Pop Culture Revue

I forgot to get a Mega Millions ticket yesterday. I hear that two people won the $370 million. We bought one when it was $256 million. I think a dollar for a dream is a bargain. Greg and I talked a little bit about what we would do. We've played this game so often that we don't even need to talk about what we'd do for US -- we found ourselves talking about what we'd do for others. Getting our sisters established in their own homes. Making sure that our parents were retired in comfort. Setting up a foundation for public education for the schools in our community. Funding the pipe dream real estate project for a friend that we believe in and have helped with his project for 3 years. Heck, that would barely put a dent in it. Fun to dream about what we'd do if money truly were no object! (Which is not to say that I don't have deep, dark fears about what that sort of money would do to me and my offspring as well.)

I forgot to watch American Idol last night. AHHHHH! Greg is out of town and my whole schedule is out-of-whack. I don't sleep well when he's away. Both kids are sick anyway so I wouldn't have wanted them staying up late. I avoid the mainstream media for the most part so it was news to me that Antonella Barba has some trashy pictures circulating the internet. I have to say in all the hype that I read last night, I kept thinking about her parents and how sad they must be to see their daughter selling herself so cheaply by allowing pictures like that to exist. I don't think the girl can sing well enough and I don't think she should still be on the show but I feel really badly for her parents. Also, in the course of my late night surfing, I stumbled onto the existence of a website called Vote for the Worst. They pick the one or two singers they think are the worst on AI and encourage people to vote for them to up the drama on the show. Antonella is their pick right now. All that aside, I didn't care for her attitude. It seems very clear -- from the way she interacts with the judges -- that she thinks she's doing just great and doesn't need to do anything different. Now, maybe that's a brave front and I'm misjudging her (remember that I haven't seen last night's show -- yay for TiVO) but add all this together and she is not someone that I care to watch much more of this season.

Blogger vs. WordPress. In my avoidance of work, surfing the internet to avoid missing my husband, blur last night, I decided to play with WordPress and see what I thought of it. I kind of like it. There are a few features that I like a lot better than Blogger. The most important to me is the ability to see your recent comments -- I'm forever stumbling back through posts to see if I missed any comments -- but I didn't like getting emailed everytime I got a comment either. So, that's a big one for me that would be useful. I'm impressed with how easy it was to set up and import all my old blogger posts. I think I could even import my really old posts from back when I used TypePad with no difficulty which would include my really, really old Blogger posts and give a complete history back for several years. That would be nice -- just for me, not for anyone else, probably. Anyway, my question is this . . . what do you like about the platform you are using? What do you like or dislike about reading blogs on the other platform?

Oh, and you can see what I've done so far -- should you have nothing better to do:

Egret's Nest
Chickadee Chatter

Quick child update . . . Gage is responding well to the antibiotics -- yay! Ruthie's cough is getting worse -- boo! And, I woke up with one eye gummed shut this morning -- boo! I hope we can hang on to some semblance of health well enough to get through this week. Fingers crossed!

Ruby Tuesday: Happy Birthday To Me!

Quick Birthday Report and then it's "all Ruby; all the time."

It's a good thing my day on Sunday was wonderful because Monday wasn't that great a birthday. The kids woke up in foul moods (okay, okay, they are both sick but still . . . ). Gage has an ear infection and was one miserable kid. Ruth just didn't want to go to school and I was gonna pay for it. Sigh. My scale was not kind to me (subject for another post). No one wished my happy birthday until I was already wracked with Mommy-Guilt about Gage's ear and how much trouble it was going to be for him to stay home go to the doctor. Sigh. But things got better once I was at work. They know how to party at a school. Half-the-staff (only a slight exaggeration) are Pisces and so we had a lot of birthdays smashed together to celebrate but they picked Monday to celebrate so I got to feel a little extra special. Singing. Cake. Lots of well-wishing. Being told I was too young to complain about my age. That's all it takes! :) Even my 4th grade math class sang to me -- so sweet! Met Greg and Gage at the doctor's office. We're treating the ear with OTC but I have a prescription if I need it. Greg had to go run his errands after school so off he went. He suggested chinese food so I didn't have to cook which was FINE with me. We had a nice chinese dinner in front of TV. And then I got Greg packed for his trip (he leaves today for Boston) and then I got very indulgent and played computer games (we're setting up an older Mac for the kids with a bunch of fun, older games that they are finally old enough to play). At around midnight, Gage came in with a sore ear again -- bad enough to wake him up. Meds, meds, meds and a round of sitting on Mom's lap before he could get to sleep again. I'm going to fill the prescription today. Poor kidlet.

