Orange is my favorite color.

Bucket List

2012-02-01T19:56:00.001-06:00

I decided not to buy the coupon to drive a Caterpillar skid steerer. What I really want to do is move a big hill with a full size bull dozer. If I spent money on a skid steerer, it's be like traveling to see Lake Mille Lacs when I really wanted to see an ocean. Mille Lacs is a fine lake but it's not an ocean. What I really should do is make a bucket list. Secondly I should prioritize that bucket list and plan on doing the more physical items first because I'm already getting old and decrepit. I've already had to give up on some things I wanted to do. It's too late for me to do the splits. I think I really owe it to myself to make a list of the things I want to accomplish in life. I am responsible for the quality of my life. I think making a list of goals and achieving them will be a good use of what time I have left. Lets see, drive a Zamboni? check . . . . .

Cardinal Song

2012-01-31T20:11:00.000-06:00

This morning I heard a cardinal sing in the spruce tree outside my bedroom window. The sound of the cardinal song was so beautiful, I stopped in my tracks. The sound represented summer and sunshine and cut grass. It took me only seconds to figure out it was a cardinal. I wondered what it was about the sound of a cardinal that makes it so special? They're here all winter. Cardinals are common in my yard. Later in the day I saw that two people wrote on the Minnesota Ornithological Union listserve emails appreciating the sound of a cardinal. I wasn't the only one today who was struck by the beauty of the cardinal song. Listen for yourself. The cardinal sounds as pretty as it looks conspicuous.

The Last New Bird of the Year For Me-Rock Dove

2012-01-31T07:57:00.002-06:00

Should I Spend $98 To Play In The Dirt?

2012-01-30T19:42:00.000-06:00

Groupon (an Internet based coupon system) has a coupon for half price on a one hour construction vehicle driving adventure and obstacle course. I have to admit, I want to do it. My ultimate goal is to move a big hill with a bulldozer and they offer that too but for almost $900. For only $98 I could operate a Caterpillar skid steer. I would get 20 minutes of instruction and 40 minutes to drive an obstacle course, move dirt and shove tractor tires around with the flip of a wrist. I have two days to decide. The location is called Extreme Sandbox and is located in Hastings. Should I? Will this be my only chance to drive a construction vehicle? Couldn't I just rent a bobcat and actually use it in my yard for about the same amount of money? Decisions. Decisions.

Smug But Not Over Confident

2012-01-30T19:33:00.001-06:00

I broke my long (can it really be four years?) loosing streak in Scrabble to a certain un-named opponent. I beat her. (sing-song) I won a game. I won a game. By six points. I was lucky with the letters. I had to be lucky with the letters in other games over the past four years and I still lost. But not this time. I won. It feels good. Please tell me why she puts "za" into every game? As if za is really a word. Plus it makes me hungry for pizza and I don't even like pizza all that much.

Project Feeder Watch Update

2012-01-29T19:51:00.000-06:00

White Breasted Nuthatch (who, with the black feathers what dip down betwen the eyes have always reminded me of Eddie Munster)-2, Black Capped chickadee-5, Downy Woodpecker-2, Hairy Woodpecker-1, Junco-4, Blue Jay-1, Cardinal-2

Bootylicious

2012-01-29T19:38:00.002-06:00

I copied and pasted this article just as I found it. Another case where truth is stranger than fiction:

Wild & Weird: Horsefly Named After Beyoncé's Buttocks

In an unusually bold step for invertebrate taxonomy, an Australian insect with a golden tuchus has just been officially named after pop singer Beyoncé Knowles, also widely recognized as possessing first-rate glutei maximi. The fly, of which the first specimen was apparently captured the same year Beyoncé was born (1981), was dubbed Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae by a 24-year-old male researcher from the land Down Under.

Many horseflies are bloodsuckers, but the dietary habits of Scaptia Plinthina beyonceae are not yet known. Also unknown is whether the pop star named her two-week-old offspring, Blue Ivy, as a similar homage to the interplay of the natural and celebrity worlds.

Read more and see photos of the bootylicious fly in The Washington Post.

Don't Mess With Rutabega

2012-01-28T21:24:00.000-06:00

This past year I've been experimenting with vegetable soups. I've tried butternut squash soup, acorn squash soup, carrot soup, and some other kind of squash soup. All these soups are broth based, pureed, spicy, low in calorie and they taste very good. Until this last batch of acorn squash soup. In this trial, I added pieces of a left over rutabega that I wanted to use up. I used only about a half a cup of rutabega but that was enough to turn the main flavor from squash to rutabega. Yeah, not so good. Edible but not so good. Some people think rutabegas are underappreciated. I don't agree.

Modern Brakes Clearly Explained

2012-01-27T08:12:00.002-06:00

Word Power

2012-01-26T20:41:00.001-06:00

Isn't it funny how impacting words can be? Just hearing or reading a word can make or break your day. A single collection of letters that society gives meaning can chart the course of your behavior. For me, today, January 26, 2012, two words impacted my entire afternoon.

I read about tater tots somewhere this morning. I thought about tater tots all day at work. I thought about tater tots while swimming laps. I thought about tater tots on the drive home. I searched my freezer compartment and I pulled an opened bag of tater tots out of the freezer, dusted the ice crystals off, stuck them in the oven at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. They were delicious. Now I am over them. I wonder what words tomorrow will bring?

By Nightfall

2012-01-26T07:07:00.000-06:00

I read By Nightfall, a novel written by Pulitzer Price winner Michael Cunningham. He also wrote The Hours. I wasn't so impressed with this book. The story is about a married couple who live in Manhattan, Peter and Rebecca. They are estranged from their daughter who dropped out of college to work at a hotel bar in Boston. Their lives change when Rebecca's younger brother, Ethan, comes for a visit. I didn't totally dislike the book. I did like the free form style of writing and I felt like I really understood where Peter (who tells the story) was coming from as he experienced each moment. In fact sometimes I was ready to move on to the next experience before Peter was. I felt the author was stingy in giving us the details to really understand what was going on. The whole picture didn't really take shape until the last chapter when everything started to make more sense.

1968

2012-01-25T18:57:00.001-06:00

A good friend took me out for an evening at the Minnesota History Center (near the Cathedral of St. Paul) last night for my birthday. We went to see the exhibit on 1968. Some people have asked me why the exhibit is on that year as compared to others. Many things happened in 1968. I can remember some of them but I remember even more now that I've walked through the exhibit. I talked to one coworker who kindly told me she wasn't born yet in 1968 but she prefers to study decades more than years and off all the decades, she has always liked the 20's and the 60's. I smile kindly but inside I'm rolling my eyes and thinking "You already had me feeling old with the information that you weren't born yet. You don't have to rub it in by comparing the 60's the the 19 freaking 20's!" The exhibit took us a couple hours to walk through. We went on Tuesday because after 5 p.m., admission is free. So you save money but you have to put up with large crowds. Each month of the year has a special section in the exhibit and it lists the things that happened that particular month. They have an actual helicopter that was used in Vietnam in the exhibit. I overheard one man tell his son where he sat in the aircraft when he was in the war. Inside the copter is a short film telling stories from eight different perspectives on the war. I hope other veterans are able to see this exhibit. We took the time to listen to all eight stories because each one was captivating. The exhibit had information about the fashion (I never liked Twiggy - too skinny), the music (the White album came out that year), the politics (Democratic National convention in Chicago, riots protesting the war, and Pat Paulson for President), the assassinations (MLK and RFK), the books, the album covers, the new plastic products available (plates, cups, etc), the macrame wall hangings, the green glass ashtrays, the television shows (Mission Impossible, Family Affair, Julia, Star Trek, Get Smart), the movies and the social changes. They even had a barrel of bras on display. The whole exhibit was fascinating. The last area you go into, once you get past the display about the space mission that sent back the first photos of our earth, is a typical living room from 1968. There is a green couch with a low coffee table and a glass ashtray, a photo of John F. Kennedy on the wall, and a television console. The 1968 exhibit at the Minnesota History Center is right on (Note to the age deprived-right on is 1968 lingo for excellent).

My First Car

2012-01-23T20:12:00.002-06:00

I've been reminiscing about the old days when I got my first car because a young relative of mine just got his driver's licence. He had a bit of a struggle getting the license and with that I could relate. The thing was my parents kept putting up road blocks (pun intended) to me getting a car. I kept mistaking the roadblocks for stepping stones. Looking back, I admire the young me for her perseverance and dedication and single minded determination to get a car. I first wanted a car at 16. Wanted isn't a strong enough word, I was chomping at the bit to get a car. I didn't have a driver's license and wasn't allowed to get a license until I had a car to take the test. Road block #1. Buy a car. And I wasn't allowed to borrow any money. And the car had to be worth at least $1500 (which was way more money in the 70's than it is now). And I had to have several hundred more in cash for the incidentals (insurance and other unnamed expenses). I saved the money in a couple years of working at a local nursing home. So I had the money. And I picked out the car. It was a 1968 red Ford Mustang with black interior. My girlfriend and I found it in the paper and went to look at it. We talked to the owner. The price was right. The car was gorgeous, all candy apple red and shiny. I could picture myself driving to high school sitting on that black bucket seat. No more yellow school bus for me. No more trips around Lake Owasso on the way to school. And my Mustang (for in my mind, it was already my Mustang) was close - just a couple miles away on Larpenteur and Marion. I was almost there! My parent had to approve. I was surprised by the instant and total disapproval of my pretty red Mustang. What? Where did this new roadblock come from? Why? "Too much power for you." Too much power? It wasn't a rocket, only a car. It has brakes. Who's money was buying it anyway? Now suddenly the parent was more interested in helping me find a car. And he found one-a 1968 blue Rambler American. It had low mileage and was in good condition and (with a chronic dysfunctional choke) never had too much power. In fact, I could barely make it up some hills. I had to get some speed up before the hill or I would never make it to the top. I, being so determined and desperate to have a car, wasn't that upset about the Mustang anymore. My American had a jaunty tilt to it with the front end higher than the rear end, as if it would take off into the sky. I had a car. I had A CAR! Time for roadblock #2. Now I could take the driving test. I drove my car to the testing station in Arden Hills. I failed to pass the test. I had not foreseen another roadblock such as this (i.e. not from a parent). I drove my car home and parked it in the driveway. My head hung low and my shoulders slumped. Now walking to work really burned my fuse. I had a car. It was insured. And I couldn't drive it. I could look at it as I walked home. I was so frustrated for those few weeks before I could take the test again. Every night when I walked into my yard after work or after school I would narrow my eyes and almost growl out loud. I think I felt feelings stronger as a teenager than I do now. Here I was, riding the school bus and walking again, when I could have been driving home in MY CAR if only I had passed that test. I took the test again and I passed with a 96% score. Warning: mood change! I was on cloud nine. I could drive on my own! I felt terrific. I felt so happy I couldn't hardly stand it. I didn't have too much time to celebrate because I had to be to work in a very short time. I dropped off my parent and drove to work feeling an intense level of happiness I had never felt before and have never felt again. My job was only 3 minutes away from my home but I will always remember that first time I drove by myself. Some people look forward to going to heaven. I believe I've been to heaven the first time I drove my car by myself. I will never forget that 1.5 mile trip. It will be a sad day when my offspring take my driving license away from me. I don't think I'll give it up voluntarily.

Project Feeder Watch Update

2012-01-22T16:47:00.001-06:00

Crows-3, Black Capped Chickadee-6, White Breasted Nuthatch-2, Junco-3, Northern Cardinal-2, Hairy Woodpecker (snort)-2

Rumble Roller

2012-01-21T15:09:00.000-06:00

I got a "rumble roller" as a gift this year. It's like a foam roller but with tractor tread on it. You are supposed to use it to massage your muscles. You put it on the floor and roll your major muscles back and forth. I used to today because I was stiff after a two hour hike through the woods and when I was done, all the stiffness and muscle pain was gone. It's amazing. Your own body weight provides the pressure. If the pressure is too painful you simply put less weight on the roller. When I received the gift I wasn't too sure I would find it helpful but now I am a fan.

