounded like an electronic cartoon road runner.  Whatever that bird was, it was close to us at two frog spots.  Some other bird had a prettier and longer song.  At our stop by White Lily lake, we heard splashing.  The first time I heard it I joked about a mermaid.  By the fourth time I heard splashing very near to us I began to get a little freaked out.  Normally I am not a fearful or nervous person but it is a little scary being out on a deserted road at night, in the dark, standing outside for five minutes at a time listening to the night noises.  I am glad I am not alone.  And we were happy to hear the wood frogs making their mating noises because they only do that 2 weeks of the year.  Fifty weeks of silence followed by two weeks of "keck a hecking."  At the last stop we heard quite a few chorus frogs, a couple peepers and maybe one wood frog.  As time passed, the wood frogs got louder and sounded closer. The wood frogs are getting so loud we can't even hear the chorus frogs or spring peepers anymore.  Maybe the wood frogs were startled when we got out of the car and as they got used to us, started to talk more.  A minute went by.  More wood frogs are talking.  Wood frogs are screaming at us.  One of them sounds so close it's like he's under the car.  Comments are made.  "They're getting closer."  "So many."  "Sounds like an army of frogs."  "Legions!"  "They're carrying tiny swords."  Crowd mentality sets in on the three of us humans.  It's late. We're tired.  We've been up for 18 hours now.  Rational thoughts are pushed aside by panic.  We stand defenseless in total darkness and not a house in sight.  We're pushing up the fear factor with inflammatory words. For me, the word "legions" was the most terrifying.  Offspring #2 says our five minutes are up and we dash to the car in terror.  Natural resources be dammed!  We no longer care about amphibians.  We want to get in the car and get it started before we're attacked.  As I push in the clutch I say, "I shall smite you with my black radials!"  Once the wheels start turning, the fear subsides like water drains out of a sink.  We never even saw a frog.  What were we worried about?

Spring

MSNBC Photos of the Week

Soil

Today my plans changed at the last minute and I found myself with an extra hour of daylight free of obligations.  I could do anything I wanted during this hour.  I chose to spend my hour in the garden.  I saw that my Bing cherry bushes were almost in full bloom.  The chives were long enough to harvest.  The rhubarb was up a couple inches.  Irises are up.  Dandelions are forming flower buds.  The garlic was six inches tall already.  I dug in the compost and fluffed it up.  I like the smell of cooking compost.  Well, I don't like it - like it.  I wouldn't wear it as a body spray.  I just like the smell because when the compost smells I know the materials are being broken down into something I can use.  Sometimes the materials produce a little smoke.  I dug up 1/6 of the garden pulling earthworms reluctantly out of the soil.  I didn't see any cutworms yet.  I allowed Meredith to follow me.  She enjoys pecking in the compost and digging in the dirt.  She loves to take dirt baths.  She lays in the dirt and kicks at it with her feet.  She digs a hole and she throws the dirt up and over herself.  She has dug holes 12 inches deep.  When she is well covered with the sandy soil, she shakes her feathers like a dog shakes when it climbs out of a lake. Dirt flies in all directions.  She lays her feathers flat again and starts preening them with her beak.  She looks very satisfied with herself when the dust bath is over. And that is why, if you come over, there are holes next to the foundation almost all the way around the house.  It's Meredith's fault.

It's a Bust

I tapped my two maple trees several weeks ago. This year is not a good year for making syrup.  I'm glad my income or family sweets depended on the maple syrup I make each year because this year was a bust.  Although some sap runs when we have warm springs like this one, not much.  I had gathered almost a gallon of sap before I left for Nebraska.  By the time I returned, the buds had sprouted on the tree so I had to throw all that sap away.  This past weekend I thought I would boil my gallon of sap and maybe get a cup of syrup or maybe a half a cup.  As I poured the first jug of sap into the kettle, I noticed the liquid was cloudy and viscous.  When I added the second jug of sap it was clear and thin.  The thick and cloudy sap worried me so I threw the entire batch down the drain.  I didn't want to risk using tree sap that had spoiled.  I'll try it again next year.

