Bye Charlotte

I set Charlotte free this afternoon. She was more than ready, fluttering around in the cage. She did not hestitate for a minute, once out she flew around to the back yard probably looking for shade as it is miserable hot and muggy.  I showed her where the milkweed is and the petunias that are so fragrant.  I did not want to let her go but I had to.  It was one of those best days of my life to be a part of something so fragile and beautiful.  I hope there are many more to come this summer.

Charlotte

It's a girl.  Meet Charlotte.  As she was beginning to work her wings this morning I was talking to her.  For some reason the name Charlotte popped in my head as I was thinking of Charlotte of Charlotte's Web (my fav book) and all the baby spiders came tumbling out and she named them.  She is beautiful and will be let go tomorrow.  I will post pictures.  She can go out and lay eggs and hopefully I will find her children and hatch them and help populate the butterfly population.  I have a lot of new milkweed coming up this year and have some seeds i need to get in the ground this Fall. 

Worth the Wait

I woke up this morning to my first butterfly. Now to let the wings dry and figure out if it is a male or female and eventually let it go this weekend.

I lost the first one it was parasitized.  Now on to the next batch.

Animal Farm

If you have not read the book Animal Farm you need to. I read it periodically to remind me that we are closer and closer to the book.

So you all know about that knitting website which shall not be named.  Seems pajama boy and his snowflakes just can't stand to abide by the First Amendment and this has happened. Seems like his inclusiveness does not include anyone who supports the POTUS.  What a bunch of little cry babies.  You may remember in 2008 this happened to the McCain supporters who were removed from that place because of the snowflakes and their fawning love for their annointed one.  They got pajama boy to remove almost everyone from the group. Now we see shades of this only worse.  One lady created a Trump 2020 hat and the snowflakes were so upset that it got removed, yet the F Trump and the Trump voodoo dolls and much worse than that are allowed to remain.  Where are my rights as a conservative knitter, well they simply don't exist because the "pigs" (reference to Animal Farm) are in charge and the whole website has become a political shit hole, not a place for knitters and crocheters to gather and enjoy the craft. 

In fact the left has gone so far over the edge it is hard to enjoy the craft anymore.  There are so many designers, yarn dyers, etc out there that are spewing the left bullshit that there is hardly anyone to get a pattern or yarn from. I realize the number of conservative versus left is small but we do have money and we do spend a lot on our craft.  It is your loss. 

So this happened this morning.

5Skeeter Becker, Marie Halstead and 3 others

To say I am pissed is putting it mildly.  I could care less what they think of me, but they are denying me my First Amendment rights when they are allowed to use theirs and then some.  IF you think the country  is divided because of Trump you are so wrong.  The left is doing this because it is one of their steps to making our great country one where only the elite rule the rest of us.  Wake up sheeple if they can destroy a knitting website, what will they do to our country.

2nd Cocoon

I got up this morning and the second caterpillar had cocooned.  You can barely see it hanging down from the top.  I did not want to disturb the cage and move it around to get a picture, so now we wait for a week or so. 

D32 Update from SOAR

~ 20 June 2019 D32 Update ~
D32 is remaining quiet and content. The splint / cast seems to be staying in place. Still being offered cut-up food so no need to stand on food to rip / tear. Kay will not worry about a weight or a beak depth measurement until possibly the next trip to the veterinarian (no the appointment is not scheduled). Limited handling means limited stress. So... basically, no news is good news.

Week 18 The Gentle Art of Domesticity

* Which topic spoke out to you? Why?

* Who would you consider a style icon and what do you admire about them?

*  Do you gain inspiration from trends or are you confident in your own style?

* Do you collect anything kitschy? Tell us about it. I'm sure many would consider my collection of vintage linens as kitsch.

 

Great style should appear effortless.  In this week's reading she talks about Cary Grant and Doris Day movies.  If you know me you know my fondness for Doris Day and she just passed.  TCM had all her movies on last weekend and they are on my DVR for one of those days when I need to escape from the world and watch them and knit.  I loved her clothes in the movies, the suits, shoes, hat, purse, perfectly coifed hair, etc.  That is not me, but I loved her because she seemed to just slide into the clothes and it was sheer perfection.  Cary Grant, now there is a man who was gorgeous but in a tux, well be still my heart.  (Too bad women today only have those man bun soy latte drinking boys to look at).  

 

I am a jeans and tee shirt girl. In the winter I live in my sweats and feel like wearing a pair of jeans is dressing up. When you are retired there is not reason to dress up.  I do dress to go to church just because I don't believe jeans or sweats belong in church, but that is me.  

