Is it time for me to retire yet?

I have four presentations this week, one right after the next. One yesterday, one today, one tomorrow, and one on Saturday. I remember this feeling...from when I used to work full time.
Someone who is very familiar with gulls needs to help me with this:

At Armleder Park, yesterday.
I have to assume they are Bonaparte's, since that is the most common black-headed gull around here...but when I looked at the picture of them in flight, I see red legs. Franklin's?
I wasn't close enough to see their eye rings or lack thereof.
I would really like them to be Franklin's.

"Check out these lores, huh?"
I will be sorry to see our white-throated sparrows go. Such spunky little cuties.

Some of our squirrels are showing the battle scars of the dating game. Squirrels will give chase to each other, and they do quite a lot of tail-snatching.

Anyone wanna bet that Cinnamon with find something to disapprove of here?



Heck, I disapprove of this one. It's the cross street in front of our local high school. Think maybe those teenagers DON'T make big fun of this?

Birds, planets and comic strips on the ceiling

So many things happen some days, I have to choose what I am going to post about. If you are someone like Laura, you have this perfect post with relevant information to go along with her pictures. Or if you are like Julie (and let's face it, WHO IS?) anything you post is perfect.
Or, if you are like Mary, you can make any jumble of nonsense hilarious and readable.
Or Lynne, or Vicki, or Liza, or Mon@rch...
Okay, Susan, get it together and make a post of cohesion and weight.
...
...
Okay, I can't do it. Back to your regularly scheduled here-and-there post.
Today, I had time between dropping off the girls and a medical appointment. (More on that in a minute)
So I went and sat in my car and did some "car-blind-birding", and I am glad I did.
I saw a blue-gray gnatcatcher (didn't get a pic...no surprise there, the little fussy buggers)...

...and a brown creeper. I thought they were hard to find when I read about them in my field guide, but I have seen two in the last few months in different locations with ease. Yay, me.

They don't stand out much, do they?

I also got a picture of the rump of a yellow-rumped warbler. I have a soft spot for these guys, because they were the first warbler I ever saw outside of Magee Marsh.

"I'm your Venus, I'm your fire..."
Geoff and I had a few seconds of peace out on the swing in the backyard tonight, and I got this shot of Venus as it was rising in the West.
The reason we were outside in the first place:

We have a chickadee sitting in the sunflower nest box. That's her tail you can see in the entrance.
Now, the appointment.
(Geoff may cringe, but I don't mind telling people about certain things)
Hey, you men who read this...you can handle it. And you may learn something.
I had a "woman's" appointment today. I have been rather lax about keeping up my annual visits...as in, I haven't been there since Lorelei was born, three years ago.
What set a fire under me was that I have not had a period in almost three months. Pregnant? Nope. Already took a test and it was negative.
So, after that oh-so-lovely pelvic exam (and by the way, if you live in the Cincinnati area and need a OBGYN office, I highly recommend Seven Hills Women's Health Centers. They have both docs and midwives (I see the midwives) and they are great. Those midwives do the fastest Pap smear and pelvic on the planet. By the time you are just starting to read the comics on the ceiling, they are DONE)
Anyway...
My midwife and I discussed some of the reasons for my problem.
1. I could have temporarily low hormones, which could be fixed with a "Provara Challenge", where I take Provera for 10 days to "kick start" my cycles.
2. I could have a thyroid deficiency.
3. I could be diabetic.
4. I could have some unknown infertility problem.
So...I am waiting on the blood work results and we will go from there. If Geoff and I were done having children, I really wouldn't have anything to worry about (except for the diabetes possiblity). But we would like to have one more, someday.
Peri-menopause never came up, though I guess that's a possibility, too.
But I'm only 34! I am supposed to have many child-bearing years left, right?
So now you know.
Aren't you glad you checked my blog tonight?

A post heavy on the sublime...go get a sandwich, dial-up peeps

There were so many times today that I was overcome with emotion.
The beginning of the day was spent with Lorelei at a local park that I have been to countless times...but only part of it. We walked down a path where someone told me a great horned owl nest had been for years.
As we crossed the bridge and started down the first hill, it was as if we left modern America and had been transported to a quiet dell in some forgotten corner of the world.

And it just got better with every turn of the path:

The path followed a stream that was clear and cold and perfect. No trash, hardly any leaf debris, and with a sound that was soft and powerful at once.
I was moved to tears at every turn. Maybe I need to stop calling myself a hard ass, if a babbling brook can turn me into a babbling idiot.





There were lots of places where the path dipped just to the edge of the water, making it easy to step down and touch the stones and the ripples.

Lorelei thoroughly dug every minute.



I'm sure that on another day without wind and chill, the woods are full of birds. But today, lots of robins, one titmouse and this cute white breasted nuthatch looking skyward.
***
Later, after Isabelle got back from school, we took Nellie back to the dog park.
Someone called out, "Hey, Nellie!" I turned and saw Melanie, a tech at our vet's office. I just love it that she recognized Nellie before she recognized us.
I talked to her for quite a while, but some dogs in the "small dog" area caught my eye. The girls looked over and said, "Mommy! BOSTONS!!!!"


