260 Miles

I played hooky from work today. A couple friends and I went biking for the day. Before I left I put on windpants and a hooded sweatshirt thinking I wouldn't need to wear them all day. I never took the extra clothes off. We were cold riding in the wind all day. I met up with my friends in Maplewood at Liberty Motorcycle. This is the place where I rented a Honda Rebel 11 months ago and rode for the first time on the street. I saw my name on the wall where we signed the brick with a silver sharpie. I even saw the bike I rented. To my surprise, the bike had only 150 miles on it now. I put 100 of those miles on there so it hasn't been ridden much. We headed east and south through Woodbury, Afton, Hastings, and stopped for coffee and tea in Prescott. We headed south and golly, those bluff roads are awesome. Inside my helmet I was yelling "Awesome!" in a Grinchy voice. I love going up and down hills. One hill was so steep I had to downshift into a lower gear. I could smell the grass as we passed people mowing their lawns. I could smell the cows and the manure. I could smell the lake. I could smell the hot grease as we passed roadside cafes. We went through Diamond Bluff, Maiden Rock, Stockholm, Nelson, and Wabasha. We kept Lake Pepin on our right. I saw some white caps out there. The wind was breezy but not gusty. We stopped for lunch and headed back through Hastings and Afton again. What a great trip; we're gonna have to do that again. Playing hooky is so much more fun than working.

Bird Thoughts

White Mischief

I decided to rent the movie, "White Mischief" from the library for several reasons. A movie about Kenya is always interesting and the movie involved the British colonist Delamere. I had lunch at a cafe where the Delamere family used to eat when I was near Lake Navasha. I heard their relatives still lived in the area and one (Cholmondeley) was being charged with murder. When I was in Kenya, he hadn't been tried yet but I read recently that he was found guilty. So this movie, made in 1988, was set in the year 1941. The group of British colonists are living in Kenya at the beginning of World War II and they are living the high life. In the first few minutes, I see a young Hugh Grant and my heart beats faster but he's only in the very beginning. These British people engage in outrageous and decadent behavior. They drink too much, take drugs, sleep around, swap partners while treating the Kenyan people like savages. But who really are the savages? All proper social boundaries seem to have disappeared while they are living in Africa. I was very disturbed by what I saw in this film and what is even more disturbing is that the film is based on the true story of the murder of Lord Errol. If you want to enjoy a pleasant movie, this isn't one for you. If you want a though provoking movie that will stay in your mind for days - you might like White Mischief.

Fairy Garden

I learned about fairy gardens from a friend of mine at work. She made one. She's also made an angel garden and a wildlife garden. Fairy gardens are miniature gardens that are sometimes constructed in a low round pot. I thought it would be fun to make a hobbit garden. Hobbits love to garden. Hobbits like to sit outside their little houses with round doors and smoke their little hobbit pipes. I bought a round pot and some little plants and was thinking about hobbit gardens when I came upon a class in fairy gardens put on by the Minnesota Horticultural Society. I signed up for the class and you can see the results in the above photo. My fairy garden has a little copper arbor with a stone path going under it, a fairy street light made out of some wire and a prism, a little tree with moss growing below it, pixie ivy, some landscape boulders, a fairy gazing ball (see it in blue), and a little fairy bird bath made out of a tiny sea shell. I covered the soilless soil with bark mulch and sprinkled some gold dust over the top to add that fairy sparkle. This garden can go outside but must be taken in during rains as there is no drainage in this pot and everything would flood away. The soilless soil really holds water so it only needs water once or twice a month. Our instructor said it will survive in full sun or partial sun. I haven't finished my hobbit garden yet but when I do I'll be sure to post a picture.

Trip To Rhode Island

Soon we'll be traveling to the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. A fancy name for a fancy state. I hear they're thinking of shortening the name to just plain Rhode Island. I thought I would do some bird watching there. I've been researching which birds I might see. Rhode Island is the ocean state. So guess what bird is the state bird of Rhode Island? A gull? No. A tern? No. Any kind of shore bird? No. The state bird of Rhode Island isn't a wild bird at all but a chicken named the Rhode Island Red.

