Aerie Birds: Mourning Dove

Subtle shades of color mixed with stark black highlights, the Mourning Dove is a pretty bird, but, man, can they eat! They gobble down the seeds in quantity, stuffing their crop to a noticeable bulge then fly off to digest their meal. We get a flock of one or two dozen here every day. They line up on the electric wire, wobbling to and fro to maintain their balance, as they scope out the feeding area. Luckily for the smaller birds, they can only feed on the ground or the tray so the hanging and stick feeders are usually left alone.

They are one of the few birds that will stand up to the Blue Jays for a place on the tray.

When spring arrives the flock will break up into nesting pairs and the cooing of the wooing will commence! When a group gathers on the ground you'll see the males chasing the females about as she will give him the cold shoulder. (Or, maybe, she's just trying to play hard to get. Coy little devils!)

If you can tell male from female without the chasing around, you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove

Seeing all those bare feet on the snow makes me want to start knitting little Mourning Dove booties.

Aerie Birds

A couple of days ago I mentioned that we had a plethora of species feeding on the deck ad that in the span of 10 or 15 minutes I counted 8 or 9 species. I just downloaded the pictures I took from that event and, while I didn't capture snapshots of all of them, I was still surprised at the number I did manage to capture in about six minutes of shooting.

The Northern Cardinal was camera shy. In the few seconds he was here, he refused to look my way. Even so, the color is most welcome on a gray winter's day. They usually do not come to the feeders in mid-day but are often there in the twilight hours. Perhaps because they are more visible in bright light?

The Tufted Titmouse is a dapper little bird with the biggest, roundest eyes! That little rufous coloring un the flanks can be found on several different species.

The ubiquitous Black-capped Chickadee. Small, swift, friendly and loud! They hoard seeds in nooks and crannies of trees for snacking later. They also will cram several into a bird box or old nest hole on cold winter nights.

Blue Jays are the bullies and the alarm system for the feeding birds. They may drive everyone else away from the tray but when they give an alarm call everyone scatters or freezes in place until they identify the potential danger.

The White-breasted Nuthatch is usually found climbing head first down a tree trunk. Hence the long pointy claws.

The Dark-eyed Junco is sometimes called the Snow Bird because of it's habit of forming large flocks late in the fall and foraging for seeds on top of the snow all winter. They scratch at the ground cover--be it leaves, grass or snow--to get at the seeds. I made it too easy for these guys!

The American Goldfinch also forms large flocks during the fall and winter. They feed together and will take off in en masse to fly around the area for no apparent reason before returning to the trees and/or food.

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of the ladder-back woodpeckers. You can see why they get that nickname from this shot of a male Downy on the stick feeder. Like the White-breasted Nuthatch, the Downy will take a seed and wedge it into a convenient crack to hammer it open.

All these pictures were taken between 11:57 and 12:03 on February 22nd. I missed a few species because I picked up the camera late (the last Mourning Dove left just as I was focusing on it) or because the danged bird was just too fast for me (Red-breasted Nuthatch).

This was not an unusual day. There is a constant coming and going of birds around the Aerie. And, if the wind is blowing just right, you might see a Raven, Sharp-shinned Hawk or Red-tailed Hawk passing by at eye level. (In the summer there's always a Turkey Vulture or two soaring somewhere above. On rare occasions, I've also seen Broad-winged Hawks, Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles.)

As I've said before just watching all the action can get you tired out.

Aerie AM Storm Report, February 25, 2010

It started snowing some time after 11 PM Wednesday night. There are about three inches on the ground as I type (7 AM Thursday) and it's still coming down pretty hard. The forecasters (AccuHunch and weather.com) both say we will get much, much more later today and through the night. They say we can expect around 10 inches total. I'm just hoping they are correct when they say the current bout will slow and perhaps even stop before noon. If it doesn't and if it continues to snow all day like it is at the moment then we might be looking at more than a foot.

There's hardly a breath of air at the moment. What little there is is from the southeast. The forecasters insist that will change when the winds shift to the northwest and gusts get up to 50 mph late today and tonight. Luckily, the temperature is around 26 degrees so the snow isn't tremendously wet and heavy or there would be broken branches and snapped trees.

Even should it stop, I don't think I'll make it down the hill to get the mail today. I wonder if the garbage man will make it up the hill for pick up. He's driving a 4x4 pickup, not one of those behemoths you see in cities and suburbs.

I'm going to let this one take it's time and get the snow blower out when it stops tomorrow.

The squirrels have dug through the snow on the deck tray to expose the seed that was there from yesterday. They won't be getting a second helping until the storm is finished. The small birds are hitting the stick feeders pretty good (when the squirrels let them) and they should be okay.

More later as the snow piles up ad the forecast becomes history.

Aerie Report, February 23, 2010

The weather lords did not come through last night. The forecast several inches of snow and/or freezing rain became just that one snow squall at dinner and then a very light mist of sorts that produces ice on the windshield that melted if you breathed upon it. And down the hill there was less.

I guess we're going to dodge a bullet from tonight's storm, too. The brunt of the storm will be to our east where the TV weatherman says there might be up to a foot of snow in Delhi, New York. (That's west-northwest of the Catskills on State Route 10.) It looks like we'll get nothing but lots of fog, some freezing mist, and--perhaps--an inch or so of snow.

