I WON!

I was reading my newsfeed on facebook and noticed a post with my scarf. Hey that is my scarf and there is my name and oh look I won first place at the Irish Fest scarf contest.  I get a gift certificate at a yarn store.  MORE YARN!.  HOOTIE HOO>  So next year I get to enter in the Master's contest since I won this year.  Thank you judges for picking my scarf.

Bad News that is Good News

9-5-14 ~ Update on Mr. SOAR

Our Decorah Juvenile Fledgling saw Dr. Dirks on Wed. Sept. 3rd, and he has confirmed that our Mr. SOAR will not be able to fly or to be released in the wild. He has a calcified lump at the break site near the shoulder, and while normally a calcium deposit is to be expected in bone regrowth, it's too close to the joint and he is not able to move his wing. His wing does not droop, but he is also not able to move it. The other trauma that he had was... the loss of tail feathers from some unknown prey that was trying to catch him. Those feathers are coming in but that also is a very slow process. At this point there are still obstacles he will need to overcome and adapt to as he gets stronger, and we will all be on this journey together with him and continue to provide every update as is released. We're a little short staffed today, but if you have questions, we'll try to answer as soon as we can.

All of us at RRP have been blessed to have Mr. SOAR in the expert care of Saving Our Avian Resources (S.O.A.R). They have given him, and every patient at their facility the very best care and while we all may have been hoping for a different outcome, our little guy had two big traumas, and we need to remember that sometimes miracles are given in a different way than we hoped. He is alive, and he will make a wonderful Decorah Education Eagle. A reminder that the S.O.A.R. facility is a rehab hospital and not a wildlife or raptor visitor center. It is not open to the public, and in fact it violates their federal permit to do so.

Please read the entire note that S.O.A.R. has shared here for a better understanding of his circumstances. As always your kind thoughts have helped buoy all of us in this process, and we would also like to thank everyone that has sent in donations to S.O.A.R. to help with expenses for Mr. SOAR and for the other raptors in their care.

Our deepest thanks to Kay, Dr. Dirks, and everyone at S.O.A.R.

Happy Birthday to Me

My mom always treats birthdays as if I was still a kid and I am fine with that.  This year she decided it was a Halloween theme.  The cake is from a cookbook that she had when I was a kid.  There were 2 of them, paperbook size that had different cakes in them.  I remember a butterfly as well and I think a fish.  I think she made them all several times.  It was a great day, thanks mom.

My aunt sent me some pencils she collected on a trip.  My mom got me pencils as well.  Have I mentioned I love pencils?

Hermione and Little Bit

My feral tom, Little Bit, he is 13 1/2 and I have not seen him for a week now.  he was so thin and losing his air and I think the heat got to him.  I loved him as if he had been in my house all this time and worried over him.  The last few weeks he has finally let me rub his head and pet him.  He would lean against my leg while I rubbed his head.  I hope you know how much I loved you.

I have no idea why she decided to lay on the clean curtains, I had folded them and went away for a minutes.  Maybe they were still warm.  This is Hermione, my oldest.

Braids

 

Every year the Irish Fest has a knitting contest, this year it is scarves.  I designed this one myself.  First prize is a gift certificate to a lys.  Since I don't wear scarves this will be donated to the Irish Center for the gala to be auctioned off next Spring.  Contest ends Saturday afternoon.  Wish me luck.

Yard Happenings

 

I have had 4 hummingbirds all summer, chubby came back.

 

My heirloom tomato.

My yellow tomato.  I have not had much  luck with the tomatoes.  I bought the plants after we had 2 nights of freeze and they did not do well.

I have one orange cosmos in my mint garden.

The naked ladies outdid themselves this year. I had more than I have had in years.

Sage

Tarragon

Rosemary (my fav)

Me mum bought me some mums.

 

The lizards have been very active this summer.

I don't think this is supposed to happen.

Can you find the cardinal?

Oh hey, I'm just hanging out, honestly I am not sending out the secret signal that you just put food out.

He hung around for 2 weeks.