Listening Skills

A sibling and I are volunteering for the third year to do a frog and toad survey route.  We got an email from the Minnesota DNR to run our route as soon as possible because the warm spring (or absense of spring) has influenced the frogs into singing early.  This means I had to set other things aside and study frog love songs.  My study paid off and today I passed the audio frog identification test.  I can tell you that chorus frogs sound like a finger running past the teeth on a comb, a green frog sounds like a loose banjo string being plucked (also like Raffi in  his song Three Green and Speckled Frogs Sat On a Speckled Log Eating the Most Delicious Bugs), a bull frog sounds like rum-rum  rum-rum, a leopard frog sounds like a long, slow snore followed by chuckle chuckle chuckle chuckle, a cricket frog sounds like someone shaking a handful of marbles, a mink frog sounds like horses hooves on cobblestones, a spring peeper sounds like baby chicks peeping, and a pickeral frog sounds like a long, slow snore without any chuckles.  We plan to do the route Friday night.  Frogs=cute.  Check out this picture of Kermit.  Can you look at that picture and not smile?  Look into his soulful eyes.  Kermit; he's just jim dandy.

Project Feederwatch Update

Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy woodpecker-2, Downy Woodpecker-2, Crow-1, Robin-4, Black Capped Chickadee-5, Goldfinch-3, House Finch-1, White Breasted Nuthatch-2,

Things Birders Say

A Destination

I honestly never thought of Nebraska as a destination.  It was more of a place to drive through or fly over.  My thoughts have changed on that.  If you pause and think, the beauty of the plains, although not a gaudy as the mountains or the sea, is just as beautiful. We spent our time along the Platte River that bisects the state and flows west to the east.  The Platte is the largest, braided river in the lower 48 states. I had never heard of braided rivers before but now I know, braided rivers are shallow and without much of a valley. Braided rivers are sandy and the waters form sand bars.  The water flow braids itself in and around the sand bars.  Near the Rowe Sanctuary, volunteers and naturalists work together to keep the Platte River open.  They use tractors to disk the sandbars so vegetation cannot take root.  When the sandbars are allowed to form islands with vegetation, the river changes from muddy, broad and shallow to deeper, faster and clearer.  The cranes prefer shallow, slow and broad.  When they stand on the shallow water on a sandbar, they are safer from predators like raccoons and coyotes because they can hear the splashing.  The river prevents sneak attacks from four footed foes.  And the fewer trees are safer for the cranes.  Cranes never land in trees.  They are strictly on the ground, standing in shallow water, or flying.  The back toe on the cranes is too small and non-functional so it cannot perch.  The area around the Rowe Sanctuary is a luxury for the sand hill cranes.  The cranes stand in other parts of the Platte River but not in such great numbers because they prefer the ideal conditions.  Who wouldn't?  On our trip we spent most of our time on the north side of the Platte.  The major towns were on the north side.  The restaurants and hotels were on the north side.  Interstate 80 is on the north side.  Also on the north side of the Platte is the historic Mormon trail.  On the south side of the Platte is the Oregon Trail and the Pony Express trail.  The south side of the Platte has many pioneer historical markers.  There was a lot to see in Nebraska beside the sand hill crane migration. We didn't get to it all.  Native Nebraskans suggested we drive home by going north and west through the scenic sand hill country adding 3 hours to our drive.  We were already facing a ten hour drive.  But we did consider going after looking it up and discovering Highway 2 through the sand hill country is considered to be in the top 10 legendary American scenic drives right up there with Highway 1 in California, the "Road To the Sun" in Glacier National Park, and the Hana Highway in Hawaii.  And we were so close!  We'll just have to go back someday.

