A Leprechaun, Vanity, and Pork Chops (Finally)

I went to pick up Little One from preschool today and instead was asked to take home this leprechaun for the day. Her teachers said it was some sort of child-leprechaun exchange program. I figured why not participate- maybe Little One will come home with a pot of gold when I get her back.

A mighty cute leprechaun- Wednesday, March 14.

We have a female cardinal who has taken to positioning herself on some perch on our deck (it had most popularly been the grill, until we moved it yesterday) and then repeatedly flying into the sliding glass doors. From what I have read, this is a fairly common behavior, particularly for cardinals and robins during mating season. It is believed that these birds do not have the ability to differentiate between a rival bird and their own reflection (even after repeated personal contact with the glass), so they continue to attack themselves over and over. I was a bit concerned for the overall safety of the bird, and was only slightly comforted when I read the following: "Despite the violent appearance of this behavior, from the other side of the window, the birds very rarely kill themselves, all though there could be injury to the bird's beak if the behavior continues."

Here is a still shot of her just about to crash into the glass door- Taken Saturday, March 3.

This is my first attempt at posting a video. Here's hoping it works. Female Cardinal attacking the door- Saturday, March 3.

But then this morning, I heard a familiar sound at the front window, though more subdued than usual. When I went to investigate, I found a cute little female cardinal, perched on the window sill quietly tapping on the glass. No violent, life-threatening approaches, just a quiet flight in, some pecks on the glass, and a curious eye. There was clearly no motive of scaring away a rival bird this morning. I think she was flying in to check herself out. Territory all defended, she wanted to be sure she was looking her best for the potential suitors who might come her way. Vanity suits this bird, she is a beauty. And I was very glad to see her feeling quiet and pretty instead of like she wanted to bang her head against the wall- Wednesday, March 14.

 The pork chops. They were worth the wait- Wednesday, March 14.

The Weekend

Yesterday I continued to plow through some cleaning out. It mostly ended up being cleaning up, not quite as much out as I would have liked, but a good day none the less. At some point I slipped outside to take some bird pictures. What day would be complete without some bird pictures? Plus, the trees are starting to bud and once the leaves come out, my bare tree, sky and bird combinations will be a faint memory and a hope held for next fall.

Ten birds. I photoshopped a half bird out of the far right of the picture. I figured a whole number worked best for birds- Saturday, March 4.

Then My Husband's brother and his wife came down for the afternoon. They are expecting their first baby in May. She is an adorably cute pregnant person (she is adorably cute when she is not pregnant, but carrying the little guy around, the cuteness goes through the roof). They came down so My Husband could do their taxes and then they watched the kids so we could go out for dinner. I must say, I love the barter system, especially when I don't have to do any of the work involved in the barter and I get a nice dinner out with no kids.

So with just grow ups to think about, My husband and I decided to eat at a place that does not boast of french fries as one of its main menu items. The first place we stopped had over an hour's wait. We almost stayed since we had no kids to fill the entire time with whining, but I was hungry so we moved on. The second place we stopped had only a 45 minute wait, so we got a buzzer and headed outside to watch for the flashing lights. But it quickly got colder than our lack of jacket planning had anticipated, and we went to wait in the car. For some reason (I think it was the hunger pangs. I've heard people can do crazy things when they are hungry.) we started driving away. Now that I think about it, the idea of going to one of the stores across the street was mentioned, but we ended up going out an exit that you could only turn right and before we knew it we out of the shopping center and driving right by a bill board for another restaurant in town. Something looked really yummy on the bill board and we decided to see if we could get in with no wait there. I was feeling angst about the buzzer from restaurant number two that was still in our possession, but My Husband assured me we would promptly return it when our bellies were full. Hunger outweighed my guilt and I began to have images of me cutting into a crab pretzel. When we pulled into the parking lot of restaurant number three, the lights started flashing on our buzzer and it began singing an annoying tune that would not stop. We weren't sure if it was a built in anti-theft mechanism and we had just left the safe zone, or that our turn at restaurant number two had come a whole lot quicker than they told us it would. (It is times like those when I am glad to have a common last name. They would only have had 10 full pages of the phone book to comb through in order to track down their buzzer by the name we gave to secure our table.) We figured even if the buzzer meant our table was ready, there was no way they would hold it until we drove back. So we left the singing buzzer in the car and headed into restaurant number three, where we were promptly seated and consuming a crab pretzel faster than I could count the fake plastic sea gulls tied to the ceiling.