At the moment it's 34 degrees and raining lightly here at the Aerie.

Unfortunately, while we may dodge this bullet, ole Ma Nature has another in the chamber and we may not get so lucky later in the week. The hype is in full swing about a "hurricane of a snow storm" that may hit on Thursday night into Friday. They're not sure where exactly, but they say that it will be one to remember with winds gusting up to 74 mph and snow falling at the rate of 1-2 inches an hour.

This particular nightmare isn't even on the maps yet. It may draw some of it's energy from a storm still down in northeast Texas or perhaps it will siphon energy from the ocean since it will slam into the coast somewhere between Cape May, New Jersey and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The wraparound winds will bring very cold air down from Canada--again.

The warning is out for areas as far south as the I-80 corridor here in central PA. The TV guy says this is the first major snow storm we will have this year in this area ad that we should expect snow amounts in the 8 to 10 inch range. AccuHunch is saying 12 inches are possible. Weather.com is just saying "Look out!" Unlike yesterday when all the forecasts fizzled, today they all agree as to time, place and (almost) amounts.

(And if anyone says, "Sound like the science is settled," I will have to get medieval on your heiney.)

******

The forecast is frightening enough that Terry has decided to head for New Jersey early for her SAGA classes she's scheduled to take withe the Princeton Pleaters chapter. She called her Mom today and told her to expect company tomorrow afternoon. It was raining like the dicken's in NJ, Mom said. Almost all the snow on the grass has melted away with only the piles of snow shoveled, plowed or blown still present. They may get several inches (up to 8, Mom said) from the snow storm Thursday afternoon into Friday morning.

******

The bird and squirrel activity at the feeders has been truly amazing the last day or two. Each morning we've had 8 to 10 gray squirrels gathering at the feeders to fill their stomachs with sunflower seeds. They stay until around 10 AM and then disappear back into the woods and their insulated nests.

The birds have also been mobbing the feeders but they'll be coming and going all day long. In one 15 minute period around 11 AM yesterday I watched 8 or 9 species come to the feeders on the deck while two or three additional species were present at the yard feeders.

It's not just one or two individuals of each species either. Two or three DOZEN each of chickadees, mourning doves, and goldfinches can be seen working the seed at one time. Half a dozen blue jays may sweep in en masse as will the same number of juncoes. Three or four white-breasted nuthatches and tufted titmice will hit the deck at a time. Two or three downy woodpeckers, cardinals, and hairy woodpeckers add to the mix.

Watching all the activity can tire you out.

******

I got to the dentist's today. Exam, X-rays, and a cleaning were done in two hours. Unfortunately, the X-rays and exam showed two top molars (one on each side) that will have to come out. This goes back to the loss of the molars on the bottom. The tops, having nothing to push them back, have been erupting and this exposes the lower part of the tooth. It also forms larger gaps at the gum line and pinches the crowns of the teeth together. Decay has occurred in those larger gaps and--so says the X-rays--it's gone to the core of the tooth.

It's my own damn fault for not being a good flosser. *sigh*

So, I'll be going back next week to get one of the molars pulled and the week after to get a filling repaired and the other molar pulled. I could have had them both out on the same time but that would have left me with a diet of soup and/or malts for a day or two as I wouldn't have a side to chew on. The dentist who will do the extraction agree. (Now that I've written the word "malts" above, maybe I should rethink this. I've got a bottle or two of single malts that would act as both pain killer and disinfectant.)

Aerie Report, February 22, 2010

Not much to say except never, ever trust a weatherman. Terry and I made plans to go out this afternoon but while she went off to Curves and some errands this morning I checked the weather gurus (weather.com and AccuHunch) and things didn't look promising. While they couldn't agree on timing, both indicated some possibility of freezing rain/wintry mix/snow taking place between noon and 7 PM. Since our sojourn out would have covered a good portion of that time, we decided to stay in and see what developed.

Terry pulled a nice boneless pork loin out for dinner along with sauerkraut, chunks of potatoes (cooked in the little pork grease the loin produced), string beans (from the garden) and apple sauce (canned two falls ago). Our dinner was excellent! And, while we were eating it, the snow finally arrived.

I had been checking both forecasters all afternoon and they kept changing their projections as to time and quantity. I came to the conclusion that they really do not know much more than I do when it comes to forecasting the weather. We should have gone out.

They say there's a chance for more snow (albeit small amounts) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Then, they say, it will get interesting. We shall see.

******

I've a dental appointment tomorrow morning and I'm a bit concerned. It's been nearly six years since my last visit and, while I've got nothing that pains me, I do have two or three already filled teeth that have...well, lost parts in the interval.

******

Speaking of health care.

What is it about the word "NO" that the White House does not understand? Two days before his televised summit with the Republicans during which it is alleged he was going to work for a bipartisan health care reform, President Obama produces a bill that is almost exactly like the ones already passed in the Congress and Senate but with even fewer details so that the Congressional Budget Office can not even determine its cost. The man and his cronies obviously believe that political leadership means cramming stuff down the peoples' throats.

Now that he has produced this bill (and basically said it's-my-way-or-the-highway), what, exactly does he plan to do on Wednesday? He's certainly not looking to get any "bipartisanship" out of the many times spurned Republicans.