Amazing Cranes



Picture by Joel Williams



This morning we got up at 4:45 a.m. to see the cranes at the Rowe Nature Center again.  We think paying $25 to stand in a blind on the Platte River from 5:45 to 9 a.m. is money well spent.  This time we were in a blind facing west instead of north.  At first I thought this blind was less preferable because the cranes were farther away.  The advantage to this second blind was that it gave a full view of the river.  We could see farther in this blind.  Again we walked in complete darkness from the nature center to the blind.  Blind is appropriate because coming out of the nature center's light into complete darkness, I was completely blind for the first minute or more.  I bumped into someone, apologizing, "Sorry, but I cannot see you."  We walked on the fairly level grass and gravel path. After a few minutes, our eyes adjusted and we still couldn't see but could avoid walking into each other.  Inside the blind we waited in the dark.  After an hour or so the stars faded and the cranes began to appear.  Our guide suggested we cup our ears and fully appreciate the sound.  I did that.  I leaned my elbows on the window sill of the blind, cupped my ears, and listened.  It was LOUD.  Really loud.  Loud like the 1987 World Series at the Metrodome (I was there).  The sand hill cranes talked so loudly and in such numbers, it sounded like a crowd of 50,000 people.  What were the cranes talking about?  As light appeared, the cranes began to dance.  Cranes strut, posture, jump up and down, make a little love, do a little dance, get down tonight.  I saw one crane fly off for breakfast; an early riser or an overachiever.  Ten cranes left the river.  A group of 25 cranes left.  It's still dawn and the sun hasn't completely risen but some cranes are leaving.  I start hearing a different noise over the sound of hundreds of thousands of talking cranes.  The sound is like a large amount of water dropping into a long metal pipe - whoosh!  What is this sound?  What is happening?  Before my eyes, I see 200,000 cranes flap their wings and rise into the air all at the same time.  The sky is full of cranes.  Every inch of sky has a crane in it.  My mouth drops open.  I hold my breath.  Cranes are going every which way!  Everyone in the blind is gasping in amazement.  I say out loud, "Be careful, you're going to bump each other."  I can't believe my eyes.  I get the feeling I should not be seeing this.  This is different and thrilling.  I am 100% in the moment.  What it is like?  The dawn of time?  Is this a miracle?  What is going on here?  The sound of all these cranes beating the air continues until most of them lift off.  About 50,000 cranes remain on the river.  Why?  Why did most of the cranes choose the same moment to take off?  Why did these cranes stay?  Our guide whispers possibilities.  Maybe the cranes saw an eagle or a coyote.  He knows it wasn't our fault (those of us in the blind).  No one's cell phone went off.  No one used a camera flash to frighten the cranes.  We hope none of the cranes crashed into the nearby power lines.  I hope none of them crashed into each other.  You'd think some wings had to touch during this mass take off.  It was like a bird flash mob.  I am so glad we are in the blind that faces west.  We saw the magnificence  and the full immensity of the entire scene.  The guide says he's seen the cranes leave in the morning more than 50 times.  This never happens.  But it did happen.  I saw it.  : )

Hustle Your Bustle

Greetings from Nebraska where we are here to view the sandhill crane migration.  Cranes gather here on the Platte River to rest, eat, gain weight, mingle, dance, talk and play in big numbers.  BIG NUMBERS!  500,000 cranes all together sleeping in the river at night and foraging for waste grain in the cornfields during the day.  We got up early.  We had to be at the Rowe Sanctuary at 5:45.  The volunteers there walked us out, in the dark, a half mile to the crane blind.  Walking in the dark was hard and I was glad to follow someone in a neon yellow coat.  The blind had 25 windows, one for each of us.  I chose a high window.  We waited, in the dark, for about an hour for dawn to break listening to the bird squawking, cackling, and purring.  Cranes actually purr when they're feeling content.  It was loud.  The big dipper was bright in the sky.  As the big dipper dimmed, the cranes came into view.  OMG, the river was full of cranes standing in groups.  I couldn't figure out why they were grouped in lines.  Some areas were open and others were crowded.  As the day got brighter I could see the reason they stood like they did.  The cranes were avoiding the faster, deeper channels of the river flow.  They preferred to stand on sandbars out of the current.  Soon a couple cranes took off to have breakfast.  Then ten left. Then a hundred left.  Then a thousand left.  I couldn't notice any reduction in the crowd even though the sky was full of flying cranes.  Some cranes danced. They lowered their heads and lifted their tails and jumped up and down.  This behavior is a courtship ritual but the materials said cranes also do this to relieve tension.   Sounded subjective to me.  How can they measure tension in the crane world?  I really enjoyed spending the morning with 25 other crane viewers.  We glimpsed an otter scramble by and slip into the river.  We left about 8:30 a.m. and there were still a couple thousand cranes standing in the river.  These cranes were something to see.  Unfortunately my camera, that I had packed and stored with extra batteries, was left on the couch with some other things I wanted to bring.  I doubt pictures would do it justice.  This gathering of cranes is something you just have to see in person.