The whole of restaurant number three is decorated, to the point of being overdone, in seaside items. For the most part they work and make you feel a tiny bit like you might be eating at the beach instead of in the middle of a landlocked town. But the plastic seagulls, they are a bit much. I tried to avoid looking at them as much as possible, but no matter how much I ignored them, I kept fighting sudden urges to cover my food in order to protect it from swooping predators- Saturday, March 3.

After a very nice meal, made up of all things crab, we drove back to restaurant number two and My Husband wove through the still waiting throng to return our buzzer. He handed it to the hostess and told her we had decided not to wait. He didn't mention we had decided not to wait while being ushered to a table at another restaurant. But it all worked out and we even stopped at Rita's afterward, but don't tell the kids- Saturday, March 3.

Today, after coming home from church, we all did a whole lot of nothing. I love Sunday afternoons like that. After naps and rest and a movie, the kids did decide to brave the cold to jump around on the trampoline. I followed them out with my camera and flicked on the sports burst setting. I got some fun mid-air shots, but was especially surprised, in a sort of creepy way, to have captured the effects of gravity on the facial skin of The Oldest. More on that in a bit.

 Mid flip- Sunday, March 4.

On her way down- Sunday, March 4.

If you click to enlarge the pictures and then toggle back and forth between the next two images, you'll feel like you were right with us in the back yard this afternoon. Either that or you will start to feel a slight case of motion sickness.

Sunday, March 4.

This next picture is not for the faint of heart, or for those of you who are feeling at all queasy from experimenting with the last two pictures. I caught The Oldest just as his body was starting to enter its upward motion from the bottom of his bounce. Unfortunately, the skin on his face had not yet caught up. If anybody wants to know what you might look like when you are say eighty or so, just come over, bounce on our trampoline, and I'll take your picture. Then we can go to Target together and get lots of face lotion with anti-aging serum.

The Oldest, looking a little older than usual- Sunday, March 4.

I got bored with the trampoline pictures pretty quickly, so before my fingers started turning to ice, I snapped a few pictures of the sky. There will never be a picture as beautiful as the sky in plain view. I love how God made it so simple and yet so beautiful. Blue, white, shadow, light- He really is amazing.

Sky- Sunday, March 4.

I'm glad the water tower in our town has been painted sky blue. Except for an occasional prop in a picture, it really is just in the way. At least it sort of blends in- Sunday, March 4. 

 Unlike this water tower, which does anything but blend in. I did not take this picture, I just got it from the Google. I can't think about water towers without this one sticking out like a sore thumb in my mind. This is in Florence, Ky, a town about an hour and a half from where we lived in Kentucky. It sits right along the highway in a giant parking lot. The story goes that they (This is one of those stories with the nebulous group of people referred to as 'they'. Don't know who 'they' are, but 'they' did it.) were going to build a really big mall and so they went ahead and painted "FLORENCE MALL" on their already bold water tower. Well, for some reason, the mall never came to be, and instead of  covering the whole thing in a nice sky blue, they decided to just paint over the M and create a saying that, even in Kentucky, makes no sense at all, y'all.

Since I started with a bird picture, I'll end with a bird picture. The pair of doves currently residing in our yard is quite friendly and only scared away when one of the children comes ferociously running toward them. I really love these doves, but they blink so dang much that I have a hard time getting a picture of them with their eyes open. At least they don't know how to make funny faces- Sunday, March 4.