I sincerely hope that the Republicans stick to their guns and tell the President that he can put his Health Care Reform where the sun don't shine.

The President and the Democrats have burned a lot of bridges lately. I wonder when it will occur to them that they are on an island.

SDO vs Sundog

NASA launched a satellite last week (February 11th) that's going to study the Sun in fine detail. The Official announcement made it sound like(and I'm paraphrasing here, okay?): Wow! We just discovered the Sun is a variable star and the variations in its energy output may affect the weather and climate here on Earth!

Anyway, that's not the only thing this Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) will do/has done. Even before it left the atmosphere the rocket propelling the SDO did something only anecdotally recorded before: It destroyed a sundog.

Watts Up With That has the story: SDO whacks sundog The post includes a description of how a sundog is formed as well as of the SDO's mission. There's a video posted there but a better one in which the sonic boom is clearly seen was posted in the comments by DirkH:




Read the comments at WUWT. They are a hoot!

My favorite:

John F. Hultquist (10:08:09) :

It’s worse than I thought. Is it not enough that penguins, polar bears, and Arctic ice are being destroyed by modern technology? Now Sundogs? Soon there won’t be any left. Help me Save The Sundogs. Join STS. Send $25 to . . .

Aerie Report, February 20, 2010

Speaking of the increased daylight.... We've been fortunate these last two days to be enjoying copious amounts of sunshine and the warm temperatures that go with it.

Yesterday (Friday) didn't start out that great with lots of dense clouds overhead and a threat of more snow shower activity. Add the very strong winds out of the north-northwest (gusts nearing 40 mph) and it looked ominous. But those same strong winds blew that whole mess away. The sun came out and things really warmed up. Got close to 40 degrees but didn't quite make it before the sun started to set.

The sky stayed clear and the crescent moon and stars shone brightly. The winds died overnight to a much more reasonable 10 mph or so and the sun came up this morning with little or no competition. This despite one of the weather services saying it would be partly cloudy while the other said mostly sunny. Half filled/empty glass, I guess.

The temperature this afternoon did cross over the 40 degree mark this afternoon, but there seem to be more cumulus clouds in the sky as I type. Perhaps that's because of the increased amount of moisture in the air due to the snow melting.

Tomorrow promises to be more of the same which will be nice. Some snow is forecast for Monday, however. Not much just another PITA event that will--they say--slip past on our north. It's later in the week we'll have to keep an eye on. AccuHunch is saying things like "potential monster" but we shall see.

******

Nothing new on the birdie front here yet. We're several weeks away from the north-bound migration beginning. The owls should be starting to nest around now but I've not heard but one little "hoot" several evenings ago. Perhaps they are putting house building on hold until there's a break in the weather. If so, it could begin any day now. They usually time things so that the chicks hatch about the time the snow melts away and the little rodents and rabbits haven't anything to hide under.

@#$ CATS!

We're in a quandary here at the Aerie. On one hand we are really enjoying the lengthening daylight hours that allow us to actually eat dinner while it's still light out, but, on the other hand there's that earlier sunrise crap.

You see, the cats can not tell time by looking at a clock. As a result, they depend upon the increasing morning light to tell them when WE should be getting up--much like a rooster. And, much like a rooster, they are quite verbal about our--to them--slug-a-bed ways. Add the fact that our bodies have decided that six to seven hours of sleep is sufficient--even when our minds and hearts are enjoying the warmth and comfort of the bed--and you have a problem.

Having been awakened bright(?) and early on Friday morning by Chester serenading outside our door at 6:15 AM, I was primed for an early night and went to sleep at 9 PM. Seven hours later by circadian rhythm went off and I was awake at 4 AM Saturday morning. I tried and I tried to fall back asleep only to have Shadow (Chester's evil sister) realize someone was awake and twitching on the other side of the door AND THEY WERE NOT GETTING UP TO FEED THE CATS!!!

Well, Shadow can be extremely vocal and quite loud when she wants to be and no amount of shouting "Shut up!!" will discourage her. In fact, quite the opposite. Having elicited a reaction from the wanna-be-sleepers, she cranks up the volume.

Soooo, after half an hour of caterwauling, I decided I had better get out of bed and go feed the damn cats. (Yeah, they have me trained well!) I thought I would do this and allow Terry to sleep longer since she had come to bed at 9 PM and was reading when I entered the land of nod. (Yeah, she, too, has got me trained!)

I thought my coming downstairs and feeding them would get them to be quiet and allow Terry to sleep. It worked--for about 45 minutes.

See, Shadow can count. If I come downstairs alone, she knows there's still someone in bed. Someone who is likely to provide more food than the scrunge that put down a measly teaspoonful for each of the three cats. No sooner has she licked her bowl clean (and probably Chester's too) than she goes back upstairs and starts howling at the bedroom door.

I went up and got her; hauling her downstairs again while administering her favorite Ferengi ear lobe rub. She purred like crazy while I massaged her lobes and scratched her chin. As soon as I sat down, however, she was off like a shot. Back upstairs to howl once more. I fetched the little demon and repeated the loving while hoping Terry could still be asleep.

I tried to keep Shadow downstairs, honest. But as soon as she could she escaped my clutches and was right back at the bedroom door.

