That bird

I think it's a Red-Breasted Nuthatch. The information says that it lives in this area year-round but it's just now appeared in my front yard. It's a pretty little thing.

Birds

This is the second year I've had bird feeders and I thoroughly enjoy watching the exuberance of finches that they attract. By far, the most common bird is the goldfinch (they call them wild canaries here) but I also have purple finches, black-headed grosbeaks, evening grosbeaks, Oregon junkos, towhees, mourning doves, and every once in a while we see a bluebird.


Here is a new bird I can't identify. He showed up here just a few days ago. Maybe migrating? I've made the mistake before of trying to identify a juvenile on a website that only describes adult males and I wonder if that's what I have here. He's awfully clear of color for him to be a juvenile, though. The streaks on his head are either a very dark blue or black, his back and wings are a blue or slate-blue, and his beak is a little longer than the all-purpose beak of the robin. More like a woodpecker. Anyone have a clue? I'm surprised I got a picture of him because he doesn't stay in one place long. He just flits down, pecks on the ground a bit and darts away. I've not seen him eat from the feeder, just on the ground under it. It's quietly driving me nuts!


This picture is a common sight. These goldfinches are waiting for me to leave so they can swarm the feeders.


The finches wait on the power line and in these trees next to our house. I count about twenty in the picture and six or seven had just flown away as I snapped. That makes about thirty-five finches impatiently waiting for me to leave.

Check out the clouds in the pictures. They were the reason I was outside with the camera in the first place and they covered the sky. The new heading picture was taken at the same time.

*Shriek*

So I'm not the sort of loving, caring wife who gets up with her husband at 4:45am and keeps him company over a plate of breakfast before he goes to work. I'm also not the sort of loving, caring wife who packs her husband's lunch for him and haven't done so since about six months into our marriage when he alternately whined about not having enough to eat ("Are you trying to tell me I need to diet?") or complained I'd packed too much (How in the world did you expect me to eat all this?")

Instead, I doze while he gets himself breakfast (cold cereal) and rouse enough for the good-bye peck. I can't see but a shadow in the dimness of the bedroom and couldn't see him in full light without my glasses, anyway. He could go to work dressed in a kilt and turban with a sword at his side and I wouldn't be the wiser.

It's how he comes home that I see.

He came home today without his mustache.

~Shriek~

When I exclaimed, he said he'd had it for thirty years and he was tired of it. I told him that it's only been a little better than twenty-six years. When he disagreed, I reminded him that early on in our dating days he'd shaved his mustache and I'd told him that I liked his mustache, ordered him to grow it back, and threatened to shave my head if he shaved it off again.

"No," he chuckled, "you said if I shaved it off again, you'd leave. Now you need to live up to your end of the bargain!"

Bargain, hah! It was supposed to be a threat!

His naked upper lip unnerves me in two ways. One, I really liked his mustache. Two, I can now see that his lip is identical to his younger brother's and I have the uncomfortable feeling that I'm kissing the wrong guy. Yikes!

New Experiences

Richelle and I spent last weekend with a niece and her family in central Oregon. We got there Friday afternoon and came home Sunday afternoon. I spent the bulk of Saturday in a training seminar but Richelle had great fun with her cousins.

I did remember to bring my camera but as I was four hours from home when I remembered, it did little good. I was so bummed! I even had opportunity to get a stunning shot of a full moon rising and framed by juniper trees. Then there was the cute opportunity of the three girls waking up on their couch-cushion beds in the front room. And there's when they put on their swimsuits, filled the horse trough, and went "swimming". Let's not forget the "fashion show" two of them put on. Of course, even a camera can't capture the giggles and quips they passed back and forth or the uncouth sounds of the "squashoons".

Richelle learned how to change irrigation pipe, water the garden, make and play the "squashoon" and tend to the chickens. She helped her cousins with a labor-intensive fund-raiser, picked strawberries, and we had a particularly toothsome fresh strawberry milkshake.

I love going east of the Cascades. I love the high desert, the smell of junipers, the straight roads, being able to see the horizon, the mesas, the lack of blackberry or poison oak underbrush..or much of any underbrush for that matter.....

The good times and laughter with family made it extra special.

Long time

It's been weeks since I last posted and much has happened but of little earth-shaking magnitude.

Richelle and I went to Saginaw convention August 20-24. We went the week before, also, but I'm glad we were able to attend both. They were very good for the soul. Kimberly with her girls and Andrea with her family also attended the second week. The funniest things were whispered in the dark after the lights went out in the dorms:

Me: "What?"
Niece #1: "Huh?"
Me: "I thought I heard my name called but I can't hear because I don't have my glasses on."
Niece #1: "SNORT! Giggle, giggle, giggle"
(Those who are hampered in vision as badly as I am can't hear the person next to them without our glasses on. We can hear the person in the next room just fine.)
Me: "Don't tell me you've never heard your mom say the same thing!
Kimberly from four mattresses away: "What?"
Me: "Huh?"
Kimberly: "I thought I heard someone call me."
Niece #1 and Richelle giggling away.
Me: "I was telling your daughter that I'm sure she's heard you say that you can't hear because you weren't wearing your glasses."
Kimberly: "Snort! I just said the same thing not five minutes ago!"
Niece #1 and Richelle laughing hysterically into their pillows.

And...

It's dark. Perhaps ten minutes after the lights have been turned out, maybe fifteen. The girls have stopped whispering three minutes ago...
Niece #3 quietly whispering: "Is anyone still awake?"
Richelle, softly: "I am."
Niece #1, quietly: "I am, too."
Me, just as softly: "I'm not."
Silence.
Niece #1 slightly louder: "You are, too!" Muffled explosions from three pillows.

And....

Lights have just been turned off but there are three or four girls who come into the dorms making a small bit of noise.
Richelle whispers: "I know of a good way to block out the noise."
Niece #1 snapping upright and on the edge of laughter: "So do I! Like this!" She jams her fingers in her ears and then falls backwards giggling uncontrollably.


Schooling ~
We started school this week because I got Richelle's books ordered late and didn't get them until last Thursday. Instead, last week we deep-cleaned the family room, dining room, and computer room (formerly known as the school area). She's enjoying full days of school instead of full days of washing walls, oiling woodwork, dusting everything, moving furniture, washing windows, etc.

My new hat ~
Richelle's newly involved in a Lego Robotics team that meets just three miles away. Each team needs a Mentor and at least one Coach. The lady helping the mentor start the team up knows me from Boy and Girl Scouts so approached me to be a coach. As if I can say "no" to something like that. Perhaps I ought to take lessons from Kimberly! So now I'm a Coach for our team and am traveling to Bend this weekend for training. The team competes in December at UCC. Instead of me repeating what's already been written, go to ortop.org or firstlegoleague.org if you want to know more.

Warm days, cool nights, shorter daylight hours....must be autumn.