Winter Bird Hike

2012-01-21T15:00:00.000-06:00

Golden Eye Duck

I did the winter bird hike and it wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed last night. I was probably just tired and cold and irritable. I prepared for the hike by getting up early, swimming laps, sitting for 10 minutes in the hot steam room and warming up my core. I wore 18 items of clothing which was more than anyone else there. I was warm but unbendable and inflexible. I walked a little bit like Frankenstein. Warm is good though because it was cold out. Ice formed on my eyelashes. When we were out in the open along the Mississippi River and looking into the wind, my eyes watered. The first bird we saw was a red tail hawk sitting high in a tree trying to mind it's own predatory business while three crows kept flying at it and calling loudly, trying to force it to fly away. There is open water beneath the dam and in that frosty water swam mallards, Canadian Geese, Golden Eyes, and common mergansers. On an ice island not far from the river edge we could see the footprints where mink crossed the snow. We also saw downy woodpecker, black capped chickadee, blue jays, and bald eagles. We saw a total of 5 bald eagles flying up and down the river. One eagle sat on the edge of the river ice eating something, possible fish guts left by an otter or mink. The ducks get very nervous when an eagle flies by. We got a great, long look at a group of 7 American tree sparrows. And last, but not least, we saw white breasted nuthatch and a hairy woodpecker (which I can hardly type with a straight face anymore now that Offspring #1 has made me aware how dirty that bird name is). We saw a total of 16 species. We walked a long way. We started at the building on the Coon Rapids side, walked on the dam and back, and then walked down and around the trout pond. This is a long way for me. On the way back the leader suggested tramping through a swamp to look at the bird feeders at some of the houses on the ridge. He was hoping to see a pileated woodpecker. I declined that extra trudging because my Frankenstein legs were aching so I walked back along the road. I hoped to see a Northern shrike. Although I didn't get to see one, I now know where in that park they usually hang out and that is helpful. I'm glad I went out today. The woods were pretty. The sun made the snow sparkle and it squeaked beneath our feet. Even a cold winter day can be nice if you are dressed for it.

What Was I Thinking?

2012-01-20T19:42:00.001-06:00

I signed up for a bird hike tomorrow morning. Outside. For two hours outside. What was I thinking? I am going to be so cold! And winter doesn't offer that many varieties of birds. We are supposed to hear or see up to 60 species. Up to 60 species. That could mean zero or one specie. Ai Carumba. Well, if I get too cold, I will just ditch the group and go home. They can't make me stay against my will.

Tailgaters

2012-01-19T19:37:00.000-06:00

Last night I was on my way to a meeting. It was an evening meeting that I didn't have to attend but wanted to attend. Big flakes of snow fell as I walked to my car. Along the way the snow got heavier. I was driving on country roads with two lanes and a speed limit of 55 mph. As the snow started to accumulate I slowed down to be safe. Seeing the sides of the roads became difficult and the yellow line was buried in snow. A big white truck came up behind me and stayed too close. In my small car, the headlights shone through the back window and blinded me in the rear view mirror. Why do cars stay so close? Do they really think tailgating will make me go faster? I remembered back to my road trip when I drove through a blizzard on a mountain pass in Colorado and a tailgater hit me. Then I thought, "I don't need this." I pulled to the side of the road and the white pick up went around me. I made a U turn and went home. I don't need to be out driving in the dark, windy cold tonight when I can go home, make some hot cocoa, and sit down and read the newspaper. I haven't had a moment to myself yet today. So I went home. And this morning, on my way to work, another big white truck (what is it with aggressive drivers in white trucks?) tailgated me on Highway 47. Turning around is not an option. I have to go to work. And I got angry at this one. I slowed down. He tailgated closer. I sped up. Even going 60 mph (in a 55 zone) he was still on my bumper. So I slowed down to 40. I stayed at 40 until the speed limit went down to 50 mph and then I stayed at 50. He tailgated the entire way. I prayed he would turn but he didn't. When other cars merged in, I hoped someone would come between us but he wouldn't let anyone in. Stupid tailgater can't even zipper (allow others to merge in) right. When I went down the entrance ramp onto Highway 10 he was driving too close to my car. As soon as the cement divider ended, the white truck veered left into the fast lane at a dangerous speed. I watched as he (without signaling) changed lanes four times to get around other cars. He drove like a maniac. Suddenly I regretted slowing down in front of a maniac. I didn't really appreciate just how aggressive of a driver he was. When we drove through Colorado, we saw road signs asking us to report aggressive drivers. I think the next time that happens, I will report aggressive drivers. Maybe I'm optimistic, but a phone call from a police department saying someone reported them for aggressive driving might make them think twice before doing it again.

Solar

2012-01-17T19:47:00.001-06:00

Ian McEwan wrote Solar, a novel about solar energy and the idea to recreate what even a lowly dandelion can do - photosynthesis. If we could harness the power of the sun into photosynthesis, our dependence on fossil fuels would come to an end. We could split hydrogen and carbon, energize the modern world without depleting our resources. To explain this, McEwan employs the use of physics, quantam mechanics and even string theory. So is this book serious bedtime reading and bore you to sleep? Is it heavy and hard to read? No! Its a comedy of all things. McEwan makes up an amoral womanizer (that is redundant) in the character of Michael Beard. Michael Beard's character is the only one that gets developed in this story. He is selfish, scheming, swindling, gluttonish Nobel prize winning physicist. He marries five times. If you read this book, you will, no doubt, dislike Beard very much. And the story is told from his point of view. There aren't too many books that make me chuckle aloud and this one did. Solar is not at all what I expected from Ian McEwan because his other stories are serious and crafted. He is usually a serious writer. If you listen to the book on CD, you will get the added bonus of an interview with the author. Part of the story at the end of the book takes place in New Mexico where there is lots of solar energy available. The appendix of the book details the speech given when Michael Beard was awarded his Nobel Prize by the King of Norway which made Beard seem more like a real person and made for a pleasant way to finish the story.

Swan Park, Monticello

2012-01-16T19:36:00.001-06:00

I went to visit Swan Park in Monticello again this year. I picked a warmer day with a high temperature in the 30's for a nice change. Usually it's bitter cold when I go there. This year there were fewer swans. I saw about 100 swans, 100 Canadian Geese, and 150 mallard ducks. The woman who started feeding the swans died last year but her husband continues feeding them until they find other sources of food. The birds were noisy and they were beautiful. Chunks of ice floating by showed just how fast the Mississippi River was flowing. The open water looked cold but the birds didn't seem to mind. As I stood there appreciating the swans, the geese and the ducks, a bald eagle flew by heading downriver and to the other shore just to make the scenery that much more attractive. I couldn't ask for more. Some of the swans were posturing. Some rose up in the water, stretched their head up high, and flapped their seven foot wings at each other. I could hear the "whomp whomp" of their wings moving the air. Other pairs of swans swam beak to beak, raising and lowering their heads in unison forming heart shaped spaces with their necks as they went down. Some swans flew right over our heads, their beautiful white bodies bright against the blue sky. And the noise! Trumpter swans trumpet loudly and constantly. The mallards quack quite a bit too. The trumpeters are the loudest, the whitest, the biggest and the prettiest birds in town.

Project Feeder Watch

2012-01-16T13:26:00.002-06:00

American Goldfinch-4, Black Capped Chickadee-5, White breasted Nuthatch-1, Hairy Woodpecker-1, Crow-12, Junco - 3.

Dixie Swim Club

2012-01-15T14:27:00.002-06:00

Last night I joined my college roommates for dinner and a show. We went to the Lyric Arts theater for "The Dixie Swim Club." The show involves 5 women who get together at a cottage on the Outer Banks every August after graduating from college. The women have rules for their weekend together - no children and no men. The show is hilarious. Each funny line is followed by an even funnier line. I'm so glad we went.

More Pictures From Ecuador - Isabella Island

2012-01-14T10:06:00.000-06:00

Tortoise taking a bath.

Flamingos in the salt pond on Isabella Island. I love seeing their reflections.

This is me on the rooftop garden in Isabella.

My friend on the rooftop in Isabella.


My friend took a wide angle shot from the rooftop of our hotel in Isabella (our favorite island). The ocean is at the top of the photo. The salt ponds is on the right and that is where the flamingos hung out.

More Pictures From Ecuador (underwater)

2012-01-14T09:52:00.002-06:00

I had dinner last night with my friend. She shared her pictures from the Galapagos Islands. She is an awesome photographer and she had a very nice camera. Enjoy!

Sea turtle photo taken underwater. Yes, we were that close.

This is an alien from outer space. No, wait, that could be me.

This is the south end of a marine iguana swimming north. I can see it's tail and right hind leg.

This is a ray. They hide under the sand sometimes and are hard to see.

This is my friend. She has extremely large and wide feet. Our guide swam deep enough to get this photo. I tried to do it but it is really hard to swim down in salt water.

Prettily colored coral on Kicker Rock. My friend has a nice underwater camera. The colors were breathtaking.


Here are a school of fish we saw while snorkeling in shallower waters.

A Year Of Fog

2012-01-12T19:39:00.001-06:00

My book club read A Year Of Fog by Michelle Richmond. I liked it to some degree. Although it was a page turner, I wouldn't put it in the top fifty books I have read. The plot involves a young child, walking with her Dad's fiancee on the beach in the fog, disappears. The book focuses on the aftermath. The fiancee, of course, feels totally guilty even though she did nothing wrong. The wedding is called off. The father gives up trying to find his daughter. The fiancee does not give up. Some parts of the book were totally believable and others were not. Because our novel was thoroughly researched by our discussion leader, we learned that another chapter, an ending chapter that was cut from the book, is available from the author for only $1.99. Seriously? A chapter you edited out (for no doubt a good reason) you think I will buy? The author also offers an on-line writing course for $99.00. Self promotion can be a good thing but I don't think I would buy the writing course unless I thought the author was capable of writing a book in my top 50 list.

I Confess. I Have A Big Mouth

2012-01-11T19:07:00.000-06:00

The Scene? A local bank. The Time? After work. The Business at The Bank? Buying a bank product unrelated my to checking or savings account. What did the Bank Official Say? She told me to initial a particular line indicating that overdrafts charges are $28 per day. She said federal regulations require that I sign this line even though overdrafts are not possible with the bank product I was purchasing. What Did My Big Mouth Say? (loudly) Twenty Eight Dollars A Day? A Day? Twenty Eight Dollars? OUCH! (I notice heads turning to look at me so I lower my voice to a normal tone and continue) You guys must really be raking in the money on people who don't make good decisions. The Bank Officials Response? Well, some of these young kids, they write a check for the rent and then they don't get paid for two weeks. We banks have to get some money to pay the light bill.

My mouth stayed shut on that one but as my eyes rolled up in my head I did notice they do have a lot of lights on at the bank. Fluorescent.

Word Play

2012-01-10T10:01:00.000-06:00

Full Wolf Moon

2012-01-09T20:14:00.002-06:00

Who noticed the full moon last night? It was awesome. As I pulled my trash can to the street Sunday evening, the full wolf moon lit the way and cast long shadows over my path. When I woke up during the night (the first time in a week that I haven't been under the Nyquil influence) the moon lit up my bedroom from both windows. And this morning as I drove to work the full moon hung large and round in the air and was seen through the bare tree branches. The moon was so big it almost looked like a harvest moon. It was simply beautiful. The full moon in January is known as the wolf moon. And when the wolf moon appeared, the Department of Natural Resources announces there may be a limited hunting season on wolves in 2012. I don't know how I feel about that. Wolf hunting is a "trophy" hunt meaning hunters don't kill wolves to eat them or use their pelt to make coats. Wolves have a bad rap. They're characterized as big and bad in books. Is it because wolves are at the top of the food chain that we are so bothered by them? Apex predators have an important place in our delicate ecosystem. The value of wolves has been well documented in Yellowstone National Park where we have seen them exterminated and brought back again. To hear a howl of a wolf can be a hair raising experience. If I ever have progeny beyond my two offspring, I want them to be able to hear and appreciate the cry of a wolf. I doubt a little hunting will hurt the wolf population in our state. I hope those who do apply to hunt wolves and get permits, hunt responsibly and that they appreciate the animal who's life they are taking.