Two of them.
Maggie and Daisy, four year old sisters.
And the only way to describe there size is this:
Teacup Bostons.
Tiny.
Maggie was 10 lbs, Daisy 11.2 lbs.


And as sweet as the day is long.
I fell in love instantly.

Maggie liked to stay near "Mom", while Daisy played Keep Away with a tennis ball.

The wind was brutal again today, even with the sunshine. "Mom" bundled Maggie up in her coat. Know of any Bostons that will fit comfortably in your coat????

I tried to get a photo that showed just how tiny they were, but they are Bostons. Not likely to stand still for more than 0.5 seconds.
But look at Daisy with a standard sized tennis ball in her mouth. Her head was almost the size of the ball.

I want another Boston. One that is young and malleable so that we can teach it to love our cats.

Ironically, Nellie did better in the "small dog" area than the regular run. She has a few neuroses that keep her close to me, and is not good with more dominant dogs. The puppies and the mini-Bostons ruled over her. It was hilarious.

Blow me (down)

Good Lord, what a weekend.
Last night, I had an indoor, informal program that lasted about 2 1/2 hours at a country club. When I do informal programs, I perch the birds and just answer questions. Well, that and crowd control. The country clubbers got more and more drunk as the evening wore on, and I had to stop I don't know how many ADULTS from trying to pet the birds.
"Um, HELLO? Birds of prey? Dangerous? Any of this mean anything to you?"
Today, it was (supposed to be) an outdoor, informal program, meaning I put the birds on perches stuck in the ground. But anyone who was in southwestern Ohio today knew just how brutal the wind was. The event was a Kite Fest, so at least it was good for the kites. Not so good with birds who are desperately clinging to perches that are swaying in the wind.
The kestrel actually flew today. I was attempting to place him on a perch taped to a table, when he flew out of my hand (thank goodness for the two-hand rule) and he soared for quite a few seconds on the end of his tether. It was cool for a second, but getting scarier by the minute.
As I was describing Lucy's injuries to a reporter, one of the booths came crashing toward us, torn from the ground by the wind.
I threw myself in front of Lucy and the booth bounced off of me, thankfully missing her.
Okay. That was close.
As I was debating whether to take the coordinator's offer of moving inside, another booth came crashing down.
Alrighty then. Inside it is.

The second booth to come crashing down (I took this from along side my car, after getting the birds packed up to move inside) See the blue tent? The booth that bounced off me was right next to it. And Lucy had been perched about ten feet behind it.

I took some pictures of the kites from a safe distance after my program.
There were very cool things flying around...

This one is a scuba diver kite, and it looked just like a person swimming underwater.
I love informal programs, because all the birds can be viewed at once. But I also hate informal programs because there are always a few people who think they can reach out and pet one of the birds. Or the bozo who thinks that he can speak "falcon" and tries to get Lucy engaged in conversation, or can speak "owl" and hoots at the great horned owl. Now, the owl couldn't give a damn about a fool hooting at her, but Lucy really isn't into that. She panics and bates. Like she did today. I had the screech owl on my glove when Lucy decided to try and fly out a window. The tether was short, since we had limited space and she ended up dangling from the perch. Not good. So I had to quickly put the screech down, tie her up and then get over to Lucy and get her upright again. Jeepers.

Can someone explain something to me?
When an "expert" is giving a presentation (and I use expert loosely when talking about ME), why do some folks think that they know way more than the person speaking? I would never do that. Would you?

• I had a woman who kept telling everyone that the kestrel thought I was his "Mommy", because he kept bating and landing on my sleeve as I stood next to him.

• She tried to tell everyone that a peregrine falcon was nesting in her back yard.
  

(After questioning her to make sure that she wasn't living on top of the PNC bank building downtown, or at the power plant on the Ohio river, I decided that she had a red-tailed hawk in her yard. Cool, but definitely NOT a peregrine.)

• She warned anyone within earshot (and that was EVERYONE) that great horned owls LOVE to eat kittens. *Disclaimer: Yes, owls have been known to carry off pets. But only if they are starving to death and this is their last chance. Owls would like to eat anything BUT cats.
• She was quite the bird expert, that one. I talked twice as much as usual, politely correcting the information that she was giving out. I tried to ignore her after she smacked her daughter on the head for getting too close to one of the birds. Please forgive me for falling prey to stereotyping but...when a woman wears a men's flannel coat, has misplaced some of her teeth, and sports a mullet, she might not be the sharpest tool in the shed. Or maybe she was just having an off day. She could have been a nuclear physicist. But I doubt it.
  
• She confided in me, (quietly, thank God) that she had found a nestling of some kind and tried to feed it and it died. I just as quietly told her that she should have called us or any other rehab specialist to care for the bird. And I also quietly told her that it is illegal to keep any bird of prey without a permit to do so, and that if she ever finds another bird of any kind, to please call a rehabilitation center. She left after that.
  