Signs of Spring

I am getting some maple sap.  The tap on the right side is leaking and getting the trunk all wet and sticky.

This week my largest red oak threw off all her clothes and left them lying around the yard.

This evergreen looks especially green today.  Evidence of a saw fly infestation (3 years ago?) on lower left side.

Not really a sign of spring because a doe has to do what she has to doo doo all year long.

Iris' sword like leaves poking up through the duff.

Project Feederwatch Update

American Robins (welcome back!)-2, Black capped chickadee-5, White breasted nuthatch-2, Goldfinch-3, Hairy woodpecker-2, Downy woodpecker-2, Crow-1, Cardinal-2, Blue Jay-2, Dark eyed Junco-5

First Time

I rode my bike for the first time this year.  Some coordination was involved.  Finding the necessary equipment (jacket, helmet, keys, boots, gloves, sunglasses).  I also had to find my motorcycle garage door opener.  I have one garage door opener that works only in warm weather and one that works in all weather.  It sure felt good to be on two wheels again.; totally worth the "helmet hair."  Beginning of season mileage?  5150.  First trip was to the gym for a workout. 

PS As I type this, the male hairy woodpecker chased off  female downy woodpecker off the suet feeder.  Did she give up?  No, she merely moved down into to the flower pot beneath the suet feeder to eat the suet crumbs.  I hope those woodpeckers finish that suet before it goes rancid in this warm weather.

Peek A Boo Beaver

Today was a beautifully warm today.  I was lucky enough to celebrate spring with a DQ and a walk along Lake McCarron.  We walked out on the dock. Offspring #2 an I carried big sticks so we could help the ice along.  I always like messing with the ice as it melts in the spring.  The dark ice was a couple inches thick and when you looked at the side view, the ice looked like 2 inch teeth fitted closely together.  We pushed some smaller pieces of ice around.  We turned some over. We pushed some pieces  under other sheets of ice. Around the dock there was quite a bit of open water. We could see the sandy bottom and much trash but no fish.  A group of gulls flew noisily around us and some walked out on the dark ice.  As the wind gusted by you could see the ice move up and down with the wind. Or else the layer of water on top of the ice was moving.  It was hard to tell.  I tried to break a big sheet of ice that was connected to the entire lake but I couldn't.  The ice was slippery and my stick wasn't long enough.  I was able to bounce it up and down and crack the edge but I couldn't get a big piece off.  The gulls walked closer.  I squinted at them to see if they had rings on their bills.  Offspring #1 asks, "Hey, what is that animal out there?"  We look and can see a beaver way out on the lake beside a  hole in the ice.  We can see it sitting on the ice and it appeared to be grooming itself.  I wished I had my binoculars.  Pretty soon it pops down into the hole in the ice.  A  minute later the beaver is back on top.  The gulls come walking closer.  Three gulls advance toward the beaver.  The beaver appears to see them coming. Is this a game of gull/beaver chicken?  The beaver gives up first.  It swoops back under the ice and comes up in a hole a little bit closer to us.  He hops onto the ice again, stays for a couple minutes, and plops back under the ice.  We watch to see where he will come up next.  A section of open water leads from the dock twenty yards into the lake.  At the very end of the opening, I see the ice form a ridge.  I think the beaver is hitting the ice from beneath with his head.  I am right.  He pops his head into the open water really close to us.  This time he doesn't get out on top of the ice. We scan all the open holes in the ice to see where he comes up again.  We get tired of waiting.  Way down the shore is a brown spot near a yellow willow tree.  It could be the beaver way down there but we're not sure.  It's only March 17 and I am lakeside wearing a sleeveless top, eating ice cream and enjoying nature.  Unbelievable.   