Terry gave up and emerged from the bedroom at 5:15 AM. It was still dark out. We both should have still been asleep.

Thing is, Shadow is the most stand-offish of the three. She’s the loner of the three. Not really much of a people pussycat, if you get my drift. She wants to be stroked and scratched on her terms and her terms only! She will not sit in your lap. (You've got to beat the other two off with a bat.) But when she wants her ears scratched she will reach out and literally touch you--no, make that grab you. You could be sitting at the dinner table when she'll decide she wants scratching NOW! Or simply walk past her as she sits on the step stool in the kitchen and there will be an extended paw--with claws out--to gently tap, tap, tap on your thigh. (If the gentle tap doesn't work, you can expect something that will draw blood!) Still, if there’s a cat that’s going to leave you alone much of the day, it’s Shadow.

Tonight I will force myself to stay up until at least 10 PM. And if Shadow makes a noise before 7 AM...well, I've got a couple of shotguns. (Just kidding!)

Have shovel will ...well, shovel!

We got another 2" PITA snowfall after dark last night. There wasn't enough to use the snow blower but too much to let lay so Terry and I went out with the shovels and cleared the driveway after I returned from getting the mail. As I've said, I'd much rather have a 6" snowfall on which I could use the snow blower followed by five days of sunshine than have 2" ever other freakin' day.

You would think being more than 100 miles from lake Ontario would mean NOT being affected by lake effect snows but guess again. Even the Finger Lakes can, and do, produce lake effect snows when the wind is blowing right (?) as it was last night. When it's out of the north, it comes right down the length of Seneca, Cayuga and Keuka Lakes. That can produce a plume of snow down wind that extends for miles. Of course, here at the Aerie, we are also on Armenia Mountain which forms a considerable ridge running roughly east-west and blocks the south bound winds forces them upwards where they cool and the contained moisture (from Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes) condenses, and--voila!-causes snow. (That's where the persistent Blue Blob on the radar screens comes from.)

******

After a bit of a gloomy start to the day, the clouds have thinned and the sun has made sporadic appearances. This has driven the temperature above the 32 degree mark and started melting some of the snow that remains atop the gravel in the driveway. With luck, the sun will get things down to almost bare ground where we shoveled.

AccuHunch seems to have hedged their bets on the pending storm originally scheduled for early next week. Now things have been pushed back to Wednesday but they will, according to the *ahem* experts continue through the end of the month. Since Terry is planning on going to New Jersey on Friday (the 26th) for some SAGA classes with the Princeton Pleaters, she was not happy to hear this. I tried to tell her not to worry. They haven't gotten tomorrow correct all week, why should they be right about NEXT Friday? We shall see.

Oh well, I've had my Ibuprofen and my lunch. Time for a bottle of Sam Adams and to watch the snow melt.

Oh! Really?

Watt's Up With That has a post today by Steven Goddard of a re[port from my alma mater, Rutgers University.

Northern Hemisphere Snow Extent Second Highest on Record

According to Rutgers University Global Snow Lab, last week’s Northern Hemisphere winter snow extent was the second highest on record, at 52,166,840 km2. This was only topped by the second week in February, 1978 at 53,647,305 km2. Rutgers has kept records continuously for the last 2,227 weeks, so being #2 is quite an accomplishment.

To which I reply: No Sh!t Sherlock!

Aerie Report, February 17, 2010

Well, it's snowing...again.

When I went out to get the mail yesterday after lunch we had about 2 inches on the driveway so I shoveled it when I got back. This is the first time I actually used the shovel on the driveway this year and my muscles let me know they were not appreciative. Past snows either did not amount to enough to warrant shoveling or were deep enough to use the snow blower. This job took me about ninety minutes to complete by which time my lower back, buttocks and shoulders were all ready to bury me in a snow bank. Ibuprofen, a hot shower and early sack time was called for but they did little to ease the aches which continued today.

And, speaking of today, it's been snowing most of the day. It came down sporadically and lightly this morning but after lunch it really picked up. We're not getting an inch an hour or anything near that, but it is coming down quite heavily. Let's just say that if they were holding the Olympic downhill ski races on the back slope, it would be just like being in Vancouver...you wouldn't be able to see a thing from the bottom of the slope.

Terry and I were supposed to go over to Wellsboro tonight for the monthly meeting of the Tiadaghton Audubon Society, but we opted to stay home. Though Terry did say there was no snow falling in the valley when she went out to Curves, lunch and church (Ash Wednesday) between 10:30 AM and 1 PM, I'm pretty sure that's changed now.

Accuweather is saying there's no hope for a thaw anytime soon and we should expect winds out of the north gusting to 30 mph on Thursday. The also mentioned some strange snowfall totals for the month of February. Johnstown, PA down on the southern border has had close to 60 inches of snow. Snow has fallen there on 15 of the 17 days in the month. Meanwhile, Buffalo, NY has had only 3 inches. That may be changing today as the winds have been bringing snow almost due south off Lake Ontario. That's also where most of our snow is coming from today. Thank goodness Lake Erie is frozen over! If the wind shifts so as to come more from the northwest, we'll be clear. At least, we'll be clear if the Blue Blob would take a hike!

BUT, AccuHunch is forecasting another snow storm to come out of the Ohio/Kentucky/West Virginia region on Sunday night into Monday.