Thanks For The Music, Rest In Peace

The year was 1971. The #1 hit song was "Ben" by Michael Jackson. I was in 10th grade and discussing this song with my best friend at the time. She said the song was about a rat; a friendship with a rat. Here are the lyrics:
Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own I'll never be alone
And you, my friend, will see
You've got a friend in me (you've got a friend in me)
Ben, you're always running here and there
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's one thing you should know
You've got a place to go (you've got a place to go)
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we" I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben (a friend) Like Ben
At the time I thought this Michael Jackson was one strange dude. Wasn't that prophetic? I had liked his earlier music but this Ben song was a little out there. Later came "Thriller" and "Bad." I love Michael Jackson's music. He's still on my CD player and my play list. Come Saturday mornings, if it's time to clean the house and I need motivation music, nothing energizes me like Michael Jackson.
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

Thanks for the music Michael Jackson. Rest in Peace.

Wildlife In The Garden

There is a super pesky chipmunk that has been coming up on the deck and eating the life over canary food I put out for the birds. And he's not shy. I get up to scare him. Yelling through the screen door isn't enough. Coming out onto the deck isn't enough. You have to reach for him to make him move and even then he'll go down about 4 steps before turning around to look at me. So I have to start coming down the steps and he'll go to the concrete pad at the bottom of the deck steps and wait for me there. He's lazy. He doesn't want to run away any farther than he has to because he knows he's coming right back. I usually have to chase him 5 times before he gives up. Besides the chipmunk, I have deer but they've been good this year about staying out of the garden. The pocket gopher who makes my mowed area look like a minefield has finally tasted the poison I put out for him because there haven't been any new piles of sand lately. I have red and gray squirrels in my yard but since it's warmer out, they've been leaving my bird food alone. I have lots of rabbits but they've been staying out of the garden too. I haven't seen any raccoon, woodchucks or possum this year yet. Here is a photo of another creature watching me work in my garden.

Deer Proofing

I've done several things this year in my quest to keep the deer out of the garden. I've focused more on root crops this year like potatoes and carrots. I have talked to the deer. I asserted my wishes. I said, out loud, "This area, in here (gesturing into the fence) is for people, not deer." And just last weekend, when the sunflowers were up and looking the size when the deer are tempted to chew off the tender tops and leave me a row of green sticks, I covered them with deer netting. See the netting in the photo above? You can get 50 feet of this netting for only $5 at Lowe's. I got two rolls. One roll covered the pumpkins and sunflowers. The other roll covers the carrots, bok choy, green beans and lettuce. As I was unrolling the netting and staking it down, I get the feeling I'm being watched. I look up and see a deer staring at me. "You!," I say in an accusatory tone, "You are the reason I bought this stuff!"

Clemantis

Too pretty for words.

Guess Which is Which

Can you guess which potato photo is the yellow potato, the blue potato, and the red potato? The top one is red potato, the middle one is the yellow potato and the bottom one is the Adirondack Blue potato. I spent some time this morning hilling my potatoes and tilling with the hoe. I know from past years that if I can keep the weeds at bay through June, I can coast the rest of the summer. I hope we get some rain today.