Signs of Spring

Red winged blackbirds and pussy willows are signs of spring for me.  I saw my first red winged blackbird outside the Rum River Library on Wednesday evening.  Five males flashing their red shoulder pads were fighting for territory over the pond in front of the library.  Each one wanted the best spot with the most insects staked out before their mates arrived in a couple weeks.  Another sign of spring (and I feel pretty lucky to have seen it) was a mourning cloak butterfly fluttering very erratically across 9 busy lanes of traffic in Blaine.  I hope that butterfly knew where it was going.  Another bald eagle sat on the pond at work today eating some dead animal off the ice.  It flew away before I could get a picture.  I feel it is such an honor to have an eagle fly over me like that.  Even if it does eat road kill, it is a magnificent bird.

Ape House

Sara Gruen wrote Ape House and Water for Elephants.  Both books explore the human/animal relationship.  In Ape House the animal is a bonobo, one of the great apes.  I had never heard of bonobos before but they are real.  Similar in size to a chimpanzee, bonobos are more peaceful and more sexually active.  One of the main characters is Isabel Duncan, a scientist, who works in a language lab with a family of bonobos.  The bonobos have learned sign language.  They understand spoken English and will communicate to scientists and to each other with signs. Another main character is John Thigpen, a struggling journalist who is assigned to write a story about the bonobos and the language lab.  Just as in Water for Elephants, Isabel and John struggle against other humans who want to exploit the animals for profit and personal gain.  Isabel and John want to make sure the bonobos are treated decently.  Unlike the other book, Ape House has some slapstick comedy written into it. Some of the comedy is predictable and a little over the top.  Also unlike the other book, Ape House points the shaming finger at reality television instead of circuses.  I liked the character development, the respect for animal life, and the pacing of the book.

New Catalog

The new community ed catalog arrived last night.  I thumbed through it.  I am already signed up for the bird class.  They have other classes I have done like yoga, mosaic art, home improvement, knitting, jewelry making . . . HOLD THE PHONE!  WHAT IS THIS?  A class called Thriller Line Dance?  Description reads:  Always been thrilled by the moves in "Thriller?"  (yes)  This fun line dance is a great, easy version of the classic moves that inspired a generation of dance.  By the end of the class you'll be dancing the night away.  No partner needed.  Wear closed toed shoes, no flip-flops please.  Class fee $25  I signed up.  I can't think of a better way to spend an evening than rocking out, in unison, with other Michael fans.  I already talked one person into joining me.  Everybody should go.  Then we would be all set to be a part of a flash mob.  This is training, people.  Do it!

Not A Drop

Not a single drop of sap has come out of the maple trees since I tapped them two days ago.  I knew the sap would run best when the weather is in the 40's during the day and below freezing at night.  I did not know sap would not run at all in this warm weather.  Well, this is Minnesota.  Wait a couple minutes and the weather will change.  To tell the truth, I like these warm days more than I like maple syrup.  I'm itching to get out on the motorcycle.  My driveway has dried up enough to be passable now.  It's too dark in the morning for me to use it to commute to work.  And I really should wait until the sand is swept off the streets.  Seeing other bikers makes it so tempting!

Project Feederwatch Update

For the first time a gaggle of goldfinches
are outnumbering my collection of chickadees.

