As the third rock from our Sun hurtles through space, tilting once again on its axis to soak up the rapidly approaching warmth, my mind spins too. The latest trip around the Sun, full of so many pages like a book.
And dispersed through my book, like chapter plates, the birds I love and respect, who also await the warmth from under a dusting of snow:
The last of the food supply with a skin of ice
gives way to moss and the antennae it throws out:
A rare blue in a flower unfurls and reaches out with fairy toes dipped in colored sugars:
A new generation will be born in a cup of softness from fur that I lovingly collected for months:
When the dogwood throws itself open in a thousand tiny glories,
fierceness gets a new face:
When it comes, the ice will fracture and our hearts and minds can expand once again, to ride the next trip around the Sun.
A male cardinal visited my car today, while I was in it... I thought he was just showing territory aggression, but after observing him for a while, I wonder if he was just in love with my car.
Very little crest-raising, very little battling the mirror image...
He spent a lot of time at the corner of the windshield, and made motions like he was drinking. Looking for liquid water?
Interestingly, he occasionally tapped on the glass, then preened that bald spot on his chest. He did this multiple times. OCD?
*Especially when you are in a work truck, making it extremely easy for me to tell on you. Because I WILL.
Hello everyone! I'm back, and with a story to share. I saw a flock of ring-billed gulls in the Kmart parking lot, so I thought I would grab some lunch and go over and sit with the gulls while I ate. While I was sharing my french fries with the flock, two different people came by and dumped huge amounts of bread and whatnot for the gulls. (Now I know why they congregate there) This was done in a furtive fashion, as if they didn't want anyone to know that they were doing it.
One of the gulls caught my eye as being different than the others. One foot dangled uselessly from his leg.
The general floppiness and the color of it told me that this was probably a dead foot and this poor dude wouldn't make it. I actually, briefly wondered if I could catch him and take him to a rehabber.
I came to my senses. This was a flighted bird, and I had no net.
This particular bird made me laugh out loud. He was ruling the parking lot with his head-throwing and bullying. I was enjoying all of the vocalizations...the typical 'gull' cries, weird gruff moaning, some very eerie chuckling...And check the camo...gulls are well suited for parking lots, at least in their first few years, aren't they?
I set the camera to "Video" to capture all the cool sounds. (Some people hate gulls....like I hate house sparrows. To each his own. Personally, I love gulls)
As the camera ran, a truck came barreling into the shot, scattering the gulls. I followed with my eyes instead of the camera...a township truck had intentionally tried to hit the flock of gulls. I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. I snapped out of it and used my binoculars to read the number on the truck and to get a physical description of the driver (he had parked and gone into Kmart). So here I was, with not only his truck number and what he looked like, I HAD VIDEO EVIDENCE of what he did. Hmmm...what's a girl to do? I emailed his boss at the township headquarters. It felt good. Oh yes it did.
Look for yourself:
But let's take the birds out of the equation. He is still driving diagonally across an active parking lot at about 40 mph. I am awaiting a response. And I will be certain to share that response with you.
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....
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.
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 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.)