Where in the world is...

If you've been following the saga of climategate over the last few weeks you've heard about numerous shenanigans, manipulations, and down right lies that went into the ICCP report upon which huge amounts of cash and power were dependent. You may have read (in the British press because that of the good ol' USA seems to have dropped the ball on this story) that even the head of the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia, Phil Jones, is now admitting that there has been virtually no warming occurring over the last fifteen years or so.

Yet, here in the states, some of our political critters continue to beat the drum against man caused global warming. You know that doesn't exist. (Sort of like being gung-ho to go out a fight dragons while riding your unicorn.) I credit their obstinacy to that power and cash I mentioned above.

In all the hullabaloo there is one person who has not spoken up. One prime figure leading up to the Copenhagen climate meeting who was constantly in the papers, giving speeches, haranguing "deniers" for their "false" beliefs. The man who dubbed global warming "An Inconvenient Truth."



Just where in the world is Al Gore anyway?
And why isn't the press banging down his door to ask him questions?

Is it spring yet?

Ole Punxsutawney Phil said six more weeks two weeks ago and it sure looks like we're going to be held to that forecast. At least the pitchers and catchers will be showing up for spring training down in Florida and Arizona this week. Although, from the sounds of the weather down south, they will have to work extra hard to break a sweat. Here's hoping that when they break camp to head north and start the official season around the first of April, they don't have to bring snow shovels with them to clear the base paths.

I know, I know--I grumble a lot about the snow. Lately it's like getting pecked to death by ducks--an inch today, an inch tomorrow. Always followed by just a long enough period of warmth (relatively speaking), rain, and/or sunshine to bring things down (almost) to bare earth. Weird as it seems, I'd much rather have a foot of snow today and then four or five days of sunshine than five days of one inch snow falls.

It's snowing again today. Not much is expected, just an inch or two. Still it's falling sufficiently hard so as to block off visibility hear at the Aerie and engulf us in our own little world with white walls a few hundred feet away.

I guess I shouldn't really complain, however. I mean what should I expect from living so near to the NY/PA line, just west of the spine of the Appalachian Mountain Range, and down wind of the Great Lakes to boot.

Could be worse. Terry's cousin, Jim sent these photos from last week. They live in Columbia, SOUTH Carolina. Six to seven inches in their neck of the woods while we got bupkiss. (Of course, Mom got 15-18 inches in Linden, NJ.)

Eatin' Health

What do you know! I'm eating healthier than I thought.

Red wine and dark chocolate cancer killers

Red grapes and dark chocolate join blueberries, garlic, soy, and teas as ingredients that starve cancer while feeding bodies....
...
Li cited a Harvard Medical School study showing that men who ate cooked tomatoes several times weekly were 30 to 50 percent less likely to have prostate cancer.
...
The foundation pitted some foods against approved drugs and found that soy, parsley, red grapes, berries and other comestibles were either as effective or more potent in battling cancer cells.

Eaten together, the foods were even more effective in fighting cancer.

Everything on that list of foods except the soy is eaten or drunk here often. Even the soy gets its day in sweet and sour soup or as sauce on some other oriental dish Terry serves up.

(h/t TigerHawk)

Aerie Report, February 15, 2010

What a weird day! It was clear and 18 or so this morning with the wind coming out of the north northwest. It warmed up nicely, however as the wind shifted to the south and the temps actually cracked 40 degrees under bright sunshine at around 2:30 PM. But then the wind shifted again to the southwest and it started to get overcast. It soon dropped to the low 30s and was snowing like crazy by 4 PM. Now (9 PM) it is just overcast.

All the while this was going on, both AccuHunch and Weather.com kept saying we were only going to get up to around 30 degrees and we could expect mostly cloudy skies and flurries all day. Even now they are saying we should see between 3 and 4 inches of snow in the next few days. That is, an inch tonight and perhaps 1 to 3 inches Tuesday night into Wednesday.

I am so ready for Spring!

******

Terry spent much of the day at the dentist's. It's the first visit to a new dentist for either of us since we moved here. She had cracked off a piece of tooth and needed a fix as well as a cleaning.

She said both the hygienist and the dentist were very good and she was able to get everything done today when a cancellation opened a time slot for a second appointment in the afternoon.

I've got to make an appointment for similar care soon. I like dentists about as much as Indiana Jones liked snakes.

******

I spent the day scanning slides into digital photos while watching NCIS on USA. I managed to get about 250 done in six hours today. There's only about 500 more to go! I've just started to do the slides from our 1993 cross country trip. The one that took 5-1/2 weeks and of which we shot a hell of a lot of film! All the slides that remain are form that trip as were the last 60-70 that I did today.

I deliberately avoided anything on the TV that wasn't NCIS. (Abby is right. It is addictive...like pistachios. Or in my case, cashews, since I don't care for pistachios.) News is depressing and the Winter Olympics are just not my thing.

Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show:2010 edition

Not much to report.

Joe and I succeeded in making it to the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show on Thursday. In an uncoordinated fashion we arrived at the center (I from the Aerie and he from Linden, NJ) within 15 minutes of each other and both of us were nearly an hour earlier than the time we said we would meet and 45 minutes before the doors opened. Absolutely no traffic on the road that early in the morning. (That was NOT true as we left a little after 1 PM. Lines of cars stretched out onto I-81 on both the east bound and west bound sides. And that intersection is two miles or so from the Farm Show Complex.)