Now, on to Ruby.

Ruthie took this photo -- cute, huh?

Ruby is such a delight. Here's what I like about her and her breed.

• She's mellow around the house. Her favorite thing to do is curl up in a ball on your lap. Woe be unto those who disturb her princess-ness, baleful glances will come your way.
• She's playful. She's feeling comfy at our house now and with the kids and she is playful and silly. She LOVES balls. We got her a teeny-tiny tennis ball and she loves to chase it around the house. Ruth played with her for a good 1/2 hour last night and they both had a blast.
  
• She's naughty! She can. not. stop. getting. tissues. out. of. the. trash. But when caught, she immediately rolls over submissively and shows her belly, all but whimpering how wrong she is -- but five minutes later, back in the trash again. Naughty thing!
  
• She's finally chillin' about the kids. Kids scared her but she's gotten used to mine now. Hey, they scare me sometimes too! :) She'll still chose Greg or me to sit with first but if we tell her no thanks, she'll go jump up with Ruthie as a distant third -- two weeks ago, that would have been impossible.
  
• She's hell on squirrels. I have four of the fattest, sassiest squirrels you've ever seen. They plant themselves on my feeders and chow down. They eat SO much and then cart even more off and bury it. They keep the birds away. They'll rip feeders down and destroy them. Rotten little hoodlums. But no more. Ruby is on the job. It's amazing. She watches for them. She's absolutely silent on the hunt. Thankfully, they always have a 5 or more foot head start on her because she gets so close to catching them. She is absolutely serious about these squirrels. Instincts are amazing and powerful.
  
• Oh, yea, and she's really cute and she loves to give kisses!
  

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday!

Moving along the project

P1040222.JPG
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

This morning, Greg asked me what I wanted to do about my birthday. His gift to me is still my camera! :) But he wanted to help the kids get something for me. My mind was still on the painting I did yesterday and I suggested getting the wine barrels set up. So, we did.

Of course, the kids had to tell me that they were going to give me some stinky, old, used socks for my birthday first. Aren't I raising little angels?

We went off together -- all of us, including Ruby. In one of the nearby towns, there is a nursery that sells wine barrels -- 2 for $40. I have been coveting them for years. Well, today was my day. We got two barrels, three big bags of soil, and some geraniums.

Fresh burst of spring color!

The barrels are real wine barrels -- the ones we got had red wine in them. They are fresh from the winery and just cut in half. That's it. So, there is still a strong red wine smell to them and they are full of mold and mildew that's been growing on them. But they are huge and beautiful. When we got home, Greg moved them to the backyard and I hosed them out and then bleached them and hosed them out again. They looked great but I must say the aroma of red wine and bleach is an interesting one.

I'm sparing y'all the picture with the green mold in the water!

The next step was drilling holes in the bottom of the barrels for drainage. Needless to say, I called on my big, strong, burly, manly men and told them to bring power tools. They came running!

Greg did the drilling. Gage tried to turn the barrel over for me. Not gonna happen. They are HEAVY!

Next, I filled them with the soil and called the kids to help me plant. We dug and planted the beautiful little geraniums (really pelargoniums rather than scented geraniums) and watered them in.

Throughout the day, I kept getting distracted by the birds. They could care less that I was out in the yard -- or even standing within arms reach of the feeders. The feeders are outside my kitchen window and therefore are very close to our deck and back door. These brave little birds were coming and visiting and chirping at me despite my proximity.

Ruby also stayed with me for the entire project -- Ruthie took this picture of her. She's wonderful company!

A great early birthday present for me. (Ruthie took this picture)
Tomorrow . . . 43 years old.

I love the Internet

Chickadee by Paula
Originally uploaded by momma_pajama_art.