Project Feederwatch Update

2012-01-08T19:54:00.001-06:00

American Crow-7, Black Capped Chickadee-6, White Breasted Nuthatch-1, Junco-4, Hairy woodpecker-1, Downy Woodpecker-1

I'll Fly Away

2012-01-07T19:40:00.000-06:00

On Thursday I went to the funeral of a man I have known for over 20 years. We knew each other professionally. We weren't close but after being in hundreds of meetings with the same person over the years, you get to know a person. I liked him. He was interesting. He was professional. He was jolly. He had a way of making people feel important. We were both fans of Greg Brown, the folksinger, and sometimes we'd see each at concerts. This man also was a musician. He wrote songs for his coworkers when they left or had an important birthday. I attended his retirement party last April and I received a recording of the songs he had written. I am so sad that he enjoyed less than a year of retirement before he died. This is one of the songs they played at the funeral and it's been stuck in my head ever since. Listen to it. It's a good song for a funeral I think.

Peanut Butter Kisses

2012-01-06T20:07:00.001-06:00

Today someone left peanut butter kisses on the break room table at work. You know peanut butter kisses? They are the wrapped peanut butter flavored taffy wrapped in black and orange waxed paper? The kisses wrapped in orange paper taste the best. I took a peanut butter kiss for myself and remembered back to a job where I got a peanut butter kiss every day. I worked as a nurses aid when I was in college. The nursing home backed up to some woods that led to the St. Cloud penitentiary and that made for exciting walks to our cars when we heard a convict had escaped. One of the patients there was a woman who was younger than the other residents. I think her first initial was T. T had physical challenges in her middle age that made it impossible for her to live at home. Her husband's name was Jerry. Jerry came to visit his wife every night after work. He stayed all evening. He ate meals with his wife and sometimes their children and grandchildren came to the nursing home too. When I first started there, Jerry would offer me a piece of candy from a bowl with many kinds of candy. He learned my name and he learned my candy choice; peanut butter kisses. Every night Jerry would find me and give me a peanut butter kiss. If I wasn't working on T's wing, he would come and find me. Looking back, I see now I took Jerry for granted. Never have I had another job where I got a piece of candy every day I worked. Seldom have I met a man so kind, so cheerful, and so devoted to his wife. Jerry took lemons and made them into lemonade. I was just a kid back in those days when Jerry gave me peanut butter kisses. I had no idea how great of a guy he really was. So today, as I chewed my peanut butter kiss, I thought of Jerry and finally realized how lucky I was to have known him.

Gurneys Keeps Me Warm On Long Winter Nights

2012-01-05T19:07:00.001-06:00

Everything looks so great in the Gurney's seed catalog. The cabbages are huge. The carrots orange and slender. The sunflowers are 12 feet tall. The pumpkins, the beets, the squash, the peas in the pod, the potatoes, the angel trumpet vines, the black eyes susans, the hardy lavender, and the ostrich plume ferns - they all look fantastic. Will my garden compare to these photographically enhanced beauties? No, of course not. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming and planning and scheming and imagining. I think the value of the Gurney's catalog is in the imagining. Imagining being able to dig in the dirt and smell the richness in your hands as you squeeze the soil aside to make room for the tiny seeds that will, one day, grow up to be a 12 foot tall sunflower. Imagining that the deer will not invade your garden and nip off every sunflower plant when they're about a foot tall. Imagining the taste of that first tomato as you pop it into your mouth and the seeds burst against the back of your teeth. Imagine warm sunshine, birds singing, puffy white clouds forming shapes in the sky, and the sore hamstrings you get from working in the garden all day. I love my Gurney's catalog because it seeds imagination into my wintery brain.

Top 10 Ways To Know You Got a Cold

2012-01-04T19:43:00.001-06:00

10. Your eyes water when you are not crying.
9. You look forward to the feeling when the Nyquil starts to kick in.
8. You bring out the "special" box of tissue (Puffs Plus).
7. Dirty kleenex falls out of your sleeves when you take off your clothes to go to bed.
6. Your normal 48 ounces of liquid that you finish by 11:30 a.m. are gone by 9 a.m.
5. You lay one one side or another in bed depending on which nostril is more congested.
4. You feel as though there is an extra three pounds of weight under your forehead.
3. Your palate gets dry from breathing with your mouth open.
2. The skin between your nose and mouth is a bright cherry color.
1. You feel like your upper molars are being sucked up toward your eyeballs when you blow your nose.

Not So Easy

2012-01-03T20:06:00.000-06:00

This necklace is similar to one I admired in a catalog in November.
I saw it, wanted it, and decided I didn't need it.
Offspring #1 bought it for me for my birthday? How did he know?
I love it.

Last year I wrote a goal about listing the birds I saw for 2011: "I don't expect to see over 200 in Minnesota and maybe another fifty in the Galapagos Islands. If I get to 250 by December, 2011, I will be very pleased."

My total of birds seen by December, 2011 was 168. And 168 was a lot of work and involved trips to New Mexico and the Galapagos Islands. This year I am not aiming for a number but to continue to list the birds and appreciate the ones I am able to see. My other goal is to live my life as if it could end soon. I have lost some people near and dear to me this year. No one knows what the future holds. No more procrastinating on the good times for me.

A Snowy Walk

2012-01-02T18:01:00.002-06:00

Snow fell on New Year's Eve. I went outside to explore the snow about 9 in the evening. The flakes were huge and three dimensional. Each flake was as large as a tablespoon and melted onto my jacket. No wind blew and the atmosphere was very quiet except for the splotchy flakes of snow falling. I walked on the paths I have mowed through the front yard, into the woods to the east of the house, down the hill to the side street, up the hill past the compost pile, and along the southern property edge. The Christmas lights my neighbors displayed were blurred and made prettier by the falling snow. When I wanted to taste some clean snow, I didn't have to use my hands. Each branch and twig held a convenient mouthful for me. I checked on Meredith as I walked by. She was cozy and warm on her fresh pile of wood shavings. The snow, it deadens all sounds and wipes away all mistakes and imperfections, temporarily making our world fresh and clean. Sometimes snow can be magical.

Project Feeder Watch

2012-01-02T17:46:00.001-06:00

Red Bellied woodpecker-1, Hairy Woodpecker-1, Downy woodpecker-1, Junco=4, Goldfinch-6, Black capped chickadee-5, White breated nuthatch-1, Northern Cardinal-2, American Crows-2

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T15:28:00.000-06:00

I know this evening at midnight is just an insignificant spot on the time continuum but as a calendar aficionado (or freak) I want to wish you a Happy New Year. I have many calendars. I don't wear a watch but time is important to me. I have one calendar on my kitchen wall, a small one on the dashboard of my car, one hanging in my office, a fake leather bound one which I carry everywhere at work, an electronic one connected to my email at work, and a teeny tiny one attached to my computer monitor. I might splurge on one of those page a day calendars next week when the prices go down. Anyway, it's time to take down the old calendar and put up the new one; start a clean slate. I wish you a happy and prosperous new year. 2011 has been a good year for me. If I, like the newspapers, put in my personal highlights, I would include the following: that moment when I was ziplining in the cloud forest in Ecuador when I thought I was going to slam into a tree and die, that moment when a 5 foot Galapagos shark swam underneath me and I screamed into my snorkel, that moment I saw a waved albatross, that moment when I knelt behind a HUGE Galapagos tortoise for a photo and hoped this ET looking fellow would not notice me, that moment when I saw sap had collected into the jug below the maple tree, that moment our bird class watched a night hawk sitting in a tree, that moment when I saw and heard my red-shouldered hawk had returned in the spring, that moment I saw a Blackburnian warbler splashing in a puddle in my driveway, that moment when I saw my beans and pumpkins and potatoes had sprouted and were pushing their green stems out of the ground, that moment I rode neck and neck with a horse while I was on my motorcycle, that moment a fish jumped into my lap as I kayaked under a bridge in St. Paul, that moment when I saved Meredith from being eaten by a gray fox, the moment I ate the first ripe tomato out of the garden, that moment we canoed across a lake in the Boundary waters and the wind took us really fast, that moment when I had two black admiral butterflies sitting on my hand, that moment I fell backward while trying to land a canoe and landed safely on a rock shaped like a chair, that moment I held a loved one's hand as she died, that moment on Thanksgiving when my house was full of people and noise and smells and merriment, that moment we watched thousands of sand hill cranes take off at sunrise, that moment we saw a road runner, that evening we spent in a hotel room in Taos with a fire burning in a fireplace, that moment a car struck me from behind during a blizzard on a Colorado mountain pass, and this moment where I realize I am so incredibly lucky to have so many friends and family who love me. Happy New Year!

Pantyhose Struggle

2011-12-30T16:21:00.000-06:00

Tonight I will be struggling with the panty hose. Getting them on is an aerobic exercise for me. But it will be worth it. I am so happy to be going to a wedding of two amazing people who have been through thickest and thinnest. They deserve every happiness. I am glad they have something to celebrate.

The Land of Enchantment

2011-12-29T19:51:00.000-06:00

State Flag

The license plates in New Mexico proclaim "The Land of Enchantment." Enchantment can be delightful and attractive or to cast a spell over. I think both definitions apply to my experience there. The nature and the beauty of the landscape was delightful and attractive but I also felt it was a spiritual place. When we toured the museum of pueblo Indian art, much of the spirituality of the art was explained for us. We toured one room with paintings and sculptures of only one gruesome topic - the crucifixion. Each of the 17 tribes of pueblo Indians had a different painting and/or sculpture of the crucifixion. I found it really strange that every piece of art in that room had the same difference from other depictions I have ever seen before - bloody knees. In every painting and every sculpture done by the pueblo Indians, Jesus had the skin torn off his knees. Why would every tribe show the same difference? I understand that the pueblo Indians were exposed to Christianity by the Spanish in the 1700's. They incorporated the Christian beliefs into their own spiritual practices. Maybe the Spanish people in the 1700's showed the tribes art that included bloody knees on the crucifixion? I don't know much about religious art but I couldn't get over the difference. The crucifixion is gruesome even without the knee damage and after seeing that many pieces of art of the same subject, I had to get out of that room.

Project Feederwatch Update

2011-12-27T20:18:00.000-06:00

Downy woodpeckers-4, Hairy woodpeckers-2, Black capped chickadee-6, Junco-2, Goldfinch-6, Northern Cardinals-2

Things I Liked About New Mexico

2011-12-27T20:15:00.000-06:00

I liked the land. Without an abundance of foliage and plants, you can see the land. In the span of one viewing, you can see the rocks and dirt vary in 5 or more colors. The colors varied anywhere from off white, gray, tan, brown, pink, red, peach, and black. In one spot I saw dirt on the side of the road that was actually an olive green.

I liked the mountains. Hills and gullies are exciting. Viewing the landscape that is so different from home restores my soul. I think I'll make it through the winter now.

I liked the colors. I saw a lot of reds, oranges, and yellows in the landscape. Even the license plates on the automobiles were attractive. Some were a blend of red, yellow and orange. Others were an intense yellow or turquoise. I asked a store clerk why the license plates were a different color. She said the auto owner gets to choose. With my blue car, if I lived in New Mexico, I'd choose the yellow plates.

I liked the yards. No one has to mow their lawns. No lawn mowers in New Mexico. I did see some snow blowers but no lawn mowers. And most yards are fenced in.

I liked the houses. In the desert, the houses are pueblo style. I think they're attractive. In the forested hills, the houses were wood framed and looked more like the ones in Minnesota.

I liked the permeable surfaces. Aside from the roads (which I thought were all in good shape), the parking lots and driveways were sand or gravel. Rain, when there is rain, can soak right in. Sometimes this lack of asphalt made it hard to tell if a business was actually open but I think that is something I could get used to.

I liked the people. On our trip, we didn't speak to many people outside the tourist industry. But the people we did meet were kind. Several people we met were originally from Minnesota. New Mexico has a lot of dollar stores. Even small towns will have two dollar stores and they have quite a few customers. We stopped at one store to pick up some dollar gifts I needed for a party. Their dollar stores carry items that cost more than a dollar. The clerk commented on out items and asked us questions about how we planned to use them. People are very friendly at the dollar store.

I liked the plants. The species varied quite a bit as we drove from the southern end of the state to the northern end. In the Chihauhuan desert, I was happy to see yucca plants. We also saw creosote and mesquite. Along the Rio Grande river we saw cottonwood trees and maple trees. In the northern end of the state we came upon juniper forests.