Goldfinch-9, Cardinal-2, Downy Woodpecker-2, Hairy Woodpecker-1, Brown Creeper-1, Junco-3, Whte breasted Nuthatch-1, Black Capped Chickadee-5, Pileated Woodpecker-1, Crow-1, Red shouldered Hawk-1

I tapped my maple trees today.  I am not expecting a bumper crop of sap because the weather is too warm.  Did we go right from winter into summer without spring?  I thought I would give syruping another try.  I found several bright red bugs crawling around the base of the maple trees.  It was so nice out I decided to do some other outdoor chores.  I cleaned the chicken coop.  I cut down three trees that were shading the garden.  The second tree was stubborn so I kicked it and yelled, "Chuck Norris!"  The tree fell right down.  I found a hole in my driveway that has me baffled.  The hole is at least 14 inches deep and it has an even 2 inch diameter.  What on earth dug a hole through 2 inches of class five gravel?  Did something dig it's way out or did something dig it's way down?  And where did they put the sand and gravel because it's not laying on the side of the hole?   I think it's a little early for snapping turtles.  Did a squirrel or chipmunk do this?

It's B a a a a ck!

My red-shouldered hawk is back today proclaiming loudly and proudly.  As it flew directly over my house, the finches and cardinals at the feeder did not hide, hesitate, or look the least bit worried.  Maybe they know this gabby vehement flyer is not a threat since they eat frogs and snakes at the river's edge.  Today I noticed the ice went out on the Rum River.  Maybe there is a connection between the red shouldered hawk return and the ice going out.  In any case, welcome back red shouldered.  I think I shall name you Newt.

My Dream

I used to be a Girl Scout and a leader.  I miss some things about the organization and I don't miss other things.  Today I talked with a current Girl Scout leader.  Her troop is going to the Mall of America this weekend for the great Girl Scout get together.  And they get to be part of a flash mob (a group of people who assembly suddenly in a public place to briefly engage in a pointless activity and then disperse).  They're doing three songs.  One of the songs is by China somebody from the Disney channel.  (In a whiny voice) I want to be part of a flash mob!   I should organize one.  We could all gather downtown near the Mississippi River and all look up and point upriver at the same time and do the chicken dance.  Or no, we could do it at the state fair.  We could gather in concentric circles around the gopher statue and bend down to tie our shoes all at the same time and do the Caddy Shack gopher dance.  Are you with me? Who is in?  And who will record it for You Tube?  I need volunteers!!

Awkward Moment #2: In 1978 or 9 I had a job interview on the east side of St. Paul. The interview was on a Monday in the late morning. My interview was in an office so small and cramped it appeared more like a closet than anything else. I sat across the desk from this woman and answered her questions as best I could. She got a phone call and had to leave for a few minutes and she left me alone in her office to wait. While waiting, I scanned the papers taped to the walls and the 3 ring binders on the desk. My eyes wandered around the tiny office and I felt something move on my neck. Nerves, I thought. As in any interview, I was a little nervous trying to make a good impression. I felt movement on my neck again so I reached for the spot. I found a wood tick between my fingers. I had spent the weekend up north and came back with a wood tick. What should I do with a wood tick during a job interview? My first plan was to just hold it and dispose of it outside when the interview was over. After two minutes of waiting with a wiggly wood tick in my fingers, I scratched that plan. Could I take it outside and get back before she notices I am gone? I was in a huge building and I didn’t think I could find my way back to the same room again so that plan was out.  Leaving the interview room would not look good for me.  The woman had an ashtray on her desk. Indoor smoking was typical back in these days. The ashtray had ashes and a couple cigarette butts in it already. What to do? What to do? I put the wood tick in the ashtray and watched it climb around in the ashes. I could calmly and wittily explain what happened when she returned.  Before I could think of a casual and witty way to handle the wood tick in the ashtray situation the woman returned and resumed asking questions before she sat down and before I could get a word in. I tried to maintain good eye contact and not glance in the ashtray. I found it difficult to concentrate on my answers because of that wood tick but as time went on, I became more relaxed. Near the end of the interview I had nearly forgotten about the wood tick. Wouldn’t you know it, the woman says, “There is a wood tick in my ashtray.” I raise my eyebrows.  All brain function temporarily ceased.  I said, “What? Really?” We both wonder how in the world a wood tick got in her ashtray. We have no idea how that could happen. I got the job.  I thought after I worked there a couple of months I would go back to that woman and explain the wood tick.  She gave her notice soon after hiring me and I never got the chance to explain.  I hope she didn't quit because she thought her office was infested with woodland arachnids.  I am pretty sure I would handle the situation in a more mature manner now.  I sure hope so.

