Poe

Poe was up today finishing off the feral cat food and then moving on to the bowl of sunflower seeds for the squirrels.  She has a pink ridge on her ears. Her toes are long and bright pink and look at her toenails.  She needs a pedicure.

Santa's Village

When I was in 7th grade, a few years ago the English teacher gave us a paper village to put together and write a story about the village.  The buildings were orange, green, teal, and gold.  I put them together had all the stores, had some one and two story houses and I don't remember if there were any other objects.  I have no idea what my story was about and over the years I have lost most of the pieces.  Last year one of my Facebook group members posted these cross kit pieces for a Santa's Village.  There are 12 pieces all together.  I  purchased the 12 items and began my stitching.  I have not got very far, about 2/3 done with the first one.  So today since Joans had a big after Christmas sale I went and got fabric and some trim and some fir trees to re-create my village.  I am gonna make a box from the pattern and put a piece of styrofoam inside and coordinating fabric on the back.  I am sure I will do further embellishing as I get each piece done.  I would like to get one done a month but not sure that is possible so come next Dec 25 we will see how far I have come.  Meanwhile enjoy the journey with me. Maybe I will even write a story to go along with my new village.

Poe and the Squirrel

I have a new possum on the deck, she is black and white and isn't she cute?  My niece named her Poe.  My gray feral cat kept checking her out but not getting too close as she spent about 3 hours "hiding" from everyone. She had a nap here and finally left.  This little squirrel came up on the deck and was like Whoa what is that as he looked at me and then her.  Looks like he is losing the end of his winter tail, he might want to keep that as it is to get cold again and possible snow this weekend.

Feeling DIscombobulated

It has been one of those years. My niece had her tonsils removed and part of her uvula in March for which I was there.  Shortly after her husband moved in with me because he got a job here.  May we went out for her graduation and moved them here, they lived in my basement for 6 months.  Now I am slowly putting my house back together.  If that isn't enough to discombobulate one, the real reason has to be that I have NOT knitted one pair or socks this year.  That is so unlike me.  SO since we celebrated Christmas yesterday because they are working lots of hours tomorrow I shall spend the day in quiet solitude making a pair of socks.

Christmas Cactus

My pink girl is going nuts with the blooms this year.  The other one my mom almost killed.  2 summers ago when I brought it home it had a couple of leaves and that was it. So i babied it and it now has 2 blooms. I think it was a red one.

First Snow

I am never ready for the first snow because I just don't like winter.  Technically it is not Winter yet, but you know what I mean.  I prefer Spring and Summer where the weather is nice and no snow, ice, sunless days on end and bitter cold temps.

We are to get around an inch but still it is snow and with the temps dropping the roads may get icy in the morning. I dont have to go anywhere but my niece has to go go work and get off in the morning. I will worry about her.

I went out and fed my ferals with extra kibbles for the night and took some pics.

VOTE

Today is another election day.  I enjoy the electricity around going to the polls, filling out my forms, talking to a stranger in line about mindless things and then coming to see if I voted the way the majority did and walking out with my I Voted sticker.  I don't want to vote early because today is kind of like Christmas, there is the excitement of the day. 

Voting is still a privilege in this country and if you are a citizen you should care and vote.  I care more that you vote than how you vote.  And if you don't vote shut up cos you don't have a right to complain.  Also when the returns come in you can have a couple days to complain but not 2 years, grow up already, everyone can't win all the time. 

I am hoping we keep the whole Congress tonight and the governors as well.  So get out there and vote, take a snack cos the lines are long, do your research and vote how you believe and feel not how some movie star or media person tells you how to. What do YOU want the country to look like and vote that way. 

I Am An American

Before The Wind

Sunday is to be a windy day which the weather people say will take the leaves down,so they suggest today and tomorrow we get pics of the gorgeous colors this year. I have 3 of these red/gold leaved trees which are just brilliant in color this Fall. I also have some of these purple red trees which are very toned down compared to the others.  My one tree by the garage is usually bright red but not quite there yet, hopefully it will turn before the leaves fall.

There is a New Man in Mom's Life

This morning on the Decorah nest there is a new male with mom bringing in sticks working on the nest for February when eggs are laid.  This is not the same one that showed up after Dad left.  I still believe the one after Dad disappeared was Bob Anderson in eagle form protecting the nest and babies for Dad.  He left when he knew the eaglets were gone and Mom was gonna be ok.  This new male is so handsome. I hope mom chose wisely as she will never find someone like Dad but... we can only hope this one comes close.  Stay tuned to see how it all unravels.

