I feel really good, I smell better!!!! and I want to get back to blogging.
Stories and photos on their way....
Thursday, January 28, 2010
I'm BACK!
I feel really good, I smell better!!!! and I want to get back to blogging.
Stories and photos on their way....
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!
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, Mamma."
I tried not to cuss as the snow fell, giving the kids yet another day off school.
I failed.
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.
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:
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.
It snowed last week:
"I like da snew, Mamma."
I tried not to cuss as the snow fell, giving the kids yet another day off school.
I failed.
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.
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:
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
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.)
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.
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.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Running the gauntlet
The past few years, I have wised up and only asked for one or two things for Christmas. Sure I could tell people that I want socks, and clothes, a gadget that helps me find my keys, and an automatic bra warmer*. But I have learned that to make it easier for people who care about me, I just say I want ONE THING.
Last year, I wanted a Garmin. And Geoff delivered. Easy.
This year, it was simple. I wanted a triple-layer, 17-inch eagle glove from Mike's Falconry. A glove that has three layers of cowhide from the elbow all the way down to the tips of the fingers.
IMPENETRABLE.
If you are new to this blog, I handle some rather persnickety birds of prey and my arm resembles the arm of a person who indulges in heroin. I was tired of putting my limbs in mortal peril every time I took out one of our red-tailed hawks (big females with attitudes that defy any words to describe them).
So that's all I talked about....the glove. The eagle gauntlet. My arm and how much I like it to remain sealed in its protective covering.
My Mom delivered this year. It makes the decision easy for your mother when all you want is something that will protect the skin that she used to rub baby lotion into.
I lovingly rubbed melted Jess Grease into the new, beautiful masterpiece of leather-making.
The first bird I tried it on was my Lucy:
(Photo taken by balancing my camera on Lucy's rock perch, among the feathers, guts and feet of the previous day's meal of quail)
I tried it on Scarlet, one of our Red-tailed Hawks. She jumped around too much for a photo (I got lots of hawk-shaped blurs).
Priscilla the Barred Owl was next...
And let me just say that this glove, in all of its triple-layer glory, is overkill for our smaller birds.
A simple, single layer is all that is needed. Their feet, while armed with pointy ends, are not really strong enough to puncture more than one layer of leather.
But I will be using the new glove anyhoo.
:)
I couldn't even feel Storm's feet through all of that leather. For all of his bravado, his feet are small and dainty.
I enjoyed watching those dainty feet scrape and gouge the new leather:
The more I use the glove, the softer and more pliable it will become.
It was time to try it on Isis, our leucistic Red-tailed Hawk.
Isis is a very large RTHA. A rather strong RTHA. A rather jumpy RTHA. A RTHA who squeaks like a dog toy.
I went in to get her today, and after a minute of fake-out jumping and squeaking, I got hold of one of her jesses and lifted her. She was NOT coming quietly, and struck out with her free foot.
And she found the only vulnerable area on the entire glove...the tips of the fingers. All of that leather needs to be sewn together somewhere, and just one of her eight talons sliced through the seam on the end of my third finger.
I got her off my hand and went to the barn. I took off my glove and there was a nice ribbon of blood unfurling from the end of my finger.
Deep and messy. Not serious, but..... I got to thinking that I hadn't had a tetanus booster in a while. Like 20 years or so.
When I first started at RAPTOR, someone suggested that I get a booster, because I WOULD get hurt at some point. That was nearly four years ago. Did I listen? Nooooooo.
So I spent the afternoon today waiting in an Urgent Care office to get a booster shot.
Sylvester:
"I disapprove of you bleeding."
* Come to think of it, that's not a bad gift idea.
Last year, I wanted a Garmin. And Geoff delivered. Easy.
This year, it was simple. I wanted a triple-layer, 17-inch eagle glove from Mike's Falconry. A glove that has three layers of cowhide from the elbow all the way down to the tips of the fingers.