Patriot Ride

Once again I tried something outside my comfort zone. Things went well. I rode in the Patriot Ride. The benefits of this motorcycle ride benefit the Patriot Guard and the Minnesota Military Appreciation Fund. Offspring #2 got some appreciation (money) from the military appreciation fund because he served in a war zone and because he got a purple heart. So I'm glad to give back to that organization. Over 9,000 motorcycles rode together from Fatboys restaurant in East Bethel to Orrock and back again. Before we left, two Blackhawk helicopters flew over us. They circled around and then hovered 40 feet above the ground like giant hummingbirds. I saw them facing to the side. Then the Blackhawks turned and faced me. Ok, that was a little intimidating. The helicopters turned to the side again before heading east. I was nervous. I had never been on an organized ride before. And I wasn't near my friends because with all the motorcycles parked, it was impossible to get near them. Plus people were standing around with beers and drinks in their hands and it wasn't even noon yet. I hoped the people drinking alcohol wouldn't be riding near me. I was relieved to see that most people drank water. We took off. The rules were to stay two seconds behind the person ahead of you and one second behind the person in the other half of the lane. We took the back roads through Isanti and Sherburne counties. Each stop sign had law enforcement stopping traffic so we didn't have to stop. We went on quiet and curvy country roads past marvelous scenery. I would guess that 85% of the bikes were Harley Davidsons. I saw 2 other Suzukis but none as small as mine. Traffic would slow down at intersections and then people would take off fast to catch up. I did the same. I would kick it down to second gear to take the corner and then go full throttle to catch up. The people around me would zoom ahead. I felt like I was in slow motion. I know it's hard to get up speed when you're in a higher gear but I was in second. I think the size of my engine is why it was hard for me to speed up as quickly as they did. As soon as I'd get it into fifth gear I would see brake lights ahead of me and it was time to slow down again. We stopped in Orrock where I met up with my friends and enjoyed watching the other 9,000 motorcycles come in and go out again. I had to run to Elk River for a high school graduation party so I didn't complete the entire ride back to Fatboys. I enjoyed riding in such a big group. I felt safe being surrounded by a large number of motorcycles.

Beauty

Today I went to Regency Beauty School for a color and cut. In the "Regencyese" language, I had an GW7/8 color with Sangria backdrop and peekaboo with an inverted bob. In reality, I had brown with red highlights and a backwards mullet. After the shampoo, my beautician was wiping my neck. She said I had a little color here. I asked her, "Does this make me a red neck?" She said I was literally a redneck now.

Redneck Hot Tub

A Most Pleasant Evening

Last night I went to a Master Naturalist meeting at Carlos Avery. Right next door is the Wildlife Science Center and we had a tour. They took us into a conference room. This room, like other fascinating science rooms I’ve seen, was full of cool things like bones, stuffed ducks, mounted birds, pelts, rocks, branches, leaves, and even a mounted three legged white wolf named Naomi who was known for eating some of Will Steger’s sled dogs. They took us outside and showed us Mexican gray wolves, Great Plains gray wolves, red wolves, coyote, red fox, gray fox, black bears, wolf dogs, porcupine, long-eared owl, and male peregrine falcon. The two hours sped by very quickly. Wolves are fascinating creatures. Their social structure is interesting although being an alpha leader of the pack is not as important in a refuge as it is in the wild. Even more interesting is the political importance of wolves. Some people say wolves are not a danger to humans. Others say wolves have killed and eaten people. When I was a child, my Grandmother would talk at length against wolves. She said wolves stalked her as she walked to and from school. She talked about being so scared going through the woods to her home because she could hear the wolves howling. She would make it to her house nearly hysterical with fear. According to Grandma, wolves going extinct would be a good thing. I don’t agree. Wolves are one of our Maker’s creatures and I hope they stay in our ecosystem. Wolf-dogs, on the other hand, scare me. They had two wolf dogs at the science center. One, a large black lab/wolf mix with piercing yellow eyes, stared at me until I felt like Little Red Riding Hood. He was a scary creature and I eventually had to look away. His owner got him from the Humane Society and was told he was a lab, husky mix. After he attempted to kill other dogs at the doggie day care, his owners brought him to the Wildlife Science Center to see if he was part wolf. That is one of the services this center provides. The staff can look at an animal and determine through jaw size, feet size, appearance, and behavior if the dog is a wolf hybrid. The porcupine was really cute. The staff fed it and it looked so cute and innocent sitting there chewing down a huge red strawberry. The porcupine crawled up the fence right in front of me and stretched out her hand like she was offering to shake hands. Yeah, no to the handshake with the porcupine, thank you. By nine o’clock we were still watching the bears when a wolf chorus began. One wolf near us started it. Then her partner threw back his head and harmonized. Then the Mexican gray wolves joined in and the red wolves. Soon all the wolves were howling and their voices surrounded us. The wolf music was like a round. One group would stop and another would start up again. Suddenly the red foxes behind us chimed in and another lady and myself jumped in alarm. We had forgotten about them. The wolf chorus made my heart pound. Wolves are such drama queens. Then it was over. All that needed to be said had been said. This was a most pleasant way to spend a Wednesday evening.
The wildlife Science Center offers tours on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. No reservations are required. $6 for adults and $4 for children. www.wildlifesciencecenter.org

