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!

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!

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?

Google Video Thursday

Let the Rain Pour Down . . . the movie:




Feeder Frenzy in the Rain:



And, for my raven loving readers, Noisy Raven:

Let the rain pour down

Driving in the rain 1
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Our local weather report says:

Today: rain becoming likely. Highs in the 50s to mid 60s. South winds 5 to 15 mph.

If rain is just now becoming likely, I'd like to know what the previous 24 hours of non-stop rain have been . . . other than very welcome to our plants and reservoirs of ground and drinking water.

I took the above picture to show you what rain is like in the mountains. And, then I took this one just to scare you with what driving in rain is like in the mountains.

Actually I took a bunch of pictures and some video (which I haven't had time to make into a movie yet) to share the whole experience. Guess we've been missing the rain, huh?

The birds were somewhat less than impressed with the rain. There was a general air of irritation and nervousness around the feeder today. I put out a lot of seed to soothe them . . . it didn't work. But I did enjoy watching them flit about irritatedly.

In that last photo, you can see the water beading up on her feathers -- click on it to see the detail. Have I mentioned lately that I love my camera? Kamerageliebterblogunpfaffers! These pictures were taken at low res because I was taking some shots for stuff to sell on eBay and I forgot to change it back . . . they are still great shots and show a lot of detail when you look at the larger sizes. I've started reading the manual to my camera -- it's overwhelming but I think it will encourage me to play a little bit with the settings.

In other news, I'm still not feeling great. But I'll live and I doubt I'll get much sicker, thank goodness! I'm trying to contact the other two breeders that we want to visit this weekend and it's not proving easy to manage that. I am leaning more and more towards Ruby but would really like to see some of the larger Ratties before I make a decision. We're getting ready for our camping trip and I'm excited about that but I wish that it would be a drier trip. I went shopping for food last night and bought a big box of hot chocolate. We haven't camped in the winter since before we had kids so it should be different. Long damp walks, card games, books, -- it'll be fun though. We're excited!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Sunday Blog Roll

I start each day by reading blogs and sipping my morning mochas. My blogging friends are amazing and diverse. Here are a few of the highlights today . . .

The Dharma Bums are thinking thoughts on the value of saving an individual bird. GardenPath shares a view of her kitchen window from her home in Maine. Julie Zickefoose uses the power of the blog to help save an awesome dog named Boomer -- by finding him a good home. (If you are near Ohio and want an awesome dog -- and don't have any cats!!! -- check it out!) Mary sneeks a peek at birds who are innocently bathing away, blithely unaware of the bird paparazzi posting their pictures on the internet. Outside In writes about the Big Weather they had in Florida this weekend. Somewhere in NJ writes about a very quiet day at Sandy Hook, NJ and shares some history with us -- scroll down and read an earlier post about the eagles she saw the day before! Susan Gets Native shares sketches of her week -- and displays her wacky sense of humor as well as a heretofore unknown artistic talent! More drawings, Susan! Rainbow Family of Four -- an online friend for more than 8 years -- shares a science experiment you too can do when the weather gets so cold that the schools close in Madison! And, What's That You Said -- an online friend for about 15 years -- shares more on her ongoing to efforts to learn American Sign Language and get in touch with Deaf culture. My Whim is Law -- also a friend for 8 years -- discusses what makes a great SuperBowl to her.

So that's what is going on in my little corner of the Blogosphere.

PS. Just surfing and looking at my Technorati results and found that people I don't even know are quoting me . . . look {here} and {here} and {here} and {here}. That is a little startling but okay! I think I'll have to visit back to some of these as well.

National DeLurking Week

You know you're out there. Please comment! I don't bite!

Top Ten Birding Moments in 2006

The BirdChaser suggested summarizing one's top ten birding moments of 2006. I shrugged aside my intimidation at his list because I think that this sort of reflection is quite useful. My list is less amazing than his but is quite reflective of my year with birds.

