DICHOTOMY AMONG BIRDS!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!

Well, it's been far too long since my last post but I must tell you that there has simply been NOTHING to report to you!  The only exciting thing I have done is try a new recipe for Quick Yeast Rolls.  (By the way, they were VERY yummy and had to be banned except for special occasions as they are just FAR too good and were consumed FAR too rapidly to be healthy!)  If you want the recipe, email me.  I will send it to you in a Word document.  You have been warned.

So... about the title of this post.  Interestingly enough, I have had two bird stories arise in the past week.  It was amusing to note that one was about the Decorah Eagles that are now sitting on two eggs in their snow-surrounded nest while the other was a receipt of photos of the National Bird of Jamaica, the Red-billed Streamertailed Hummingbird, commonly referred to as the Jamaican Hummingbird.  It is found ONLY in Jamaica.  It amused me that these two birds are so disparate in appearance and locale yet they are both birds. 

The Decorah Eagles have laid two eggs thus far, the first on Wednesday, 2/18, and a second on Saturday, 2/21.  A third may yet be in store and would likely be laid on Tuesday, 2/24, as they are typically laid 3 days apart.  You can visit them live onscreen at several different sites but I usually watch them here.  They will be tended for about five weeks until hatching begins.  Watch for that in very early April!  That's when things get really interesting!!

My friend, Susan S., visits Jamaica every year.  She returned with the story of the hummingbird and some photos taken by her friend, Debbie Stahl.  I am sharing some of them with you below as I think this little bird is just stunning!  There is a very short video you can view here to see the little fella' move about.

As we brace for the coming cold and wet weather, I can't help but look out back at the "tire garden" and think about what should grow there this year.  It can't be too much longer before it's time to play in the dirt, right?  Fingers crossed.

Enjoy your day!

Until next post...

STILL NOTHIN'!!!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!

Once again, I really have nothing at all to tell you.  There is a l-o-n-g period of time when very little takes place here... actually that's most of the time.  Mardi Gras is on its way so I guess that is something to look forward to but only if one is involved in it.  There isn't much of a true celebration here and we don't do any traveling just to party at this point in our lives.  LOL!!

We were inundated with rains for quite a while but we have been fortunate to have a few days of respite recently.  Warmer weather.  Sunshine.  All good.  With all the rain we have had over the winter, I'm guessing there should be an explosion of flora come spring!!

One of the fun things here are all of the critters.  We have a substantial number of little frogs that I believe to be tree frogs.  I have found them before in some of my plants outside.  However, they apparently make their way to a lot more than trees and plants!  The spousal-unit caught this little fella' on the back door glass one evening.  Nice that he had placed himself in such a manner that we could get good shots from "above" and "below."  :)  I really love these little guys.

I also have to tell you that the spousal-unit spotted a little woodpecker in a shrub right next to the house.  I grabbed my Sibley's bird book (the very best reference to identify!) and started looking for it.  It was not one of our usual woodpeckers.  When I finally identified it, I had to laugh out loud.  Those of you who are old enough will recall Yosemite Sam's reference to a "Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker!"  Well, that's what was in my shrub.  They apparently winter in this area although I do not recall seeing one before.  He returned to the shrub for at least four days in a row and I am keeping an eye out for him.  Real cutie!

For my Eagle-loving pals, I just popped in on the Decorah Eagles.  They are busy working on the nest!!  Since eggs begin arriving in late February, it is definitely time for them to get things prepped.  Both of them were on the nest just now.  There was a slight altercation about something with a little noise and pecking going on... but it was quickly resolved and they both went back to prepping.  It is 32 degrees with snow on the ground there as I type this.  Bookmark this link so you can check in on them this year!!  They should be in & out pretty frequently now.

Just wanted to check in with you all.  Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

Until next post...

THE EAGLETS ARE HERE!!!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!

I am SOOO excited!  My poor "Golden Years" brain had completely neglected to snap to this year's Decorah Eagles nest.  Some of you may recall that they had built a new nest last year which did not have a camera so we were unable to monitor the laying/hatching/fledging of last year's eaglets.

I am SOOO happy to tell you they installed a camera over the summer and that we have eaglets!!  Here is the info for 2014:
2014 timeline: 1st egg laid 2/23, 2nd 2/26 and 3rd on 3/2. Hatch dates: 1st egg 4/2 9:22AM, 2nd egg 4/3, 3rd egg hatch in progress

You may take a peek at the nest and the babies by clicking here:  Decorah Eagles Nest 2014.  While I do not keep this up & running 24/7 at my house, I do admit to checking in on them frequently when I am spending time at my computer.  Looks like Daddy Eagle has been hunting quite a bit.  I think I can see 2 squirrel carcasses as well as a fish in the nest.  :)  It's easy now.  When those little guys get bigger, it's going to be a full-time job!