So, I'm checking the responses to my latest poems on Chickadee Chatter and a woman writes that she thinks I'll like her latest painting . . . it's of a chickadee. And, I do like it, don't you? Her blog -- Momma Pajama -- is in my Bird Blog roll now. Her other bird paintings were just as charming!

I had a good day today. We did a lot of nothing much and I got a few projects done. The first one was to paint the ugly shed in the backyard.

Before:


After:


Thankfully, this was only phase one of beautifying this ugly shed. Phase two will be to get some wine barrels and some climbing guides and plant something pretty and climbing to hide most of it. The green is just to be a better backdrop than the ugly faded beige was. I hate spray painting though. It gets everywhere. Blech.

Still, it feels good to get a project done! The other one was somewhat less satisfying . . . we went shopping for some new pants for Greg. He's going on a business trip on Tuesday and I realized that he really doesn't have what he needs clothing-wise. We had fun though -- it's so nice doing trips like this with the kids now that they are older. When they were little we always had to plan around naps and moods and take strollers and diaper bags and . . . ahhhhh! I'm so over that now!

So, a quiet Saturday. I saw some great birds in the backyard -- nothing special just noisy, silly Chickadees, brave Juncos, California Towhees, and a Pygmy Nuthatch. So cute!

Meme: Book List

Look at the list of books below:

• Bold the ones you’ve read
• Italicize the ones you want to read
• If you are reading this (and haven't participated yet), tag, you’re it! (But only if you want to be it!)
  
• If there are any books on this list that I didn't italicize and you think I should read, let me know in comments.
  (FYI, I cleaned this list up a LOT -- alphabetized it and added the entire author's name for all the books)
  

1. 1984 (George Orwell)
   I hated and despised this book. I was forced to read it in high school and other than a great ad for a new computer and some great anti-government catch phrases, I see little good that came out of it.
   
2. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
3. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
4. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
   Reading Literature (capital L intended to connote a fancy upper crust snobby accent) is one of my "before I die" goals
   
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
6. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
   I'm fairly sure I read this one but I'm not positive
   
7. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
   I may have already read it -- I know I've heard McCourt interviewed on NPR so I have heard alot about the book.
   
8. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
9. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
   No, thank you. Depressing and too long. I'll pass.
   
10. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
11. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
    The Fountainhead was enough Rand for me.
    
12. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
13. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
14. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Helen Fielding)
    Read it and the sequels.
    
15. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
16. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
    Read it about 400,000 times. Still cry at the end.
    
17. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
18. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
    (See note above on Anna Karenina)
    
19. Dune (Frank Herbert)
    Read it, read the sequels, saw all the movies. Snore. I really didn't like these but read them because my husband did and loved them. I kept waiting for them to get better! :)
    
20. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
21. Emma (Jane Austen)
    Love all the Austen, Bronte Sisters stuff!
    
22. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
23. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
24. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
25. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
    Read it about 100,000 times. Great book. Loved it so much I tried to read the Mitchell Family approved sequel but quit in the middle (if I even made it that far) and decided that the Mitchell Family were greedy and needed a good slappping.
    
26. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
27. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling)
    Love Harry Potty and all the other books in the series. I'm a series fan. I love reading series books. But, why is this series here in all its glory and other series authors only have one book listed. Strange list to be sure!
    
28. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling)
29. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling)
30. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)
31. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling)
32. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
33. In The Skin Of A Lion (Michael Ondaatje)
34. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
    Read it because it was the thing to do. Anne Rice is interesting and quite honestly I prefer her erotica to her vampire/creepy things that go bump/ books.
    
35. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
36. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
37. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
38. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
39. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
    All time favorite book. I'm waiting anxiously for Ruthie to be old enough to read this book and share the glory and tissue box with me.
    
40. Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
    See note on 1984 and multiply by 1,000 to come close to my hatred for this book.
    
41. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)
42. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
43. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
44. Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck)
45. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
    I would like to read some Marquez and this one seems a good one to start with.
    
46. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
    Now, see, this is what I'm talking about. All the Rowlings book but only one Gabaldon book. Her books are amazing -- everyone I've ever recommended them to loves them -- including my father-in-law who is notoriously difficult to please in terms of books and movies and couldn't be more different from my personal aesthetic in terms of reading material.
    
47. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
48. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
    I loved this book so much that I even read the ridiculous sequel that came out about 10 years ago.
    
49. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
50. Shogun (James Clavell)
    I may have read this one but I'm not sure.
    
51. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
52. The Bible
    Well, I've read parts of it.
    
53. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
    Pretty sure I read this one prior to seeing the movie.
    
54. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
    See early notes on The Lord of the Flies and reduce loathing by about 80%.
    
55. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
56. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
    Yes. Read it, loved it, read all the sequels. Own them in hard back.
    
57. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
    Haven't read it, don't intend to, but must say, I love the sandwich!
    
58. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
    Yes. Read it and loved it. Unashamed of my love for the ideas behind this book.
    
59. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
60. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
    Want to read it and see the movie.
    
61. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
    My husband is an architect and therefore this book is required reading. It's good and I'm glad I read it but I was so done with it that I've never read another Rand book and don't intend to -- some authors can only be taken in small doses!
    
63. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
64. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
    Another small doses author. We live near Steinbeck country but I'm not a fan.
    
65. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
    Loved Gatsby.
    
66. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
    Hated this book. Oh, don't get me wrong -- it was excellent but so dark and depressing that I found it hard to get through and it left a black cloud over me for a long time.
    
67. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
    Loved it and all the series. Totally fun.
    
68. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
    Fantastic book. Plan to read it to the kids this summer.
    
69. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
70. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
    Loved it and all the series. Have read most of the series to the kids.
    
71. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
    Great book. Loved it. Have read it multiple times. Totally don't get it.
    
72. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien)
    Loved it and the entire series.
    
73. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (J.R.R. Tolkien)
    
74. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien)
75. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
76. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
77. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
    Haven't read this one but I did read Message in a Bottle. Thought it was predictable and boring and didn't bother to see the movie.
    
78. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
    Required high school reading (not by the teachers, by classmates)
    
79. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
    Loved this book. Read it because of Greg's career again but it was awesome.
    
80. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
81. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
82. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
83. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
    I've read everything I could by her. It's awesome. She's reputed to be an ancestress of mine. But, as my mother says, my grandmother (whose maiden name is Burnett) would like to think that every famous Burnett is a relative -- Hi Cousin Carol!
    
84. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
85. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
86. The Stand (Stephen King)
    Why is this the book for King on this list? Why not Carrie or The Shining? I think I read this book because my sister liked it and told me too. But, I'm pretty sure I didn't like it.
    
87. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
90. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
    It was good and I saw the entire mini-series but didn't like it enough to read anything else by McCullough.
    
91. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
    Loved this book. Will re-read at some point.
    
92. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
    Read it. Liked it. Saw the movie. Decided the whole thing was just too weird for me. :)
    
93. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
    Loved it. Awesome.
    
94. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
95. Ulysses (James Joyce)
    My stepfather's favorite book. I don't get Joyce and don't really want to. Probably a held-over teenage rebellion of some sort.
    
96. War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
97. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
    Read it. Liked it.
    
98. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
99. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
    Read it. Loved it. Read most of the series. But I was also reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and they had so many similarities that I decided I didn't need to read both of them. Wheel of Time required such an investment of time and energy that I decided to stick with that one. To be honest though, Jordan really ought to offer someone a degree of some sort for reading the entire series and sticking it out. :)
    
100. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
     See earlier note about Bronte sisters and my adoration for their works.

Now, books I think should be added to this list:

I think some genre books should be added to make the list more complete:

1. what about anything by Agatha Christie? Or some other great mystery writers?
2. what about some great romance works? Think that's an oxymoron well I disagree! I enjoy many romances -- some are truly drek but some are wonderful. If someone wants to read something that is well written as well as being romantic and sexy, then I'd start with Nora Roberts and LaVryle Spencer. The classic bodice ripper book that really took Romances to where they are now is Kathleen Woodiwiss' The Flame and the Flower. I also highly recommend J.D. Robb's crossover scifi/mystery/romance In Death series. (J.D. Robb is really Nora Roberts writing under a nom de plume).
   
