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peanut-butter-bird-seed-pine-cones-hung-to-perfection



eva's-cutest-ever-fingerless-gloves

Yep, it was one of those crafy-projecty sorts of days. Eva and I made pine cones with peanut butter and birdseed for the birds. Now when they come to the other feeders in the yard they can eye these new feeders suspiciously until one of them- a jay? a starling? a flicker?- takes the bold leap and tries the peanut butter. Then there will be no stopping them. Until then, we will keep watching out the windows- or is that just me?- waiting for large flocks to visit our yard. Unfortunately, the bird population has gone down significantly in my backyard since the landlord had a few of the bushes with berries that the birds liked so much cut back dramatically. One bush in particular used to have dozens of robins on it this time of year. Sigh. All the more reason to put out the new feeders. I am planning on planting extra sunflowers this summer as well to add some more bird feeding in the garden.

Eva also did shrinky dinks, a light bright pattern, painted her new flower press, painted a few small paintings, collected leaves and ferns to press in the new flower press, built forts for the guinea pigs, helped clean the guinea pig cage- what else? I knit. I finished the first glove of another set of fingerless gloves. This is my fifth pair over the last month or so. After this pair I plan on starting a new project from the winter issue of Interweave Knits. It should be a challenge and I am hoping to finish it up in a month. Then I will finish that pair of socks I didn't finish last summer. They are, after all, still waiting for me right where I left them- one sock done, but not quite right, needing to be ripped out part way to re-knit, this time a bit longer...

The kids and I went for a walk with Jack, it was his idea after all, and we heard an owl. I haven't heard an owl in our neighborhood before and was so excited. He was pretty close too! So I went online, where else, and looked up his hoot on enature.com and I really think he was a Western Screech Owl. So fun. I know there are plenty of mice around because I can hear them sometimes and Maxwell has caught a few. An owl's gotta eat something, after all.

We went roller skating today and I was so irritated with that gosh darn!! (smile) iron claw machine. Eva is really taken with them and while all of the video games were turned off, there was ONE claw machine filled with tempting stuffed animals, situated just so to make it look like they would just fall into the claw if you asked them. I was thinking about this line in Everyday Blessings by Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn where Myla asks, Where are our dance halls? Where can we go to enjoy ourselves without having to consume something or other. We went to the arcade the other day and took several turns in a couple of different claw machines and finally came away with three little animal key chains and Eva was thrilled. I tell you I was just not up for it today. We tried a few times with no success and then ended up leaving the roller rink with Eva in tears, so sad and angry about the whole thing and me wondering how long the claw fascination will continue. I think she was hungry too and that certainly added to it all. Nothing like a claw machine on an empty stomach.



Here Eva has gotten her babies ready for dinner. Their cookies went missing somehow. I still don't know who ate them. I did, however, find Samuel's Hershey bar from Halloween. Eva gave it to me for Christmas. No one was the wiser. Except for me of course and Eva most likely. I got to share it with Samuel on Christmas which we both enjoyed.

I keep meaning to post pictures of Eva's little finger people. Wondering what to do with all of that leftover gum? Why not make hair for your finger people? Or a little skirt?

backyard birds

Seen at the feeder, on the cracked corn pile or even in the apple tree feasting on leftover apples (and over in that bush with the greyish purpley berries)-

today's highlight spotting was a varied thrush, so like a robin and yet different, coming down from the mountains to check out my apple tree!
juncos galore
black capped chickadees
flocks of robins
spotted towhees
nuthatches
sparkly starlings
raven pair or mother and baby (from this summer)
pair of northern flickers!
mourning dove
bewick's wren (I think, some wren for certain and probably this guy)
white crowned sparrows
bushtits in groupings
scrub jays
red winged black birds
house finches
honorary squirrels

There is a Red-tailed Hawk family living in our neighborhood and over the last several days, the two juveniles have become very vocal. At first I thought there was only one juvenile and I would see the mother flying overhead hunting or calling. You can clearly see her red tail. The juveniles do not have their red tails yet. Yesterday the kids and I watched the mother and one of the babies in a tree across the street. We got a good close-up with the binoculars and it was fun because you know how when you see something like a hawk in a tree and are trying to show someone else and you keep pointing or saying things like, "where the branch goes down like a slide" and it seems like they will never find the bird and at the same time you can't figure out why they don't see it? Well, this time BOTH kids actually saw the hawks! You can tell when they are faking it and when they actually see it. And Samuel was even able to find them with the binoculars, which was exceptionally satisfying! They are glorious- the kids and the birds. And the juvenile just calls and calls over and over and the mother looks at him/her and looks around. She watches the human below the tree photographing her, she watches her baby, she watches and approaching Scrub Jay.