 

The hawk

D20 Update

"Boonesfork juvenile eagle (1 July admit) now weighs 10 pounds and the Decorah juvenile weighs 8.25 pounds (22 June admit). Kay said, "Plump, plump, plump." ...

These two juveniles were moved to the flight pen on Sunday (17 August) as she had time to monitor the situation of introducing new eagles into the flight pen with existing 'rehabbers.' Had thought that Boonesfork might try some tentative flights to lower perches, but she and the Decorah juvenile were content to walk about a small area in their new digs. The sawhorse perch they used in ICU was moved with them and last night at the final peek-in, they were both perched on the sawhorse.
No trip yet for the Decorah juvenile to see Dr. Dirks. Upon further reflection of the situation (his wing joints move freely when manipulated and bad fractures need time), we decided not to schedule a visit with the good doctor at this time."
 

RIP Robin Williams

A couple of years ago we lost a local weatherman to depression.  Like Robin Williams he was outgoing, funny and did a lot of charity work.  I guess if you were not a close personal friend or family you did not know.  Robin Williams dying is like losing Don Harmon over again.  I do not pretend to understand depression.  I can not imagine what it is like to have that much darkness in your mind and not be able to get rid of it.  Greg Gutfeld said your age determined the Robin Williams you first experienced.  I did watch Mork and Mindy and Happy Days, I also watched Laugh-in.  I love RV, the Night at the Museum movies, Birdcage, the HBO specials, and other movies he has been in.  I never really watched what I call his serious movies, but I have them queued up on my DVR.  He had a brilliant mind and was funnier than anyone I know.  He entertained us with an ease that made me stop and gasp as to how he did that.  Such a brilliant mind gone but maybe he can get the peace he so wanted now.  Thanks for the laughter and making our lives a bit happier. 

D20 Update from Soar

The Decorah juvenile eagle is still needing human-assisted physical therapy as his shoulder joint is very stiff. It's much less stressful on the eagle to catch him in a smaller space than the flight pen, so he's staying put for the time being with Boonesfork. As I mentioned above, fractures near joints are difficult to heal. He suffered a very bad fracture to the humerus very close to that shoulder joint. The other issue that may be a factor is a very large nerve that runs near the shoulder. This nerve could have been damaged in the accident that brought him to SOAR. A visit and consult with Dr. Dirks is being planned for next week.
As always... see the website patient page for more info

D20 Update

Updates from 2 August 2014~
The Decorah juvenile eagle (admit date of 22 June) is still receiving physical therapy (PT) on his right wing. When PT is 'provided' for the Decorah juvenile, it takes Kay to hold the eagle and another person to gently move the wing through the range of motion to stretch and loosen the muscles, joints, and tendons. However, he needs to start doing his own physical therapy -- it's always better for our patients to do their own therapy -- and be abl...e to move about more. He'll soon be moved to the 100' flight pen with his current "roomie" the Boonesfork Juvenile (admit date of 1 July).

Fitbit

I belong to a 10K stepper group.  Once every few months the person who created the group challenges us to the 10K step/day for a month.  Many of them have fitbits and I had been looking at them.  Kohl's sent me an email (I swear google reads my mind as well as my cookies) and while I could not use my 30% off I could use my $20 Kohl's cash so I bought one.  I love it, it is so much fun to see how many steps you do a day.  I just got my 250 mile badge this morning, I started using it on May 11 so that is not bad for 3 months of stepping.  If you do a lot of walking get yourself one, you will be amaze how quickly the miles add up and the calories, well it lets me eat a cookie or two a day.

I am an American

I found this on facebook, have no idea who did this.

Tax Free Weekend

School starts on the 13th, already?  I am sure the neighbor kids are not ready to get up early and give up the freedom they have in the summer.  My niece is going back to school and I envy her.  I know I could go back to school as well and I have given it some serious thought but... what do I take?  Maybe in 3.5 years when my house is paid off I will think more about it. I love school and I love pencils more, so I may have to venture out and get some pencils and sharpen them and use them to draw out a design I have in my head for a table runner. 

Did I mention I LOVE Pencils?