I Heart Thursdays

I really wanted to put a little heart in my blog title today, but I couldn't figure out how to do that. The pointy sideways bracket thing plus a 3 didn't turn into a heart, and I can't find any buttons that will let me insert an image. So, I had to revert to the old fashioned way of writing it out with words. It will just have to do. Plus, I really don't care because it is my favorite day of the week and it takes quite a bit to fluster me on a Thursday. Why do I love Thursdays so, you ask?

 This pretty much sums it up- Thursday, March 1.

But since you may not read the same thousand words I would from this picture, I'll briefly share the source of my felicity. I took this picture at 12:47 this afternoon. I am still in my pajamas. (I did have to throw on a sweatshirt because the sun went in and I started to feel cold, but other than brushing my teeth, that has been the extent of my personal hygiene today.) You see, due to multiple kid-related scheduling conflicts in the early part of every week, Thursday is the first day that I do not have to leave my house all day long. We do have church on Thursday nights, but that works out pretty well, because right around dinner time the novelty of not showering and wearing the same thing I slept in the night before begins to wear off, and I start to look forward to taking a shower and getting dressed in real clothes.

I have turned this whole thing into an experiment of sorts, mostly to disprove the idea that you perform up to the level you are dressed. I have to say that I think the laundry gets just as clean when I am wearing my pajamas as it does when I have to get dressed in my standard mom uniform of jeans and a shirt I think is cute. I may also go so far as to say that I think I am a better teacher to The Oldest when I am sitting on the couch in my super comfy pajamas than when I have to deal with those pesky jean waistlines- you know the ones that seem to gradually expand ever so slightly all day long so that by the end of the day you need a belt just to keep your pants up.

Here I am trying to justify my pajama days, when to be totally honest, I need no reason to wear my pajamas all day long other than it makes me happy and I don't really care what y'all think. Though I did sort of care when a guy knocked on our door to hand me a flyer about free carpet cleaning this morning. I had to answer because he could see right into the living room through the glass storm door and there I was sitting on the couch in my pajamas. I also had a bit of a problem a few Thursdays ago when My Husband emailed asking if I could run his lunch to work. He had forgotten it in the refrigerator. I emailed back saying I could, but that he would have to meet me at the car because I was still in my pajamas and had no plans of either getting dressed or going into his office that way. So, he met me at the car, grateful for his lunch and for a new subject for sarcastic jesting. Every week since he has sent something to my inbox containing references to my Thursday way of living. This is what he sent me yesterday.

 It is an email announcing the season opening of Rita's Italian Ice. But in case you can't read his comment at the top, it says, "will pajama day outweigh ritas?????" Now that is a tough one. I love Rita's, but I really love pajama day. I can get Rita's any day that I already have to leave the comfort of my house. But today, when I only have a few more hours before I have to make myself presentable to the world, is it really worth the sacrifice? The jury is still out. I'll let you know tomorrow- Thursday, March 1.

P.S.

The front trees were full of Robins this morning. Spring really is on its way- Thursday, March 1.

Today's Post, Yesterday's Pictures

Home School Co-op today. I took lots of pictures there, but they are almost all of other people's children and not nearly as interesting as the pictures of birds and trees I took yesterday afternoon. So, I'll throw one photo in from today, just to prove I did in fact pick up my camera, but then it's on to yesterday's birds and trees.

Today's new memory work- Tuesday, February 28.

 Bird, tree, and sky- Monday, February 27.

Bird, tree, and sky again. Shift of focus to the bird- Monday, February 27.

 Tree and sky. I like the clouds and light in this one- Monday, February 27.

I think this might be a sparrow of some sort. Not sure. Whoever he is, he was greatly enjoying the last direct rays of the sun- Monday, February 27.

A cheeky little guy. Every time I'd walk around the tree to take a picture of him from the front, he would flit to the next branch and point his backside in my direction- Monday, February 27. 

More trees and sky- Monday, February 27.

 It seems strange to watch the sun begin to sink so early when it is warm enough to be outside in short sleeves. But you won't find me complaining. Well, except for the little bugs that were flying around my head. Little bugs are bad enough in the summer, but in February. Really?! Not cool. Not cool at all- Monday, February 28.