Counting backwards in Letterman style my Top 10 Birding Moments in 2006

10. All my yard birds. I maintained two feeder centers last winter and saw lots of new yard birds including: Hermit Thrush, Varied Thrush, Spotted Towhee, House Finch, Purple Finch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Hutton's Vireo, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lesser Goldfinch, and Rufous/Allen's Hummingbirds. This along with my usual suspects: Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, California Towhees, and Anna's Hummingbirds.
9. California Thrasher -- I went for a lot of long walks in 2006 and on one of them I heard a marvelous singing (it was springtime) in the scrub on a hill above me. I stood and looked and looked and looked and finally found the bird. He was singing is heart out at the top of a bush very close to me. I noted the most telling thing about him -- his long curved bill and some other details and headed home to get my Sibley's out and ID him. California Thrasher. Very cool bird!
8. I went hunting for the Crested Caracara that had been seen near her (40 min away) at the coast. It was a ridiculous trip -- everything that could have impeded me without actually stopping me did so. Wrong turns, roads closed, etc., etc., etc. So, no, I did not find the Caracara but I did find and ID a Merlin which was pretty cool too.
7. A visit to Elkhorn Slough with the kids had me finding a Bewick's Wren, Short-billed Dowitchers, Belted Kingfisher, Barn Owl, and Anna's Hummingbirds -- as well as many, many birds that I didn't see well enough to ID him.
6. On another walk in my neighborhood, I heard an owl hooting and another owl answering him. I came home and listened to the sounds of owl calls and realized that it could only be a Great Horned Owl.
5. On our big camping trip, we went to New Melone's Reservoir. I saw a lot of beautiful birds including immature Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons. The most exciting for me was the Pileated Woodpeckers. But, I only saw them from the boat, flying overhead. So, I still want to see some ON a tree somewhere.
4. On a trip to June Lake, in the Eastern Sierras at 7,000+ feet, we saw some wonderful birds -- White-breasted Nuthatches, Pygmy Nuthatches, Cassin's Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, and Mountain Chickadees. They are all backyard birds there but it was fun to see new ones for me.
3. I continued to fall in love with the Common Raven this year. There is a flock of 8-12 of them at my school and they are such amazing birds. I've yet to take a picture that I'm thrilled with but I cherish seeing them and having interactions with them on a nearly daily basis. We also got a pair of them in our neighborhood which was very exciting. And, one memorable summer evening, Greg and I sat out on our deck and watched two pairs fly over our house, going back and forth, cawing, and generally having a big todo. It was either a "glad to see you" party or a "get the heck out of my territory" party. Either way, we enjoyed it.
2. On the Thanksgiving Trip to June Lake, we went out boondocking in the middle of desolute nowhere and as we were leaving, having only seen a handful of Dark-eyed Juncos, we saw a flash of blue ahead of us. It stopped on a pine tree and showed itself to be a Mountain Bluebird. So lovely. It posed while my stepfather fumbled for his camera and got a shot -- lovely. The bird then chirped and flew off.
1. The Thanksgiving trip gave me my most memorable birding moment of the year. We were driving to Bodie and suddenly a big raptor wheeled up out of the sagebrush near the road and did a few aerobatic moves and then flew off. It was amazing. Greg saw it too as did the kids. Thankfully, Greg did see it as he was better able to judge it's wingspan. We saw enough field marks and the wingspan to know that it really was a BIG bird . . . Golden Eagle. Lifebird!

So that's my year in review. As a neophyte birder, I'm pretty happy with it.

Good Planets are Hard to Find!

Good Planets *are* hard to find and that is why I was so delighted to find this monthly photography meme started by DharmaBums. It celebrates our planet in beautiful photographs as a gentle reminder to take care of this home of ours!

This month's host is Journeys with Jood. The collection went up today! {click}

Next month, our friend SomewhereinNJ! If you'd like to participate, you can send images for next month's collection to lc-hardy AT comcast DOT net.

I contributed one of my favorite images:

These redwood trees are at Loch Lomond, a local reservoir. So, a little manmade influence here but it is utterly lovely. I wanted to linger here but had kids and husband urging me on! We'll be back!

Year in Review Meme & bird report

As suggested by The Hawk Owl's Nest, I am continuing this meme. The idea is simple. Post the first line of the first post of each month of the year.

Well, I started this particular iteration of this blog in July so only a half a year's worth but here it is . . .

July -- I think I am mastering the art of procrastination. {more}
August -- Okay, so after a day of being super sad, I'm feeling better now. {more}
September -- So, yesterday I was helping out in kindergarten again -- what fun it is, really. {more}
October -- Took a few minutes at the end of a day long seminar on reading instruction to relax out at Elkhorn Slough yesterday afternoon. {more}
November -- November 1. Start of Project Feederwatch. {more}
December -- I just turned in my last assignment for my teaching credential program. {more}

That was fun. Thanks for the review! I love that the first post of December was the most important event of my year. Coolness! I got a FEW bird posts in there too. :)

Yesterday the birds at school were taunting me. When I had my camera with me . . . none around. When I didn't, they'd come out of the woodwork, pose enticingly, and then stick their little tongues out at me and say, "Neener, neener!" Sigh. I did get a couple of shots of some ravens getting cozy with each other (bird porn???) and of a California Towhee butt. But, the Hermit Thrush was only seen when I had no camera as was the mystery bird that a good picture of would help me identify. We have Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni here year round but in the winter we get a HUGE influx of Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula. I saw ONE of these two little darlings yesterday. It was adorable and posed beautifully for me but . . . no camera and so I don't know which one it was. Here's an article on the difficulty of id-ing these two tiny, cute birds.

Here's the shot of the California Towhee (pipilo crissalis) butt. How often do you get to post an orange butt?

I and the Bird

Don't forget to visit I and the Bird! I plan to spend some quality time with it this afternoon when I should be putting my living room back in order!

Two past midnight nights of painting that living room have left me somewhat stupid with exhaustion. Pity my students today!

Things I love

Inspired by Laurahinnj's post.

Things I love . . .