I was going to post some pictures I have taken recently but when I remembered this, I felt it was far more important!  The third egg is cracking but the eaglet is not yet out.  Should be soon!!  Stay tuned!

Until next post...

S..L..O..W MONTH

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Pals!!

Yes.  It has been a VERY long time since the last post.  While I know I could regale you with tales of rampant insanity, caustic customer service, or basic ineptitude, I figure you are already "on the ledge" about my periodic rants.  I try to NOT unload all of my frustrations on you, my loyal readers.

With that said... it has been a VERY slow month.  It has been difficult to remember that February is the SHORT month of the year!  Time has simply eked along without any due speed.  We have had a very WET February, too, which always makes things seem to drag on.  I'm sure I will be grateful as we move into "real" springtime.

Tax season has begun (another thing that probably made February seem terribly slow!).  As the piles of paperwork roll in for both my household and my aunt's household, I have been faithfully placing them in the appropriate pile.  With prior experience telling me that there will be "amended" paperwork rolling in, I find it unnecessary to become involved in completing the CPA forms at this point.  :)  I have done so in the past and then had to revise it all... and refuse to do that again.  Call it my relaxed approach toward the Infernal Revenue Service for 2013.

As we approach March, it seems as though we have a window of sunshine coming.  It started yesterday and, if one can believe a weather report, it seems we should enjoy a good period of sunshine and comfortable temperatures here in southwest Louisiana!!  HOORAY!!  It is finally a good time to get out and begin working on enriching the Tire Garden soil and plan for its 2013 season planting!

While I have not painted anything else in the house (and probably never will again!), I did obtain  new pulls for the "butler's pantry" area just outside the kitchen-proper.  The Man (love that guy!) once again provided an assist with removing and painting hinges and screws the appropriate black needed.  All eight doors and four drawers are now looking so much more "in tune" with the kitchen cabinets.  :)

The Jasper Air Show approaches!!  The dates are March 16-17.  We are both looking forward to attending.  Since we caught the B-17 flight last year, we are considering flights in a T-6 Texan this year.  It is an airplane that was used as a trainer for pilots who would be flying fighters during WWII.  It has tandem cockpits (one behind the other) and is a very maneuverable plane.  It can handle rolls, loops, and all manner of aerobatics easily.  I am considering whether my body parts would be able to handle them, too!!  It would be a very different ride from the huge, beautiful B-17, but probably just as exciting in its own way.  I'll let you know.

Oh!  And for those of you near enough to enjoy, I went with some friends to Lake Charles to a Greek-Lebanese restaurant last week.  It was an enjoyable experience.  As usual for me when I have the opportunity to catch Greek-Lebanese, I ordered the Sample Platter which gave me a diverse taste of the items available.  It was delish... but I had to bring half of it home and enjoy it the next night as there was quite a bit!  The restaurant is called "Zeus Cafe" and is near the mall in Lake Charles.  I will also mention there is another Greek-Lebanese eatery called "Toga Grill" which is also very good.  It is south of 210 on Nelson Road.  They offer two very separate dining experiences but the food at both has been worth return visits.

Finally, before I forget again (!), the Decorah Eagle pair is back.  I don't believe there are any eggs yet... but eggs have arrived between mid-February and early March the past four years so it's probably time!!  It seems as though they have built a second (new) nest this year so there is a question where they will actually nest this year.  If it's the new nest, we won't see them as a camera cannot be installed at this point.  Hopefully they will return to the old, familiar nest for us so the Raptor Resource Project can get a camera installed at the new nest in case they use it next year.  You can check them out at UStream or at Sportsmans Paradise Online.
*** DARN IT!!!  They have chosen the new nest.  Go here for more information.  There are other live cameras available for other nests.  Check out http://sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Webcams.html for a list of live webcams for various critters.

That's pretty much all that has been going on during this S..L..O..W February in southwest Louisiana.  I hope your February has been a little more exciting... but only in a good way!!

Until next post...

EAGLE WATCH 2012 BEGINS!!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!

Well, I know some of you were interested in the Decorah Eagles when I provided information on the nest cam last year.

It's time again!  In fact, Mother Eagle has already laid the first Egg (D12) of the year... arriving at 7:47 p.m. CST on Friday, February 17th.  This is actually nearly a week earlier than the past two years.  It also means there is a great probability that Egg D13 will be laid sometime Monday, 2/20!!  The "naming" will be alphanumeric with "D" for Decorah (nest site) and "12" for this egg which is the 12th one since the nest cam was set up a few years back.  I believe this pair has hatched and fledged 11 little eagles... 2 in 2008, 3 in 2009, 3 in 2010, and 3 last year (2011).

A little extra information for those who are not familiar with the Decorah Eagles.  The nest is VERY perfectly located with a fish hatchery quite nearby.  :)  You will see a LOT of large fish being devoured and shared with the eaglets!