Awkward Moment #1

Someone at work had an awkward moment today.  That prompted me to tell about an awkward moment (and I've had quite a few of those) I had about thirty years ago.  You know awkward moments?  Haven't you had one?  It's one of those moments that is not funny when it happens but as time goes by, the humor of the situation increases.  This situation was so awkward and so deeply buried in my memory that I never did consider it funny until I told about it today.  This awkward moment happened at a previous job I had working with people with disabilities.  I had a dozen people in my charge and we were all invited to a Halloween costume party at a home in Robbinsdale.  I drove the 15 passenger van to the party.  The invitation said costume party so I came in a costume. We all did.  That is what you do when you're invited to a costume party, come in costume.  My costume was a clown.  I don't remember all the details except I was a clown with white paint on my face and large, black, rubber ice fishing boots.  The boots were not mine and a men's size 11 which made it difficult for me to walk.  When we got out of the van at the home in Robbinsdale, I parked in the driveway.  We all got out.  One person in my group had trouble with transitions.  He got upset because we had never been to this house before and he didn't know what to expect.  Unfortunately, how he showed he was upset was to drop his trousers.  He would pull them right back up again.  I gave him some comfort and reassurance and we all went into the party.  I didn't know we were being watched.  The staff at the home hosting the costume party did not dress in costume.  So that was awkward. Here I was looking like a clown while they were dressed in regular clothes.  I thought they could have made that clear on the invitation, thank you very much.  We were at the party for about 5 minutes when the Robbinsdale police came to the door.  A neighbor complained to the police that a man exposed himself in public.  The staff at the home called to me to explain the situation.  I could see they were ready to throw me under a bus.  Great.  So here I come, clumping down the stairs of the split level entry, dressed as a clown, with a face coated with white make up, to talk to the uniformed officer who had not one tiny little bit of humor to his personality showing on this particular day.  He never cracked a smile.  Thinking back, this had to be somewhat funny.  How often do the Robbinsdale officers get to interview a clown? This could not be an everyday occurrence.  I wasn't smiling but I had a big red grin on my face that I could not, as much as I wanted to, change.  I thought my guy was going to be in trouble for an innocent act of basic communication.  I owned up to the situation.  I said it was my fault.  I apologized.  I explained how innocent he was and how closely I would supervise him (although ironically at that moment, I wasn't supervising him, I was talking to the police).  I promised it would not happen again.  I felt completely ridiculous in my costume.  How can a clown be taken seriously?  How can a clown give a heartfelt apology?  It is impossible to be taken seriously when  you have a big red grin painted on.  Eventually the officer left with a, "Don't let that happen again."  I clumped back up the stairs to the party in my giant black boots.  We drank punch and ate a cookie and went home.  Worst. Halloween. Party. Ever.

Band Concert

A friend of mine plays the flute in the North Suburban Concert band.  I went to see a performance on Sunday.  As it turns out I know two women who play in the band.  One plays the flute and the other plays the clarinet.  I have never played in a band or an orchestra.  I've never been involved in musical performance other than the church choir in elementary school.  I wonder what it must be like to be involved in a band performance.  I imagine it would be great fun to be surrounded by and a part of all that music.  I wonder what it feels like to have your lungs be a part of your performance?  Is the music marked when to inhale and when to exhale?  And if I could choose, what instrument would I play?  I think the tuba would be fun to try.  The french horn sounds beautiful but the tuba would be a hoot.

Project Feeder Watch Update

Mr. and Mrs .House Finch

Northern Cardinals-2, Black Capped Chickadee-5, White Breasted Nuthatch-2, Downy Woodpecker-2, Hairy Woodpecker-2, Red Bellied Woodpecker-1, Crow-3, House Finch-3, Goldfinch-5, Brown Creeper-1

I had a big group of finches eating crab apples and sunflower seeds this weekend.  I've never had that many before.  I looked and looked at two birds hoping they were pine siskins who sometimes socialize with finches.  No matter how long I stared and consulted my bird identification books, they were still female house finches, not pine siskins.