I liked the animals. We saw a lot of birds. The highlight of the birds was the road runner, the burrowing owls, the flocks of sand hill cranes, the black billed magpies, the flocks of pin tail ducks and the wood ducks. We saw a couple rodents around a bird feeder. And we saw mule deer several times. I didn't see a single reptile or a any bugs.

I liked the way the drive sober warnings were worded. Instead of saying, "Don't drink and drive-it's the law," in New Mexico the signs read, "Don't drink and drive-it's our law." The difference is subtle but I liked it. The sign implies that if you are a good citizen of this state or "one of us", you won't be drinking and driving.

I liked the sky. Gone were the gray blankets of Minnesota winter clouds. In New Mexico the clouds had interesting shapes and made for colorful sunrises and sunsets.

This was my first vacation where I just picked a state and decided to explore it. I think I'll do that again.

Picture of That Ford Expedition on My Harrowing Ride

2011-12-26T16:57:00.001-06:00

A Christmas Gift

2011-12-24T18:01:00.001-06:00

Meredith laid an egg today. This is her first egg since the fox attack in July. What a nice Christmas gift! I told my chicken sitters they did a really good job taking care of her while I was gone on my trip. They confessed to giving her some Romaine lettuce while I was gone.

Harrowing Ride

2011-12-24T17:46:00.001-06:00

Driving conditions on our trip to New Mexico were generally really good. We had dry roads 98% of the time. We saw sunshine and puffy clouds. The scenery was awesome. But on the way back, we ran into a storm and for two hours on Thursday morning, I didn't want to be there. As we left our cozy accommodations in Taos, which included an outdoor hot tub with fireworks to enjoy AND a fireplace in our room, we headed north out of New Mexico and into southern Colorado. The air smelled so good up here. Ravens croaked at us as we loaded the car. We saw some black billed magpies on the sides of the roads. Our first sign of trouble was snow blowing across the road which was really nothing to worry about unless you took it as a sign of trouble to come. The trouble came when we turned right onto Colorado Highway 160 headed east near Fort Garland. As I stopped at the stop sign to turn right, four white vehicles passed by traveling pretty close together. I remember saying, I wonder if it is good luck or bad luck that I am behind these four vehicles? The vehicle I got behind was a white Ford Expedition. Snow started falling. Ten minutes later snow was really coming down hard. The wind blew the snow at our windshield. I kept up with the white Ford Expedition. These hilly and curvy roads are usually my favorite kind but not today. A lighted highway sign announced that semi's had to put chains on before proceeding. Several trucks were pulled over on the side of the road applying their chains. I had heard about weather conditions being a problem and that is why we left early to try and outrun the storm. That plan didn't work so well. As we drove this mountainous road, the speed limit was 65 mpg. No one was going that fast. We started out about 50 miles per hour. As the snow accumulated on the road, we slowed down to 40 mph. No one was passing anyone. Even if there was a passing lane where the road went up a large hill, no one passed. It wasn't safe to pass. We couldn't see the lanes anymore anyway. A gold Saturn sedan came up behind me. I could see a couple young guys in the car. I looked at them because he was tailgating me. I don't like being tailgated so closely when the road is slippery. Then the weather got really bad. We were traveling 20 miles per hour. The wind was blowing so hard I lost sight of my Ford Expedition. Why are all the trucks out here white? A colorful truck would have been much easier to follow. Sometimes the black mirrors on my Expedition was all I had. And sometimes I didn't even have that. I could not see the sides of the road. What can a person do? I had to keep going. Once in a while I could glimpse a rock wall to my right or left. I knew if we could see, we would enjoy some beautiful mountains here. There was no place to stop and no towns. I saw a sign that said 9 miles to the summit. Wolf Creek pass is at 10,850 feet. That was not encouraging. Sometimes I could make out a curve sign with a speed limit of 50 mph. Well, we were going 20 mph for at least an hour. I felt connected to my Ford Expedition. And I felt angry at the Saturn for tailgating so close. What was the point? Was he afraid of loosing sight of me that he stayed so gosh darned close? I didn't want to loose my Ford Expedition but I kept a respectful distance. I wondered what would happen if someone in this line of cars stopped. How many cars would touch? My Ford Expedition driver tended to brake quite frequently without really slowing down which, for me, just made him easier to see. I don't brake as often but I did tap on my brakes to get the Saturn off my tail a couple times. He didn't respond by backing off though. We came to the top of the pass and headed downhill. My eyes were getting tired from trying to see ahead. I hoped the weather would improve at lower altitudes. Eventually the line of cars in front of me did suddenly slow way down. I braked. I knew it! The Saturn was too close. He turned his steering wheel to the left and his right front bumper touched my left rear bumper. That son of a gun! I was furious with him and I gestured with my arms up at the Saturn passenger as he looked at me over his right shoulder. He had slid into the oncoming lane and was trying to stay on the road. He hit me, the jerk! What could I do? I couldn't get out of the car to look for damage because it was to dangerous to stand on a snowy mountain road in a blizzard with cars coming at me. I had to continue. He didn't hit me hard but he did hit me. I felt my car move forward when he hit me so that probably lessened the blow. I planned to pull over and talk to this guy the first safe place to stop. I rehearsed my first words to him and the lines went from "Tailgate much?" to "What have we learned today, son?" The lines of cars continued down the mountain and into a valley. By now over a foot of snow had fallen. We noticed the Saturn did not have a front license plate. As the minutes ticked by, I wondered what were the chances that this tailgating fool would stop when I pulled over. I figured 50%. He might just blow me off. We started to see signs of civilization. We passed a house. The snow in the driveway was too deep for me to turn into. We came to the town of Walsenburg. Even the side streets had too much snow for me to use. I saw a 7-11 ahead with a clearer driveway. I gestured to my tailgating Saturn to turn off here. I turned in. He didn't. That son of a gun hit and ran. His rear license plate was completely covered in snow. I couldn't even tell what state he was from. Karma is going to get him. Even if he doesn't feel guilt and remorse, what goes around comes around. I pulled up to a gas pump and got out of my car to look for damage. The back end of my car was completely covered in snow. I couldn't read my own license plate. I took a paper towel and wiped off the snow and the mud. I really couldn't see any damage but I wouldn't know for sure until I got a car wash. We got gas and continued on to Interstate 25. I had talked to a man in a roofing truck at the store and decided to follow him. He seemed friendly and responsible. The snow slowed down a little. The road conditions improved. If my roofing truck passed someone, I did too. We could use both lanes on this divided freeway. By the time we got to the outskirts of Denver, we could see actual pavement. The road was wet and a little icy but at least we could see it. We ran into a couple snow squalls but they didn't last long and snow did not accumulate on the road. The rest of the way home was just fine. But dang, Colorado Highway 160 was a difficult road to take. A little danger always adds to the enjoyment of a trip. And a car accident with minimal or no damage is the best kind to have. A hit and run accident adds to the drama. Or maybe I should say a hit and follow for an hour and then drive off like nothing ever happened accident adds to the drama.

Top Ten Road Signs That Cause Me Anxiety

2011-12-22T20:25:00.001-06:00

I've put on over 3000 miles in the past week and I'm getting tired of driving, Today was a harrowing ride; so harrowing I need another day to process before I write about it. Instead here is a list of the signs that cause me anxiety on the road:
1o. Horse crossing
9. Deer crossing
8. Elk crossing (especially with the big racks)
7. Cow crossing
6. Watch for ice on bridges
5. Watch For Water On Roads (What should I do if I see some?)
4. Icy Roads CHP (Colorado Highway Patrol) has slowed traffic to 50 mph
3. Gusty Winds Possible
2. Chain Station Open (where semi's have to add chains to their tires)
1. Zero Visibility Possible

Seriously, zero visibility possible? Dude! I can handle animals on the road. To see a pack of wild horses cross would be thrilling. I can handle ice and snow. But zero visibility? I have no plan for that except prayer.

Rio Grande

2011-12-21T19:29:00.000-06:00

Walking to the Rio Grande through the Cottonwood bosque.

The Rio Grand to the north.

The Rio Grand to the south.

Straight across the Rio Grande.

Straight down at the river's edge. The water was muddy.

Yesterday we had an educational afternoon. We drove to Albuquerque. The first thing we did was tour the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. We learned a lot there. Later we walked around Old Towne square. Native people had jewelry and pottery for sale. They were set up on the sidewalks. Later we toured the New Mexico Art History museum. I was impressed by the Andy Warhol originals. We skipped the rattle snake museum. I can't appreciate more than one or two museums in a day. This morning we toured the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque. There we saw white crowned sparrows, robins, goldfinches, house finches, sandhill cranes, juncos, pigeons, downy woodpecker, roufus sided towhee, wood ducks, mallards, Mexican mallards, scaup, hooded mergansers and Canadian geese. It's strange to see so many wood ducks in the same place. The nature center had a feeder and the ducks clustered around the food. The wood ducks here are not wary. They are fed and don't have to worry about being hunted here. Such long looks at the elusive wood ducks was very luxurious. We walked through the cottonwood bosque (forest) down to the river. After lunch we took the scenic route to Santa Fe. The road is called the Turquoise Trail and was supposed to have some ghost towns on it. We didn't see any ghosts or ghost towns but the scenery was beautiful. We stopped for lunch and toured the Georgia O'Keefe museum. We walked around the town square looking at the arts and crafts offered on the sidewalks by the native artisans. They looked cold sitting outside all day. We drove the scenic route to Taos. The road is called the King's Road and it follows the Rio Grande up through the mountains. The scenery was breathtaking. The mountains came right down to the edge of the road. The road curved and squiggled through the valley and was so steep I had to downshift a few times. I love driving on roads like the King's Road. We saw where the river turned off. I said, "Bye! Its been real grand."

Mission Accomplished! (Meep Meep)

2011-12-20T21:02:00.001-06:00

Today we had an absolutely awesome morning at Bosque Del Apache wildlife area just south of Soccorro, New Mexico. We got there just after sunrise. On the road to the preserve, we saw sandhill cranes flying overhead. We saw a group of ten cranes, another group of fifteen cranes, a group of twelve, a group of thirty and suddenly a group of fifty cranes flew low right over my car. One of the cranes left a deposit on my windshield. I said, "Oh, goodness, a crane crapped on my car! Do it again!" Hundreds of cranes filled the sky above the road. We saw a parking area on the right next to a shallow pond. We stopped there and watched cranes walk by and fly off for at least 20 minutes. It looks hard for a crane to take off. Some cranes lift right up but others have to hop and flap for a time. As they leave the ground, their legs hang down. With each flap of the winds the legs ratchet up one notch until by the tenth flap of the wings, the legs are straight back. We visited the nature center. At the bird feeder there we saw white crowned sparrows, red winged blackbirds, rofous towhee, pine siskins, crows, and a couple rodents. As we drove on the wildlife drive, we saw a Cooper's Hawk, Northern shoveler ducks, and coots. Offspring #2 spotted something white on the side of the road. I thought it was a piece of paper. With binoculars we could tell we spotted a burrowing owl. Offspring #2 is an awesome bird spotter! The owl was just sitting on top of a lump on the ground, watching us watch him. We also saw American wigeons, pintail ducks, bufflehead ducks, red tailed hawks, a flicker, and three Wilson's snipe. The snipe were in a field with many sandhill cranes and a group of crows. Suddenly another black bird started chasing the crows away. It was large and black but flew differently than the crows. It turned out to be a grove billed ani. The road was wet from the rain overnight. Mud splashed so high I even had mud on the roof. Sometimes I had to concentrate on getting through the mud and could not stop to look for birds. As I took one muddy corner, Offspring #2, the awesome bird spotter, screamed into my right ear. I laid on the brakes. She yells, "It was running on the road." On my left, I spotted a road runner run behind a bush. We backed up the car a few times and got a couple good looks at the state bird of New Mexico. We also saw a Northern Harrier hawk, snow geese. Ross' geese and a western meadowlark. As we left the park, the nature finale, the icing on the cake, was a pair of kestrels (Mr. and Mrs.) flying up and landing in the same tree. The Bosque Del Apache is an awesome place to watch birds.

Carlsbad Caverns

2011-12-19T21:02:00.000-06:00

A lion;s tale formation

This looked like an owl to me.