How Important Is It To Check Translations?

Double click on the image so you can get a closer look.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

I recently read the book, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston. This is a classic in African American literature. The book is written as it is spoken. To is written as "tuh." I is spelled "Ah." I took a while to get used to this but I like it because it forces me to hear the words in a southern dialect. This book has plenty of drama. The main character is Janie, a wise and observant young woman. At one point in the story, a group of people is huddled in a hut in the Everglades during a hurricane. A few days earlier the Native Americans, animals and most of the other people had left the Everglades for safety but these people stayed. The storm howls outside and the wind blows against the door. The water is rising. The author reveals their fear when she writes about them staring at the door - their eyes were watching God. Later, as one of the main characters named Teacake saves his wife during the flood, he contracts rabies from a mad dog. I shouldn't say anymore because I don't want to give away the ending but I will say this, this book has a very dramatic ending. I liked it.

Ruby Throated Hummingbirds

This year I've had great luck feeding hummingbirds. I planted red salvia and red petunias in my deck planters. Those plants attracted the hummingbirds. Then I hung a tiny hummingbird feeder in the planter. I've had hummingbirds feeding every day for over a month now. At first we had only females. Now we have males and females. They're not shy. The hummingbirds will eat from the feeder when I'm standing close enough to touch them. When they've had enough and a couple bubbles come up in the feeder like the bubbles in a baby's bottle of formula, the hummers zip away lickety split. They fly full throttle through the tree branches. Today I was reading a BBC article about Anna's hummingbirds. These hummingbirds can fly faster, considering their body size, than jet planes. They fly faster than the space shuttle when it reenters the atmosphere. You can see the article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8091944.stm
I suspect who ever thought up the idea of the fighter planes going through the trenches in the Star Wars movies must have been a hummingbird observer.

Biking To Carlos Avery

This morning I took off on the motorcycle and headed toward Carlos Avery Wildlife Refuge. This refuge has miles and miles of dirt roads that wind past ponds, lakes, woods, prairies, and swamps. I've been through it a couple of times before. I wanted to go on my own. Navigating on a dirt road can be tricky so I kept to a steady 12 mph speed. Any slower and I would have gotten bogged down in the sand. Any faster and I might have lost control on the washboard segments. I had my eyes on the road searching for the best route. Some spots of the road were completely washed out. Other parts were in pretty good shape. I went into the refuge off of Co. Road 18 like I had been shown before. I got lost right away. I never went past the big pools. I recognized one pond because it has an island in it and it was on the opposite side of the road. I'm not sure how I did that. When I got out, I came out on County Road 22, and I didn't even know that was possible. I stopped by one pond to enjoy the scenery, look for birds, and relax. I saw a momma duck and her family. She had 9 little ones. I'm pretty sure she belonged to the common merganser family. I saw morning doves, crows, red-winged blackbirds, grackles, goldfinches, robins, thrush, and bluebirds. I discovered it's pretty hard to birdwatch on a motorcycle. The helmet gets in the way. And I can't hear. Hearing the birds sing helps you find them. Even though I didn't see many birds besides the merganser family, I had a wonderful trip. I was in the refuge for an hour and never saw another vehicle or person.

