Still playing with WordPress iPhone app.
Category Archives: Home
Nearly-empty refrigerator
I should explain that our refrigerator conked out (that’s the term the service tech used) recently and Barb purchased a new one (above). But this pretty much what we have on hand most of the time.
It looks a lot like the frig my buddy Allan and I shared 30+ years ago on Church Street in Kennett, MO.
The jar on the second shelf contains either a pickle or a salamander.
Wildlife: Snake attacks helpless birds
I took the dogs out to do their business earlier today and, on the way back, I happened to look up in the tree we walk under a dozen times a day. I saw what I thought was a black piece of plastic until it moved in an unmistakably serpentine way. It was a big-ass snake, about 15 feet off the ground.
As I looked closer I saw the snake was wrapped around a bird nest, which explained the frantic activity of some robins. They were darting in for a peck at the snake, trying to scare it off. With no luck at all. (I found it interesting that they were getting help from cardinals and other birds) The snake looked like he might be digesting something.
If you are a snake lover or naturalist or one of those guys who pick up snakes, you can skip the rest of this post. It’s just gonna piss you off. Let’s go to the video [CAUTION: Adult language]:
Even if I’d been willing to get on a ladder and grab the snake, it would probably have brought down the nest. But friends, that was never a consideration.
And even as I fired little steel balls into the tree, the adult birds didn’t flinch or move away. They stayed right by the nest. I kept thinking I’d hit and kill one of them but I didn’t.
If this black snake had stayed out in the woods, stuffing himself with rodents and moles, he’d still be alive. But he decided to climb up my tree and eat some defenseless baby robins.
Speer Drive: Icy Road of Death
>
Ripley and Lucy under the table
Chilly Sunday morning, spitting snow. Barb on her way home. And Ripley and Lucy at my feet. I’m just not sure life gets much better than this.
No “yappy dogs” for Obama
One more from the Barbara Walters interview:
WALTERS: I have one final, very important question. I, Mrs. Obama, I sent you a picture of my dog, Cha Cha
MICHELLE OBAMA: Uh-huh.
WALTERS: Who is a Havanese, and a very perfect dog, and
BARACK OBAMA: Cha Cha?
WALTERS: Cha Cha. Cha Cha is a dog, he's a Havanese, he's from Havana… name is "Cha-cha-cha."
BARACK OBAMA: Cha-cha-cha.
WALTERS: Yeah. (overlap)
BARACK OBAMA What is a Havanese?
WALTERS: Oh, it's like a little.. it's like a little terrier. And they're non-allergenic, and they're the sweetest dogs in the world.
BARACK OBAMA: But, but it's a… it's like a little yappy dog.
WALTERS: Yeah, you don't want (overlap)
MICHELLE OBAMA: Don't criticize.
BARACK OBAMA: Yeah, it like sits in your lap and things?
MICHELLE OBAMA: (Overlap) Yes, it's a cute dog. (Laughs)
BARACK OBAMA: It sounds kind of like a… a girly dog.
MICHELLE OBAMA: We're girls. We have a house full of girls.
WALTERS: We know… we… what about whatever you were saying?
MICHELLE OBAMA: (Laughs)
BARACK OBAMA: Well, well, we're gonna have a big, rambunctious dog.
Hoot Owl
I’m trying to be more aware. To see where I am and the beauty that surrounds me. Standing in the back yard, waiting for Lucy and Ripley to find that perfect spot, I spotted an owl in a big oak tree. A rarity.
I was struck by this guy/gal’s size. And when he blinked (do owls blink?), he looked… thoughtful. Very aware if his surroundings. Sorry the image isn’t better. Some shots are just beyond the little Casio.
Our Goose Family
Every year a pair of Canada Geese come to our neighborhood pond to nest and raise their young. I think they are Canada Geese. They have a Canadian accent. I see them most mornings and most evenings and try to snap a photo. I wish I had Henry with me to get really good shots but that would probably take a LOT longer than just sticking my Casio out the window.
I never tire of watching these critters. And seeing the goslings turn into grown-up geese is a little bit amazing. One of the adults is always "on guard." At least that’s what I imagine is going on. There are dogs in the neighborhood but I’ve never seen them chasing the geese, who stay pretty close to the pond.
I don’t know how long they’ll stay around but I’ll keep adding shots to this flicker set as I get them.
Why I don’t do trees
Last December’s ice storm destroyed a lot of tree. Parts of our property have looked like an artillery range for the last six months. Today a crew of hard-working lads are cutting down the fatally wounded. The price tag seemed a little high at first glance, but after seeing the guys 30 feet up with a chain saw roaring in one hand, it seems about right. I’m proud to say that I gave NO thought to attempting this project on my own.
Home, Sweet Home