This morning the weather station predicted a blizzard in New Mexico but they also said the high would be 39 degrees. We decided the definition of a blizzard must vary state to state and that we would continue with our plans. Today we toured Carlsbad Caverns near Carlsbad, New Mexico. We spent almost 2 hours in the caves. We walked about two miles underground after taking an elevator down almost 700 feet. Here are some of the photos I took. We had a great time underground. After that we drove the 9 mile wilderness road. Then we drove to Roswell and toured the International UFO Museum (yawn - I'm a skeptic). We ran into some snow in the mountains between Roswell and the Rio Grande Valley but none of it stuck to the roads. So far I've seen great tailed grackles and a white tailed kite.

Long Road

2011-12-18T20:00:00.000-06:00

I have thought how fun it would be to follow one road from beginning to end. Highway 61 or Highway 52 seem like good roads to follow. Never once did I think about following Highway 35 but in the past two days, I've covered most of it. We left Saturday morning and got on Highway 35 about 8 a.m. We drove 11 hours on Saturday. Today we continued on Highway 35 from 7 until about 10 am when we got off around Oklahoma City. It's a good road. It's fast and smooth and mostly straight except for those redtail swerves (that is when I peer up at a redtailed hawk a little too long). This highway has lots of gas stations with clean bathrooms. Highway 35 continues through Texas all the way to the Mexican border. But we were headed southwest. As we drove we saw things change. We saw donkeys mixed in with the horses and cows. The lakes were wet instead of frozen. In Missouri the fields had a greenish tinge. Mourning doves started showing up on the roadsides. Oil derricks dotted the fields in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Some of the rivers were dry. On some dry spots sand lined the fence posts and the trees were so uncommon that some of them had 4 birds nests in the same tree. And we saw cotton fields. I wanted to stop and take a picture of the field of cotton but we went by so fast and all the others we saw had already been harvested. Now the two days of hard driving are finished. Tomorrow we plan on seeing Carlsbad Caverns and the Roswell/Area 51 part of the state.

Bird Watching

2011-12-16T19:22:00.002-06:00

The coyote's after you.

Offspring #2 and I are headed off for a little winter road trip. I hope to see some birds on our travels. Specifically, I am hoping to see (Meep! Meep!) a road runner, flocks of sandhill cranes, and maybe a Mexican Jay. I think we're going to have fun.

Trade Mark

2011-12-15T18:58:00.002-06:00

Last week I went to a local beauty school for some maintainence work. It took forever (go ahead, make a crack). I had a long time to sit in a chair and look around. Two of the beauty students had images of shears permanently inked on their skin. One woman had scissors on her neck and another had scissors on her arm. Similar to wearing your heart on your sleeve, these women wore their jobs on (or is it in?) their skin. So that got me to thinking, if I chose to wear my job on my skin, what would that look like? My job is primarily paperwork, meetings, and computers. So lets see, I could get a tattoo of a pen, a stack of papers, a telephone, a conference room table surrounded by people sitting in chairs, a key board, or a mouse. Or maybe a calendar. I schedule a lot of meetings so a calendar would be appropriate. No, I don't think so. I am not defined by my job. I am enhanced by my job and supported by my job. I love my job. But I'm not inking my job into my skin.

Driftless

2011-12-15T18:49:00.001-06:00

This was my month to review a book in my book club. Two months ago I proposed a list of books and Driftless by David Rhodes is the one they chose. The consensus was unanimous - all thumbs up. They liked the character development, the setting (southwestern Wisconsin), the writing, and the way the plot threaded through the many characters, one person per chapter. "How," asked one book club member, "Did you find this incredible book?" I answered truthfully. I judged the book by the cover. The cover was orange (my favorite color) and featured a hilly road in farm country - one of my favorite landscapes. What is not to like about this cover? The book is published by Milkweed Press - a local publishing company. Some parts of the book went on too long. One spot that took forever is a conversation between a local pastor and the manager of a casino. The pastor asks for a refund when a vulnerable parishioner mortgages her house and looses all that plus all her savings one evening. Of course the general manager of the casino says no but the pastor doesn't give up for about 5 pages. I think a bigger publishing house might have cut that encounter down in size. But overall they loved the book and so did I.

Flowers Blooming In The House

2011-12-13T10:36:00.002-06:00

Christmas Cactus has 25+ buds. I can sense my Grandmother when I see these blooms.

Narcissus in bloom.

Fondness for Fog

2011-12-12T20:04:00.000-06:00

Today was foggy. I love it. I like sunshine too but I love fog in the fall. The smell of decomposing damp leaves in the air, the wetness of the atmosphere against my face, the blurry images made worse with more light, and the faint hint of intrigue and mystery make me feel safe and young again. As a child I loved to walk up our dead end street in the fog. One side of the road was a prairie. The other side of the road was my grandparent's farm. At the end of the dead end was the "dump." The "dump" was another one of my favorite places. It wasn't used as a dump anymore but there were things down in that ravine that were put there many years ago. I would find treasures like old tin cans, glass bottles, car parts, and oven doors. A badger lived in the dump and it scared the living day lights out of me once. When I walked toward the dump in the fog, unable to see very far, relying on my memory of the road and where things should be, I felt like I had entered another dimension. I felt adventurous and brave. Anything could happen in the fog because you couldn't see it coming. Nothing ever did happen in the fog but it could have. The possibility of danger and excitement lurked close by. The faint light from my grandparent's kitchen window was a beacon of safety and reality. Fog is damp but as long as the air is humid, I don't feel as cold. Sometimes an old song or an old smell can bring you back in time. Fog does the same thing for me. Today I was 7 years old again.

Project Feederwatch Update

2011-12-11T20:38:00.001-06:00

Goldfinches are less colorful in winter. Photo from Allaboutbirds

Goldfinches-12, Red bellied woodpecker-1, Downy woodpecker-2, Hairy woodpecker=-2, Black capped chickadee-5, White breasted nuthatch-2, Blue Jay-1, Cardinal-2, Junco-2, House finch-2

A dozen goldfinches were eating the crabapples. I've never seen a goldfinch eat fruit before. Usually they're picking the seeds out of the seed heads of the black eyes susan or the prairie flowers.

Venison Dream

2011-12-10T20:02:00.001-06:00

The other night I dreamed I ate venison stew. I haven't had venison for, I don't know, maybe thirty years? I have eaten any meat for almost twenty years. Yet in this dream, I took a fork and speared a chunk of venison and put it in my mouth. I could feel the chewy texture. I could taste the gravy. As I chewed, the meat tasted gamy and I decided I never did like venison and I spit it out. Why did I dream about eating venison? I don't miss meat. I certainly don't miss eating venison. I harbor ill feelings toward the deer that ravage my vegetable garden but that is only during the summer. Earlier that day we did discuss a newspaper article featuring young deer hunters. Some of the hunters were as young as nine years old. I would not feel comfortable with a nine year old holding a gun but that is just me. The most important question is, if I am going to experience the taste and texture of foods when I dream, why can't I dream about french silk pie?

PS I saw a raven today on Bunker Lake Boulevard in Bunker Hills Park.

A Secret Kept

2011-12-09T19:54:00.001-06:00

I read A Secret Kept which was written by Tatiana de Rosnay. This author also wrote Sarah's Key, another good book. In this story a road is featured. As a child, Antoine and his sister, Melanie, cross this road every summer while on vacation with their mother, father, grandparents and aunt. The book is set in France. For his sister's 40th birthday, he takes her on the same road to the same resort for old time's sake. And at the end of the story, he rides the road again but this time on the back of his girlfriend's Harley as the tide is coming in. (It's not often you see or read about a guy on the back of a motorcycle driven by a woman). The road is called "passage du gois." The road is 4 kilometers long and connects an island on the north of France to the continent, but only when the tide is low. When the tide is high, the road disappears into the sea. Along the road are high posts that travelers can climb for safety if they happen to be caught on the road when the tide pulls in. It's dangerous to be on the road when the tide comes in because the water will sweep you away. People have lost their lives on this road. Now I really want to see this road. Traveling on the "passage du gois" on a motorcycle would be ideal but I will settle for a car, bus, van or even a bicycle. Antoine and his sister, Melanie, grow up in a family that doesn't talk very much. Many things are left unsaid and unexplained. As Antoine comes to understand his past, his present day relationships with his children and friends improves. I liked this book a lot. I could imagine what it is like to be a divorced father of three children working in Paris and trying to make a living. A good book takes me away (from the frozen tundra) and brings me to a better place. This was a good book.

Eagles on Ten

2011-12-08T18:34:00.001-06:00

Earlier this fall I noticed a bald eagle nest off of Highway 10. The nest is located in a huge wetland that surrounds Coon Creek as it flows under the highway between Hanson Blvd. and Main Street in Coon Rapids. If you are heading west on Highway 10, you can see the eagle nest about .2 of a mile off the road on your right and about .5 miles before you get to Main Street. Years ago eagles nested in a grove of trees off that same wetland but closer to Hanson Boulevard. When the city of Coon Rapids decided to develop parts of this wetland (and I don't know how they get away with this because I thought wetlands were protected), they cut down the trees that held the nest. So the eagles moved to the trees on the other side of the creek. I have never seen any eagles on the nest. On days not suitable for riding a motorcycle (which are many) I go by this spot at least twice a day. Many times the traffic is backed up and I have to keep my eyes on the road. I can't be focusing on eagle nests or I'd have an accident. This week a friend of mine saw two eagles in the nest. She has a teenage daughter practicing her driving skills so she had the time to focus on the nest.

Pearl Harbor-70 Years Ago

2011-12-07T18:57:00.001-06:00

The Signal

2011-12-06T18:54:00.001-06:00

Ron Carlson wrote The Signal, a story about Mac and Vonnie. Mac and Vonnie were married but have been separated for a year. Mac is a ranch hand in Wyoming. He just got out of jail several weeks ago and is trying to straighten up and fly right. He stopped drinking and partying and ferrying meth from town to town in Wyoming. Vonnie, his ex, is with another, more responsible guy now and why she decides to go camping with Mac is beyond my comprehension. They've gone backpacking in the mountains before. They like to fish in the glacial lakes. As they start out camping, it's obvious they are both seriously angry with each other. Their trip is supposed to be four days long. Each chapter of the book is another day on the trip and there are a total of six chapters. I thought this was going to be a novel about relationships but it turned out to be a backward murder mystery. By backwards, I mean the murder happens at the end. The book ends really violently and I was surprised and disappointed. I really don't like to read about that much violence. Carlson's descriptions of the mountains, the scenery, the wildlife, and the feelings between an estranged man and woman were good though. I just didn't like the ending.

100th Concert

2011-12-05T19:57:00.001-06:00

Offspring #2 and I went to the 100th annual Christmas concert at St. Olaf College in Northfield. It wasn't the 100th concert for us; only the 4th or 5th time we've been there. We started out with lunch at a really good Indian restaurant in town. Later we headed to the Buntrock Hall. Lutefisk was served in the dining hall and P.H.E W., did that stink. It's no wonder there were free breath mints in the lady's room. That was nasty. The concert was great. This one was taped and will be broadcast all over the states for alumni and also on PBS during the Christmas season. If the concert is taped, you can't clap or talk or cough. To restrain your hands from clapping after a great song can be really difficult but as the concert goes on, it gets easier and easier. The audience was encouraged to stand and sing along to several songs. This gave us a chance to stretch. I could hear the voices of people singing behind me and holy cow, they were good. The singers on stage were good. The orchestra was good. I sat on the side closest to the tuba player and I paid attention to when he played. Handbells were used for one song. Steel drums were used for another. One song featured a harp. How often do you get to hear a harp? Not that often for me. All those healthy young people singing their hearts out - I had a great time.