 

She puts a recipe for Jam Tarts in the book.  I made tarts once, they were just awful.  We were in Oklahoma City where dad was attending the FAA Academy. I was in high school and wanted to make a dessert. I made an oatmeal shell, too thick, and used what was in the frig, green grapes, peanut butter, jello, and something else. Dad made me eat one and he ate one too, but mom and my brother took one bite and threw them out.  That is my one and only attempt at making tarts. Perhaps it is time for me to try them again.  

 

 

Week 17 The Gentle Art of Domesticity

How much pressure have you put on yourself to keep a perfect house or provide an endless stream of homemade meals?

* Have the epiphanies which Jane writes about from personal experience and observation offered you a different view of how to love your domestic life and let go of perfectionism?

* What made your heart happy in today's study?

 

I keep my house clean because that is who I am.  When it gets overly cluttered I take a day to unclutter because I have been busy or involved in a project and just let stuff lay around until I was ready to take care of it.

 

She talks about bread making. I think it takes the right temp and humidity and the proper yeast and kneading.  Anyone can make bread, you truly can, but you need to be careful of the yeast needing the right conditions to rise properly.  There is nothing better than the smell of yeast bread and then when done, smear butter on the top, cut off a piece and slather it with butter. It truly does not get any better than that.

 

Haberdashery:  that is a mouthful. I always wanted to spend time in one, but are there any left?  There is a 4 story store in San Francisco that I think comes close full of fabric, trim, buttons, etc.  You can spend a week or more in there. It is a magical place.  Can you imagine working in a Haberdashery, all the little things to keep track of, all the things that you probably would never see all of, and just the sheer magic of finding unique items for just the right project.  I like going to antique stores and finding old sewing boxes which is a mini Haberdashery in itself.  I keep the wood thread spools because they don't make them anymore, the plastic i use as cat toys.  It is fun to find old needles cases, buttons, etc and you have a new sewing box as well. Sometimes I find a penny or dime in them, who knows why were they found in a pocket of a garment that was being mended?  Antique stores often have old buttons, old lace, etc, all the things that you would find in a haberdashery.  

 

Ironing: I hate it. I learned how on pillow slips and tea towels, and my dad's handkerchiefs. I hate ironing shirts, the sleeves and yoke, no thanks. I rarely iron anything but fabric i buy and wash and iron for a project.  Please make it go away.  

 

Clotheslines: I remember hanging clothes as a kid.  You wet a paper towel and ran it along the line to clean it especially the bird poop.  My mom would fill her mouth full of clothespins and down the row she would go. I was too short so I handed her the items and the pins and soon they were flapping in the breeze. How I loved to smell clean sheets on my bed that night, sheer heaven.  There are hardly any lines anymore, we have dryers and that is not a pleasant smell except I use dryer balls and put a drop of essential oil on them.  Plus there is the possibility of someone stealing your stuff.  Then when we brought everything in there was more ironing. Did I mention I hate to iron?

 

 

Cocoon

This morning when I got up I still had a hanging J, 3 hours later I have a cocoon and the other one has been at the top all night and hopefully will J soon.  So exciting.

Hanging J

So this one did not eat much today but spent the day at the top of the cage which is really the bottom, but anyway I went to check on them this evening to see if the needed food and he is in his J formation right before the cocoon comes on.  The other polished off 2 leaves and proceeded up to the top as well. I am hoping when I get up in the morning I have 2 J's.  So excited to have monarchs and I will be sad when I release them.

D27 on the Move

Raptor Resource Project

11 hrs ·

D27 started her spring migration on May 20, leaving a spot on the Upper Iowa river roughly 10 miles northeast of her natal nest and flying north! Between May 20 and the afternoon of June 4, she flew an incredible 683 miles northwest, ending up in northwestern Ontario, not far from last year's summer range. Her longest continuous flight took place on June 3rd, when she flew 135.9 miles in 20.97 hours, yielding an average speed of 6.4 miles per hour. She also achieved her fastest flight during this time, averaging 33.93 miles per hour between 12:19 PM and 18:19 PM. Her big day was aided by clear skies and favorable winds out of the south!

She appears to have reached her summer range, but she could still have some surprises in store for us! Will she leave as early as she did last year? Will forest fires once again push her south? Her route north was later but a little more direct than it was last year. Will that hold true when she returns? The more we watch her, the more questions we have. Thanks for the postcard, D27! We wish you the best of luck in the north!
To follow the travels of all of the eagles we've tracked, visit our website at https://www.raptorresource.org/learning-tools/eagle-map/. A thousand thanks to Brett Mandernack and the staff of Eagle Valley for sharing their data, maps, knowledge, and expertise with us!

