The Best!

The best way to spend a day is observing wildlife.  For sure!

Flying West

Here I sit at the Los Angeles/Thomas Bradley airport waiting for our flight to Melbourne.  The flight from Minneapolis was enjoyable.  The weather was mostly sunny.  As I left I could see downtown Minneapolis, Lake Calhoun, Lake Minnetonka and Lake Waconia.  I saw when we crossed Highway 90 near Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  I saw when we crossed the Platte river in southwestern Nebraska.  I saw when we crossed the Colorado River on the other side of the Rocky Mountains.  I saw the Grand Canyon which was very awesome to see from the sky.  As we landed in Los Angeles, I could see the Hollywood sign on the hills.  I really like having a window seat.  I will have a middle seat on the next leg of our journey but that will be okay because it will be dark most of the time anyway.  I was surprised to learn it now costs money to watch a movie on Delta airlines.  The movie Lincoln would have cost me $5 plus another $2 rent the ear phones to be able to hear it.

Vacation Time Nears

I can hardly stand the wait.  I'm about to jump out of my skin.  This is my first vacation that is 3 weeks in length.  I haven't had that much consecutive time off (except for having babies or surgery) since I was 15 years old.  A shortened itinerary for you in case you are interested:

Feb. 16 Leave Minneapolis at 2 pm. Leave Los Angeles at 11:30
Feb. 17 I will not be in existence this day.  I feel bad about that because it's Offspring #1's birthday.  He will remain the same age for another year I guess - at least for me.
Feb. 18:  Arrive in Melbourne
Feb. 19: Echidna Walkabout.  See kangaroos and koalas and Emus in the wild, learn about indigenous culture.
Feb. 20: Phillip Island Ultimate Eco-Tour-hand feed kangaroos and wallabies.  Visit Churchill Island.  Arrive at Summerland beach for the nightly penguin parade.
Feb. 21:  Fly to Hobart in southern Tasmania.  Rent a car and drive north.  Ride a bicycle down a volcano (Mount Wellington).
Feb. 22 Drive north and east to Freycinet National park, stay in a lodge overlooking Great Oyster Bay
Feb. 23 Sea kayak tour in Freycinet Bay
Feb. 24 Drive 3 hours north.  Tour Trowunna Wildlife Park, see Tasmanian Devils, wallabies, kangaroos.  Cuddle a wombat (do I really want to cuddle a wombat?)
Feb. 25 Leave Tasmania from the northern coast, fly to Cairns, take a bus north up the coast to Port Douglas.  Stay at the Bay Villas resort for 7 nights.
Feb. 26 Snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef
Feb. 27 Rain forest 4 wheel drive tour of the jungle around Mount Baldy, visit a 500 year old curtain fig tree.  Look for musky rat kangaroos and platypus.
Feb. 28 Half day horse back riding on Wonga Beach
March 1 Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
March 2 Daintree Rain forest and Cape Tribulation via Mossman Gorge Tour- guided nature walk, swim in rain forest stream, enjoy BBQ lunch
March 3 Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.  (I love snorkeling, can you tell?)
March 4 Fly to Adelaide
March 5 Swim with the dolphins
March 6 Take a bus and a ferry to Kangaroo Island.  Join Kangaroo Island tour-birds, echidnas, wallabies, reptiles, sea lions and wildflowers.  Stay at Aurora Ozone Hotel where penguins roost on the hotel steps at dusk
March 7 Flinders Chase Nature and Wildlife Tour-see koalas, kangaroos, birds, New Zealand fur seals and untouched white sandy beaches.  Fly back to Adelaide
March 8 Leave hotel at 6 a.m.  Arrive in Los Angeles at 6:30 a.m.  Arrive in Minneapolis at 4:33 pm.

The Book Of Mormon

I went to a play last night at the Orpheum Theater on Hennepin Avenue called "The Book of Mormon."  The singing was amazing. The dancing was awesome.  The energy, the set, and the showmanship was out of this world.  The theater was sold out.  The content was, at times, so offensive that I am more disturbed today than I was last night.  I am still processing it today.  My initial reaction was that the play was a total slam on the Mormon religion and all organized religions.  Today I think the play backhandedly applauds the Mormon religion and all organized religions.  I knew parts of it would be offensive.  The writers also write for the television show South Park.  So I was ready to be offended.  I was surprised how far they went to be offensive;  W a y over the top on the offensiveness.  The work of missionaries is a complicated subject though.  Offended or not, I'm glad I went.  I am surprised that this play is such a box office hit though. 