A Little Something To Kick Start Your Holiday Spirit

2011-12-05T12:24:00.000-06:00

Hallelujah Chorus -Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat 5th Grade - Quinhagak, Alaska

Project Feederwatch Update

2011-12-04T19:34:00.001-06:00

Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy woodpecker-2, Downy woodpecker-2, American Crow-2, Northern Cardinal-2, Black Capped Chickadee-6, Junco-3, White Breasted Nuthatch-2

Third Time I Went to The MOU Paper Session

2011-12-03T21:09:00.001-06:00

Bell Museum of Natural History

Beaver sitting on tail in diorama

Today a sibling and I went (for the third time) to the Minnesota Ornithological Union's paper session. For the low price of only $4 ($5 at the door) we got 7 hours of education at the Bell Museum of Natural History on the University of Minnesota campus. We're right across the street from the armory. Each talk lasts anywhere from twenty to sixty minutes. Caroll Henderson organizes this and he keeps us to a tight schedule; limiting the questions and guiding the discussions. Many of the talks highlighted how much more we know about birds now that we can put little computers on them that register the sunrise and sunset. The data on the sun rise and sun sets can pinpoint where the bird is as it migrates back and forth. Telemetry can tell you where birds rest or nest. Gold winged warblers, for example, were thought to nest only on forest fringes. Probably bird watchers can find the figety warblers better on forest fringes because we thought wrong. They also nest inside forests. Common loons dive 60 meters in the Gulf of Mexico and often rest 6 miles off shore in Lake Michigan. The day was full of fun facts and knowledge about birds. We brought our own lunch and sat on the wooden benches outside the beaver diorama. Inside that diorama is a beaver sitting on it's tail. I guess I figures beavers would lay their tail the other way when they sat down but I have to admit I haven't seen that many beaver sitting. Most of my observations of beaver are of them swimming. Late in the afternoon the speaker was from the DNR and he spoke about sandhill crane hunting. When Minnesota decided to allow sandhill crane hunting last year, many MOU members were not happy. We really didn't have a clear picture of how many sandhill cranes we have in the state. Only the most northwestern corner of the state is open to crane hunting. 900 birds were harvested in that small section of the state. Minnesota is one of the top five states as far as the number of birds harvested. The speaker said we usually don't know how many of a species we have when they are hunted and there is no law that says we have to know the number. Only mallards and Canadian geese have population numbers yet we hunt many other species of ducks. He said the federal government said Minnesota could hunt cranes so the state allowed it to happen but only in the northwest. The northwestern cranes travel to Texas. And Texas has plenty of cranes. The other state cranes travel to Georgia and Florida. The cranes that fly to the southeast are not hunted. I had to admire the speaker because he maintained his poise in a unfriendly crowd. He handled the very pointed and sometimes hostile questions well. We had a good day. It was fun to see some people I know and catch up again. I definitely want to go again next year.

See Their Worried Faces?

2011-12-02T15:11:00.001-06:00

My Newest Tree

2011-12-01T18:35:00.001-06:00

A few years ago, maybe 5 or more, I was shopping in the garden section of Home Depot. I looked at the trees on clearance and there I found a river birch clump for $15. FIFTEEN DOLLARS! This was an incredible sale. I've always liked birch trees because of their peeling bark. As a kid I used to stand next to our paper birches. I was so tempted to peel the bark. If my Mom saw me even standing close to the tree she'd yell, "Keep your cotton picking hands off the birch tree!" She knew I was tempted. I like river birch even more because they are more disease resistant and the bark is orange (my favorite color). So I grabbed my river bark birch tree clump and put it in my cart. When I got to my car, I realized it wasn't going to fit so well into a Honda civic. I wasn't sure it was going to fit at all. I stood in the parking lot, scratching my head and thinking about it when a car pulled up. A woman got out of the car with two men. She said, "That woman needs help getting her tree into her car." The two men obediently helped me get the tree into the car. I planted it right away and I must have picked a good spot because it is thriving and growing taller every year. I think it looks so pretty! I don't know if this photo does it justice but the bark is a earthy, warm and comforting shade of orange. I think it will look even prettier against the snow.

Remember Alice

2011-11-30T19:19:00.001-06:00

Who remembers this childhood song?

"Alice, where are you going?

Upstairs, to take a bath

Alice, with legs like toothpicks

Her neck, like a giraffe

Alice got in the bathtub

Alice pulled out the plug

OH MY GRACIOUS, OH MY SOUL! THERE GOES ALICE DOWN THE HOLE!"

Stream Monitoring

2011-11-29T19:33:00.001-06:00

I volunteer for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency by monitoring two streams during the warmer months, mostly May through early October. One of my spots is on the Rum River at the Pleasant Avenue bridge in Anoka. You'd be surprised how many people have spotted me there throwing a bucket over the bridge. My other spot is on Coon Creek in Coon Hollow - a pedestrian bridge just west of East River Road in Coon Rapids. We supposed to monitor regularly - at least a couple times a year. I try to get to both spots at least 3 times a month. I enjoy it. Taking five or ten minutes to look over a stream, I judge it's appearance, and measure the temperature of the water. I pull up some water in my trusty metal bucket on a rope and pour it in a 60 centimeter Secchi tube to measure the clarity of the water. The Rum River is always clearer than Coon Creek. I estimate whether the stream depth is high, normal or low. This last measure is a little hard. On Coon Creek, a homeowner has a hose sticking out of the bank. I use that hose to measure the depth of the water. On the Rum River I can see water marks on the cement buttresses of the Highway 10 bridge. A homeowner has wooden planks on the shore and I use those too. I always document when I see ducks or geese or swallows or dragonflies. You can really appreciate a spot when you go back to check on it regularly and notice the changes. I have had people ask me what I am doing. Kids feel free to ask. Police officers feel free to ask. I had one boater (who I didn't notice at first) attempt to pull on my bucket in order to scare me. Mr. Funny Man. There are more streams that need monitoring. You may want to adopt a stream for yourself. Be a citizen scientist. The Pollution Control agency will show their appreciation by giving you a t-shirt or cap after you complete and turn in a year of results. You can see the results of all my work (and all the other stream monitors) by visiting this website: http://cf.pca.state.mn.us/water/cmp/index.cfm

Not Sure How To Handle This

2011-11-28T19:26:00.001-06:00

Meredith enjoying a warm, clean coop.

Last Friday I moved Meredith's coop to the winter headquarters. She is snug against the house and protected from the north winter winds. I installed the heat lamp and reflective shield so she'll stay warm. I cleaned out the coop really well and put in lots of fresh wood chips so she will be comfortable in there. The screws to the coop door were coming loose so I replaced them. I filled up her container of food and noticed she has been eating a lot for just a single chicken. She's been eating as much as two chickens. Meredith has always been the biggest chick but even accounting for that, too much chicken feed was being consumed. Later in the day, when I opened the door to take her picture, I found out why the chicken feed has been going so fast. She wasn't alone in there. When I opened the door, a chipmunk burst out of the coop and entered the run. His cheeks were so full that they bulged out on both sides of his face and almost obscured his eyes. He was trapped in the run. This explains why I've been seeing this chipmunk around the house so much this fall. I know how he gets in. The coop door stays open so Meredith can get fresh air whenever she wants. The chipmunk is small enough to get under the house and into the run and from there he can go in and out of the coop at will. I would think, being a small mammal like a chipmunk with thin skin, I would not dare go into a chicken coop for fear the big bird would peck at me. Meredith has a good 12 inches on him. She could take him, who ever he is, Chip or Dale or Alvin. She didn't seem bothered by him. So is having a chipmunk helping himself to the chicken feed inside the coop a problem? Could the chipmunk hurt her or give her a disease? Will he invite his other chipmunk punks over to party? Will mice or squirrels follow his example? Or is this not a problem? Maybe it's a cool story like the lion laying down with the lamb. Maybe the chipmunk will ease Meredith's loneliness at spending her first winter alone. Maybe Meredith and the chipmunk are friends like Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider. How am I to interfere with friendship between species? I am just not sure how to handle this. Suggestions are welcome.

Project Feederwatch Update

2011-11-27T16:37:00.001-06:00

Cedar Waxwing

Today was about my best day ever for the project feederwatch. I had seen cedar waxwings on Friday and I hoped they would come back on the weekend when I could count them. This morning, a red bellied woodpecker drew my attention. I stopped my house cleaning chores (no resistance to that) and looked out the window. The redbellied woodpecker was eating seeds from the feeder. Up in the branches of the crabapple trees I saw a dozen cedar waxwings. Bingo! One flew to the white oak next to the deck. I tilted my head to look up there and holy smoke, there was a flock! I counted 27. I counted again and got 48. I counted a third time and got 62 cedar waxwings. It was amazing to see all this life and business in a yard that would typically be dying and sterile at this time of year. Watching these birds is so cool I don't think I can live without a bird feeder for the rest of my life. I looked in the pond and saw a dozen waxwings riding the ice floes and drinking water. Soon I hairy woodpecker came to the suet on the deck. From the east a downy woodpecker came hopping closer. The difference in size between the two woodpeckers is easy to see when they are right next to each other. Before I could finish that thought, a pileated woodpecker clumsily flew in and scattered the woodpeckers and all the other birds away. The male pileated woodpecker looked over the situation. Tilting his head from all angles, he eyes the mesh bag of suet. He looked at how it was attached. I suspect he wanted to untie the bag and carry it away. He flew to the post and looked some more. Eventually he took a peck. He used too much force and the hanging mesh bag of suet flew around like a tether ball. It was hilarious. He looked over the situation for a few minutes and took another peck using much less force this time. He adjusted his position four times and just couldn't seem to get comfortable. After about five minutes he flew to my bird feeding post and sampled the suet cake. He flew into the woods giving that woody woodpecker call as he left. Results for this weekend: Pileated woodpecker-1, Hairy woodpecker-2, Downy woodpecker-2, Red bellied woodpecker-1, Black capped chickadee-6, House finch-2, white breasted nuthatch-3, American Crow-3, Blue jay-1, Cardinal-2, Cedar Waxwing-62, Dark eyed Junco-3

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-27T16:32:00.001-06:00

Say Cheese!

Now make a funny face. I think Calvin and Catey win the award on the photo.

Ed King

2011-11-26T17:01:00.001-06:00

I read Ed King by David Guterson. I was expecting something emotional and dramatic and understated like his other books, Snow Falling on Cedars and East of the Mountains. Instead I got a comedy based on a 5th century BC myth. I don't want to say which myth this book is based on because when I figured it out, it was a real "Aha! Holy Crap" moment for me. So now I know, Guterson is more than a dramatic novelist. He can be as funny about Washington State as Carl Hiassen is funny about Florida. Although not what I expected, this was a good book with many interesting characters.

What We Are Thankful For

2011-11-25T19:39:00.001-06:00

We had 21 people at our Thanksgiving table. I set the table for 20. I guess I forgot to count myself. Before we eat, we read an alphabetical list of what we are thankful for. Everybody takes a turn reading a letter. Here is the list: Armed forces not at home, Being home, Chocolate, Days off (school or work I guess), Everybody/education/evil smurfs, Family/food, Grandma/Grandpa, Health, Insulin, J_____ not being here, Kazoos/kryptonite, Life lessons, Minnesota/Muppets/Mashed potatoes, Nacho cheese, Overstuffed/Oreos, Power of choice/pancreas/propane, Quitting time, Recycling, Sue for dinner :), Turkey/tryptophan, Uranus, Venus, Watermelon/wellness/water, Xerox machines, Year good (?), and Zebras/zoo/zooboomafoe. We had a delicious dinner. Everyone brought something. One the menu was turkey, tofurky, mashed potatoes (blue and white), gravy, 3 kinds of stuffing, coleslaw, french bread, crescent rolls, a fruit basket shaped like a turkey, broccolli rice casserole, cranberries, sweet potatoes, crudites, cheese and crackers, spinach artichoke dip with crackers, hummus, peppermint pretzels, chocolates, apple pie, pumpkin pie, apple/raspberry/rhubarb/strawberry pie, turtle cheesecake, rice krispie bars, brownies, burnt peanuts and honey roasted peanuts. We forgot to bake the jalapeno cream cheese poppers wrapped in bacon. I doubt anyone could have fit more food. I keep a scale in the kitchen. Several people weighed themselves before and after. Average weight gain after the meal was between 1 and 2 pounds. Thanks to everyone who came. Thanks to all who pitched in getting dinner on the table. Thanks to everyone who helped clean up too. We couldn't have done it without you.