Free Range Chickens

This afternoon we took a brave step. We let the chickens fly the coop. We opened the side door. As usual, Dwight and Angela were the first ones to poke their heads out the open door. Angela was trapped behind the feeder and ended up being the last one out; an unusual position for her. Dwight was the first one out as you can see in the photo above. (The red on the far right is my water canteen). Out they came, eating everything green within their reach including wild grape leaves, dandelions, grass, and weeds. They walked around a little bit, staying on the east side of the house and north of the spruce trees that border the front on the yard. We sat with them. The chickens didn't come toward us when we called. They walked around us as if we were part of the landscape, coming so close we could pet their backs as they walked by. One chicken would fly up. Without a house or a run, they really could fly up for a change. When one chicken flew, usually one or two chickens copied that behavior. You fly! I will fly! She will fly too! When one chicken gets upset, the others tend to mirror that emotion. They scratched at the dirt and pecked at the ground. I don't know whether they ate any bugs but they sure ate a lot of green stuff. I think they enjoyed their freedom. They seemed more content. We let them out about 4 o'clock. I thought I would allow them free range until bedtime. The food was in the house and the water was in the run. I hoped they would go to bed when the sun went down and I would shut the door on them. I left to bring my clothes in off the line. I left again to move the sprinkler. When I came back, a couple hours later, they were in the house. So I shut the door on them. They look content and exhausted. This was a good first experience at letting them range free so I'm sure we'll try it again.

New Chicken Behavior

My chickens are now 10 or 11 weeks old. This week I'm seeing some new and disturbing chicken behavior. Dwight is getting randy. He's trying to jump on Pamela and Kelly and they do not like it. They squawk and holler bloody murder. He's all, "Let me jump up on your back and see what happens." And Kelly and Pam are all, "Get off me you big lug, you're killing me." He gets in these moods first thing in the morning and again in the late afternoon. Maybe he's like this morning, noon and night. I don't know; I'm at work during the day. What I do know is when Dwight is feeling randy, nobody is happy. Everyone is nervous. Kelly and Pamela try to keep away from him. Meredith, true to her "Office" television personality, gets sexually aggressive back at him. Angela and Phyllis stay out of his way but don't act as frightened as Kelly and Pamela. Dwight's comb is so red it practically glows in the dark and he holds his tail feathers very erect. I an new at this. I have watched chickens but never this closely. I was out there this morning at 6 a.m. saying, "Dwight, give it a rest. Think about something else for a change." My goal is to have eggs to eat. Dwight needs to realize he's expendable. He eats chicken food and drinks the water, but what does he have to offer in exchange? Let me know if you are hungry for a chicken dinner.

We Made Eye Contact

I left work today a few minutes late. I pulled onto 89th Avenue heading west. As I drew up to the other driveway from the parking lot of my building, I saw a car approaching the driveway. I was on 89th. I had the right of way. The other car was pulling up to the stop sign. I saw her. She saw me. I'm wearing a dorky orange vest over my leather coat. We made eye contact!! She rolled her brown SUV through the stop sign and pulled out right in front of me. If I hadn't slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop, my head would have made contact with her side window. My back tire squealed against the pavement and I made a skid mark on the road. My back tire locked up and pulled to the right a little so I was slightly sideways in the lane. I kept control, downshifted, and continued to the west while she went east. I'm lucky I didn't recognize her or I would be harboring resentments. She must have been in a big hurry to risk an accident. I am fine and she is fine. I do, however, owe another dollar to my swearing fund. I started fining myself for swearing before Easter. When I pay this dollar, I'll have a total of five dollars. I'm swearing for bigger reasons now.

On another note, here is a picture of a life and death struggle between a mountain lion and a big horned sheep. These pictures were posted by a wildlife biologist at this website: http://anglerinsider.com/forum/showthread.php?p=237162

Warning - fascinating yet horrifying photos ahead.