Monarchs

I was looking at all the milkweed plants coming and what did I see but 2 caterpillars. Where have they been cos i have worked in that flower bed. Which reminds me tomorrow I am planting the seed I saved from last year.  I need a whole bed full to feed them. They eat a lot and poop even more.  So they are in the house in their cage and happily eating.  How long til they cocoon?

D33 Update It's a Girl

Great News from SOAR:

The first eaglets ready to move from ICU to the nursery are D33 and a hatch-year 2019 bald eagle from Allamakee County. These eaglets are reliably eating, drinking, and pooping. Any medication routines needed are complete. Patients will often "telegraph" that they are ready for a change of scenery.
Moving days like this are the time when eagles are weighed, a beak depth measurement taken, blood drawn for a blood lead level (if not already done), and a dose of ivomec to control external parasites. (We'll post separately about parasite control!)
D33 weighs in at 11.5 pounds and her beak depth measurement indicates she is a female. (Again... we'll post separately about beak depth measurement).

D32 Update

D32 is in a cast for 4 weeks and has to be fed so as not to put pressure on the bone that was broken.  D32 is healing nicely and don't forget they have a sibling there permanently D20.  For the latest updates SOAR's website:

https://soarraptors.org/patients/d32/

Like I Need Another Project

I LOVE Jeannette of Elephantz. Her embroidery is so beautiful.  I follow her blog and subscribe to the monthly patterns.  She came out with a memory Kitchen book and of course I had to sign up. So I am making one and I know it will take me forever but it will go to one of the most special persons in my life, so.....

I am putting everthing in a notebook with scrupulous notes these are the fabrics and buttons I chose.  I need to find special pictures, recipes, notes, etc to put in the pockets.  Come on the journey with me.

D33 Doing Well

From SOAR:

D33
11 June 2019
D33 is a model patient - eating two quail a day! Ambassador Decorah shared some of his trout and D33 ate two! Just like in the nest D33 can poop-shoot quite a distance, guessing 5 feet out the crate door.
D33 is ready to move out of ICU to a 10x20' flight area. It's time to stretch out those wings. Look for the move to happen later this week.

D32 Surgery

From SOAR:

D32 spent several days evading searchers before spotted hunkered down in the trout stream.
D32 is definitely impacted by black fly / buffalo gnat bites and is emaciated and dehydrated. As happens with birds in poor condition D32 has feather lice. Feather lice may crawl on you, but only in search of feathers.
The biggest concern for D32 is that the tibiotarsus in the right leg is broken just above the ankle. Kay consulted with SOAR veterinarians and all agreed that pinning the bones together was not an option.
The only option, and it is a long-shot, is to align and stabilize the bones while D32 is under anesthesia. Surgery is scheduled to align the bones and apply an external stabilizer - like a cast.
Then we all wait.
D32 is on antibiotics and is eating cut up food.

D32 Found, Tears of Joy

I am crying tears of joy this afternoon as D32 has been found and is in the care of a raptor vet.  Thank you Lord for finding and allowing the care of the eaglets.

From the Decorah Hatchery:

Update: Decorah Hatchery Nest eaglet D32
D32 was located yesterday evening in Trout Run Creek by a couple of local residents. The eagle was located tucked in along a bank downstream from the Decorah Hatchery nest. It was in rough shape, and the residents informed the DNR Hatchery personnel, who then retrieved it from the creek, and placed him/her in a “turkey box”.  The hatchery staff notified RRP, and we quickly set a plan in motion to get D32 the care it needed. Our Bald Eagle expert and board member Brett Mandernack, and our Vice President Laura Johnson, a veterinarian doctor specializing in raptor care, were consulted quickly, and a plan was enacted to get D32 to Laura, about an hour away, for immediate assessment and care.
Once transferred to Laura, D32 was found to be weak, a bit hypothermic, underweight, and showed signs of anemia with many black fly bites. Laura administered fluids and electrolytes upon arrival and repeated the treatments overnight. This morning, Laura was able to get D32 to eat some venison dipped in electrolytes and will continue to try to feed D32 every few hours.
Laura will continue to monitor and care for D32 while we await further updates

UPDATE:  June 9th D32 is now at SOAR with D33.  Siblings together again.  Keep praying for all the animals affected by the flooding and the gnats (black flies).  