1. Snuggling with my honey under blankets with a big bowl of popcorn and a bunch of stuff on the TiVO.
   
2. My morning cups of Mocha while reading blogs and writing posts
   
3. Watching birds at my feeders.
   
   
4. Seeing the scale dip down a number or two.
5. The joy of opening a new book -- that little crackle from the binding -- knowing that new worlds await
6. Driving along the coast on a sunny day -- to me, it's the epitome of freedom
7. Coming over Tioga Pass in the Eastern Sierras and seeing Mono Lake spread out in front of me like a jewel
   
   
8. Seeing the intelligence of my children -- watching them figure things out (particularly when they think they are outsmarting me -- someday they will but not yet!)
9. Tangible shows of love from my family. Should be unnecessary but it's not. (New light fixtures in my kitchen and dining room were picked out and installed by my husband and kids yesterday!)
   
   
10. Taking pride in the knowledge that I finished something well and did it all early and that my life for the next month will be a little bit better for not procrastinating!
    
    

What Kind of Reader Am I?

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Literate Good Citizen
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Despite what this poll may or may not say about me, I am a seriously obsessed reader who is anxiously awaiting the return of my reading free-time! I will be finished with my Teaching Credential Program on December 9th (actually sooner than that in all likelihood) and I am longing for a return to my REAL life. I have a long list of books I want to read, crafts I want to craft, things I want to do around the house. Two years is a long time to put off living but that's what it feels like I've done here. So THANK GOODNESS for moving forward!

Everybody's doing it . . .

Thanks to Hawk Owl's Nest for this survey.
What state (or country) do you live in? California
How long have you been birding? I started birding when I was about 17. Then I stopped until last year.
Are you a "lister"? Yes. I keep my lists on eBird.
ABA Life List: Don't know what that distinction is.
Overall Life List: 58 species.
3 Favorite Birding Spots: Big Basin State Park, my backyard, Henry Cowell State Park.
Favorite birding spot outside your home country: Haven't birded outside the US.
Farthest you've traveled to chase a rare bird: An hour away to see a Crested Caracara -- I was unsuccessful.
Nemesis bird: Don't have one.
"Best" bird sighting: Black Crowned Night Heron -- spotted him in his juvenile plummage and watched him change all winter until he was looking sharp.

Most wanted trip: ???
Most wanted bird: Clear sighting of a Pileated Woodpecker would be nice. Even better if it would be in my backyard! :)
What model and brand of bins do you use?: Cheapies from Kmart.
What model and brand of scope do you use?: Don't have one.
What was the last lifer you added to your list?: Barn Owl on 10/1/2006
Where did you see your last lifer?: Elkhorn Slough near Moss Landing, CA.
What's the last bird you saw today?: Well, it's early in the morning and no one is at the feeders yet. The last bird I saw yesterday was a Chestnut-backed Chickadee.
Best bird song you've heard ever: Mockingbird. I had one that used to sing for hours in my backyard years ago in another house. And, it learned to imitate my dog's whining and would trick me into going out to see what was wrong.
Favorite birding moment: That moment when you identify a new bird and you're SURE. Too many times I'm NOT sure -- being sure is a nice feeling. :)
Least favorite thing about birding: All the lousy pictures I've taken of something cool.

Favorite thing about birding: Getting out and communing with nature.
Favorite field guide for the US: Sibley and Peterson in concert -- I like to check them both.
Favorite non-field guide bird book: ???
Who is your birder icon?: Julie Zickefoose and Bill Thompson III. I idolize their life.
Do you have a bird feeder(s)? I have several.
Favorite feeder bird? Anna's Hummingbird and Chestnut-backed Chickadee tie for that honor. They are my most consistent feeder birds.

Is it BAFAB yet?

This is a cause I can get behind! Buy a friend a book. Even better . . . buy an unsuspecting friend a book. That's fabulous!


I recommend buying a friend a book written by a friend. Here's a great book to buy . . . Letters From Eden by Julie Zickefoose. I also recommend anything by Katya Reimann. Diana Gabaldon is another online friend whose books I can heartily recommend.

I have met these women through the Internet and my life has been better for it. So, buy a friend one of THESE books! Enjoy!

I sent my sister a book from her Amazon Wish List -- a slightly sneaky way to know they'll get a book they really want!

Oh yes, you'll notice that I've changed things over on the right . . . see that book list? I found a great new tool called Library Thing. WOW! What a great way to catalog my books, share my opinions, and just have a cool thing about books. I highly recommend it. I took the Reading Raven blog down because it was so awkward compared to Library Thing. It rocks!

Not sure what is going on

with me and the blogging thing.

I just know that it's not happening. Is it the start of school and changing my routine? Is it a general dissatisfaction with my life caused by school and work (or lack thereof), is my blogging career (ha!) over? What is going on with me?

Can't say. I do know that this is one of those times in my life when lots of things feel like they are on hold. My job is totally on hold and is stressing me out. We are refinancing our house which is stressful and makes us feel like we're on hold until it's resolved. This whole school year feels on hold to me -- I won't finish my credential until early December and but then the rest of the school year I'll be working part-time and I don't know it just feels wrong somehow. Everyone tells me to enjoy it but . . . to be honest, I'm not enjoying it.

Sigh. I'm just feeling lost and adrift, I guess. Hopefully focus will come soon. Maybe I'll have to force focus and contentment. Yea, that'll work.