Somebody Had a Moment

2011-11-25T11:36:00.000-06:00

I have a cramp! I am sad

Someone had a moment during the Thanksgiving celebration and poured out their anguish and torment with the classic chalk/cement sidewalk medium. I found this artistic endeavor at 11 p.m. when the last of my guests left. The artwork was situated so people leaving the front door could appreciate it. I believe most folks left via the garage so they missed it. I hope the artist found relief. And by the way, is that an asymmetrical ponytail or a deluge of tears from the right eye only?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:16:00.001-06:00

(It's my favorite holiday).

Traveling Bug

2011-11-23T16:56:00.001-06:00

This morning I brought Meredith, the hen, a fresh piece of cucumber to munch on. She was outside, enjoying the warm sunshine and fresh air. I filled the bird feeders. I added potato peels and banana peels and orange rinds to the compost. I saw that deer had eaten a large part of my jack-o-lantern. As long as I was out there I thought I would add the 9 bags of leaves I had from another yard. My two compost piles were full but I added leaves to the top. Now I have two compost piles piled high. They look like leafy ice cream cones, one square and one round. As I emptied the bags I found a bug. This bug was so exquisite in appearance I had to stop and admire it's beauty. The shape was a long oval. The bug had a slender lime green body, extra long antennae, and lacy, translucent wings with veins showing. I know these leaves were bagged 17 days ago. This bug was in good shape for having lived 17 days inside a black plastic bag and being roughly transported 25 miles northwest. The bug was sluggish but still moving around. A compost pile isn't the worst place for a bug to ride out the long winter.

I thought

2011-11-22T15:55:00.001-06:00

This morning I got up and read the paper. I always read the funnies first. After I finished the variety section, I got up to do something. When I came back, I didn't notice that the newspaper and my reading glasses had fallen onto the seat of my chair. Lucky for me I have sturdy glasses. I went to read the front page. I started reading about the protesters in Egypt. The headline was fine but I couldn't focus on the print. My glasses have bifocals so I tried adjusting my vision. Everything was blurry. Even after I removed the glasses, my vision was blurry. I looked through the top of the glasses - blurry. I looked through the middle of the glasses-blurry. I looked through the lower part of the glasses-blurry. I held the paper farther away-blurry. I held the paper closer-blurry. I struggled through the front section of the paper but it was not easy. I thought I really need to make an eye appointment and isn't this weird that my vision varies so much from day to day? How can glasses possibly help when my vision varies so much. I got up to do something else and came back to read the metro section of the paper. There on the seat of my chair was one of the lenses from my glasses. No wonder I couldn't read, I was trying to read with only one eye corrected. Once I popped the lens back in, I could read just fine. What a relief.

Project Feederwatch

2011-11-21T19:50:00.001-06:00

Red bellied woodpecker

For the first watch of the season I got 2 downy woodpeckers, 2 hairy woodpeckers, 1 red bellied woodpecker, 5 black capped chicadees, 2 white breasted nuthatches, one blue jay, one cardinal and, best of all, zero squirrels on the birdfeeder. I know those squirrels were hungry too because they were risking life and limb to get the crabapples at the very tips of the branches.

Want to do this

2011-11-21T08:12:00.001-06:00

An Object of Beauty

2011-11-10T15:34:00.001-06:00

Steve Martin wrote An Object of Beauty. I didn't like it nearly as much as his other book, Shopgirl. In this book, Martin explores the current art industry in New York City by talking about Lacy Yaeger. Lacy is young, ambitious, pretty, charming and clever. She works at Sotheby's art auction. From that job she goes on to work at other art galleries. She mingles with the rich and famous trying to get ahead. By reading this book, I learned quite a bit about the art industry. I think it's as crazy and volatile as the stock market. The story is told by Daniel, one of Lacy's friends. Daniel tells a straight story and is not always complimentary of Lacy. Lacy is an intriguing character - one of those people I'd like to know but would never want to count on.

He

2011-11-08T21:38:00.000-06:00

He was born in a log cabin. He grew up on a dairy farm in northwestern Minnesota. He lived through the depression. His asthma and hay fever made life on a farm difficult. He did well in school but worked to please himself, not the teachers. His yearbook says his goal in life is to be a "benevolent despot." He passed the physical to join the Navy but the war ended before he enlisted. He met a girl. His sister brought her to the farm for a vacation. He married the girl. They were young, in love, skinny, and carefree. He was frugal all his life. He added three digit numbers in his head to keep his mind sharp. He was quietly religious and attended services every weekend. He built a house in the suburbs. He dug the basement with a team of horses. He read a book on plumbing and electrical wiring and he built the house very well. He had a daughter. Their Christmas gift for each other the first year in the house was a door so the daughter would not fall down the basement steps. He preferred to be safe and that other people were safe too. The next birthday gift was a door for the bathroom. He had another daughter (me). He got a job as a manager at a manufacturing plant. Tragedy struck. The first daughter died of leukemia. He carried on. He had another daughter. He spoke up for his wife's parents when the city tried to take their land. He built a playhouse in the backyard for the children. He took his family on vacations at his brother's resort on a small lake. He helped his parents on the family farm. In October he went duck hunting. He helped his brothers and sisters. He bought a farm with his brother. He was the man people called when things broke down. He had another daughter. He donated more than 20 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross. He was an usher at church. He made his kids a mini-bike using a lawn mower motor. His wife stayed home and cared for the children. Sometimes she sat in his lap after dinner. He had another daughter. In November he usually went deer hunting. He hung the deer in the garage and did the butchering himself. His wife was pregnant and sick. The doctor told him he had to choose. He could save his wife or he could save the baby. He chose to save his wife. He had anther daughter. After work he enjoyed a beer before supper. He usually had one or two kids on his lap when he read the Pioneer Press. When his parents could not care for themselves anymore, he took them in. He helped his wife take care of his parents until they died. He had a son. When his sister in Seattle became ill, he sent his wife to take care of her. When his sister came home to Minnesota to die, he took her in. He kept the house at 68 degrees. He said things like, "Put on a sweater if you are cold," or "Turn the light off when you leave a room," or "Drink that milk at the bottom of your cereal bowl." He took his wife on a trip to Australia. He had old fashioned ideas about the roles of men and women. His wife secretly took driving lessons. He secretly bought her a car. They exchanged an anniversary card. They signed the card in pencil, erased the name, and gave the same card back and forth for several years. His wife got a job. He adjusted. He made a two story addition to his house, adding a fireplace and stucco siding. His wife went to college. He supported her decision. He was sent to Germany to learn about plastic molding machines. He brought back a cuckoo clock from the Black Forest. He bought a cabin that was part of his brother's resort on the small lake. He made many improvements on the cabin and enjoyed reading books while enjoying the view. He invited the children and grandchildren to stay. He bought a paddle boat for them to use. The company he worked for moved to North Carolina. He was asked to move there. He decided to stay. He found work in South Dakota. His wife drove out there to visit him. He found a job closer to home and worked there until he retired. He bought a farm near his family home, across the lake his cabin. He cleaned up the property. He reshingled the barn roof by himself. He painted the barn. He cleaned up the trash left on the property. He killed the Canadian thistles. He rented several fields and the pasture to his nephew. He cut and split firewood. Sometimes he went fishing or out to lunch with his friends. As always, he helped his friends and family when something broke down. He generously invited his children and grandchildren to stay at the farm to relax or hunt or fish. He bought a golf cart and snowmobiles for their entertainment. He loved to listen to the morning news, the noon news, and the evening news on television. He read voraciously, borrowing books from the library. He preferred mystery fiction. He enjoyed retirement but kept busy making repairs and improvements. He stayed tall and physically fit aside from problems with high blood pressure. His wife began to show her age. He helped her. He made improvements in the house to make life easier for her. She became ill. He stayed home more and more. He promised to take care of her. He began to make the meals. He cleaned the house. He did the laundry. He took her to the doctor. He started to anticipate her needs. He waited on her. When she began hospice services, he didn't want any help. He didn't want Meals on Wheels or homemaker services. He made bran muffins. He perfected the recipe and made 40 muffins at a time. He baked pork chops with carrots, onions and potatoes in the oven. He scrubbed the floors and got rid of the spider webs. He continued to cut the grass and take care of the yard. He took over her job in the flower garden and was proud of his work. As her condition worsened, he put a positive spin on the situation. He knew his kids had their own lives and he didn't want to inconvenience anyone. He gave her the medicine she needed. He helped her get around the house. He helped her bathe. When the truth came out about how much help she needed, he continued to paint a positive picture. He began to accept some of the help that was offered but only from family members. He advocated for her. He read the Physicians Desk Reference for every medication she was prescribed. He took notes on how much she ate, slept, and when she took her medicine. He was innovative and creative in his care for her. He accepted her where she was and was patient. He flirted with her to take her mind off her troubles. He missed the woman she used to be. He protected her privacy. He treated her with respect and dignity. He put her needs first. He was grateful for the assistance and support he got. He focused on what she could do instead of what she couldn't do. He kept her entertained. He held her hands when she was scared. He gave her reassurance and love. And now, as she lays dying in the living room, he holds her hands for hours every day. He treats her like a queen. He doesn't say much but his actions scream commitment and caring. He sets the bar really high. He is part of the Greatest Generation. We stand in awe hoping to learn all we can from him. And he would hate me putting all this on "that Internet" so please don't say anything.

Sometimes

2011-11-08T12:44:00.001-06:00

This song matches my mood today.

Sometimes

2011-11-07T20:10:00.002-06:00

Sometimes getting old sucks. It's like being alone in a dark room with a rattlesnake.

Shanghai Girls

2011-11-06T18:52:00.001-06:00

Lisa See wrote the novel Shanghai Girls. I was entranced from the start. Two sisters, May and Pearl, grow up in Shanghai. They are spoiled children sheltered from the reality of life by indulgent parents. In their later teens, they pose as models for artists. Pearl and Joy are jealous of each other as children and they never loose that green eyed monster even as adults. The author makes this evident by having Pearl describe their dining room as a child. Pearl describes their square table and writes that her parents love May best because they seat her between them. Pearl never understands that because it is a square table, she also is seated between her parents until May tells her so when they have a big fight forty years later. Pearl and May fight about petty things but also love each other enough to make huge sacrifices. This story really took me away into China and later into Los Angeles prior to World War II. At that time Chinese people were considered to be a "Yellow Peril." Discrimination was open and rampant. May and Pearl barely survived the bombing of Shanghai and the subsequent invasion of the Japanese soldiers. They arrive on American shores as illegal immigrants arranged to be married to other immigrants. They make a life for themselves in California. Their story illustrates the harsh treatment of Chinese-Americans by our government. Lisa See wrote Peony In Love and I really loved that book too. I'll look for more of her books to read. I'd like to go to Shanghai some day.

Bossypants

2011-11-05T19:59:00.001-05:00

I do not recommend you read Bossypants by Tina Fey-at least don't listen to it on CD while you are driving because it's so doggone funny you will not be able to concentrate on the road. This book will make you snicker, giggle, snort, laugh out loud and almost wet yourself. Tina Fey can be charming, disgusting, endearing and SO SNARKY! Do you need cheering up? This is the book for you. Just make sure you are seated in a safe place while reading it.

5157.4

2011-11-05T19:52:00.002-05:00

This morning I got dressed in warm clothes. I put on my snow pants, wool socks, neck gaiter, and three jackets. I had an appointment to get my oil changed on my motorcycle. My destination was about 25 miles away. Overall I was comfortable driving. My shins were slightly cold and my hands were cold. At stoplights I put the engine in neutral and sat on my hands to warm them up. The bank sign said 40 degrees when I left and 53 degrees on the way home but going home didn't feel much warmer. My odometer reads 5157.4. I wish I had noted the mileage in the spring. I did write down the date. April 6 was my first ride so that gave me almost 7 months of riding. My last ride of 2010 was October 22. So now the bike can rest for a time with fresh oil, a fresh filter, and a full tank of stabilized gasoline.

Owl Hunt

2011-11-04T20:06:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week I heard about an Eastern screech owl hanging out in a wood duck house in park in Maple Grove. The park is on Fish Lake near Hwy. 94 and Weaver Lake Road. A good friend of mine lives very near to that park so she offered to accompany me on a screech owl hunt this afternoon. My friend jogs though this park several times a week. She has seen owls pass silently over her head when she jogs in the early morning darkness but she's never seen one clearly. We arrived about a half hour before sunset. We stayed and hunted for owls for about an hour. We even looked for the telltale whitewash that some owls leave below their favorite roosting spots. We came up empty handed as far as owls go. But we enjoyed walking through the leaves, watching the waves roll into shore, watching flocks of ducks and geese, watching the sun go down and light up the clouds in purple and pink, and talking.

