Winter Headquarters Already?

I got home after six o'clock tonight. I went to check on my flock of egg laying chickens.  I opened the egg door.  All the hens were snuggled together all tight in their bed. I politely asked them to move aside. As my hand drew out one warm blue egg I got to thinking - is the going to be the winter headquarters?  I was hoping to move the coop to a fresh spot of territory one or two more times in 2018.  Maybe that won't happen. Maybe winter has set in already and this is going to be where they will stay until spring.  In any case, I used that blue egg already in a batch of corn muffin which turned out to be a most delicious batch of corn muffins.

Short But Intense Conversation

Today was window cleaning day at my office. All window ledges needed to be cleared off.  I was in my office when the Squeegee Squad came in. I had a short but most intense conversation during the two minutes it took to clean my window. I started off by complimenting the catchy name of the company. The man wished he had thought of it himself.  I told him I went outside with some Windex and paper towels last month because there were bird droppings on the window and I didn't want to look at that all window.  He said he would take care of it because I shouldn't dirty my hands with that stuff. I told him I am used to it because I have chickens.  He asked if I cooked my chickens. I said I only eat the eggs because I don't eat meat.  Turns out he is becoming a vegetarian too. He told me what he had for breakfast that morning.  By then the windows were clean. He thanked me for the conversation and went on his way to the next window. I was pleased that two strangers could connect in such an real way in so short of a time.

Brunch!

The Ginseng Hunter

I am not sure why I picked up this little book called The Ginseng Hunter by Jeff Talarico. I think the cover drew me in.  Also the size was right.  I wanted a little book to read for a change. This story is set in Korea and it is about a solitary man. The man is a farmer and he hunts for ginseng to sell. He is across the river from North Korea. The North Korean guards study him and know all his habits. He is just a man doing the best he can. He farms and hunts and eats and sleeps. Sometimes he goes to town. He studies nature. He never travels very far from home.  His life sounds boring but it isn't. His life is actually full of drama.  I liked this book. I felt as if I was living in the mountains of Korea as I read it.

Deer Season

I can tell something is up in my neighborhood. Tensions are running high. The deer in the yard are anxious.  They look around more. They run instead of walk. The deer seem more reckless. More risks are taken.  I can almost smell the extra testosterone in the air.  The bucks have a one track mind. Under the spell of their own hormones they barely eat or drink. I read that the male deer can loose 20% of their weight during the rutting season. When the season is over some males will lie still for two full days and nights before getting up again to start browsing again. If I can get through this rutting season without striking a deer with  my car, I will be grateful.

Talk To The Wrist

This morning I had a meeting. I was the oldest person in the room. Three people were in their 50's.  Two others were in their 20's.  One of the 20 somethings got a phone call.  He excused himself and stepped out of the meeting room.  I could see, through the window on the door, his profile as he talked to whomever was on the phone.  He had his phone in one hand but he was speaking into his watch.  He has an Apple watch.  He was looking straight ahead and talking into his watch.  Just. Like. Dick. Tracy! If you don't know, Dick Tracy was a comic strip about a police detective that started in the 1930's and ended in the 1970's.  As I watched this fellow talk to his wrist, I realized that I am officially old.

Guess What I Saw!

Today on my walk around Laddie Lake in Blaine I heard a group of three crows angrily shouting.  I looked up to see what they were shouting at. There was a great horned owl. A GREAT HORNED OWL! At 11 a.m. I was looking a great horned owl in an oak tree with rusty orange leaves and a blue sky.  The owl was looking at me. The picture I took is not great but if you look close at the middle tree you will see a branch off to the left about a quarter of the way down the trunk.  Above and below that branch to the left of the tree you can see two crows.  The owl is sitting on the branch close to the trunk midway between the two crows.  I stood in utter awe of this amazing sight. The owl looked down at me. Then the owl spread it's wings and flew around the oak tree farther back in the park to another tree that had no leaves on it. The three crows followed it and began harassing it there. Holy smoke, was I a lucky duck today!