Progress

Why did I take Nellie along today when the girls and I went to the CNC?
Why, oh why?
We don't walk her very much on a leash, and I have been working with her when we do, trying to accomplish the "Dog Whisperer" thing of her walking alongside or behind me.
She doesn't seem to get it. I have never claimed that she was smart.
The highlight of a visit to the CNC (at least for the girls) is feeding the fish and turtles.

Nellie may be part Labrador, but it must be a small part. She does not like water.
Every time the fish would jump for food, she would back up until she was practically sitting on me. Sissy.
(Remember, this is the dog who is scared of tree swallows.)

We consider the visit a success if we see Arnold, one of three snapping turtles who call the lake home.
Look closely at this picture...just under the small turtle's tail. See that face? That's Arnold.

What is this? I found a few here and there around the Krippendorf lodge. I searched Wildflower Information but can't find this color. Green is not a color of flower you come across much.

I consider a visit to the CNC a success if I find any cool birds. And today, I found life bird number 141. On the driveway out of the center, I saw what I thought was a stick or leaf. I am so glad I stopped:

As soon as I got close, I knew what it was. A red-eyed vireo.
It must have been stunned by another car or something, because I was able to pick it up.


I showed the girls (Nellie isn't allowed to get that close to birds...she is also part bird-dog) and got some pictures. I mean, how often do you get this close to a live vireo?

Ow.
Ow.
Ow!
Okay, okay! I get the picture, damn it!
He or she may have been a little dazed, but was still able to bite the hell out of me.
I put it over in the underbrush to recoup.

Then, we swung by the Red Barn to check the construction progress:

I am so glad that the color choice for the siding was red, the same color the barn had been. I had originally thought a deep green would be nice, but the red makes it look perfect. And everyone around here calls it "The Red Barn", anyway.
New doors and windows, too!
Dinner at McDonald's. Yuck. But Shrek toys in the Happy Meals go a long way with tired kids.
And I remembered the robin sitting on a nest the last time we were there, so I walked over to see the progress:

Five (?) new baby robins. At least they aren't House sparrows.

Geoff actually took some time tonight to go out with a friend to see a movie. This happens very, very rarely. Thank goodness. He needs to unplug and get out of the house more.
So the girls and I went out in the back and I savagely attacked some weeds while Lorelei "helped" pile all of the weeds around the sycamore.

I am so glad my camera is surgically fused to my body these days. Lorelei put her hands on her hips and said, "Whew! We are doing a BIG job!"

And Lorelei gets her first, unassisted bird find.
She got tired of moving clumps of weeds and went off to swing on a tree branch.
She later came running to tell me that she had found "a bewd nest". Hmmm. Okaaaay.
I expected her to show me the chickadee nest or something (which is now empty...they fledged today), but instead, she lead me to the tree she had been swinging on.


A robin nest! About four feet from the ground in one of our maples. The only reason I know it's robins is that I have noticed a pair hanging out there lately.
Yay! More babies to watch!

Blog news: Word has it that Kathi (katdoc) will be starting a new blog, after receiving her new computer next week. What a cool blog THAT will be! She's smart, a veterinarian, she's hilarious, and she's a birder. That, my friends, is a winning combination.

Naked barn and a PET FOOD RECALL

Before taking the girls up for a sleepover at Swami's and Swamette's, we stopped at the Red Barn to see the deck being pried off.
I was hoping for some hard working, sweaty men, but all I got was hard working, cold men.

The barn has three levels, sort of. A basement that leads out to the ground level, a second floor for programs (ME!) and rehab, and a third floor loft that can be turned into a caretaker's quarters, if necessary.

(Back of the barn)
The view from the very top of the property. We also own land down the road for parking, etc.
I had walked all the way before the girls noticed that I was gone, and they came running.



I love this picture...Dan and Marc were straddling the struts on the front deck as they pried off the boards.

And no more front deck.

I filled up the trunk the best I could with the car seats in it, then after taking the girls to the YURT, I came back and filled up the car again. I plan on using the planks for a border around the prairie in our yard, and anywhere else we can use it. The wood is no good for any weight-bearing structure, but it will be awesome for around the yard.
Some of it is not too bad, but some of it is punky and worm-carved. Whoever built the deck onto the barn put it right up against the sides of the barn, and rain had nowhere to go but in the walls (there's some moisture damage inside). The new deck will have a gap between it and the outside of the barn, so this doesn't happen again.

The back barn doors look very, very high now.
Isn't the barn a gorgeous color? I'm glad it was decided to keep red as the primary color when we get new siding.

And now, a public service announcement:
Kathi asked me to post about this, since she is blog-less...

Menu Foods, Inc., based in Canada, manufactures dog and cat food at 3 US plants. The foods are sold in stores like Wal-Mart, Kroger's, Safeway, and PetsMart among others, primarily under store brand names (Pet Pride, Ol'Roy, Lil' Red, etc.) They also make Nutro/Nutro Max foods.

The "cuts and gravy"style foods manufactured at plants in Kansas and New Jersey have been recalled due to reports of kidney failure in pets who ate these products. A complete list of product names and codes can be found at www.menufoods.com/recall or consumers may call (866) 463-6738 for more information.

Because Iams has a contract with this company, P&G has also issued a voluntary recall on specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz., and 13.2 oz cans and on 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouches of wet dog and cat foods. Look for product codes that begin with the date code 6339 through 7073 and that end with plant code 4197. Codes can be found on the bottom of the cans (second line of numbers) and on the bottom left corner of the back of the pouches. Dry foods, treats, biscuits and sauces are not affected.

Stop feeding these foods immediately and contact your veterinarian if your pet has any symptoms of kidney damage (not eating, vomiting, drinking excessively, urinating excessively, or acting ill in any other way.) Iams/Eukanuba carry a 100% guarantee, and consumers can receive a refund for recalled foods.

Thanks, ya'll!

~Kathi