I love to talk to the public. I think I was born to be a public speaker. But it's not easy.
Though as Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own, "It's supposed to be hard. Otherwise everyone would do it."
I'm tired. But I will try to stay awake long enough to visit other blogs and see what every one has been up to.

Where do pets come from?

A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to "Where do pets come from?"

Adam and Eve said,
"Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you any more. We are lonesome here, and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us."

And God said,
"I will create a companion for you that will be with you and who will be a reflection of My love for you, so that you will love Me even when you cannot see Me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve.

And it was a good animal.

And God was pleased.

And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail.

And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, " I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him
DOG."




And Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them.

And they were comforted.

And God was pleased.

And Dog was content and wagged his tail.
***

After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said,
"Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well."

And God said, I will create for them a companion who will be with them and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve.

And Cat would not obey them. And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat's eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings.

And Adam and Eve learned humility.

And they were greatly improved.

And God was pleased

And Dog was happy.


And Cat didn't give a shit one way or the other.

Blood, birds and buns

First, I have to give a shout-out to Kathi, aka katdoc, for her lovely contribution to RAPTOR, Inc. She has been trapping house sparrows in an in-nesting box trap. She accumlulated a bag full and I went and picked them up to take over to the RAPTOR freezers.
She said, and I feel the same way, that she hates doing this (after all, she IS a vet!) but it made her feel better that the carcasses were going to a good cause.
A funny moment, that I think Kathi didn't catch:
Her receptionist was watching this dead bird exchange, and I glanced over at her and smiled, but she had a look of such total revulsion and disgust and shock on her face. I guess she doesn't put up bluebird houses.
This ties in nicely with some pictures I got today. I took the bag o' birds to RAPTOR, and peeked in on the program birds. And the great horned owl scared the bejesus out of me:

Ack! Did she hurt herself?????
Nope...here's where the blood came from...(Scroll down if you have a weak constitution)





An eviscerated rat. I've never seen one so bloody before. Of course, I usually see the left overs as just a tail or some feet.
When I began volunteering at RAPTOR, there were many times I had to fight down the vomit. But as time went on, I started to see the rats and mice as just food. Sure, there were a few times I was tempted to take home a few of the cuter, live mice in the basement. But I resisted.
I think the whole "prey" thing can turn people off initially, as I can see it in the faces of new volunteers. But part of you hardens a little, working with not just the feeding of the birds, but the birds themselves. RAPTOR does everything in its power to heal and release the birds in it's care. But getting attached to any of them is a recipe for heartache. Many are released, and many of them die.
The best thing to focus on is how many are helped.
Now let's look at Lucy. That always makes me happy.

"I'm Lucy. Love me."
Now, anthropomorphism is something that we all engage in, whether it be our pets or the birds at our feeders. I know that animals don't think the way we do, but when I look at Lucy, I can almost hear her saying, "I'm a little nervous about you, but I will trust you, because I am one sweet damn bird."

You can see why Lucy became a program bird.
I call this her "Check, please!" pose.
And a giggle:


Now, that's my kind of company.

Wednesday Miscellany

A lot of nothing happened today. But I still feel the need to post about the nothingness.

I wish this had been in focus! It's hard to get good pictures of birds and kids. They never stop moving and they make you crazy.

Awwww...fuzzy sleepies.
I love Queen beyond all reason. She has been with me for all of her almost 11 years, and she is the perfect cat: Vocal, loving, and so what if she is missing 3/4 of her tail. She is one of a long line of tabbies that have owned me over the course of my 34 years. And Buddha and Powder aside, tabbies are the best cats to have around.


It takes three people to cut Nellie's toenails. One to cut, two to hold. She only gets them cut when we visit the vet.

We had some big weather blow through tonight. After a fully cloudy day, we got a break and saw some blue skies. And then a seriously heavy thunderstorm came through. We even had pea-sized hail. We haven't had hail for about 5 years...the evidence is still showing on the paint job on Geoff's car.

I love it when the clouds surround the house, like we are sitting in a huge bowl of mountains.

As I was taking pictures of clouds, a flock of unknown black birds flew over.


If the wrens had chosen a more secluded place to nest, I wouldn't be spooking the female out all the time. I took advantage of her leaving to do a quick nest check...Five warm, sweet pink eggs. The male has been scooping up spiders and Zick Dough and taking it around the corner to his honey.
A quick story with a happy ending:
I came down here a few days ago and noticed that the tray for the rat cage was slightly open. Open enough for a rat to squeeze through. Laverne was missing.
Damn.
I looked in all the places I thought she could go, but couldn't find her.
Finally, last night, I happened to look over at the TV and saw her sweet profile sticking out from the TV stand. I grabbed a few Cheez-Its and coaxed her out. She was freaked out and pretty bony, so I fed her and put her back in with her mother and sister. I was so afraid that either:
1. One of the cats had offed her and I would come across her in the next few days.
2. I wouldn't find her until we packed up the house someday and moved.
Sigh of relief. Those of you who have never had a pet rat just can't understand how cool and sweet they are. I guess it's human nature to shun rodents. Well, I am either higher evolved than most or just crazy. Your pick.