Our first order of business was to find the Caesar's Lodge booth so Joe could book a trip for this summer. No problem! Caesar's had two booths--one in the outfitters section of the main hall and one in the fishing hall. We happened to enter in the fishing hall and found the booth just about 200 yards from the door. Oliver Brossard was back in charge of the outpost fishing and all the flying while his cousin George remains is in charge of the hunting and main lodge.

Joe booked his trip and then we set off to see what else there might be to see. We walked, and walked and walked some more. Along the way, Joe picked up some 1/4 inch cord, some 6 lb. test fishing line, and a leather wallet. We both bought some leather belts. And that was about it. We looked at lots of ATVs, admired all the horns at the outfitters' booths, inspected and got information about some Treewalker Tree Stands and did lots and lots of walking. We easily could have spent the rest of the afternoon and, perhaps, part of today if we had spent more time talking to outfitters, suppliers of calls, suppliers of archery equipment, etc. or if we had opted to watch any of the shows/demonstrations that were going on, but we both were faced with about 150 mile drives to get home and had nothing in particular we wanted to spend our money on...at the moment. So we headed our separate ways around one in the afternoon.

All I can say is that this is indeed the largest outdoor show on the east coast. The space is simply huge. Four different halls that could have each housed their own shows and, in a sense, did. The main hall held all the hunting supplies and outfitters. Then there was a fishing outfitter and supply hall (including boats and RVs). Another was strictly set up for archery supplies and held a shooting range of 3-D targets ranged up in the seating gallery. Another hall held all the man toys like ATVs, motor cycles, tractors, and such. And there were other halls as well. I even saw one or two full sized, two room log cabins and a two-vehicle garage with a full loft. One thing we didn't see much of was guns. There were only a few booths for manufacturers and gunsmiths/modifiers. I'm sure there must have been more, but then we weren't really looking.

It was difficult maneuvering through the aisles because of the number of people in attendance--on a work day. I don't know what kind of purchasing power the folks coming in to the show carried with them but I'm sure that lots and lots of cash changed hands during the eight days of the show. And looking at the number of pick-up trucks in the parking lots.... I'll definitely be putting this on my calendar for next February. And this time, I believe I'll make a point of seeing some of the shows and having a shopping list. I'll also see about getting into and keeping in shape for all the walking that's involved.

I thought to drive over to Cabela's after the show (it's just 50 miles or so east on I-78) since it would have added just 50 miles to the trip. (The leg back to the Aerie from Cabela's is about the same as from the Aerie to the Farm Show Complex.) But near the end of our walking around the Outdoor Show (and we covered perhaps two-thirds of the show floor space walking several miles in the 3+ hours we were there), my back started to complain and my left hip joined in. Not willing to be 100% stupid I headed directly home.

Two-and-a-half hours in the truck did nothing to improve the back or hip. The wine for dinner helped a little as did the Ibuprofen before hitting the sack early. Slept like a log until the cats started at 6:30 AM.

Let's Try this One More TIme...

It's a beautiful day here at the Aerie. The temperature has soared into the mid 30s as bright sunshine streams down through a cloudless sky. All the while AccuHunch and Weather.com are telling me the high will be 32 (been there, done that) and the sky is mostly cloudy (huh?).

I spent some time this morning with Mr.Craftsman Snow Blower clearing the driveway. I was surprised to see there was barely enough snow to warrant the use of the blower. I'd estimate it was just 4 inches deep out there except where it blew off the roof. After watching it snow all day long yesterday I thought sure we had more than that on the ground. Perhaps the fact that the snow was extremely fine and almost granular allowed it to settle more than normal.

Anyway, I did get the stuff cleared using the blower. I'm glad I got it done early, too. There was not a breeze blowing while I worked which meant I didn't have to worry about the stuff blowing back on me as I went about my clearing. The snow went almost exactly where I wanted it to with the exception of when the skids on the front of the blower hooked a chunk of gravel and suddenly jerked the machine one way or the other.

I called my buddy Joe in New Jersey. He was out from around 5:30 AM until 11 using his snow blower to clear his driveway, his mother's sidewalks (corner lot) and my mother-in-law's driveway and sidewalk (one block from his Mom's). He said he was pooped from having to move the machine around and muscle it through some of the deep snow (12-18 inches of it).

He and I will make one more attempt to go to the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show in Harrisburg tomorrow. The weather looks good and barring a freak snowstorm we should be okay. He wants to book a Quebec fishing trip for himself and one of his sons. I'd go fishing with him but Terry and I have already made plans to head to Alaska this summer...all summer. Still, it will be nice to touch base with the outfitter about going fishing in 2011.

The Harrisburg venue is immense and could easily be the largest outdoor show on the east coast. We'll get there around 10 to 10:30 AM and probably won't get out until late in the afternoon. I'm going to make sure I have comfortable walking shoes on 'cause it looks like there are miles of aisles to walk.

Aerie PM Report, February 10, 2010

The snow finished sometime around sundown this evening. The winds picked up considerably rising from just one or two miles per hour to over ten. They also switched around from coming from the east to the north.