This must be the time when they are branching out a bit and really sitting in a tree alone and really getting to the point where they can find food as well. She tends to them very well and they call and call. This morning I heard a lot of ruckus outside and went into the backyard and the Ravens, Crows and Jays were chasing around one of the juveniles. This is when I realized there were two of them because one called from the tall Locust trees on another block and one sat calling with mom in the OAK TREE in our front yard! How fun is that? I sat down and watched and listened for a while until they all flew off.

Here are some photos in Ridgfield of Red-tailed hawks. The kids and I went to their bird festival last year and saw some amazing birds, including Red-tailed Hawks perched on the ground.

Last summer we had a baby Raven who hung out in the Maple tree in the backyard, calling and calling much like the baby Red-tailed Hawks. They make such a to-do and I frequently find myself rushing out to make sure everything is ok. Magoo came out to watch the Hawks with me this morning. She seemed unperturbed, however she did look around quite a bit when the babies would call out over and over. I was wondering if the momma might imagine she could eat Magoo. She seems a little big but then I recently heard from an Great Horned Owl handler that they eat grown skunks. So maybe Magoo is not a stretch. Agnes, however, is completely safe. No raptor could pick her up, that is for sure. With both of them sitting there together I felt Magoo was pretty safe. Still, she doesn't see very well and I am thinking of keeping an extra eye no her while these babies make their way in the world. I am sure, though, that there must be plenty of little rodents and gophers about, what with the park nearby and all of these lawns. I wonder if Charlie can hear them calling and what he thinks?

Oh, this reminds me. The day before yesterday, the kids and I were out on Sauvie Island meeting some friends at the river there and I saw two Bald Eagles flying together. They are nesting there and I had hoped to see them at some point and was just thrilled to look out my window and catch them flying by. We were quite close to them and you could really see just how large they are and I could clearly see their white feathers. This time, though, the kids did not see them. When I said excitedly, "Bald Eagles! Hey, did you guys see those Bald Eagles, " both kids, looking out the opposite windows, said, "Yeah....cool..." Not exactly the level of thrill that I was looking for. Oh well, they see a lot of birds, that is for sure.

Surprise

Last night Samuel said he saw that there were candy canes for sale at Rite Aid! For several hours this morning he asked me repeatedly if a) I believed him that there were really candy canes for sale at Rite Aid already and b) if we could go get some. Finally I decided that going to buy some candy canes at Rite Aid was not the worst thing I could do today and we went right over to get them on the way to do another more tedious errand. I had the choice to be not only incredulous but also slightly disgusted, as is the usual response when they go about trying to market holiday goods earlier and earlier each year. It feels pretty good because then I can also feel righteous, you know, that sort of thing. This time, though, I saw something that might be more fun. I realized that this was the first time I had ever bought candy canes before Halloween. Right? Is that crazy? A for real FIRST! So I celebrated with the kids, with Samuel and really savored the experience with him. I didn't have a candy cane because, well, I don't really like candy canes that much. But Samuel does. And boy did the car smell like Christmas! And just two days until Halloween! What a celebration!