I did get one big satisfying moment though as I watch a squirrel try 10 consecutive times to get on my bird feeder without success.  I added a dome to the top of the wide pvc pipe.  The squirrel would climb up halfway, see the dome, and angrily push off the pipe sending himself flying to the side a couple yards away.  The squirrel was trying really hard though. I think he is going to figure it out.

I Like The Crust

Winter is not my favorite season.  As I walked to the mailbox to get the paper this morning and to the compost pile to drop off my weekly vegetable trimmings, I did enjoy walking on top of the crust of snow.  I love it when a hard crust forms on top of several inches of snow that is strong enough to bear my weight.  Usually you don't get to the strong crust right away.  The hard crust forms farther away from the house.  You crunch through it at first and gradually you feet don't sink as low into the white stuff until you are walking on top of the crust.  Walking on top is so much easier that sinking in.  Precarious but easy.  Just think, some people never experience walking on the snow crust.  They have no idea what it is like.  I remember once in seventh grade I walked to a Girl Scout meeting.  I took a short cut  through a field rather than staying on the road. At first I was walking on top of the crust.  Then I broke through.  My legs were bare.  I must have been wearing a dress with boots - how fashionable!  The boots went up to my ankles.  The snow crust had sharp icy edges  that hurt the skin on my legs as I broke through. But once you're more than half way across the field you may as well keep going.  I clambered over the snow bank at the edge of the road.  As I stood on the road I looked down at my bare legs.  I had a dozen tiny cuts trickling little rivers of blood all over both of my calves.  Not cool.  I dropped Girl Scouts soon after that.  Going to meetings didn't seem worth the effort anymore.  Maybe that is why I like walking on top of the crust.  I am sensible enough now to wear clothing to protect my legs from snow and ice.

The Adventures of Augie March

Saul Bellow wrote The Adventures of Augie March.  Some reviewers liken it to a modern day Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  I don't really agree with that.  For one thing, modern day would have to take place in this century, not during the great depression.  And Huckleberry Finn was great because of the river, the nature, the wild open spaces.  Augie spends most of his time in Chicago, Mexico, and the big cities of Europe.  The book follows Augie as he grows from a young boy in Chicago to a middle aged man.  Saul Bellow has a way with words.  Sometimes, after hearing a complicated sentence, I would have to pause the book on CD to decipher the meaning word by word because the language was so colorful and ripe.  Bellows makes lots of literary references and I am sure an English Lit major would get a lot more out of the book than I did.  I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story that Time Magazine says belongs in the 100 best novels.  Augie was a complicated character.  Many times people would talk him into doing things that he really didn't want to do.  The trip to Mexico, for example, was to train a bald eagle to hunt iguanas.  Augie knew this plan would not pay out but he went along anyway; he was in love. Bellows spent many pages describing exactly how the eagle was trained.  Augie and his girlfriend picked up the eagle in Missouri and traveled with it into Mexico so it could hunt in the mountains.  The eagle rode in the back of a station wagon.  Of course the couple and the eagle made a big stir when they would stop for the night in a town.  Augie's girlfriend is the trainer.  Both had to build trust with the eagle and train it to listen for their voices.  Eventually the proud American bald eagle, tethered and wearing a hood. became a trained pet.  People are not allowed to keep bald eagles for hunting anymore and I, for one, am glad of this.  But it was fascinating to read about it.  This was a really good book.

Bird Class

I signed up for my ornithology class again.  This is my fourth year (I think) taking the same community education class.  There is a group of us who take it over and over.  It's not that we're in the class to learn exactly.  It's more we value the time spent in the fields and forests looking at birds together.  The class is popular and it fills up quickly so I wanted to get in right away. So beginning in April, my Monday evenings and Saturday mornings will be busy.  This means I had better get some things done in March while I am content to stay indoors.  Let's see, paint two bedrooms, finish knitting the gray purse, redo the laundry room . . . I had better quit blogging and get busy.

Something I Would LIke To See Some Day