IMPENETRABLE.
If you are new to this blog, I handle some rather persnickety birds of prey and my arm resembles the arm of a person who indulges in heroin. I was tired of putting my limbs in mortal peril every time I took out one of our red-tailed hawks (big females with attitudes that defy any words to describe them).
So that's all I talked about....the glove. The eagle gauntlet. My arm and how much I like it to remain sealed in its protective covering.
My Mom delivered this year. It makes the decision easy for your mother when all you want is something that will protect the skin that she used to rub baby lotion into.
I lovingly rubbed melted Jess Grease into the new, beautiful masterpiece of leather-making.
The first bird I tried it on was my Lucy:
(Photo taken by balancing my camera on Lucy's rock perch, among the feathers, guts and feet of the previous day's meal of quail)
I tried it on Scarlet, one of our Red-tailed Hawks. She jumped around too much for a photo (I got lots of hawk-shaped blurs).
Priscilla the Barred Owl was next...
And let me just say that this glove, in all of its triple-layer glory, is overkill for our smaller birds.
A simple, single layer is all that is needed. Their feet, while armed with pointy ends, are not really strong enough to puncture more than one layer of leather.
But I will be using the new glove anyhoo.
:)
I couldn't even feel Storm's feet through all of that leather. For all of his bravado, his feet are small and dainty.
I enjoyed watching those dainty feet scrape and gouge the new leather:
The more I use the glove, the softer and more pliable it will become.
It was time to try it on Isis, our leucistic Red-tailed Hawk.
Isis is a very large RTHA. A rather strong RTHA. A rather jumpy RTHA. A RTHA who squeaks like a dog toy.
I went in to get her today, and after a minute of fake-out jumping and squeaking, I got hold of one of her jesses and lifted her. She was NOT coming quietly, and struck out with her free foot.
And she found the only vulnerable area on the entire glove...the tips of the fingers. All of that leather needs to be sewn together somewhere, and just one of her eight talons sliced through the seam on the end of my third finger.
I got her off my hand and went to the barn. I took off my glove and there was a nice ribbon of blood unfurling from the end of my finger.
Deep and messy. Not serious, but..... I got to thinking that I hadn't had a tetanus booster in a while. Like 20 years or so.
When I first started at RAPTOR, someone suggested that I get a booster, because I WOULD get hurt at some point. That was nearly four years ago. Did I listen? Nooooooo.
So I spent the afternoon today waiting in an Urgent Care office to get a booster shot.
Sylvester:
"I disapprove of you bleeding."
* Come to think of it, that's not a bad gift idea.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Book Review: Oscar and Olive Osprey: A Family Takes Flight
If you have a young birder (or any young person, because frankly, all children should learn more about nature) on your Christmas list, you can't go wrong with Janie Suss' biography of a family of osprey.
Long known as the "Bird Lady" in her neighborhood, Janie sees the need for more nesting sites for the multitude of osprey who live near the Chesapeake Bay. She convinces her husband to help build a nesting platform at the end of their pier, and so begins a year-long journey she takes with the two adult osprey who choose her creation to begin a family.
The book chronicles the trials and joys of Oscar and Olive, and later, their offspring, as two osprey become a family. Janie lovingly writes of the parallels of a bird family and her own: The love of parents for their children, and the sometimes challenging job of being a sibling.
Written mostly from the *ospreys' point of view, it is an easy read for children and a book that begs to be shared by parents and kids alike.
*(Anthropomorphism isn't something that I endorse, usually. But this story can help bring a child closer to the knowledge that birds do care about their children, just as human parents care about theirs.)
The end of the book has resources for building your own osprey platform, and some fun facts about osprey. (I will interject this: One small correction...osprey are not the only raptor to possess opposable toes.)
A fun, light story to bring children closer not only to the lives of birds, but a lovely story about family, either feathered or otherwise.
Click here to order.
My rating: One and a half wings up!
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