A Real Beauty

I had to cover the morning ride to school today. My friend, who graciously picks up First Grader every morning, had a field trip with her daughter, so I got to be the bus driver today. Boy am I glad I did. I spotted this guy sitting on top of a utility pole on the way. I had no camera and no time to stop. But I was pleased, this time around, to see he had waited for my return.

I took these pictures in the baseball fields behind our house. The pole sits right next to the first base dugout of the field farthest down from our house. I was standing on the pitching rubber- Thursday, February 16.

 There was a flock of little birds on the grass right below this pole. They didn't seem one bit concerned about who was sitting at its top. I, on the other hand, kept having images of this guy swooping down at me as I stood helplessly with only my camera to defend myself. I was even a little bit nervous to turn around to walk back home- Thursday, February 16.

I am happy to report that I did make it safely to the back deck, and I spotted these guys on the way. I really dislike black birds, but this pair was so cute sitting there on the branch I couldn't resist taking a picture- Thursday, February 16.

*A general note about my bird identification skills: Except for obvious species, like Cardinals, I have not reached the level of actually having any clue whether a bird I am looking at is male or female. So when I refer to a bird as he or she, it is just because I need a way to type about them. Again, to any secret bird watching experts out there, if I have offended you in any way by my mis-labling of birds, please feel free to contact me. I will be happy to express my true remorse in person as you share with me your knowledge that will show I was way wrong. I'm not too proud to admit error or ignorance, in fact, I would really like to be given the opportunity to do so, preferably someplace quiet, wooded, maybe with binoculars hanging around my neck...

Sunshine, Snow, and My Mystery Bird

We woke up to blue skies and sunshine sparkling on the little covering of snow that had arrived yesterday. It was the kind of snow that has no chance of sticking around once it meets full daylight. So, in boots and pajamas, I went out to take a few pictures before it disappeared.

I liked the thin line of snow framing the edge of the fence and also the way the top of the tree was bent over from the weight of the snow. It reminded me of something I might find in Whoville- Thursday, February 9.

I was busy trying to take pictures of the sunlight shining through some branches, when I noticed a familiar outline high in a tree a few houses away. I quickly abandoned the whole sun through the branches thing and zeroed in on the return of my mystery bird- Thursday, February 9.

I had to zoom in so much that just pushing the button to take the picture moved the camera enough that I couldn't get a good shot. So, in I went for the tripod. I wish I would have thought to have one of the kids take a picture of me taking these pictures. I am sure it was quite a sight. But I did get some clear images of this guy's back and legs, which is what I had been hoping to do. That said, I still can't say for sure what kind of bird it is. Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawk, your guess is as good as mine. Hey, maybe way better. If anybody reading this happens to be an expert bird watcher, and has not yet told me for fear I will bombard you with questions and beg to come along on your bird spotting expeditions, I promise, in exchange for a positive I.D., that I will not bother you. Well, maybe just a few questions every now and then and some subtle comments about how I would love to look for birds with someone who could be blessed by sharing their years of knowledge and experience with someone new to the pursuit. Now how bothersome could that be? -Thursday, February 9.

I love the perspective in this picture. The trees in the foreground grow along the fence that the bird had been sitting on when I took his picture before. I enjoyed watching him today in my neighbor's tree much better- Thursday, February 9.

When I made myself stop taking pictures to go inside and do the motherly thing of making sure First Grader was ready for school, I noticed this little bit of evergreen at the base of our deck steps. I couldn't just walk by and leave it there un-photographed. After all, one picture (Okay, three. Really,who can take just one?) wouldn't make her late. And if I waited, the perfectly dusted snow would surely be gone by the time I got back to it. So I did what any good multi-tasking mom would do. I cracked open the back door, yelled in something about teeth-brushing, homework, and a backpack, and then scurried back to the patio to get this picture. (In case you are wondering, First Grader was ready for school with time to spare). It was a great morning- Thursday, February 9.