There are a few different ways to view the nest cam.  I would suggest you try each site to determine which one may provide you the best experience.  Remember to click on the "screen" at the lower right of any of these video streams to get a full-screen view!

U-Stream provides coverage and there is a live chat available for those who wish to discuss the nest happenings.  :)  The other sites below actually pull their streams from U-Stream.

Sportsman's Paradise Online is available and is where I typically have the best luck.  There is also a live chat stream for those who like to keep an "eagle eye" on the happenings!  (Sorry... couldn't help myself.)  These folks also have other live wildlife cams which are easily found via the menu.

Finally, a new site I am not familiar with is at http://www.decoraheaglecamalerts.com/.  Looks like they will offer alerts as the action takes place.  I have no experience here.

All of this is done through the Raptor Resource Project.  Take time to visit their site and see what they have to offer in terms of viewing not only this nest but others.  Fascinating stuff.

I do hope you will visit the nest a few times during the season.  The eggs should begin hatching about the end of March/first of April and the babies will fledge about mid-June.

Happy Eagle Watching!!

Until next time...

MORE CUSTOMER SERVICE... NOT!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!  Welcome to another (hopefully humorous) rant!  :)

So... I have a young friend here with a newborn.  The baby began running a fever and was taken to the Emergency Room (can you say "nightmare?") Thursday night.  The baby was tested and admitted for further observation.  She should be going home today (Saturday) if her fever stays "gone" for 24 hours from Friday afternoon about 1:00ish.  That's the good news.  None of this is relative to my rant except this is WHY I was going where I was going.  Got it?  I knew you could stay with me.  You are an extremely astute group!!

I texted my young friend Friday afternoon and discovered she was in the hospital with her newborn.  Her husband had been there during a good portion of the day but was gone for a while, returning later.  I know sitting in a hospital room with very few friends available can be extremely frustrating.  She and her husband are here as he is stationed at Fort Polk.  Family is in faraway places like Maine and some other where up north where the Yankees exist.

Alright.  The main point here.  I asked my friend what she would like me to bring to her as I was heading her way to visit.  She asked for such a little thing... a large coffee, cream, no sugar.  How hard could that possibly be?!?  You have no idea, my Blogging Pals.  You have no idea.  Sigh.  She specified the location from where I was to retrieve the simple item.  It was not a place I frequent... in fact, I believe I have not been there since relocating here in May of 2009.  But my friend was in need and I was going to do the best I could to help her out.

I figured the drive-through should be a breeze!  I pulled to the ordering point, placed my very simple order, and was advised to continue.  Got it.

I rounded the back corner of the building, heading toward the window where the coffee should be waiting for me, and came to a screeching halt when I heard a female voice saying "Hey!!!"  Oops.  Guess my drive-through experience is limited to the point I didn't KNOW this particular facility had a "first window" where one hands over the cash before proceeding to the "second window" where one retrieves one's order.  LOL!!  So... I back up, place my vehicle in the appropriate spot to hand over my $1.62, laugh heartily with the young lady at that window, then press forward toward the goal... a large coffee, cream, no sugar.

When I reach the "second window", a very nice young man (approximately Senior-in-high-school age) smiles and tells me they are having to brew the coffee and would I mind parking until it is ready?  Alright.  I haven't encountered this situation before so I ask, "Where do you want me to park?" thinking there may possibly be a "designated parking" area for those of us who place demanding orders that will require an extra effort.  He politely points all around, indicating I can park any darned where I so please.  I inquire "Will you be bringing the coffee to me when it is ready?" to which he responds, "Oh, yes!"  No problem.  I will be right there (in the parking spot I can pull into by making a slight right from the window).  Fine.

Having had some less-than-stellar experiences here, I make a mental note of the time on my vehicle's clock.  It is 5:59 p.m.  Got it.  Leaving the vehicle running and the A/C blowing (c'mon, folks... it's 137 degrees out there!), I view the exit door for the facility via my rear view mirror.  I expect I will see a properly-uniformed individual racing out with my cuppa' Joe any time now.

It is 6:02 p.m.  Assuming "brewing" means an army's worth (it IS a restaurant, after all), I'm going to give them another minute or so for it to finish, my cup to be poured, and my "runner" to arrive.

It is 6:06 p.m.  I'm over this.  I know I am not in a rocket-science environment here... but I think 7 minutes might be a little over-the-top for a cup of coffee. Is it me?  Am I too impatient?  Are my expectations too high?

I place my fine, gas-guzzling Suburban into Reverse, back myself (and said Suburban) up the exit driveway, ooch (yes, that's a word... at least here it is) my vehicle over toward the building, and roll back up to the "second window" to check on the status of my clearly impossible-to-fill-easily order.  The very nice young man, apparently having seen my maneuver and figured out what was happening, blushingly looked at me and stated "I'm so sorry! They're making it now."  Huh?  My question: "Are they just now making the coffee?!?"  Nope.  The coffee was brewed... but no one seemed to manage to actually POUR a cup to get it to me.  Sigh.  Lord help me.

