Hodge-podge and a convicted sex offender at the end

Yesterday, I was on the phone with Trixie, discussing things like beading, Sarah Pahlin and sick kids. I saw a raptor-shaped flash out in the backyard. I stood up, and there was a red-shouldered hawk on the fence by the prairie:
"Trixie...there's a red-shouldered hawk in my yard."
"Omigod, really????"


Haven't seen too much raptor activity this summer. The appearances are cyclic.
No bands on this guy.


And then Trixie had to one-up me by talking about the northern harrier hanging out at her house.
Kill-joy.

Isabelle likes to bead whenever I have my beading stuff out. She made a necklace and a bracelet for two of her classmates:

I gave her the planning tray so she could see what the finished project would look like. She did alternating red and purple beads, and it took her almost an hour to string them all. It was perfect. Lorelei's more of a wide-variety jewelry designer.

While waiting for the school bus, I was bored and shooting macro shots of the street. I was pleasantly surprised at the texture hidden there:


Each of these stones are about 1 centimeter wide. A tiny wave of rose quartz, diminutive flecks of blue. Beauty is all around us and we just have to stop and look around once in a while (I think that's a Ferris Bueller reference).

As the bus was arriving, a four-leaf clover peeked out from the weeds growing around the storm drain:

I've read that scientists have isolated the gene that makes a clover grow four leaves, so finding one is not so lucky anymore. Who cares. I found it on our anniversary, so I pressed it and put it in a bag with the date. When we are old and in the Home, we can read the bag and reminisce.

We have been watching this grasshopper in the prairie for a few weeks. Always on the same plant, not too interested that we are near:

The biggest grasshopper in the world. See? It's as big as Hooper!

I had a great program today at a retirement village near RAPTOR. About 100 seniors, which is a nice change from cute little rugrats. I can pull out different jokes with adults.
Storm was fiery as a firecracker, as usual.

But he's also very patriotic.

Now the bad story:
I was just telling Geoff about this nice lady I met while waiting for Isabelle's bus. Lorelei and I had both the dogs with us, and as this lady was getting out of her car, her dog got out too and did her business in their yard. Nellie is usually mildly interested in other dogs, but Hooper does his big loud YODEL and dances on his hind feet and paws the air with his front feet.
This attracted the attention of the nice lady and her daughter, so they came over. Adorable little three-year old (hearing impaired...got to brush off some of my sign language skills on her).
So I was telling Geoff this nice story, and he laid this one on me...
While doing a story about types of neighbors for one of his magazines, he came across this website (I've searched stuff like this before, but it's been years.)
Family Watch Dog.
And there's a convicted sex offender living one street away. He's 21, and while it doesn't go into gross details, it says "sexual conduct with a minor" which sounds like he was maybe dating someone underage, like a seventeen-year old? I know they specify if the victim is under the age of 13....but still.
We looked further and there are a disturbing number of sex offenders in the area (like, more than ZERO!) A few old nasty-looking crackers convicted of "illegal use of Minor in Nudity-Oriented material or performance", and a strange-looking little woman living near Lorelei's school.... convicted of RAPE.
What. The. Hell.

I've shot this otherwise nice post all to Hell and back, but there ya go.