April Retires

In case you have not heard April will not be having any more babies. She went on the pill and will be retiring and moving from Oliver.  She and her new son will move into Tajari's barn and Tajari's girlfriend will become Oliver's girlfriend and Tajari will have to wait for a new girlfriend.  Are you confused yet?  April had several children and even has grandchildren so she can live out her life without the strains of being pregnant.  There is a camera there as well, so you can still get your fill of April and the babies and Oliver.  Happy Retirement April.

D33 Update from SOAR

Also on 5 June, this eaglet began the journey to SOAR for evaluation and any treatment needed. During transfer to SOAR Executive Director, Kay Neumann, she provided an initial assessment. The eaglet has numerous bites near the eyes and nostrils (nares) and on the back of the head from buffalo gnats (AKA blackfly). These bites have left behind bloody scabs and left this eagle thin, anemic, and bit dehydrated. Kay could feel no fractures or swelling in the legs and wings. Bonus.
Kay also noted before she even picked up the juvenile that the tail and wing feathers were not long enough for this bird to fledge. Look at the photo included of the inside of the left wing. You can still see primary (flight) feathers encased in the sheath.
A view of the inside of D33's left wing. Flight feathers still have growing to do.

Never Forget

Never forget the history of our country.  For those of you who whine about your awful life many gave theirs so you could be ungrateful.  You don't learn this history anymore in school because the left wants to forget how we got here and why.  May we always celebrate the important days of why we are America.

https://www.army.mil/d-day/

Empty Nest Syndrome

I was not prepared to come onto the Decorah webcam and see an empty nest. It is too soon and knowing that our eaglets jumped to probably escape the gnats and black flies makes it even more sad.  D33 is at SOAR being taken care of and they have not found D32 yet.  I fear that is not good.  Last night mom was on the Y Branch from the first nest and it was beautiful with the sunset in progress. This morning I came upon the empty nest. I haz a sad. 

I Have Good News and No News

From RRP Just now:

The search team headed out early this morning led by RRP Board Director and eagle biologist Brett Mandernack and wildlife assistant Ryan Schmitz. Both quickly got to work and searched a boxed area from the bridge to about 0.5 miles upstream past the nest and were unable to locate D32 or even get a vocalization. They also watched Both Mom and DM2 carefully, looking for clues in flight paths hoping one of the parents would lead them to a spot where they might have been caring for D32. There was no luck on locating the eaglet, but RRP is putting plans in place to continue on with a search again tomorrow and will monitor the parents travels more closely.
D33 had been exploring the Skywalk branch since yesterday, not branching yet, but carefully and skillfully had walked up to perch and look about, and ventured a bit further with each exploration and both DM2 and Mom kept the eaglet company perched nearby or in the nest. This afternoon D33 climbed up to about the same spot as D32 had when she/he lost its footing and fell. Within about 15 minutes RRP was notified by Iowa DNR that D33 was located, retrieved, and was taken to the Decorah Fish Hatchery for a visual inspection. It was determined that she/he was a bit underweight, but no other obvious injuries were noted. It was decided to transport the eaglet to S.O.A.R. (Saving Our Avian Resources) where D33 would be under skilled veterinary and rehab care to be evaluated and stabilized. We will have no further information about D33's condition until such time that the veterinary exam is completed, and RRP will provide that information as soon as it is known.

D33 Fell

We have not found D32 and now D33 just fell out of the tree.  The gnats are so bad this year.  I hope they are ok.  Poor mom and DM2 have their hands full with  these 2.  Praying for both safety. 

D32 Where Are You?

Yesterday D32 branched all the way up the skywalk branch that they all sit on and view the world.  Last night he fledged, was it an accident or intentional.  At 61 days it is a bit early but we must trust the eagles.  Boots were on the ground last night and they will be out again.  Let's hope it was intentional and all is ok.  I hope mom and DM2 know where he is and are with him. 

Hard to believe they will be off the nest already, weren't they just hatched?  Poor D33 is fighting those gnats which have been bad in past years.  Last night he barely went on the skywalk and we shall see today what happens.  Think good thoughts.

Do I Have a Sign on my House

I walked across the driveway to the neighbors this morning. I was not there 5 minutes and I come back and this is in the driveway.  Really where do all these animals come from to my yard. Is there some Bat signal they can only see on my roof that I don't?  I put him in my flower bed, will see what happens. 

Mrs Wilson's Knitting Circle

Today's lecture was all about the garment district.  We used to be second behind NY in manufacturing of clothing.  Nelly Don is a name many have heard here and this article shows how much clothing has changed.  There are many buildings downtown that used to be part of the various clothing companies but many  now are apartments. 

https://www.seamwork.com/issues/2015/12/nelly-don-self-made-in-america