Just Found This One

I am "watching" the Super Bowl with my guys while filing pictures on the computer. I just found this one from earlier in the week. It was hidden among a bunch of pictures of the kids. I'm not sure how I missed it before, but it was nice to find tonight. It's my best bird picture yet.

Male Cardinal- Monday, January 31.

U.F.O.s

Unidentified Flying Objects- I have one of those to talk about in a bit*, but first I'll share about a lesser known, but equally haunting U.F.O.- the Un-Finished Object.

Two winters ago I started a quilt. I cut and pieced it together in no time, thanks to back-to-back monster snow storms that left us confined to the house for days at a time. Once it was all basted into a quilt sandwich, I made the choice to hand quilt it together. I knew when I committed to the thimble and thread that the creative journey I was about to embark upon would likely stretch over years. Well, two years later, my quilt remains a U.F.O., of the Un-Finished Object kind.

A dear woman at our church is an amazing quilter. She has been a great source of tips and advice. She also faithfully asks me nearly every time she sees me, "You finished with that quilt yet?" To which I smile and answer, "No, not yet." I think she may be starting to fear I will never finish it, because the last time we shared in this now familiar dialogue, she went on to tell about a very secret club of which she has been a member. She said that within the established order of her quilting guild, there is another, lesser known group, identified by some sort of special pin. She went on to say that you become a member of this club by being big enough to admit that you have at least one Un-Finished Object and by making a commitment to bring that project to completion. I can't remember the details of the pin, you either have to wear one until you finish your project (sort of like the Cone of Shame) or you get one when you have completed the project (along the lines of a Medal of Honor or Olympic Gold). Either way, the U.F.O. Club has apparently been a great motivator to several members, prompting them to finish projects that, for some, have been left uncompleted for years.

This all happened to tie in very nicely with another slice of my life. I get to lead the high school Girls Only club on Thursday nights at church. We were talking one night about how we all have things we have started and not finished and how it feels so good to finally commit to the process of finishing. So we decided to set aside some nights here and there to dedicate to projects started and not completed. The first one happens to be tonight, and is the reason my quilt has been pulled from its cozy spot in the basket that is its home. I am even more excited about the whole thing now because we can call it U.F.O. Night instead of just Working on Stuff We Started and Didn't Finish Yet Night. Everything is so much better with a catchy title.

So here is a picture of my quilt as it looks today. The others are pictures from earlier in the journey.

Unfinished quilt in the sunlight- Thursday, February 2.

Some stitching- Wednesday, February 1.

 Basting the three layers together with pins- Tuesday, February 16, 2010.

Designing the quilting pattern- Thursday, February 25, 2010.

*Unidentified Flying Object- This U.F.O. is a follow up on the large bird sighting I blogged about a few days ago (A Warm January Day in a Special Place).  My initial I.D. of the bird was a Cooper's Hawk. Checking out some other bird sites, I think I'm sticking with it. However, there is another Hawk, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, that is a near twin. There are comparison charts for the two, unfortunately, the areas of greatest difference are the tail and legs and I can not see either of those areas in the pictures I took.  I had been hoping the bird would come back so I could get a better look at it until I saw this on one of the bird sites: "With their smaller look-a-like, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawks make for famously tricky identifications. Both species are sometimes unwanted guests at bird feeders, looking for an easy meal (but not one of sunflower seeds)." Now I am hoping our guest will not be making a return appearance and am more than happy to stick with what I've got, filing this bird away under the category U.F.O.

A Warm January Day in a Special Place

As if the temperature reaching into the 50s was not wonderful enough, I got to enjoy part of this unseasonably beautiful day at one of my very favorite places. I am currently away, by myself (and loving every minute of it) at Camp Hebron. I spent two summers on staff here when I was in college and have found my way back for many different reasons over the years. One of my favorites is to muck through the woods in my boots with my camera, of course.