Cherokee Purple

A friend of mine from work gave me an heirloom tomato plant. This variety is called Cherokee Purple. Just reading the name puts an old Paul Revere and the Raiders song in my head-"Cherokee People, Cherokee Tribe, so proud to live, so proud to die." In any case, the meat on this tomato will be purple. So I went outside with my hoe to plant one tomato. The air was completely still - not a breath of a breeze. Prince, my indigo bunting, was serenading me. My hoe dug into rich, moist soil, disturbing the little weed sprouts just emerging. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by and I had weeded the entire vegetable garden. Well, almost all the garden. I skipped the bok choy rows because I can't quite tell where they are yet. I hilled up the potatoes that were up. Gardening; it can be such mindless and relaxing work for me.

Drifts of Cottonwood Seeds

Is it just me or are the cottonwoods producing more seed this year than other years? Driving home, I see cottonwood puffs coming down as thick as snow. Cottonwood flies through the air, into my car window, and up my nostrils causing me to sneeze. It's never good to sneeze when driving. I can't help but shut my eyes when I sneeze and that is not safe when you are navigating a vehicle. Piles of cottonwood seeds line the road and grass edges. My mother-in-law once told me that she disliked the look of cottonwood seed along her sidewalk so she got rid of it by lighting it with a match and watching the fire quickly zip up the sidewalk. She said cottonwood was very flammable. At the time, I wasn't happy with her saying this in front of my kids, knowing some kids go through a pyromaniac stage. At the same time, I was curious to try it. I don't have any cottonwoods in my yard so I have never had the chance to give her cottonwood removal system a try.

Farewell Summer

My book club discussed "Farewell Summer" by Ray Bradbury last night. This is a sequel to "Dandelion Wine" which I have also read. The book is poetic and almost magical in describing a young boy's summer in a small town. Bradbury says this book is semi autobiographical. The setting is Waukegan, Illinois in the 1920's. Strangely enough, I have spent a weekend in Waukegan five years ago to watch Offspring #1 graduate from Navy bootcamp. The Waukegan described in this book differs greatly from the Waukegan I visited but Bradbury conveys the neighborly feel in a vivid fashion. The young boys in the town and the old men of the town start a war; not a real war but a war nonetheless. Each section of the book is labeled after an important Civil War battle. In the end, the war is resolved. The book ends in a very manly fashion, causing many book club members to titter and joke. Evidently this is the second book of a trilogy and I am anxious to read the third in the series titled "Something Wicked This Way Comes." I've already read "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Illustrated Man." Someday I'll get to "The Martian Chronicles."

S'Up?

This time of year I get so excited to walk out to the garden and see what is up. Every year I buy the seed expecting they will sprout in the rows I planted. I am pretty sure this will happen. But when I go out there and see the rows of green sprouts, I get so excited. Seeds sprouting is like a little miracle for me. Maybe my excitement stems from the delay of the gratification. I planted some of these a month ago and others a couple weeks ago. I enjoy the harvest but the sprouting is more of a thrill. So far some of my potatoes (yellow, red and blue) are up. Green beans are up. Lettuce is up. Some pumpkins are up. Some sunflowers are up. Carrots are not up and bok choy is not up. My jalapeno plant is thriving. A cutworm got one of my Big Boy tomatoes but the other 5 are holding their own. I bought some deer netting at Lowe's yesterday but haven't put it on yet because IT IS SO COLD OUTSIDE! What is up with this weather? Why do I have to run the furnace in June when it's the second warmest month of the year? I am definitely moving to a warmer climate when I retire; this is craziness. I like that we got an inch of rain but I don't like the cold temperatures.

Distraction From Chores Or What Sang In The Walnut Tree?