3. We've got fantasy in there but what about Science Fiction? There are some amazing Sci Fi authors out there. Heinlein, McCaffrey's Ship Series or Planet Pirates series are some of my favs but there are hardcore SciFi authors that I don't enjoy who are critically acclaimed.
4. Heck, if you are going to do a comprehensive list of books, don't you think a western should be on the list? How about Louis L'Amour or Larry McMurtry?
   

An exhausting day

I love my job. I am a teacher. I work part-time at the same school my children go to as the Math Coordinator. That is a fancy way of saying that I do math tutoring for students who are struggling in math. My job is complicated and satisfying. I don't get paid enough but I still love my job. Because I make no effort whatever to hide my identity, I can't talk about my job a lot. Talking about my job would truly be telling tales out of school in a most unprofessional way.

I came to teaching elementary school students later in life. I just finished my teaching credential in December. I am still a novice teacher. Becoming a teacher when I was already experienced at work and teaching (adults) as well as already being a mother to my own children has given me an interesting perspective, I think. And, I have learned a LOT from this process.

My respect for teachers has grown exponentially since I've been doing the job. Today was the day at my school that we hold meetings about students who are struggling. The parents come in and meet with a team from the school including our Resource Specialist, Literacy Specialist, a lower grade teacher, an upper grade teacher, the District's psychologist, the student's classroom teacher and any other professionals who may be valuable to the process. And, that's where I come into the meetings. When the classroom teacher requests it, I make myself available to attend the meeting for the students I work with. The process is a very healthy and respectful one but it is still painful. We definitely keep tissue on hand for the parents. Their anxiety is palpable during these meetings. It is never easy being told that something is wrong with your child or simply that something isn't working for your child. So, the parents are always very stressed about this process. As a professional who works with these children, we care about them deeply. This is a small school and we watch kids grow and change from year to year and we care about them.

Our hope is that these meetings result in positive changes for the children. I've been to a few of these meetings and I've been very pleased with the results. But, it's a hard, exhausting day. I came home today and put on comfy clothes and watched mindless tv for awhile. My brain needed a break!

On a birdy note, the ravens are so present at school right now. Spring is in the air and they are loving on each other. A 2nd grader was telling me that she noticed how a raven was kissing his wife raven! I loved it. We also saw a raven on the roof of one of the classrooms doing a public service for the school. The kids regularly kick balls on the roofs and this raven took a small football and dropped it off the roof. The kids were amazed!

Don't you love this silly raven? He's skipping out to play at recess!

A dark and stormy night

A dark and stormy night
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Yup. That's what it was. Cold, too. (Well, for us anyway!)

I know that picture is hard to see but that's the creek behind my house and all that stuff in the air is rain so thick it's hard to see through it. I ran out and took this picture -- it wasn't that dark but using the flash gave it that very surreal effect.

Anyway, I came back in the house and I kept hearing this strange squeaking noise. I finally realized it was coming from the front porch. I carefully opened the door and saw two Chickadees. One had the prime location and the other was NOT happy at being left out. My front porch is covered in wisteria vines and the chickadees regularly roost there. But it was so cold and rainy that they were really hunkering down. I went and got my camera and one of them was still there . . .

I like this last shot of it though looking out at the rain like he's thinking, "Will it never end?"

I love Chickadees though. There he (she?) is on the porch, sheltered from the storm. I come out onto the porch with my camera, snapping shots with flash going off and the chickadee is like, "Whatever . . . just don't make me go out in that rain!"

No worries! You are welcome to stay! It's dry, if not warm!

Snow level is due down to 1500 ft tonight. We live at 800 so I think we're safe. The kids will be so disappointed. I have to say that waking up to a dusting of snow would be a nice surprise for me too!

"Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby's doing great!
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

We couldn't blame Ruby when she didn't want to go out in the rain yesterday -- it's been awful! A little dog in all that rain . . . she could drown! So, what's a little girl to do but find a cozy spot and curl up. What do you mean I'm only allowed on the furniture when I'm invited up? Do you not realize that it is RAINING out there? Don't be ridiculous! I must stay warm and dry and lovely!

Ruby would much rather curl up in a cozy chair than go out in that nasty old rain. Blech.