The final measurement is a mere 6 inches or so. Not much considering what fell south and east of here. Certainly no blizzard or "snowmageddon" for us. I held off clearing the driveway and now will be waiting until tomorrow when I'll be out early in the morning with the snow thrower. With any luck it won't take me more than a couple of hours to clear it all.

Aerie AM Report, February 10, 2010

After watching the radar screens carefully tell the tale of the impending storm last evening, and after experiencing a brief foray by the leading edge of the storm, I decided it would be safe to attend the Grand Canyon Photography Club meeting in Wellsboro last evening. Leaving the Aerie at 6:30 PM I experienced nothing worse than wet roads and a few brief flurries on the road west. No snow fell while the meeting was being held but the prospect of the storms arrival had everyone talking.

We had a presentation on Adobe Bridge for organizing our stacks (digital as they are) of photos. It reminded me that I've been extremely lax in the organization department of both the slides I've been scanning and the photos I've taken. I'm left with the daunting task of going back over thousands and thousands of pictures. *sigh*

A second presentation was on Gestalt Theory for composition. Interesting but way more deliberate thinking than I put into snapping a picture. Then again, I'm not doing it for "Art".

Anyway....The meeting broke up around 9 PM at which time it still wasn't snowing ad the "downtown" temperature in Wellsboro was 34 degrees. As I headed back east, the temps dropped quickly to 27-28 degrees along Route 6 and then to 25 as I turned up the hill to the Aerie. It wasn't until I neared home that the number of flakes increased, though not dramatically. When I hit the sack at 10:30 PM the snow still hadn't kicked it into high gear. It did so over night, however.

Three or four inches of white powder had fallen by the time I rolled out of the sack at 8 AM. (Terry was up earlier to feed the cats who left me to sleep.) The snow has continued all morning and, while we may see a little slackening in the quantity for an hour or two early this afternoon, it will last into the evening. Seven or more inches before it's over does not seem like a stretch. Could be a whole lot worse.

Won't be so easy tomorrow

moar funny pictures

The weather guy on the radio is saying 2 to 4 inches tonight and another 3 to 5 inches tomorrow. I guess we're due. And thank goodness we aren't on the southern border of the state.

I recall back in 1966 or so we had two snow storms a week apart that each dumped 12 to 18 inches of snow in a very, very brief time frame. Why does that stick out? They happened on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and I was responsible for clearing the sidewalks at the church at the time. And it was a corner lot. With lots of sidewalks. And a long, wide entry walk to the front doors. And the church had midnight services both nights. And there was no snow blower, just a straight handled shovel.

Then there was the 30+ inch snowstorm we got when we lived in Dover, NJ, sometime between 1973 and '76. Narrow streets with small (short) driveways. At least the mayor lived two houses down so the road got plowed early and often even if that meant the street parked cars got buried. I went to help his wife dig out figuring it would be necessary for him to get to the office. When we finished she mentioned she just had to get out to go get her hair done. She's lucky she wasn't found later in the snow bank.

Compared to that and the nearly 45 inches Baltimore and Philly have had dumped on them since Friday, 5 to 9 inches doesn't sound like much. But then I'm not as young as I used to be.

White-breasted Nuthatch

At least one White-breasted Nuthatch has figured out what to do with the checks (splits) in the deck posts. Rather than taking a sunflower seed all the way out to a pine or some other tree with rough bark there to wedge it in place before hammering it open with his bill like a woodpecker, this bird uses the cracks in the deck posts.

Now, I can't be sure there is only one White-breasted Nuthatch that has figured this out as they all look the same. But I have only seen one do this at a time despite there being several posts on the deck that could--and have--been used. Conversely, I've seen more than one W-B NH at a time take a seed to the bark of a tree to perform the opening ceremony.

Below I've posted a sequence involving just one Nuthatch for your enjoyment.

Having placed the seed in the crack, the White-Breasted
Nuthatch does a quick inspection.

Finding it not quite to his liking, he makes an adjustment...

...and wedges the seed in more tightly.

He takes another look and then lines it up like a golf putt.

A-N-D....THWACK!!! It's lunch time!

More daily visitors

Blue Jays come to the feeders in packs. If there's just one on the tray, there are five or six in the trees. They are the roving bullies. They will intimidate the smaller birds and even the large Mourning Doves. Yet they are also cowards. The Red-bellied Woodpecker can scare them away when she comes to the tray and they all take off when I step out onto the deck.

Their cowardice, however, can be a blessing for the little birds. When the Jays flee from me or a hawk that appears in the yard, they don't go quietly. They'll screech and scream quite loudly. When that happens all the little birds either freeze or head for the thick, protective branches of the pine trees and become still and silent as they assess the threat.

Blue Jay doing a little soft-shoe dance

We've only got a couple of Northern Cardinals that show up in the yard. Actually, just one pair--male and female--makes an appearance. Usually they feed on the ground beneath the feeders on the side of the house picking up seeds scattered by the other birds and squirrels. These visits frequently occur in the twilight hours of sunrise or sunset when it's just not practical to snap a photo. Once in a blue moon, however, one or the other will make a mid-day appearance on the deck.

