Bird Watching

I have temporarily moved my work computer to next to the window of my office, where I can look out on the ponds, which have been discovered big time by birds this year. I keep seeing gorgeous birds that look unfamiliar to me, only to learn that they are the 3rd most common bird in the area, or something. Oh well, I still enjoy them.

Here's an example. Barry and I spotted a gorgeous little brownish bird with a striking black and white striped cap.  He was busily eating our grass seed from the bare spot we are trying to get greened up again (from the geothermal wells).  Turns out he's so common, most birders don't even bother to write him down. But he was charming. Except for the grass seed part.

A few days ago we saw a pair of these:  They are rose-breasted grosbeaks. Again, I got all excited, even though it turns out they are dime-a-dozen birds.

Our ponds are attracting so much spring bird life that I am getting quite an education in birdie sex. It's pretty steamy out there at times. I had to laugh when I saw what I thought was some kind of smallish pigeon, doing a dance; turns out it was just a grackle, puffed up so huge that he was at least twice the size as the lady grackle he was dancing for! She was less impressed than I was. The male robins are still fighting like little roosters, all claws and flapping feathers.  There's a pair of mourning doves who are quite mellow in comparison. Everybody likes to take birdbaths where the waterfall comes down over the rocks and they can splash without danger of getting in too deep.

A hawk discovered our little birdie Eden a few days ago and murdered one of the birds. I didn't see which one it was, but the hawk sat right down on the grass next to the pond and tore it to shreds. I raced out there and it flew away with most of the bird, leaving a few parts. I was afraid the hawk would be back, seeing as the pickings were so easy here, but he hasn't returned that I have seen. I know hawks have to eat, too, but not MY birds, if you please! I tried to identify the hawk but could not find anything that looked just like it. It was mostly brown, with lighter colors underneath but not white, just sort of buff. I was mostly looking at the victim rather than the culprit, so I am not probably describing him (or her) right.

I am obviously no birder, and I know what a robin is, and that's about the extent of my bird identification skills. But I have found that if you put "brown bird with black and white striped head" into Google, within a couple of hits you will ID your bird. Pretty neat.

Peter Dinklage will be Tyrion Lannister!

"But of course," you say. "Wasn't he the obvious choice?"

Well, yes, he was... though he is not how I picture Tyrion, he has the acting chops to pull it off.  Tyrion is a very complex character. I think he's my favorite character in A Song of Ice and Fire. I get the shudders at the very thought of bad casting for this series that I love. But so far, so good. I usually think of Dinklage as a very serious kind of guy, but he can be funny, too - and it's Tyrion's wry sense of humor that makes me love him so much.

Check out the news story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Graduation Day Forecast

"Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s."

Thank you Lord!

The Onion on J.J. Abrams' New Trek

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

Barry Passed His CNA Test

Not that I doubted he would, but still, it's a relief - yet one more obstacle out of the way, bringing him closer to nursing school. Not only did he pass, he did beautifully, only missing a few points, and earning compliments from the testing and proctoring staff, who asked him if he is going on to nursing school and telling him he would do great.

Hallelujah!

Apron Challenge with Vania

My sister-in-law Vania invited me to team up with her and join the All People Quilt Apron Challenge. The idea is that two friends each make an apron from the basic pattern provided, upload photos and are judged as a team. Vania suggested using these fabrics from the Maywood Studio Back Porch Bouquet collection, in colors that go with my mom's/her mother-in-law's kitchen - brown and turquoise. These above are the fabrics I chose. She is using the same stripe but the others are different.

My fabric just arrived. I ordered it from Hands On Tradition, an online quilt shop with excellent service, plus they will sell you small fractions of a yard, as some will not. They are so fast! I ordered April 30th and it arrived Priority Mail today, May 4th.

Refreshing Sunday Morning

Just got home from church much refreshed. It doesn't always work that way. And it's not church's fault, or God's, it's mine. Years ago a man I really respected, Clayton Steep, wrote an essay on sabbath refreshment. He told about one day when he was coming home from work in a rush and drove up his driveway too fast and crashed right into his garage door, ending up in the garage where he wanted to be, only with a wrecked garage AND a wrecked car. He wrote that sometimes that's how he goes into the Sabbath too: Roaring in full speed and crashing. I know exactly how that feels. Many times I'm up too late on Saturday night, or others in the family are, and we have a hard time getting up, clean and presentable in time for 9:00 a.m. church. Sometimes I don't even have the excuse of being up late. I'm just disorganized and cranky. Church is not long enough to get out of one of those moods!

Well, this morning we were tired, but I still got a good night's sleep. The service was beautiful. We sang several songs that I love, including Fairest Lord Jesus. And then we witnessed the confirmation of our friends Barry and Lisa Fruechte's youngest child, S. They have seen 4 children now through the age of confirmation. They done good! S. was our only confirmand this year, which somehow made it seem more special. She stood tall in the front of church in her white robe and professed her faith. A beautiful event in her life, her parents' lives, and the life of our congregation.

I was raised in more of a Baptist tradition, so infant baptism and confirmation are still fairly new to me. That thing in red up there is the insert in the bulletin in which Pastor explained what he believes confirmation is all about. I thought you would find it interesting. I appreciated it as an excellent explanation.

On another note, Britta is away on her senior trip this week. We are appreciating the respite between graduation festivities. She graduates on Mother's Day and afterward we are having open house. We thought it was going to be a small intimate group of mostly family and neighbors, but then Britta invited pretty much everybody who has ever joined Facebook, so I am cooking. And cooking. I have been cooking beef brisket all weekend. Briskets #1, #2, and #3 are cooked, cut up and in the freezer, #4 is cooling down and #5 is in the oven. I am using Pioneer Woman's recipe only with a drastic reduction in the soy sauce; I thought it was wayyy too salty. The menu is brisket on a bun, mashed potatoes, gravy, cooked veggies (green beans, sweet corn) and rootbeer floats. Notice how I cleverly combined beverage with dessert? We got the back porch set up yesterday and having that and the brisket out of the way, I feel much better about how things are going.

Both sets of Britta's grandparents hope to be here for her graduation.

Sorry for disappearing

It's been a little crazy around here, and will get worse before it gets better, what with the end of the school year, Prom, the senior trip, graduation, grandparents visiting, a grad open house, and oh yes, working. But we are well and happy. Don't worry about us.

One piece of good news: Master K got a haircut. I cannot express to you how happy this makes me. (I cannot gush about it too much for fear he will never do it again.)