Thursday, January 28, 2010

I'm BACK!


Well, gentle readers, it's been 12 days and counting since I stopped smoking.
I feel really good, I smell better!!!! and I want to get back to blogging.
Stories and photos on their way....

Young Coop

Monday, January 18, 2010

Watch this space

Everyone, please excuse the emptiness of this blog while I attempt to quit smoking.

I will be back when I have something pleasant to say.

:)
Wish me luck!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Non-sequiterous post

I made up that word. Yes, I did.

It snowed last week:
I like da snew momma
"I like da snew, Mamma."


Snowy Squirrel
I tried not to cuss as the snow fell, giving the kids yet another day off school.
I failed.


snowflake 1
It was pretty, as it fell (by southern Ohio standards) in massive amounts.
A light, fluffy snow that was easy to plow and keep ahead of.
Didn't keep the numbnuts out there from panicking and running off roads all over the area.

snowflake2




Empty, for now.....
Empty for now
January 15th is the"safe date" for nesting Great Horned Owls around here...some of the pairs start right on schedule. The Lake Isabella pair seems to favor the end of January into the beginning of February.
Click here and here for other posts about this nest.
Just a few more days until I can start checking the can obsessively.



Our neighbor walks right past one of the RSHA (the big orange lollipop) resting near our prairie:
RSHA and the unknowing neighbor

New River Update:
People started coming out of the woodwork after my last post...and there are a few spots still available at the Farmhouse. If you want to come along and have the time of your life, email me at capricorn1273@cinci.rr.com ASAP. There aren't many slots left for the festival...and we need to register NOW.

Thursday, January 07, 2010


(Photo by Laura Hardy)

If you read this blog, or the blogs of "The Flock", then you know how much fun we had in West Virginia last Spring.
The time is rolling around again, and so far, we only have two, maybe three Flock members going.
Consider this an official Welcome Mat to anyone who would like to come along to the New River Birding and Nature Festival April 26 through May 1, 2010. That is only about four months away, and if you want a SWEET deal on lodging and trips and the whole shebang, email me at:
capricorn1273@cinci.rr.com
The Farmhouse, a sweet rental property of Opossum Creek Cabin Rentals, has space for 8, with no one having to share a bed. (12 if we share beds....!) A package deal is VERY affordable...the more people, the smaller each person's share. There's a full kitchen, two bathrooms, and a HOT TUB ON THE BACK DECK.

If you missed the posts I did about New River, click HERE.

It's hard to describe what New River did to all of us. Yes, we laughed, we birded, we stooped in the mud crying over salamanders...but it was so much more than that, more far-reaching.
Some people I spent the week with, I knew already. Some I met for the first time.
The beauty of the West Virginia mountains, the lush plant life, the unbelievable birds we encountered, the absolutely STELLAR guides, the food, the presentations....adding all of us bloggers to that turned into magic.

The line-up for this year's presenters:

Monday, April 26 – Jim McCormac
Tuesday, April 27 – Mark Garland
Wednesday, April 28 – Jeff Gordon
Thursday, April 29 – Bill Hilton, Jr
Friday, April 30 – Julie Zickefoose
Saturday, May 1 – Bill Thompson, III and Julie Zickefoose musical performance

The festival registration website is a bit confusing, and don't panic at the prices. Email me and we can discuss the fees. Seriously, you want to do this.
(If we can't fill the Farmhouse, there are other cabins...but we should act fast. Please come along.)

Friday, January 01, 2010

A year.

So it's customary to take this time of year to reflect on where we have been in the past year, mentally and physically.
2009 was tough for those of us who aren't independently wealthy.
2009 brought us our first African American president. I finally voted for a winner.

And the blog morphed a bit, not so much that anyone would notice, but I feel differently about it than I did back when I began it in 2005.

The blog, in review:
(And subsequently, my year in review)
It's very linky. So just take your time...it's not like you have anything better to do, right?
Some of my favorites...whether they make me sad to read again or they make me laugh at myself.


January 1, 2009...birding with Kathi at Armleder.

February 4, 2009: The big Snow Adventure.

February 15, 2009: A Sleeping Storm.

February 28, 2009
: Earl Kills a Paper Bag.

March 1, 2009: A Ten-eagle day.

March 10, 2009: An Open Letter to a Stupid and Lazy person.

March 16, 2009: A gesture that shows why we all love Lynne.

March 30, 2009: Talking about Dad.

April 1, 2009: No April Fools.

April 18, 2009: Banding and Fostering a baby Great Horned Owl.

May, 2009: It was all about the New River Bird and Nature Festival. Here . And here (We Are Family). And here (Uh oh. The Lady in Red!). And here (Paco). And here (My Perfect Day).

June 20, 2009: I go back to West Virginia, then back to where I came from.

June 28, 2009: A walk in the woods with a Perfect Stranger, who is not longer a stranger.

July 10, 2009: It is not for you.

July 12, 2009: My Yoda.

July 27, 2009: Monarchs in my kitchen.

August 5, 2009: Pablo Neruda

August 25, 2009: Lorelei's first day of Kindergarten.

September 5, 2009: Hello. My name is Earl.

September 26, 2009: An Osprey just for me.

October 4, 2009: The coldest I have ever been in my life.

October 10, 2009: Why I love them.

October 28, 2009: My little girl in the Bahamas.

November 3, 2009: A flock and a Friend.

November 8, 2009: One Triangle Goose.

December 1, 2009: Why birds?

December 10, 2009: We are our own paparazzi.