No Ordinary Time

Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote No Ordinary Time; Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front In World War II.  It's long.  Franklin doesn't die until page 610 and we still got 40 pages left to read.  This is not a book I would choose to read unless my book club chose it.  Some parts were super dry and other chapters were fascinating.  By the time it was due back to the library, Franklin hadn't died.  I couldn't return it until I got to his death. Once I got to his death I had to read the rest.  So I can't say I didn't like it because I couldn't put it down unfinished but I can't say I really liked it either. I do feel like I learned more about "our greatest generation."  Times are tough now but times were tougher then.  I found Franklin's friendship with Winston Churchill fascinating.  The world could have been a totally different place if it weren't for these two men working together. And Franklin and his mother?  Gosh, Marie Barone (from the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond) is a pussycat compared to her.  Doris doesn't come right out and say Franklin and Eleanor each had sexual affairs outside of their marriage but she presents enough evidence for us to draw those conclusions.  Eleanor was a woman ahead of her time.  Our group pondered what Eleanor would think about current events if she were to come to our meeting.  Would she be pleased with our progress in equal human rights, social justice, and the rights of the workers?  We're not sure ER would be entirely pleased but we agreed we'd rather have her at our meeting instead of Franklin. 

Juustoleipa

Twenty or so years ago I was visiting my Grandmother-in-law and she invited me to try some Finnish cheese that a friend had made and brought over.  I was hesitant.  No one I knew made cheese.  Cheese was something to be bought at a store.  She graciously talked me into trying it.  The cheese was cut into 1x6 inch strips.  The top was brownish and the inside was creamy white.  I bit into a tiny piece.  The cheese squeaked when my teeth divided it.  My lips were instantly covered in a buttery grease.  "This cheese squeaks, " I said.  She admitted some people called it squeaky cheese.  The taste was amazing. I had three pieces.  It was delicious.  This weekend while shopping at the Seward Coop I found some more squeaky cheese.  It was called Juustoleipa.  I don't know how that is pronounced.  I bought some.  And it's all gone.  Golly that was almost as good as the cheese I had twenty years ago.  Someday when I have time, I will try and make this at home.

Project Feederwatch Update

Northern Flicker-1, Pine Siskin-2, Common Redpoll-4, Black Capped Chickadee-3, Dark Eyed Junco-3, Downy Woodpecker-2, Hairy Woodpecker-2, Pileated Woodpecker-1, White breasted Nuthatch-3, American Crow-1

Snow Alien

 A snow alien has been lurking around my house today.  I think it's a female snow alien because her hair is long and wild and she has a definite pear shape.  Her eyes protude. Her arms are shapely.  She is definitely not of this world.  She moves around the yard following me.  Whenever I turn to look at her she stops moving and tries to blend in with the snow.  Rabbit like, she stands still even when I focus on her with my camera.  No doubt she is taking data and reporting back to her home planet.  I don't think she means me any harm.  But if I see two or three snow aliens out in the yard, I think I will begin to worry.  If you don't hear from me, send reinforcements!

Prit'near Burned Down The Coop!

 This morning I adjusted the heat lamp in the chicken coop and took off for a day of running errands.  When I went to check on the chickens this afternoon I wondered why was I smelling barbecue?  To my astonishment I saw I had burned a new window in the chicken coop with the heat lamp; a 3 by 5 inch hole.  Lucky for me and luckier still for the chickens, the bulb burned out before the coop burned down.  Through the hole you can see the back of the heat lamp, now facing away from the wall, and a dangling chain.  I patched the new window with a piece of wood.  That will do for now. The patch will keep the wind and the snow out.  When it's warmer I can pretty up the repair and make it less noticeable.  Wow, what an exciting day for those chickens! 

One Billion Rising

As part of a world wide demonstration against male violence on women, I've been invited to a flash mob.  The event takes place in the late afternoon of Valentine's Day in downtown Minneapolis.  There are weekend classes on how to perform the group dance.  I've heard the dance is not too difficult.  Always having desired to be a part of a flash mob, what is holding me back from this event?  I think the main reason is the cold followed by my busy week next week.  I support the cause though.