This morning I put clean sheets on my bed. As I worked, I heard a bird singing. Since I learned what a red-eyed vireo sounds like, I thought I would figure out this bird. I heard a "chee-chee chee-chee" with an occasional shrill "Wheeeet" thrown in there. I looked out my bedroom window to the north and searched for the bird that sounded so close. There, in the branches of the black walnut tree, I saw a bird. Lucky for me, the walnut tree hasn't completely leafed out yet. I saw a yellow tummy. Was it a cedar waxwing? It looked about the size of a waxwing. I saw a gray back like a waxwing. Then I saw cinnamon colored wings and tail. That couldn't be a waxwing. The bird pirouetted on the branch and I saw a crest on the head and some white wing bars. Could it be a great crested flycatcher? I ran out to the garage where my bird field guide sat in my car and looked it up. Sure enough, it was a great crested flycatcher. Yeah for me. Maybe it will eat all the mosquitoes and dangly legged wasps for me.

Dwight's First Attempt To Crow

This morning I got up at 5 a.m. to go birdwatching. I let the chickens out of the coop very early. I watched them just for a few minutes and saw Dwight moving his head and neck. I thought at first he was going to puke. Instead he let out a croaky sounding "Coor!" He did the same posturing and sounds 4 more times. I think he was trying to crow. Then he rushed at the smaller chickens, Pamela and Kelly, while they tried to get away from him. Angela is never affected by his aggressiveness; she totally ignores him. Meredith doesn't pay much mind either. Phyllis will move out of his way but she isn't as timid as Kelly and Pamela. Dwight is about 10 weeks old now and already becoming a rooster.

Bird watching was fun but I got cold. Despite wearing a winter coat and a rain coat, my bones got cold and achy. By the end of the bird watching on the wildlife drive at Sherburne National Wildlife Center, I started to think we had better see something worthwhile for me to get out of the car. I wasn't willing to get out for another chipping sparrow. I can see that at home on the deck railing from the comfort of my kitchen chair. It was so cold not many birds allowed us to see them. We did see sandhill cranes, Canadian geese, chipping sparrow, redstarts, yellow warblers, indigo bunting, eagles, Eastern Kingbird, phoebe, red winged blackbirds, yellow headed blackbirds,and morning doves. My biggest accomplishment was learning the sound that a red eyed vireo makes. I didn't see it but I memorized it's song because it is a song I've heard many times and in many places. For this accomplishment, I earned the bird leader's pat on the back. He hands out only 3 or 4 pats on the back per year so it's a big deal.

The Very Definition Of A Nice Guy

There is a guy at work who loves nature. He and I sit at lunch together and talk about our observations. This morning he told me he saw a snapping turtle outside his garden. He has a large yard on a pond. His garden is near the pond. The snapper had come out of the pond and was eyeing his garden. He said the snapper was looking into the garden with it's neck outstretched and had big, puppy dog eyes. He figured the turtle wanted to lay eggs in the soft soil of his garden. He has a fence around his garden to keep the rabbits out. He buried the fence six inches into the soil to keep the gophers out. He compassionately tried to lift up the fence so the turtle could get in but couldn't because it was buried so tightly. So he took out 2 fence poles and laid the fence flat and held it down with some logs. He said the snapper was covered in duckweed and moss. Her shell was a foot across. Sure enough, the snapper waited patiently until he was done and crawled into the garden to lay eggs. He had laid the fence flat last night and this morning he saw the Momma Snapper in the garden. Isn't he the very definition of a nice guy? He wanted to be home to watch. He could barely stand it. He wanted to see where the turtle laid the eggs. He hoped it wasn't in the deep pile of sand next to his potato trenches. He hoped the turtle nest wasn't in a pumpkin hill. He hoped the turtle laid the eggs amidst his rows of corn. He said as a child his brother saw a turtle laying eggs. His brother dug up the eggs, took them home, looked up in a book how to bury the eggs and how long it would take to hatch, buried the eggs, and waited the prescribed time. The turtles did not come up so his brother dug into the nest. He found a big pile of baby turtles crawling in there who hadn't dug themselves out of the hole yet. His brother took all but one of the turtles back to their original nest home. He kept one in the yard for the summer and released it in the fall. I like turtles okay. I prefer Blanding or painted turtles to snappers. But if I saw a snapper yearning to lay eggs in my garden, would I take down my fence for it? No way. I'd tell that turtle to move along; go find another spot. I remember one turtle incident in Underwood, Minnesota. I was walking with a friend and Offspring #1 who was about 4 months old and seated in an umbrella stroller. We were walking down a mowed path through a grassy field toward a lake. Offspring #1 was fussing. I stopped to pick him up and put him on my shoulder while I continued to push the umbrella stroller ahead of me. Just a few minutes after I emptied the stroller, a big snapping turtle rushed out of the grasses and snapped at the front wheels of the baby stroller. Holy cow, that turtle scared me! My baby could have lost a toe if he was still in that stroller.

