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!

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!"

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?


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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!"

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.

Ruby's Home!

Ruby
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Here's our petite darling.

On our way to pick her up, we went to two petshops getting supplies. We didn't need much. We all picked out a toy for her then I needed a type of dog food that our local store didn't carry. We'll start her on it and then transition to something they do carry slowly. I also got a new Flexi leash (these are long retractable leashes that are good for letting dogs run around in a park or other open area to have some freedom with no risk of getting away from you). My old one was just too big. :) Oh, and we got her a new tag with her name and our phone number on it.

She -- and the others -- were glad to see us. In fact, Gabby -- the litter's mom -- jumped in Greg's open window and onto his lap when we arrived. Too cute! Ruby was still nervous with the kids but they didn't care because the puppies were out and about and so much fun. There were puppy buyers there and we finished the business side of things quickly. Ruby and Nancy said sad goodbyes and we left.

Ruby rode on my lap all the way home. She was curious about the kids but didn't quite want to go back there and check them out. The way we drive home from San Jose is a very windy road called Bear Creek Road. Ruby got a little carsick on it and was drooling like crazy. I had brought a towel to rub all over her former packmates so I had that on my lap and we did fine. Thankfully, she's like Ruth and I in the carsickness department -- she get miserable but never to the throwing up stage!

Many dogs who haven't traveled a lot firmly believe that they should only pee, poop, and eat at home. Ruby is among that group. She didn't want to go potty although nervously explored our front and back yards. She wasn't interested in water or food either. Hmmmmm.

We had some quiet bonding time with the kids on the couch. She's very nervous around them so we did some work on getting her used to them. We are devotees of The Dog Whisperer and used his advice that patience pays off in these situations. Both kids were sitting next to her and quietly petting her before we got ready to go to my inlaws.

It was just us and my inlaws last night (my sister-in-law's family was at their cabin in the mountains for the weekend) and Ruby loved it. She really gained confidence as the evening wore on.

Gage beating Gramma at checkers

Ruthie getting to know Ruby

Ruby and I took a long walk. She's a great companion and when she learns a few commands, will be a fantastic bird watching companion -- no really. She's very quiet and well-behaved. She needs to learn to walk on the leash without pulling but I know we'll get there. We saw a lot of lovely birds. Two of them were life birds!

Double-crested Cormorant

Green Heron

You can see my other pictures in my Flickr photostream {click}.

It was a delightful evening although Greg's parents beat us soundly at Canasta -- they even let us think we were winning for two hands before teaching us our lesson! :) We came home and the kids went to bed. Ruby was feeling confident enough to jump up on Ruthie's bed to say good night. Ruthie is hoping that Ruby will sleep with her eventually!

After a quiet evening, Greg and I went to bed. Ruby slept in a crate (oversized Labrador crate!) with a pillow, the smelly towel, and a big soft sheet. She wasn't feeling super secure yet but did great.

This morning, she greeted me with her normal happy demeanor, went potty in the backyard, ate a little bit of breakfast, and even greeted the kids politely. Hurrah! We have a dog again!

A long day but a sweet reward

I'm exhausted! We spent the day working HARD. So, it's the good, satisfying, I-accomplished-something kind of exhausted.

We worked on Ruby-proofing the backyard. There are still two areas that need attention but we worked on the most important ones. I cleaned out the dog run, powerwashed everything, and we put a 1/2 yard of gravel in it -- nice and clean . . . see:


She'll only be in there when we are gone for a long enough time that we can't leave her in the house (like if Greg's out of town and I'm at work all day) The dog house is WAY too huge for her but we'll make do for awhile. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to go get a nice bale of pine shavings to fill the bottom of the dog house with to make it cozy for her if she has to be out there when its raining.

Greg fixed one gate that was broken and cut wood for the bottom of our deck (the one over the creek!) because the gap was fine for labs but Ruby could go right under it. I stained the wood and he'll put it up tomorrow morning.

Gosh, when I put it in a list, it doesn't seem like much but it was and it took all day -- well, just shoveling the gravel is a ton of work! (almost literally!).

Allens/Rufous Hummingbird
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

When I was cleaning up and Greg was taking his shower, I saw this new friend at my feeder. We get Allens and/or Rufous Hummingbirds cruising through in late January and February. They are smaller than our normal Anna's hummers and have a bronzey-orange color to them. Utterly gorgeous. This one was VERY hungry -- he kept coming back and eating even though it was getting pretty dark. There was another hummer chirping at him from a tree nearby -- I couldn't see if it was another A/R hummer or if it was an Anna's who was miffed. But, from the size, I think it was an A/R. It's not a great picture but I was so excited to get it.