D27 Came Home for a Visit

Raptor Resource Project

21 mins ·

It looks like D27 visited our banding station on Thursday! We got a call from station master Dave Kester about an eagle that nearly came into one of our nets. While it avoided capture, Sophia noticed it had a backpack and band! We determined it was a second year eagle based on plumage, since a third-year eagle would have had more salt and pepper (dark and pale feathers), and a first year eagle (assuming it was from some other study) would have been darker. At about the same time, Brett let us know that D27 had arrived back in Decorah! We weren't able to track her directly to the station, since her transmitter was in off-cycle when we saw her. But the coordinates we do have put her right in the area. Way to go, D27!

Thanks to Sophia Landis for the photo. She digiscoped it through one of the windows of the banding blind - not an easy feat! We hope to see D27 again.

Tajiri is NOT Moving

From Animal Adventure Park:  Tajiri was to move soon but looks like he will be staying put and getting a wife soon.

In the interest of maintaining honesty, integrity and transparency, Animal Adventure Park must announce that it has unexpectedly cancelled the transfer of Tajiri the Giraffe. Requirements and deadlines were not satisfied in the given time frame to make the scheduled transfer by the end of this month possible.
As we've long stated, it is not ideal for Tajiri to remain in the same proximity as his parents, which has prompted the park's owner and contractors to work and plan quickly. Construction will begin Monday to erect the appropriate building to house Tajiri and a possible second giraffe or companion animal, for the colder months, and exhibition in the future. This exhibit will absorb a large portion of the anticipated Wilds of Asia expansion slated for a 2019 opening, likely now delayed. The park anticipates this project will take three to four weeks to reach completion. This will allow a timely transfer to the new space, prior to extreme cold weather, and give April the Giraffe ample time to prepare for her expected calf in 2019.

This decision was made late Thursday after thorough consideration and consultation with park ownership, park veterinarian, and park regulatory agencies, who all unanimously agree that this is the proper course of action. The safety, security and welfare of our animals remains priority number one, and we feel it is best at this time, to keep Tajiri in place, at home, at Animal Adventure Park.

An Afternoon in the Stacks

An Afternoon in the stacks
by Mary Oliver

Closing the book, I find I have left my head
inside. It is dark in here, but the chapters open
their beautiful spaces and give a rustling sound,
words adjusting themselves to their meaning.
Long passages open at successive pages. An echo,
continuous from the title onward, hums
behind me. From in here, the world looms,
a jungle redeemed by these linked sentences
carved out when an author traveled and a reader
kept the way open. When this book ends
I will pull it inside-out like a sock
and throw it back in the library. But the rumor
of it will haunt all that follows in my life.
A candleflame in Tibet leans when I move.

It's That Time of Year

As Summer and Fall duke it out we are having a lot of wind and wet sloppy rain today.  Later in the evening we may some of that white stuff for the first time this season.  The trees are beginning to turn.  My favorites the color is so vibrant.  I have 2 of these in my yard.

There is a sub-adult on the Y branch at N1 at Decorah this afternoon enjoying the snow.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is in town tonight and since I cant go to the concert I am just gonna enjoy his voice on YouTube tonight.  Listen with me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKzRIweSBLA&list=PLaq655wqcKDnUvTOizhqwNCiiF_grL1vh&index=1

Burnt BIscuits

One of my friends posted this on Facebook and I thought if we could all just take a breath and read this and do what it says.

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!

All my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing...never made a face nor uttered a word about it!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said,
"Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,
"Your Mom put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides--a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"
As I've grown older, I've thought about that many times. Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people.
I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today...
that you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them aside.
We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!
"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket--keep it in your own."
So, please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

The Yellow Velour Sofa

We are having our Fall Fling at church which is basically a garage sale with lunch and baked goods.  When I walked in this morning to finish set up there is this yellow velour sofa.  The first thing I though of was the 60's and how are we gonna sell that.  So I put a Make Offer sign on it.  I am sure it was quite expensive in it's day but who on earth would want this.  I'll let you know if anyone buys it. I sure hope so cos I have no idea how I am gonna get rid of it.

No one bought the sofa although a couple of women were really interested but their housemates said an emphatic no.  It did provide a lot of levity and conversation with people at the sale though.  We ended up making $1500 despite not being able to sell this one of a kind sofa.

Never Forget

This commercial only aired once. But it does need to be shared on this day every year. If you have never seen a Budweiser horse in person, they are a majestic animal. 

Grab a kleenex before you watch this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3eQmzw6n3k&feature=share

Tajari is moving

Tajari is moving from New York to North Carolina, a few hours south on the East coast.  He will be leaving mom and dad at the end of October. I hope his new home has a camera so we can keep tabs on him.  BTW April is pregnant again and we will be on baby watch again next year.  Good Luck Tajari.

https://fox8.com/2018/09/05/april-the-giraffes-son-tajiri-will-move-from-ny-to-north-carolina/

Yarn Bombing

Yesterday I decided to work on the stained glass window for the Cathedral. One of the ladies at Fiber Follies had mentioned a stained glass vest pattern in The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits magazine put out by Knitting Daily in 2013.  The pattern is Tracery Vest.  I went through my leftover sock yarn and found some black and some with short colorways.  It needs to be blocked but I think it will work.