"Oh, wait a minute! Did someone say SQUIRREL?" Ruby is on that job. Squirrel at Mama's feeder? I will eliminate it! She's awesome on the squirrel patrol! She's taken to it with a ferocity that makes me worry just a little bit that she'll develop a squirrel obsession that will require Cesar Milan to sort out. But, for now, it's a good thing. The squirrels have developed a healthy fear of her and watch for her now as well as for me. She hasn't even gotten close to getting one but she does know which trees they like best and will check each tree when she goes outside!

She's very photogenic . . . even when she's sleeping . . .

. . . or pretending to sleep!

And don't get me started on her new naughty ways . . . she chewed up a pencil the other day! A pencil! Silly, naughty puppy! Oh well, she's getting along great with the kids now -- huge improvements daily so all is forgiven! But, stick with your toys! That's a good girl!

We'll just keep trying to stay dry here in soggy Boulder Creek. Feel free to remind me that just a couple of weeks ago, I was lamenting the lack of rain.

But, that was before this happened. I stop at the grocery store in Ben Lomond to pick up some chocolate -- medicinal chocolate -- life-saving, my family may survive this week, chocolate. It's raining but I'm right by the door so I just run in without my jacket. I come back to the car and some -- oh, I'll just say it -- idiot!!! has parked so close to my car that I can't open the driver's side door. It is now torrential downpour rain and I'm soaked to the skin before I can figure out what to do. She's looking at me through the rain-streamed windows and making that "what?" gesture with her hands. I can't stand around and wait for her to figure it out. I run around my car, climb in the passenger door, climb over the seats and the center console, and sit down in the driver's seat unsure whether I'm going to laugh or rage. Then -- and this is my favorite part -- then, she starts the engine and moves her car to another parking spot. Uh, . . . thanks? But it's a little late now that I'm soaked to the skin already! Oh, yea, I'm loving me some rain!

Wish Lists

Cedar Waxwings
Originally uploaded by hearman.

Birders are great for making lists. It's undoubtedly one of the things that draws me to this hobby. I love lists. So, I suppose every birder has a wish list of birds they'd love to see. For some that list is a secret one in their hearts and others make lists on paper and make great efforts to turn their wish list birds into life list birds.

For me, these lovely birds are high on that list. I did not, of course, take this picture, as Cedar Waxwings are still on my wish list. I find that the website Flickr is more than just a great place to store my photos. I learn so much there -- it's a resource for information about birds, about photography, about crafting, about Rat Terriers. I have learned about what makes a good photograph by viewing good photographs. I learned to hold my pictures and photography to a higher standard by comparing my pictures to those of others. I have learned to use my camera by seeing what others with the same camera can do. I have learned that I am improving by reading the comments that others leave on my pictures.

My Birding Wish List isn't written out but there are some secret birds of my hear that I hope to move to my life list some day. Chief among them:

• California Condor
• Cedar Waxwing
• Burrowing Owl
• Eastern Bluebird
• Green Jay

Cuban Tody
Originally uploaded by Fatasbanfum.

The most exotic bird I hope to see one day is this one --
Cuban Tody (Todus multicolor)

Although, I must say that the odds of my going to Cuba are exceedingly slim but I suppose that's what a Wish List is for. Holding out the hope that someday, I'll be in the right time and place to see that amazing little dollop of candy colored feathers.

So, what's on your Wish List?


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PS. For some reason the photo credits are not showing up as they should when I view this post. So, I want to make sure the photographers are given due credit.

Cedar Waxwings
Originally uploaded by hearman.

Cuban Tody
Originally uploaded by Fatasbanfum

Feel free to click the images to see them on Flickr and see more of the great photos by these photgraophers!

Birding Luck

Snowy Egret
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Some days you have bad luck -- I'm thinking back to my pictures of where the cormorant was last week -- and other days, you stumble onto cooperative, thoughtful birds who pose beautifully for you and make you look skilled in bird photography even when you are birding with your mother-in-law carrying a large, colorful umbrella, your 8-1/2 year old daughter, and your silly Rat Terrier puppy. Some days you couldn't take a wrong picture if you tried because the birds are just there, demanding that you take their photograph, insisting that it be as beautiful as they are. Some days, you are lucky and the birds are as photogenic as they are beautiful. Some days it is all crystal-clear why you love your camera so much!