The kids had sleepovers with friends tonight so Greg and I went out and got Chinese food from our local, awesome Chinese restaurant. It's soooooo good! I order it online and we run down 20 minutes later and it's waiting for us and still hot when we get home. We watched National Treasure tonight (We love Netflix) and after we were done eating, we had drinks and popcorn. I figure after the amazing labor my body did today a martini is only fair!

And now to bed. Tomorrow is a big day and Greg and I are gonna be SORE!

Hope of Spring

Hope of Spring
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Our first daffodil -- a bright, sunny reminder that drier, warmer days are coming! Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons.

I wrote a poem about the flowers and spring {click}.

Hope you get a chance to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count {click} this year! I plan to do so this weekend while we are preparing our yard for a smaller dog (ooooo, a lab can't fit through that hole but a rattie could!). Tonight, I'm making up fresh batches of suet dough and hummingbird juice to lure the little darlings in droves!

Camping Weekend Bird Report

California Towhee
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

What a great weekend for birding! I didn't get enough of it -- of course -- but still, it was so great. We were camped at a reservoir in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The river was dammed and has backed up to fill many, many valleys and canyons with water. We were camped on the top of a hill that juts out into the water. It is oak tree country and grassy. Utterly beautiful. I took as many pictures as I could but the light was not great and my skills are not great and so many did not turn out. Mostly, they were just so that when I washed them out and zoomed in, I could see enough detail to ID the bird. I did get a bunch of life birds but I haven't entered them into eBird yet to see how many I got.

This California Towhee posed beautifully for me in this bramble at Columbia, California -- an historic Gold Country town that has become a State Historic Park while still being a real town. Very cool. And, we bought great homemade chocolate there so . . . it's well worth a stop!

Here's a brief bird list:

California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Oak Titmouse
Acorn Woodpecker
Hairy/Downy Woodpecker
Dark-eyed Junco
Western Bluebird *
Northern Flicker *
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Phainopepla *
Mockingbird
Canada Geese
Turkey Vulture
White-breasted Nuthatch
Wild Turkey
Hawks of many varieties
Immature Bald Eagle

Here are a few of the photos I got that I was pleased with . . .

Northern Flickr
(taken through the window of the motorhome at 7:30am!)

Western Bluebird
They were everywhere -- so utterly beautiful!

Turkey Vulture
I could not believe how close I was to this amazing bird.

White-breasted Nuthatch
Look at that little acrobat!

So, while I could have wished for better light all weekend, I can't complain about the birds I saw. Greg heard an owl in the middle of the night but it stopped hooting as he rolled over to wake me up.

Oh, and other wildlife . . . I saw three Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and a Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) and we all saw a Bobcat (Lynx rufus)!

It's raining, it's pouring . . .

Fluffed up Hermit Thrush
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Well, I don't suppose Greg would appreciate it if I finished that sentence!

It's rained all day yesterday and looks to rain right through the weekend and into next week. Finally some regular winter weather here. I went back and visited the site of my botched (and yet successful) efforts to snap the Hermit Thrush and got a nice shot of him (her?) from my car without laying on the horn. I love how fluffed up he looks -- compare it to the other shot below. Cute!

There are several local internet weather stations in Boulder Creek. I look at all of them but Boulder Creek is such an area of microclimates that the rainfall at one could be totally different from what we experience here at our house. This one usually feels about right though . . . {click}. That chart shows the current rain conditions. It's just been the steady, soaking rain that we usually get and like so much around here. It's good for everything and not dangerous to the hills and people. When it rains too much, too fast, we are at serious risk of mudslides. My senior year in high school we had a storm like that and it was devastating. We were very careful when we bought our house -- there are no hills above us that could become unstable and slide -- and we're not on one either, thank goodness. Giant trees, steep hillsides, and huge quantities of rain are not a good combination.

This rain though is so appreciated. Which isn't to say that we aren't all griping about it. Everything is just a big more difficult when it is raining constantly . . . my job requires that I walk around campus a lot gathering groups of kids and bringing them to my room for a half-hour lesson and then taking them back again. So, I make the decision to take a coat or umbrella about 47 times a morning. Usually I just risk it. Unless it's POURING which it can do here. A real Boulder Creek rain is when you have your wipers on high and you still can't see because it's raining so hard. Sometimes I can't see across my backyard because of the density of the rain coming down. We haven't had a storm like that this winter. Yet? Hard to say, it's been a weird year and those storms usually come in January when we had virtually no rain at all.

Okay, enough on the rain. Today is the last day of the week. All your weekend plans sound great! Tonight, I pack up our clothes, some food, and finish giving the motorhome a quick clean while Greg takes the kids to soccer. Tomorrow, bright and early, we'll head off on our adventurous camping trip! Still no confirmation from the two breeders I wanted to visit about seeing their dogs. Weird but what are you going to do. Maybe the fates are intervening to tell me that Ruby is the right dog for us.

Have a great weekend, folks!


ps. don't miss the videos below.