A Bird Goes Fishing

From bitsandpieces.us

How Can I Say No Without Seeming Rude

"Can I get your phone number?'  No.  "Can I get your zip code please?"  No.  "Do you have a rewards card?"  No.  "Do you want a rewards card?"  No.  Some cashiers look hurt when I say no.  I don't mean to offend them.  Their faces show such sadness I might have said, "You are too ugly to live."  Maybe there is something I don't know about the retail transactions.  Are cashiers penalized for not getting my personal information?  Are their wages slashed when I say no?  There is some information I just don't want to share.  And if they make me give a zip code before I can buy an item, I'll make one up.  90210.  12345.  76543.  If I am shopping with friends, they laugh at me when I give fake zip codes. I don't care.  When I go to a store I want to exchange money for goods; no more, no less.    I give the store my money and the store gives me the item. That is all I want.  I don't want to give out my phone number or my zip code.  I don't want a rewards card.  I don't want the store to track every item I buy.  Take my forty dollars, give me the damm swimsuit and let me got out of here.

Eagles

Mr. and Mrs. Bald Eagle of Coon Rapids are back on their nest again incubating eggs. The nest is east of Lowe's Hardware and Texas Roadhouse off of Highway 10.  The Minnesota DNR has other developing news about eagles: 

Minnesota DNR debuts video-streaming bald eagle camera


Once pushed to the brink of extinction, the American bald eagle has become a poster child for the value of endangered species laws, and now a pair of the iconic birds will be playing a part in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) efforts to get more young people and families excited about the great outdoors.

Starting Feb. 5, live video from a nesting pair of bald eagles will be featured on the DNR’s website at www.eaglecam.dnr.state.mn.us. A video camera was installed above the nest late last year with help from an Xcel Energy crew with a boom truck, and Floyd Security. Located in the Twin Cities metro region, the eagle nest already contains three eggs that are expected to hatch sometime in early to mid-February. The DNR is not disclosing the exact location of the nest to prevent it from drawing crowds that might disrupt the eagles.



“Unlike a lot of major metropolitan areas, the Twin Cities still has some pretty spectacular natural areas where wildlife such as eagles can flourish,” said Keith Parker, the DNR’s Central Region director. “We’re hoping that people will get excited watching this eagle family and get out to one of our state, county or city parks to experience nature first-hand.”

The eagle camera was paid for by DNR’s Nongame Wildlife program, which is largely funded by donations, especially those made when Minnesotans file their state income and property taxes. Lines on the Minnesota income tax form and property tax form, marked with a drawing of a loon, give taxpayers the option to donate to the program, a feature often referred to as the “chickadee check-off.”

The Nongame Wildlife program works to protect and preserve more than 800 species of animals in the state that are not traditionally hunted or harvested. In addition to bald eagles, populations of species such as trumpeter swans, loons, and American white pelicans directly benefit by contributions to the check-off. Citizens can personally help Minnesota wildlife by donating on their tax forms, or directly online at www.mndnr.gov/nongame/checkoff.

Cute Cute

One of my favorite animals from my trip to Africa was the dik dik.  It's so cute cute because it's so small small.  Picture a deer or antelope weighing 3 pounds and standing 12 inches tall.  It's unimaginable, right?  No, it's a dik dik.  The dik dik couple remain monogamous.  They hide in the brush forming little trails and hideaways.  Baby dik diks are born with their forelegs folded back against their body.  They nurse for 6 weeks.  By the time they are 7 months old the parents chase the children out of the territory.  Dik diks can run 26 miles per hour.  How is it I had never heard of dik diks before I went to Africa?

Trips Go By So Fast

I am looking forward to my next trip but I know from experience that they go by so fast.  Before I know it I'll be back home again.  So I looked at and edited a couple photos I took in Africa so I could enjoy that trip again.  It's hard to believe I was that lucky to see these wild animals.

Project Feederwatch

American Robin-1, Black capped chickadee-5, White breasted Nuthatch-3, Dark eyed Junco-3, Common Redpoll-7, Goldfinch-4, Hairy woodpecker-2, Downy Woodpecker-2, Red bellied woodpecker-1, Crow-3, Northern Cardinal-1