At the little pond in my in-laws' community, I found the requisite ducks but also saw this beautiful Snowy Egret with juvenile legs but the plummage of a breeding adult. It's hard to be an adolescent in any species, I guess.

Trying out a punk 'do for the effect on the ladies (only there weren't any)

When he flew away, my camera didn't focus fast enough but still . . .

I like where he ended up even better. Look at that reflection.


And then the Double-crested Cormorant was also enticing me to photograph him.


In an effort to make up for last week's diving photos, he put on this display for me . . .






Feel free to click on the images to see the larger versions on Flickr.


This female hummingbird is probably an Allen's Hummingbird. She's smaller than an Anna's with a thicker bill. She could be a Rufous but is probably an Allen's. Whatever she was, she's incrediably lovely.

Some days you don't even mind it when the birds stick their tongues out at you because you saw it, you had your camera, and you got the shot. "Nyah-nyah-nyah back at you birdie!"

A piece of my life

My bulletin board
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

This is my bulletin board in my office. I made it several years ago -- I actually made two but only have room for one in my tiny little "office". It has been filled with things that are important to me but in a random and haphazard way.

Click on the picture and go to the Flickr page for it -- you'll see "notes" about its contents that I shared.

One that I wanted to share with you guys specifically is this one:



I found this feather under my hummingbird feeder but I'm quite sure it didn't come from a hummingbird! I don't know what sort of bird it did come from but isn't it beautiful? I love the colors and the soft downy bits at the bottom. Utterly lovely!

Anyone else care to share a piece of your life?

It's been raining . . .

Boulder Creek . . . the creek
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

. . . for a few days now and it snowed on the mountains above us. Finally our creek looks like it should look in the winter. We're due for rain through the weekend. Not great but a normal winter . . . hurray!

Saw this at Hasty Brook . . .

Things You Don't Know About Me

1. My birthstone is aquamarine.
2. I was an Air Force brat.
3. I did not have braces on my teeth.
4. I married my high school sweetheart.
5. I have lost 32 lbs in the last 3 years.
6. I was 34 when I had my first child.
7. I started bird watching with my stepfather when I was in High School for a Science project. It didn't stick as a hobby but I was always interested.
8. I used to do theater in high school and college. I won a Best Actress award in my high school.
9. I used to be on a Ski Race Team when I was in 7th and 8th grades. I wasn't very good but I loved doing it.
10. I have a trophy for playing volleyball in 8th grade.
11. I have a tattoo -- I got it on my 40th birthday.
    
    
    
    
    

Anyone else want to play?

Liza's Bird Photography Rules #3

Varied Thrush
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Gentle Readers,

When one takes a bad picture through a car window when one should have gotten out of the car and taken a better picture, one can salvage the situation by claiming the picture is artistic and that one wanted that effect. It's so much better than admitting to laziness!

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In other news, Ruby is doing well. She's adjusting to life in our crazy home. She still finds the kids a trifle intimidating but, as you can see, is starting to see some benefit to them as well. I'm also glad to see her being a little naughty -- she is a puppy, after all. Today, she got toys out of their rooms and started chewing on them. Fortunately, I found her before any damage was done -- but she had gotten 5 stuffed dogs out of Ruthie's room and one from Gage's!

My girls: Ruby and Ruthie!

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Don't forget to check out another I and the Bird!

Great Backyard Bird Count Report

Having a little shower!

Day 1:

at school, I counted 16 Ravens (but did not see any Varied or Hermit Thrushes!)

Day 2:
at home, I counted:
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird - 1
Steller's Jay - 1
Common Raven - 1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - 5
Dark-eyed Junco - 4

Day 3:
at my inlaws' pond, I counted:
Mallard - 3
Bufflehead - 2
Common Merganser - 4
Double-crested Cormorant - 1
Green Heron - 1
Common Raven - 2

Day 4:
at home, I counted:
Steller's Jay - 1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - 6
Pygmy Nuthatch - 2
Fox Sparrow - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 4

And, a new Bird Photography Rule:

Where the Double-crested Cormorant was

Liza's Bird Photography Rule #2 --
When photographing Diving Ducks, one should not dither while focusing. Photos of where the bird was are never as interesting of where the bird is.