Grandmothers

This week I've been thinking about my Grandmothers. I was lucky enough to know both of mine. One of them had a birthday on June 1st and the other one was on June 4th. I don't remember for sure which Grandmother had which birthday. My Grandmothers had some similarities. Both were of Eastern Europe descent. Both had that stocky build which I inherited. One Grandmother had smoking hot legs which I did not inherit. Both lived on farms and were familiar with milking cows, tending chickens, and preserving food. Both taught me to bake; one taught me cake and the other taught me cookies. Both had gardens. I think of dahlias and lilacs with one Grandmother and raspberries and apple trees with the other. Both liked to talk about the old days and I enjoyed hearing their stories. Both lived through hard times and had learned to be frugal and thrifty. Neither one wore make up or nail polish. Both of them were very hard working women. One Grandmother, the one with the smoking hot legs, loved to play bingo. She lived in a rural area and like everyone in that area, had a party line on her telephone. Party lines meant several families (four in her case) shared the same telephone line. Only one person could use the phone at a time. When the phone rang, there were different rings for each family. When the phone rang and we were in the kitchen together, she would answer it if it was her ring. If it wasn't her ring, she would look at me and put her finger to her lips and say, "Shhhhh." Then she would gently lift the receiver and cover the mouth end with her hand, and listen in on the conversation. I knew I had to wait in silence until she hung up. And I was quiet and thereby complicit in the deed. I don't think she ever told me what she heard on the phone. Both Grandmothers loved their husbands. Both Grandmothers became widows late in life. And both of them seemed to enjoy spending time with me for which I am very blessed and grateful.

Name That Tune

Ticket To Ride

I bought two airline tickets to Providence and a place to stay in Newport. We'll be going to Rhode Island in July to attend Offspring #1's graduation from Officer Candidate School. I'm lucky because I'll be seeing the Atlantic and the Pacific this calendar year. I love to see the ocean. One other year I saw both coasts but I drove to Oregon and Connecticut. Flying will be a luxury. I'm excited to see him again and to spend some time on the Eastern seaboard. I look forward to the quaint roads and beautiful hydrangea bushes. I've been on a few Navy bases before but that part is still exciting for me. My only question is this; how did I become old enough to be the mother of an officer candidate? Seems to me he was a precocious 5 year old just yesterday! Where has the time gone? I don't feel old enough to be this old. When did I pass by the Debra Winger age? Does this mean Richard Gere will NEVER come to my work and carry me off? Must I give up that dream?

Enemies Of My Garden

I look out my kitchen window to peek at my chickens and what do I see? Two enemies, lying in the tall grass, licking their lips while waiting for my carrots, bok choy, peppers, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, sunflowers and pumpkins to grow. On the near side of the canoe sits a rabbit. On the far side of the canoe, lies a white tail deer, relaxing on the path I mowed. I'm still looking for some garden netting to protect my valuables. I heard that mono filament fish line strung a few inches off the ground around the perimeter of the garden will frighten deer from proceeding. This trick only works a few weeks. I'll wait until I think they're ready to start eating before stringing that up.