Conference

On Saturday I went to a conference at St. John's University in Collegeville - the "Living in the Avon Hills" conference.  I have gone to it before.  It's always a good time.  This year's keynote speaker was the naturalist, photographer, speaker and author Stan Tekiela.  I've heard him speak before.  With his photo slide show of Yellowstone wolves behind him he spoke about wolves.  The topic of wolves tends to grab people pretty hard and he stayed away from the hunting issue until the question and answer section.  He said, and I hadn't heard of this before, that hunting wolves can lead to more wolf/people interaction.  When a hunter shoots a wolf the hunter doesn't know the status of that wolf in the pack.  Is it an aunt, an uncle, a younger sibling or the alpha female?  The disappearance of one pack member can disrupt the entire social structure.  The pack may disintegrate and the wolves strike out on their own looking to form a new pack and possible leading them into interaction with people.   Although he is a hunter himself, Stan is against hunting apex predators.  After the keynote speaker I took a class on the stickwork buildings - the temporary art work of five whimsical stick houses on the road coming into campus.  It was interesting to hear how many people helped collect the willow sticks and twine them into houses during the three week construction period.  The structure is designed to last two years.  As the willow wood dries out and shrinks the house will fall apart.  Since they don't want anyone injured the plan is to burn the stickwork buildings the night before the 2014 homecoming game.  I can imagine that big of a fire will slow down the traffic on Highway 94 that night.  We each got bag lunches featuring the awesome St. John's bread and St. John's cookies.  My next class was calling "Knowing My Place" and was taught by an English professor.  She is focusing on how place influences us and our perceptions.  She read an essay she wrote when she visit the spirit cedar tree in Grand Portage.  I was just at Grand Portage last summer and I didn't even think to go and see this awesome tree.  Now I will have to go back.  My next class was on flying squirrels which are probably in my yard but I've never seen one.  Our speaker, a biology professor invited us to come along as she traps and tags the squirrels next summer.  My last class was on flight.  This biology professor focused mainly on birds and insects and the evolution of flight.  The ability to fly has advantages and disadvantages.  Imagine not being able to manipulate food or objects because your fingers are now covered with wings.  Since there are 3 times as many birds in Minnesota as mammals, flying seems to have a biological advantage here.  The professor talked about the connection between mammals and the ability to fly.  He said in New Zealand, where there were no mammals other than bats, several birds evolved to loose the ability to fly.  A species of bat quit flying, a duck quit flying, and several other birds as well.  On one island a lighthouse keeper noticed a flightless wren.  He sent a specimen away to be studied.  In the six months it took for his specimen to be mailed away and the excited scientists travel to this remote island, the light house keeper's cat had killed each and every wren on the island.  I had a great day at the conference.  Sitting all day is difficult but the Hogwart's feel of the building we are in makes up for it.

LIttle Bee

If I had to summarize my thoughts about this novel in one word, the word would be haunting.  This political novel, written by Chris Cleave, tells a story about Nigeria, about the United Kingdom, and about immigration.  The story is told by two women.  One is named Little Bee and she is from Nigeria.  The other voice is Sarah, a wife and mother who runs a glamour magazine in London.  I don't want to give the story away so I can't say too much more.  I can say this - the author has a talent in word craft.  The sentences are precise and hard.  The story is riveting.

Track Loving

I was talking to a friend of mine about animal tracks.  She grew up on a farm in northwestern Minnesota.  Her Grandfather loved to follow tracks.  Following her Grandfather she learned to appreciate the story behind a set of tracks.  She follows the tracks under her bird feeder in her suburban yard with great interest.  I remember my Grandfather pointing out the deer tracks to me in his garden that time they stepped on and smashed his pumpkins.  But my first memory of being fascinated by animal tracks was in kindergarten.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was springtime and we weren't new students anymore at Lake Owasso Elementary School. We were almost first graders now.  To prepare us for first grade, we got to go to the first grade classroom, share a seat with a first grader, and listen to the first grade teacher talk to us about what to expect.  We had been hearing about this upcoming visit for weeks.  I was very excited to go to the first grade classroom.  Since I had an aunt in the first grade I got to share her chair and desk during this lecture.  Cheek to cheek, we sat on the chair hanging over on both sides.  I sat very still and listened with concentration. I had no idea that I was transferring to a private school the next year.  I enjoyed the first grade visit very much.  I wanted to be in first grade at Lake Owasso like my aunt.  I hadn't figured out yet that she would be moving on to second grade.  When we got back to our room our kindergarten teacher said the Easter Bunny had been in our room when we were gone.  Sure enough there were rabbit tracks in the hallway and into our room.  The white chalk tracks hopped across the room and up on the piano bench. My teacher was excited about the tracks too. From the piano bench the Easter bunny hopped on top of the piano and down on the floor again towards the window.  I. Was.  Amazed.  These bunny tracks were purely magical. I totally bought the Easter Bunny story-hook, line and sinker.  Wouldn't you know, the only time we left our kindergarten room except for recess and we missed the Easter Bunny!  That was a very exciting day for me.