Boing Boing Boing

Part of me hasn't returned from Australia.  Marsupials are still on my mind.  I look out the window and see "my" herd of five white tail deer and wonder what it would be like if I had a mob of kangaroos out there instead.  What if, at sunset, a mob of kangaroos came into the yard to browse?  Would I feel as safe being out in the back yard?  There are parts of Australia that are as overcrowded with kangaroos as we are with white tailed deer.  At Canberra, for example, kangaroos are being culled.  How odd to think that in Canberra, the capitol city, the nation's iconic animal are so numerous that shooters are hired.  Kangaroos are such odd animals.  They way they hop around is amazing.  Sometimes from the corner of my eye I caught a bouncing shape going "Boing" "Boing"  "Boing" and I would get a little freaked out.  Such a huge bouncy thing! Kangaroos use their tails as a third leg in balancing when erect and also in walking slowly.  The kangaroo will rest it's weight on it's tail, step with both feet forward, move the tail ahead and repeat.  Kangaroos can store sperm until the situation is right.  When the older joey is starting to graze and only needs supplemental nursing, conception will occur with sperm that is stored in the female.  When birth occurs, the female will lick a trail so the baby joey can more easily climb into her pouch.  Once in the pouch the joey will clamp onto a nipple. The nipple swells and fills the mouth.  With that nipple the mother kangaroo feeds the joey the  thick colostrum milk.  And with the other nipple she feeds the semi-independent joey skim milk.  The same mother produces two kinds of milk for the two joeys.  That is the fact I can't get over.  Two kinds of milk produced by the same female-isn't that simple amazing?  Have kangaroos evolved beyond all other creatures on this planet for efficient rearing of the young? 

First Bike Ride of the Year (6773 miles)

I went for the first bike ride of the season.  The Suzuki started on the second try.  I slowly puttered around my neighborhood to get my motorcycle riding motor skills back into shape and then I took off down Highway 47 to St. Francis.  Oh, the purr of the engine as it slides into 5th gear, the feel of the wind rushing up my sleeves, the tink sound of the bugs as they impact on my face screen, the encouragement of the little barky dogs as I pass by, the cold spots on the road, the other motorcyclists returning my greeting, the admiring of my shadow on the boulevard as we race  north and south, the smells, the wide open sky, the leaning into the curves and remembering to put my feet down at stop signs, and the fun of riding up the curvy hill of Highway 47 as it passes over Trott Brook - it's all so lovely. I can't tell you how much fun it is.

Yard Work Today

Today the weather turned halfway decent for a change.  I got out and did as much yard work as my aching back would allow.  I turned up the soil in 1/6 of the vegetable garden.  I turned over both of my compost piles.  One of them was really gross with clusters of white maggotty worms that could really creep you out if you had a problem with that sort of thing.  Lucky for me my revulsion is short lived.  I also cut up a portion of a tree that had fallen over a path I like to keep mowed. My right bicep and tricep got a good workout on that chore.  White throated sparrows with their colorful eyebrows were flitting about on the ground peeking under the leaves.  Brown headed cowbirds sat in the tree and made that noise that sounds to me like a small pebble being dropped down a really deep well.  Hairy woodpeckers were fighting over the suet.  Just like trucks on the highway, the bigger pecker wins.  Downy's yield to Hairys.  Hairy's give way to red bellieds.  Red bellieds give way to Northern Flickers. And every pecker gives way to the Pileated.  

Cake Testing

Today I got to go to a cake testing.  Seeing how I am now the MOTG (mother of the groom) I get to go to such events as cake testings.  This one was in Wayzata.  We had two plates with six cake slices on each plates.  Between each slice was a variety of fillings; two fillings per slice.  We each got our own fork, a napkin and a glass of water.  I had a great time tasting cakes.  What is not to like?  It's cake!  Back in the good old days wedding cakes came with bride and groom figures on top.  Not any more.  Fountains are also out.  Now cakes are decorated with fresh flowers and ribbons and fondant.  Fondant looks pretty but the taste is not there.  So what's it gonna be, you ask?  Round or square?  Vanilla, chocolate, carrot, red velvet, pink velvet, butter cream frosting, or fillings of Amaretto, strawberry/banana, strawberry by itself, white chocolate, raspberry, lemon curd, vanilla bean, Bailey's, chocolate ganache, or almond?  You are just going to have to wait and find out.  Except for the red velvet cake, no artificial dyes are used in these luscious cakes.  I just had to ask what they used if they didn't used food dye.  "Luster dust," he answered, "It's made from vegetables."  Now, you see?  If I wasn't the MOTG and if I wasn't invited to a cake testing, I would NEVER have heard about luster dust.  Or was it duster lust?  No, I'm pretty sure it was luster dust (picturing some debris falling off the jacket of a peeping tom).

I Passed The Frog Quiz

Before completing the frog and toad survey in the spring, I must complete and pass the frog quiz.  The test is a stretch for me  because I'm not used to being tested on my hearing. Taking the frog quiz is like trying to sign your name with your non-dominant hand.  Each year the quiz gets a little easier.  I think this is the fourth year we've done the survey.  I passed the test on the first try and got a score of 89.  A score of 65 is passing.  For the first time I can really tell the difference between a northern leopard frog and a pickerel frog.  Both of them are a slow snore but the leopard frog does some chuckling after the snore and that is the difference.  I put off taking the test because the frog survey keeps getting delayed. Normally we would complete the first of three surveys between April 15 and 30. This year we can't even start until May 7th. The poor frogs must be freezing out there in the swamps.  Here are some website if you want to look up some frog and toad sounds:  http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/Frogquiz/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.lookup

MOTG

Earlier this year, back in March in fact, I had an "OMG" post.  Now it is okay for me to announce that I will be a MOTG or Mother of the Groom.  Happy day!  Happy Day!  I am over the moon with excitement and joy.  MOTG if part of my vocabulary now.  I can use it up to three times in a single sentence.  And I did this triple MOTG mention at Macy's department store.  "Hello, I am looking for MOTG dresses because my son is getting married and I need a MOTG dress because I will be the MOTG."

Welcome Back

Birds are returning to my yard.  The sight of them lifts my spirits.  Even though the forecast and the weather don't look much like spring, see a chipping sparrow on the deck confirms the season.  I saw a hermit thrush bopping around the blue spruce in the back yard last Saturday while I was burning some branches.  A bluebird stood proudly on the septic tank pipe.  Don't get me wrong.  I like black capped chickadees, gold finches, white breasted nuthatches and woodpeckers.  But these early birds of spring, because of their migration absence, really make me happy.  I think the juncos and common redpolls have now left to go north to the arctic circle.  I haven't seen any all week.  The pileated woodpeckers, normally more sedate and elusive, have been crying and flying around the yard attracting attention like crazy.  I think two males are after the same female and my suet holder draws in all three of them.