Ba Ba Ba Ba Bad

Tuesday evenings is my work-out night where I can use the seated elliptical and the machine weight lifting equipment. Last night was my first time to go with my new MP3 player Offspring #2 generously gave me for my birthday. So, armed with my downloaded play list, I exercised. Music helped! The time passed more quickly and I can really get a good sweat going keeping pace with the rhythm and emotion of the music.

On the day I was born, the nurses all gathered 'round

And they gazed in wide wonder, at the joy they had found

The head nurse spoke up, and she said leave this one alone

She could tell right away, that I was bad to the bone

Bad to the bone

Bad to the bone

B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone

B-B-B-B-Bad

B-B-B-B-Bad

Bad to the bone

I broke a thousand hearts, before I met you

I'll break a thousand more baby, before I am through

I wanna be yours pretty baby, yours and yours alone

I'm here to tell ya honey, that I'm bad to the bone

Bad to the bone

B-B-B-Bad

B-B-B-Bad

B-B-B-Bad

Bad to the bone

I make a rich woman beg, I'll make a good woman steal

I'll make an old woman blush, and make a young woman squeal

I wanna be yours pretty baby, yours and yours alone

I'm here to tell ya honey, that I'm bad to the bone

B-B-B-B-Bad

B-B-B-B-Bad

B-B-B-B-Bad

Bad to the bone

THINK

I am getting my calendar ready for the new year. I have moved all my meetings over. I put my business card holder in the new calendar. And every year for the past 3 years or so, I write think on the inside cover as an acronym for these words; thoughtful, helpful, intelligent, necessary, and kind. I use think in two ways. If I am not sure if I should say something, I use it as a decision tool. If my comment has all five qualities, it's worth saying. The other way I use it is after I've put my foot in my mouth. Then think is another decision tool as to why I should have kept my mouth shut. So far I've found that my comments are usually thoughtful and intelligent but not always helpful, necessary or kind.

Excitement Comes With The Mail

My Gurney Catalog came today. I find it such a thrill to open the pages and look at all the lovely plants. I covet the free gifts. I drool over the Farmers 1 cent sale. Wow - perennial carnations! They come in a rainbow of colors! Two for $2.49 plus 2 for only 1 cent equalling 4 or $2.50!! Bright greenhouse beauties with spicy fragrance-the description is practically pornographic. Gurneys always has some incredible offering. This year it is a dwarf fruit cocktail tree. Listen to this description: Amazing one-tree orchard. Pick 6 delicious varieties from this unusual tree. Plant our Fruit Cocktail Tree when you don't have room for an orchard. Pick nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots all from the same tree. Harvest bushels of fruit. Have plenty for jams, jellies, canning, eating fresh and freezing. Self-pollinating and grows about 10 feet tall in full sun. Reach fruit from this little one tree orchard standing right on the ground. And that first bushel of fruit will pay for the tree. Blossoms in spring-fruit in fall. In spring your tree will be loaded with an abundance of blossoms. A spectacular sight for the whole neighborhood to enjoy. Too bad it doesn't grow in zone 4 otherwise I would have to consider buying one. I must show restraint. I need to remember gardening from last year which was basically a food shelf for the momma deer and her twins. This year I will adjust. I'm going with root crops. The deer won't eat root crops. Gophers might. Oh, they have a seed potato eye bargain collection! Maybe I want blue potatoes. Oh, elephant garlic. Oh, they have carrots in orange, red-orange, yellow and purple. Oh, they sell bird netting. Would that work for deer too? If I put bird netting over my sunflowers, tomatoes and peppers, would the deer leave it alone? OK, must finish blogging and start my order. If I order $20 worth I get a free gift!!

Project Feeder Watch Update

Saturday: 3 slate colored junco, 3 black capped chickadee

Sunday: 3 slate colored junco, one cardinal, one goldfinch, 5 black capped chickadee

I learned something new today. If I want to find the goldfinches, I need to stop looking at the commercial bird seed feeders and look at the seedheads of my black eyes susans.

Valkyrie

Two thumbs up for the movie, Valkyrie. Offspring #1 and I went to see it yesterday. We both enjoy history and WWII. The movie kept our interest. I found it strange to see Hitler on screen planning troop movements, petting his dog, talking with his officers, and eating his plate of carrots and potatoes (Hitler was a vegetarian). The movie highlighted how difficult it must have been to be a loyal German in those times, knowing the world opinion of Germany and the Nazi regime, knowing the end was coming, yet trying to be a good citizen. Many were between a rock and a hard place.

And I Saw Two

I read today that two condor fledged from their nest in December bringing the world's population of California condors to 169. Arizona has 67 condors, California has 83 and 19 reside in Mexico. This is significant because we now have more condors flying free than we have in captivity. The biggest challenge to condor survival is the lead shot used in bullets. The condors eat the dead animals that were not retrieved and die from lead poisoning. So thanks to all the hunters who use copper in their bullets instead of lead because unless we can reduce the lead poisoning, the condors may become extinct. When Offspring #2 and I toured the Grand Canyon several years ago, we saw two of these immense birds sitting on a tree branch.

Good Bye 2008

It was awesome!