The young man pushes a bag toward me (still without coffee) and says, "Here.  She wants you to have two apple pies."  There was no real clarity in my head regarding "she" (who?) or "why" (is this supposed to keep me from losing it?).  Immediately following the bag came the prized cup of coffee.  Based on my experience thus far, I check the bag for the cream.  None there.  I ask if there is cream in the coffee already.  Yeppir.  Turns out there is.  My friend had specified the number, which I had specified during my order, and apparently these folks actually put it in the cup with the coffee rather than force me to open itty-bitty plastic containers that typically splatter all over me.  Bless their hearts!

So... about 10 minutes after pulling into the parking lot, I am finally exiting with my lone ordered cup of coffee... and a couple of unrequested apple pies.  LOL!!  Could not really do much but laugh about this one.  I mean... the little fella' behind the window was really nice... and he seemed really embarrassed about the situation.  I did actually manage to get what I had ordered... and a couple of "freebies" thrown in.  No harm, no foul, I guess.  Sigh.

Customer Service.  An oxymoron in most environments.  If apologies were what I was seeking, I would have been extremely pleased.  Guess they were better than nothing.

Oh... and if you haven't checked lately, the little eagles are now big birds.  They have begun stepping out onto limbs around the nest, testing their wings!!  They will be flying soon.  Don't miss your chance to see them do so! 

Until next post...

REGULAR TREES AND IMPORTANT SPECIAL TREES...

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies! I know. The Title makes no sense. Perhaps I can shed some light on it.

You all know there are regular trees. Yep. Got lots of them over here in Southwest Louisiana, for certain! In fact, if you take a dead stick and push it in the ground, you will have a new tree in your yard within a week. Really. No kidding. It is THAT stinkin' fertile over here!! (This is as opposed to the spousal unit having to rent a jackhammer in order to plant two VERY small pecan trees in our front yard in central Texas. It is THAT stinkin' rocky over there!) So... while I am truly a lover of all-things-tree, there are some sacrifices that must be made. Such was what we decided a few weeks ago.

There is a phenomenal live oak tree in the back yard. Unfortunately, it was being "blocked" on the south side by a couple of pecan trees so its growth was angling to the north. There was also some sort of (unknown-to-me) tree on the south fence line that was likely blocking some sunlight and wasn't very attractive. I truly miss my friend, Scott, with Austin Beautiful Trees. He is the best arborist ever!! But he doesn't make "yard calls" to Louisiana. So... I began searching for recommendations for someone here to take these three trees out. I found someone and his crew did a wonderful job. Take a look!! The first tree to fall was a pecan. I wasn't there for its demise. The next victi... uh... tree to begin prepping was the "I don't know" tree. Some limb cutting high up got it ready for a fall.

But first... let's take down that second pecan tree. Ready! Set! Oops!!!

Yeah... we'll need to be replacing a few pickets on that fence. LOL!! No real harm done... just not the "perfect" fall the guy was going for. Last one to fall was the "I don't know" tree. It came down perfectly.

Whew!! All the "big guys" are finally down. Now it's a matter of cutting them up to manageable pieces and hauling off the debris. We are keeping the manageable pieces to be taken to our place near Junction, TX, where there is an outdoor fire/BBQ pit that will welcome them! Oh yes. Pecan-grilled anything. YUMMY!!! Believe me... there is a "mess of" wood that will be traveling to TX this year. What do you do with all those big ol' stumps? No problem. Meet Mr. Stump Grinder!! All very cool. For those of you who were afraid I wouldn't find anything entertaining to do over here, rest assured. One finds ways to amuse oneself when there is no movie theatre or Starbucks available. :)

So, Mary Nell. What about those "important special trees" you referenced in the title? What is that all about? We received a link to a live video of a bald eagle nest. The tree holding this miracle is a very important and special tree. Today we watched the mother feed the two chicks that have hatched. There is a third egg in the nest as I type that will hopefully provide chick #3 to the family. If you have some time and are a bird-lover, you really want to take a peek at this. I'm afraid this is going to occupy an awful lot of my time as I wait for the chicks to fledge and leave the nest!! Oh well. Remember... there is no movie theatre! :) Click here to go to the feed. You will have to endure a 30-second commercial... but it is worth it. Whomever placed the camera has a remote control and is very accomodating in panning to the limb one of the eagle pair may land on as well as zooming in when the chicks are in view. Now that's a job I could do!! Oh... and check out the number of other viewers indicated at the bottom of the screen. It's not just you watching!

So... remember that all trees have a purpose. I reckon if they do, that has to mean we all have one, too!! I hope you find yours in life. Until next post...