Pamela

2011-11-03T19:08:00.002-05:00

Pamela. A Cute Chick.

Even as a week old chick, Pamela was distinctive. Her dark coloring set her apart from her peers. She was dark and she was small. Her behavior set her apart as well. From the time we could distinguish the hens from the roosters, Pamela hung around the roosters. If the hens were pecking near the rhubarb and Dwight moved toward the compost, Pamela was there, right at his side. If all the chickens were in a tight group, Pamela was closest to Dwight or closest to Angela (who later was named Angelo once we realized she was a he). All the chickens could be busy scratching and pecking but if a rooster moved away from the group, Pamela was the always the first to notice and the first to follow. This meant she got mounted more often than the other hens. My early impression of her is that she was one of those sexist women. Do you know what I mean? I know several of these sexist women. A sexist woman will seek unnecessary attention from men. If a sexist woman had a screw loose (and they often do) and they see two people in front of them (one a woman holding a screwdriver and the other a man not holding a screwdriver), the sexist woman will ask the man for help. OK, I will stop ranting about one of my pet peeves. My point is that even though Pamela hung around the roosters, she was not a sexist chick. Once the roosters were culled, Pamela hung around Meredith. In a coop with no roosters, Meredith took over as the head honcho. Meredith stayed the boss except for a couple days she spent recuperating after she was abducted by the gray fox. This means Pamela was not sexist. Pamela was a survivor. Pamela had street smarts. Well, no streets were involved. Pamela had yard smarts. She was watching out for her own safety. If a hawk flew over the yard, who noticed and ran under the deck? Pamela. If I had sunflower seeds in my hand ready to lure the chickens back into the coop, Pamela noticed first. Pamela paid more attention to her environment. When the gray fox abducted Meredith, I wondered why it didn't try to get Pamela who was smaller instead. I suspect Pamela saw (or smelled) the gray fox first and took steps to protect herself. I am going to miss Pamela. She was one of a kind.

Pamela is in the lower right corner of the photo, back to the camera, staying close to Meredith.

RIP Pamela

2011-11-02T20:00:00.001-05:00

Pamela is on the right.

Pamela The Chicken, hatched April 14, 2009, from Ramsey, Minnesota died on November 2, 2011 of natural causes. She died outside on a sunny day in the green grass next to her water dish. She was preceeded in death by brothers/husbands Dwight and Angela(o), sisters Phyllis and Kelly. She is survived by her sister Meredith. Pamela was a lover of life, black sunflower seeds, sandy soil to bathe in, and the bugs found in the compost pile. She will be deeply missed.

Another Scary Sight

2011-11-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

I Remember The Halloween of 1991

2011-10-31T19:58:00.001-05:00

In 1991 I had a seven year old and a three year old, good ages for trick or treating. Did I plan an old fashioned evening of costumes and door-to-door begging for candy? Not exactly. I signed us up for the school carnival where I volunteered to work at the fish pond while the others enjoyed themselves in the school gymnasium. They had costumes on. Offspring #1 really wanted to go trick or treating. I promised him we would - just as soon as the carnival was over. I said, "I promise you can go trick or treating tonight." Thinking back, I'm not really sure why the school had a carnival on this holiday evening. I don't think it was a fundraiser. In any case, my job was in the fish pond. I didn't get the fun job of interacting with the children and watching their excitement as they fished for prizes. I was assigned the "behind the scene" job of attaching prizes to the clothes pins "hooks." I stayed behind the fishing screen. Since the screen was shorter than I was, I had to bend over the entire time so I wouldn't be seen. I guess they thought the kids believed in magical fishing or something. Seriously, did they think kids thought prizes automatically clipped themselves to the clothes pins? The person in front would whisper clues to me so I would know what kind of prize to attach. The clues were "preschool girl" or "older boy" and things like that. From that brief description I could decide which piece of worthless trash to clip onto the string. After about an hour of bending over and getting hit in the noggin with flying clothes pins, I was ready to call it quits. My head hurt and my thighs were screaming. But I couldn't let these children down. The fish pond was located in a corner of the gymnasium near a fire exit door. The room got hot and stuffy as the evening wore on. Someone behind me opened the fire door for a breath of air. Holy crap! It was snowing! Not only was it snowing but it was almost knee high already! My brain could not comprehend what my eyes were seeing. My heart sank a little. Did I make a promise I could not keep? My offspring was going to be so MAD at me if he couldn't go trick or treating tonight. Offspring #2 wouldn't care but Offspring #1 was going to care enough for half a dozen children. I made my apologies to the volunteer person at the fish pond and high tailed it out of there. I found my family and we headed outside. The deep snow and slippery roads made for a long trip back to our neighborhood. And Offspring #1 WAS NOT HAPPY! He made his feelings clear. So we stopped at the first house on our block that had a porch light illuminated. I waited in the car while his father helped Offspring #1 through the thigh-high snow. (The snow was thigh high on a full grown man, not a seven year old). Lucky for us, they had candy. They were totally surprised to see anyone out trick-or-treating in this weather but they had candy. If I remember right that might have been the only house with a light on all the way home. Offspring #1 was still mad. And he had every right to be mad. One house does not trick-or-treating make. My condolences and commenting that we had lots of candy that never got handed out did not help the situation. Offspring #1 might still be mad. I'm afraid to ask.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T12:38:00.000-05:00

Watching

2011-10-30T18:52:00.003-05:00

My new birdfeeder has been up for several weeks now. So far it has proven to be squirrel proof. Today I watched as six gray squirrels sat underneath my two feeders eating the leftovers the birds had thrown to the ground. Now that I have conquered the squirrels (at least temporarily), I can appreciate them more. One came up on the deck to drink water from the bird bath. It had muscular little legs and a intelligent look. Squirrels aren't so bad WHEN THEY'RE NOT EATING THE BLACK SUNFLOWER SEEDS THAT COST ME MORE THAN $32 FOR A FIFTY POUND BAG!

2011-10-29T19:26:00.000-05:00

The Evil Buckthorn

Yesterday I took a day to catch up on chores in the yard. My hamstrings are singing today so I know I got a lot of work done. I picked up all the leaves and filled the two compost piles. I spread a layer of dirt between every three bags of grass and leaves to innoculate the mixture with microorganisms that will chew those leaves and grass clippings into healthy, rich compost. I let the chickens out to roam, filled the bird feeders, and emptied the rainbarrel and put it away for the season. I reached my arm W A Y down into the pond to lift the water lily out and store it in the garage for the winter - a cold and slimy task. I cleaned out the coop and gave the chickens fresh bedding and food. I dug out the bulbs and threw out the annuals on the deck. When I got the ladder out by the oak tree to replace the nose that fell off my "tree face" a pileated woodpecker landed about 5 feet from my head. I hugged the oak tree and held my breath as I balanced on the ladder with a mixture of fear and awe as the female woodpecker hopped about on the branch. She flew away after about 10 seconds but those were 10 awesome seconds! I spent two hours fighting the war against invasive buckthorn. I worked on the area next to my driveway again. I took out at least 100 trees ranging in size from 12 inches to 18 feet. I had to use my bow saw on about 10 trees, they were that thick. I used my nippers on the smaller trees. Every tree trunk was sprayed with "Brush B Gone." In the fall, the buckthorn will pull it's liquids down into the roots so fall is the perfect time to spray buckthorn stumps with poison. I told some trees to "suck it" as I sprayed poison on the cut. The buckthorn is a crafty tree. Although easy to find because of their waxy dark green leaves in the fall when most of the other trees are bare, some grow crooked so you can hardly find their trunk. Some of the smaller trees will hide their trunk under the leaves so you can't spray them with poison unless you move the leaves. Some buckthorn will grow smaller branches that slap you in the face as you cut down the main trunk. I spent two hours cutting and poisoning buckthorn and I didn't get them all. I will keep working on it. I notice my neighbors have lots of buckthorn growing in their woods too. If there are buckthorn large enough to bear fruit in the neighborhood, it will keep coming back. The buckthorn berries have a laxative effect. One master naturalist told me that a buckthorn berry will spend twenty seconds in a bird before being expelled from the other end. I don't know if that is true but it sure is an impressive figure.

Bog Lecture; Owls to Orchids

2011-10-28T20:40:00.000-05:00

Last night a sibling and I went to the MRVAC (Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter) for a lecture. We had to go all the way to Bloomington to find the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center which, interestingly enough, is just a couple short blocks from the "Park-N-Fly" where I leave my car when I go to the airport. Would would think a wildlife refuge was so close to the airport? When you walk out the door of the wildlife refuge, you see the Hilton and Embassy Suites across the freeway. Sparky Stensaas was the speaker. My sibling said she wanted to go just to see what a guy named Sparky looked like. To me, he looked 20 or 30 years younger than I thought he would. Most birders are way past 60 years old. Sparky was young and enthusiastic about bogs. He said bogs fill in from the top down where swamps fill in from the bottom up. Bogs have organic material below while swamps have mineral matter below. A person could get wet and stuck in both of them. And the mosquitoes from a bog bite just as hard as the mosquitoes from a swamp. Sparky is a naturalist, a photographer, author, publisher and a writer. He showed a film he made called "Owls to Orchids." He had scenes from the Sam-Zim bog which is located near Duluth. I've been there in the fall when the tamaracks were in beautiful golden orange color. Sparky had amazing footage of the bog in all four seasons. Besides the beautiful landscape, the clouds and the stars, he showed us gray jays, boreal chickadees, redpolls, great gray owls, northern hawk owls, ermine, frogs, voles, orchids, pitcher plants, sundew, spruce and grouse. His film was nicely done with close up shots of owls turning their heads, blinking, hunting, feeding their young, eating, yawning, and burping up pellets. Sparky is a big fan of the Sam-Zim bog and is leading the effort to expand the bog and build a visitor center. Right now there is really nothing at the bog, not even an outhouse, which makes it difficult for visitors. He'd like to see some trails put in and more prime bog land purchased. At one point during the movie he switched from background music (mostly Enya) to a loud chorus of frogs. Suddenly all we hear is "keck a heck, keck a heck." Those are wood frogs. We both had a good time at the lecture.

Some Potatoes Are More Appetizing Than Others

2011-10-27T07:45:00.000-05:00

I put the potatoes in my little red wagon to bring them into the house.

I planted russet potatoes and some blue potatoes. The russets turned out fine. Some were small but overall it was a good crop. This particular strain of blue potato is not as appetizing, in my honest opinion.

These look like something a cat leaves in a cat box. I hope they're more appetizing when they're mashed.

Comments

2011-10-26T19:50:00.001-05:00

I got seven comments when I misspelled the title and the picture was blank than when I write a blog entry. What does that say about me? What does that say about you? Maybe I should do that more often.

More Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge Pictures

2011-10-26T07:53:00.001-05:00

The picasa slide show isn't working on some computers so I chose some photos to display separately.

Dawn at the refuge. See the mist hanging low to the ground?

The sun rises.

Sandhill cranes wake up and go to the corn and soybeans fields for the day.

The cranes appear to be illumated from below.

These cranes will leave within the next two weeks, gather in Indianna before heading to Florida for the winter. I wish I could go with them.

Sandhill Cranes at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

2011-10-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

Frustration

2011-10-23T19:54:00.001-05:00

Migwe, my canary, is looking pretty fine in his new coat of feathers but I am sick and tired of sweeping up feathers. This molting thing is for the birds! The wing feathers and tail feathers aren't so bad because they are heavy enough to stay where I put them. It's those downy under feathers that keep escaping. I try to sweep them with a broom and the feathers scatter away as the broom approaches. I pin some downy feathers under the broom bristles and carry them out the deck door. As I let them go free, some feathers rise in the air and go back into the house ahead of me. I go back in and trap more between the broom and the dustpan. I set them free on the deck railing. Some rise into the air on invisible air currents and soar into the basswood tree or up and over the roof. I am glad molting only happens twice a year because cleaning up feathers is frustrating.