A bird's nest in a Sweetgum Tree. You have to click on the picture to really see the little prickly sweetgum balls- Saturday, January 28.

This little creek is often just a trickle in the summer. But everything is soggy right now and the water is spilling downstream with the most beautiful and soothing sound- Saturday, January 28.

Two cool shots of stuff growing on other stuff. I can't give you any more information than that. I only have time for one nature pursuit right now and that is bird watching- Saturday, January 28.

Speaking of bird watching, I have to share this image. Not because it is a good picture, but because of the subject. I walked into my kitchen yesterday and saw a big patch of white in the evergreens. At first I thought it was a plastic bag that had gotten stuck. But then I looked closer and quickly tip toed to get my camera. I didn't dare open the glass door, instead I took this through the glass. This bird was sitting on my neighbor's fence, the usual perch of our sparrows and chickadees. That post in the foreground is the corner of our deck. The bird's feathers are puffed up because it was windy. My initial i.d. is a Cooper's Hawk. But I can't say for sure. I haven't checked all my bird sites yet- Friday, January 27.

This is the usual crowd that gathers on the fence. They graciously allowed our guest full access to any part of the fence he wanted- Thursday, January 5.

Confession

This confession could totally tarnish my image as a fun and cool thirty-something, but in order to post my pictures from today, I have to make it. So here goes- I like watching birds. In fact I think I might be turning into a bird watcher. Aghhh. I can't believe I just typed that, but I am pretty sure it is true. I am more than content to sit quietly at my glass doors and watch the Sparrows and Chickadees flit to and from the bird feeder. I find myself smiling when I see our resident pair of Cardinals emerge from the pine trees at the same time. I already posted a picture of one of our Turtle Doves, but I masked my emerging bird-watching passion by presenting the bird as an old family friend instead of as the subject of that day's bird spotting. I now know of several helpful bird identification websites and get quite a thrill when I successfully match a name with a face. I have even started listening to see if I can tell what bird is in our trees, just by its song. I know, stop. Enough all ready!

That said, (with a deep sigh, it feels good to have all that out in the open), today was an amazing day of bird spotting.

 When I opened our bedroom curtains this morning, I was greeted by our lovely Cardinals. So I ran downstairs, got my camera, ran back upstairs, and threw open the window (luckily the screen was gone because we take them all out every Christmas to hang our decorations and don't put them back until the Spring). So hanging out my bedroom window, in my bathrobe, I got a shot of this guy- Monday, January 23.

 As I started scanning the trees, I noticed another patch of red and then another. I couldn't believe it! All together there were 4 male Cardinals and 2 female Cardinals enjoying the foggy morning in our front trees. I asked a few of them to pose and smile for the camera. They were so obliging- Monday, January 23.

 Then, just as I was about to pack it up, feeling quite pleased with the fruits of a great few minutes of bird watching, a small flock of Starlings swooped in to join the Cardinals. They are beautiful birds, especially today because they were surprisingly quiet- Monday, January 23.

 After watching the Starlings for a bit, I saw what I swore was a Robin. I was sure I had just seen a flit of red from one of the Cardinals, we never have Robins around here at this time of year. But then I heard what I thought was a Robin's call. Sure enough, one lonely Robin had swooped in with the flock of Starlings. Of course, when I was done taking pictures, I ran to the computer to see if such a thing actually happens. I was pleased to find a few reports of solo Robins joining flocks of other birds, specifically Starlings, on a couple of bird watching forums. No, I am not a member of any of the forums, they just came up when I Googled my question. Honest- Monday, January 23.

This is a cool silhouette of the Starlings through the fog. The birds flew to a tree in our neighbor's yard when they were startled by my children bursting into my room, wondering in loud voices what had happened to me between getting out of the shower and coming down to supervise breakfast making. The Oldest saw what I was doing and said to the other two, "Mom's got her camera." No kidding, they sighed in unison and ran to find something to do. They are learning quickly it's best not to interrupt mom when she's got a camera in her hand, especially when it's pointed at birds- Monday, January 23.