Tonight Samuel caught one of our cats, Maxwell, catching a bird on our patio. Lucky for the bird, but not for Maxwell, we put Maxwell inside and I got a shoe box and started to help the bird. The bird was lying on the ground on his side and there were lots of feathers all around. I called the Audubon Society and they had just closed. I listened to their handy recording on what to do if you find an injured bird. It was just enough information and just long enough for me to get myself back to basics and figure out how to help the bird. To my surprise, when I turned him right side up, he clasped onto my finger with his claws and just sat there on my finger for a good while. He would periodically look back at me and then look down at my hand but he felt safe and clearly needed a moment to collect himself, near death experience and all. I sat with him like this outside near the bird feeder for a while, fifteen minutes maybe. Then I was cold and needed a sweater and a hat and I brought him inside in a shoe box (with a towel on the bottom). While I was inside I showed him to Eva who wanted in on the action and took a good look at him and asked if we could keep him. We just finished reading a book called The True Story of Stellina by Mateo Pericoli in which a woman in New York finds a baby bird on the corner of a busy intersection and brings the bird home to live with her in her apartment in Manhattan. The bird lived with them for eight years! Eva was inspired and here we had our own little Stellina story to try out! I convinced her (slightly) that the bird would be happier outside and that having three cats kind of made having a bird more difficult. She said, "but momma, two of the cats won't try and catch the bird." This is true. Magoo can't really see well enough to pose much of a threat to a bird and Agnes is, well, a bit on the heavy side to run fast enough to catch a bird. Such is the life of domestication. But Maxwell, well he is another story. He likes to catch birds and mice and he is not well fed enough to do it. It's his whole continuum kicking in. Nothing is quite as satisfying for him as catching a little frightened bird trapped on our patio. I don't blame him, I just don't let it happen if I can.

So Eva and I took the little bird back outside, who by this time had attempted to fly inside the shoe box. When we got outside I went back over to the bird feeder and reached in to pick him up and this time he flew! All the way to the fence! I went over to check on him and he looked at me a little. Then he flew to the apple tree. We went inside and I went to check on him again in the apple tree about ten minutes later. When I got too close he disappeared. I knew he was safe when I couldn't fine him anymore. A very satisfying ending to an almost sad story. I was so tickled that he sat on my finger and for that long! I will look for him at my bird feeder- or at least in the apple tree!

Let's see, anything else? Oh, I had more fun today when I checked out the Saturday Night Live soundtrack from the library and listened to it while I cleaned the kitchen! There are some good songs on there and there is no way you won't enjoy yourself!

And we made pomegranate sorbet/granita. It is so worth it! Just so you know, it takes about two full pomegranates to make a cup of pomegranate juice. It is good stuff and it goes quick!

birds,teeth,books- what more?

The kids and I just got back from the Ridgefield Bird Festival in Ridgefield, WA. I thought it was going to be sort of all in one place, with music and activities and bird activities kind of all together. It turned out to be spread out all through Ridgefield, WA, which is a smallish town about 14 miles from Portland. There is a Wildlife Refuge there and this is the area that we ended up in and it turned out to be a lot of fun and totally unexpected. We drove through a four mile loop over the course of about 45 minutes and saw some amazing birds. People are not allowed out of their cars during this time of year except at a few designated blinds where the Audubon had scopes out for viewing. They also handed out bird bingo sheets to the kids which made it a lot of fun for them and really got them excited about finding the birds. We saw Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Harriers, Red Tailed Hawks, several kinds of ducks, coots and maybe a Crane, although I feel a little unsure about the crane sighting. My favorite was a giant Red Tailed Hawk sitting out in the middle of a field. I see Red Tailed Hawks up high in trees around here quite frequently (and am excited every time!) but have never seen one sitting so contentedly in the middle of a field, surrounded by grasses. I was glad to have my binoculars!

Samuel lost another tooth today! That is two in the last couple of weeks, with a couple more loose ones to go. His mouth is really changing and there are large spaces around the teeth that haven't fallen out yet, to make way for the bigger teeth that will eventually come in. Eva is desperate for her teeth to fall out and seems discontent when I tell her they will when they are ready. It looks like such fun and we do seem to talk about it a lot. That front tooth of Samuel's was commanding quite a bit of attention because it was hanging in there kind of lopsided for several days.



I am reading In Defense of Childhood by Chris Mercogliano. It is wonderfully supportive of really honoring self-direction in children and assuming that children will internalize what they learn, that they don't need to be bribed or punished or coerced or tricked or graded or even praised into learning and growing and thriving. That these tactics actually get in the way of natural learning and that much of the stress surrounding learning found in schools today is counterproductive to real learning. Great fun to read and thoroughly eye opening, with much literature and science behind the words.



Eva



Samuel and Eva, bunny and care bears



Samuel and Eva, check out Samuel's teeth with all the spaces