Rain

Thank You Lord for the 2.5" of rain this week.  My flowers are having a renewal and blooming like crazy.

I thought i had lost my butterfly bush over the winter but look it is blooming and coming back, now to get some cool dry temps to get that blasted grass out of the beds.

 Oh look I have Smurfs in the yard after all that rain.

Goodwill Outlet Store

One of the ladies in my Fiber Follies group told us about this Goodwill Outlet Store just about 20 minutes from my house, so today I ventured over there.  I felt like  I needed a shower when I left however I did find some stuff but I wont go back.  They have big bins like trash bins with stuff just thrown in.  I did not want to touch anything but there was one with some furniture in it. I like lots of little tables in my house to stack books and yarn on and got 2 but they need sanded and re-stained and one little piece glued back on.  I also found a rocker that needs to be painted, but those will be winter projects and all 3 pieces for $15.

4 Years and I Still Look For You

This is Little Bit. He was my feral tom who was fierce.  He beat up anything that entered his yard. There were months that would go by and I would not see him but then he would show up again.  Towards the end he got so thin and his coat looked so bad.  I think the heat got to him and his age.  He is the dad to my two inside and my feral girl is his last child.  I hope you know how much I loved you and worried over you.  I know you are with the rest of the cats, just remember Garfield is always in charge. 

Has it Been Six Years Already?

I lost my tom 6 years ago today.  It does not seem like it has been that long.  My youngest and Harry were the best of friends.  They played a lot and I know she still goes looking for him.  He had diabetes and it got the best of him. He was the sweetest boy and boy was he ever vocal. I got him from a friend at work whose son was allergic.  So I had him for 11 years but forever in my heart.

Yarn Bombing

I certainly hope the FBI or SS does not come visit me if they see the word bombing.  Why do they have to use the word bomb with yarn?

Anyhoo, the Fiber Follies group at the Irish Center is going to venture out and yarn bomb Browne's Irish Market who were the victims of a hate crime earlier in the year.  We are making buildings and houses and a church in a row to make a street.  Our purpose is to show some support from one Irish business to another.  We will be hanging shamrocks and hearts from the tree and wrapping the pole out front.

This will be a big undertaking and we have about 11 interested in putting this together.  So I will keep updated with our progress.  We do hope to get some media attention and who knows what we may work on after this.  Expected installation date is March 1 2019. 

D27

D27 has been getting the heck out of Dodge, they think due to the wildfires.  She needs to come home and not leave the country.  She must be tired after her long flight.

D27 is on the move! She flew 312.8 miles SE between August 8th and August 12th, moving with some urgency (Brett's words) from Magiss to Buckingham Lake.
Broken down by day, her journey looks like this:
8/8/2018 | 114.7 miles | 14 hours and 58 minutes
8/9/2018 | 71.6 miles | 3 hours
8/10/2018 | 4.3 miles | N/A
8/11/2018 | 89.2 miles | 6 hours
8/12/2018 | 33 miles | 6 hours

She traveled for a total of roughly 30 hours, giving her an average speed of a little over 10 miles per hour. Her average speed per day was about 7 miles per hour on August 8, 23 miles per hour on August 9, about 15 miles per hour on August 11, and 5.5 miles per hour on August 10. Her longest day was August 8. She started flying at 8:27AM CT and didn't stop until sometime shortly before 11:25PM CT. That's a long day! Note that the days (as defined by daylight length) are still pretty long at this latitude. True night doesn't start until 11:36PM and lasts for just three hours and ten minutes.
So what was going on? As we mentioned in our last post, she may have been fleeing fire and smoke from fires in California, British Columbia, and western Ontario. Air quality alerts were issued for the areas she traveled through on August 8 and 9, and her flights on August 8 and August 9 indicate (as Brett put it) some urgency. I haven't yet been able to get archived satellite maps of the area for those two days, but NASA has a fire and smoke section that is both fascinating and disturbing. Check it out here: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/index.html
. As always, thanks to Brett and the staff of Eagle Valley for sharing their maps and data with us. You can follow the travels of all the eagles we've tracked on our interactive map at: https://www.raptorresource.org/learning-tools/eagle-map/
. Stay safe, D27 - and please check in soon!

Mrs Wilson's Knitting Circle

Yesterday's lecture was about the hand made items and souvenirs.  Souvenirs were mass produced for the Americans to send home to commemorate the War.  There is some beautiful hand work on many of these items.

 The blue item actually opened up to hold your hankies.  The item on the upper right is one of a very few items from Russia  The other two items are embroidered hankies.

 This was part of a tea set cross stitched on linen.  The picture below were the coasters and napkins to complete the set.

 This was my favorite piece.  Someone took a black and white photo and embroidered some color onto it.