Northern Cardinal

Another group that appears as a pack is the Mourning Dove. Or, given their usual docile nature, perhaps flock would be a better descriptive. Twelve to twenty of these subtly colored birds will be pecking at seeds on the ground, snatching one off the tray, or slowly policing the driveway for gravel that might be just the right size for their crop. (Without teeth, birds depend upon gravel in their crop to grind up ("chew") their food.) They don't pick fights with anybody but another Mourning Dove and will shoot off en-mass in erratic flight when they perceive a threat. Usually, they will fly in a circle and come back to roost in the pines to determine if it is safe to return. Sometimes they skip the circle flight and head right to the pines.

I expect to see some courting behavior from them in a couple of weeks. Males will walk after a female cooing all the while. She will act coy and rebuff his attentions right up to the last second. At least that's what it looks like. With both sexes looking the same, I could be mistaken. Perhaps they are merely re-enacting the last San Francisco street parade for Gay Rights.

Mourning Dove

Aerie AM Report, February 9, 2010

We've been downgraded from a Winter Storm Watch to an Advisory. That means we won't get as much as they feared but AccuHunch is still saying between 4 and 7 inches of snow may fall between tonight and Wednesday evening. The higher accumulations are to be to our south and/or at higher elevations. (Have I mentioned that the Aerie is at 2100 feet? That's actually quite high around here where maximum elevations are around 2400 feet or so.)

Scattered snow is already falling in the southwest corner of the state and is slowly creeping this way according to the Weather.com radar. The heavier stuff is still down in southern Ohio and West Virginia.

Anywho.... It's not supposed to start until well after dark so, while the trip to Harrisburg has been postponed until Friday, I should be able to make it to the photography club meeting in Wellsboro.

Joe and I were discussing how we might be able to make some $$$ out of our ability to draw in precipitation whenever we have anything planned together. We've already put out feelers with the Canadian government to bring an end to any drought they may experience during the summer. All we ask is that they pay for our fishing trips. We can guarantee that it will rain at least five of the seven days we book an expedition.

We thought Vancouver might be interested, but it's kinda short notice for the Olympic ski slopes. Bear season would have been a good time. If they had called us a little earlier.... They probably called Al Gore and...well...like all liberals, he failed to deliver the goods.

(We'd issue an official apology to Baltimore and D.C. but that might get us into a position of being financially responsible for their clean-up costs. So all we'll say is: TS!)

Holy Moly!

I'm looking around at some sports sites (Super Bowl on CBSSports.com, Mets at MetsBlog, when I got to the Baseball Crank and see that Rep. John Murtha has died. The Washington Post has the details here.

Also in the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza, says that state law requires the Governor to declare a date for a special election to fill the Congressman's now vacant seat. That election, says Cillizza, will probably coincide with Pennsylvania's primaries to be held on May 18th. No interim appointment can be made.

Mets Alert!

Pitchers and Catchers in 10 Days. (February 18)

Saints 31, Colts 17

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on their victory over the Indy Colts yesterday in Super Bowl XLIV.

They got off to a slow start falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter but out played the Colts from then on.

Drew Brees was chosen as the MVP. He was 32 for 39 for 288 yards and two TDs and one 2-point conversion. In contrast, Payton Manning was 31 or 45 for 333 yards and had one TD and one fatal interception (returned 74 yards by Tracy Porter for a TD with just 3:12 left in the game).

Good (?) Morning

Went to sleep immediately after the Super Bowl last night and woke up with a congested head at around 4 AM. Tried to fall back to sleep but between the sniffles and the warmth (can you really be warm when the room temp is just 62 degrees?) it was no use. Especially when Julie the cat started to meow at the door.

So I got up and dressed at 4:50 AM and headed down stairs. Fed the cats, poured myself some java and have been up since then. Being vertical has done wonders to clear my sinuses. I'll either take a nap later this afternoon or crash early this evening. If I try to stay up until a reasonable bed time (post 9 PM) I'll probably have a tough time falling asleep. I'm sort of odd that way.

Speaking of odd. We have one cat, Shadow, that absolutely will not sit in anyone's lap. Nor will she even sit on the couch next to you. The other two, Julie and Chester, will not only sit in your lap but will cling to each of Terry's hips as she stitches on her couch. Yet, whenever I get up early like today, it's Shadow that finishes breakfast and then, after a brief stalk of the house, heads for the bedroom door to demand that Terry get up. I can go and haul her away from the door--as I did this morning--stroke and pet her for 10 minutes and then place her on the living room couch where she normally naps the day away--alone--only to see her bolt right back upstairs to continue protesting Terry's slug-a-bed ways. At 6:30 AM.

******

We got just a tiny dusting of snow during the night. Probably lake effect. The areas to the east of us (over toward Ithaca and Binghamton, NY) got/are getting more as the winds sweep down the Finger Lakes. Looking at the ice maps of the Great Lakes seems to indicate that most of Lake Erie has frozen over thus cutting the moisture supply for the snow machine associated with that body of water. Not so Lake Ontario, however.

AccuHunch and the National Weather service have posted a Winter Storm Watch for the area beginning Tuesday late and ending late Wednesday. Two storms, one from the northwest and a second from the southwest are supposed to converge over Maryland and sweep up the coast. We may get five or six inches from this one while Maryland, DC and NJ can get something close to a foot.

Joe and I might have to postpone our trip to the Outdoor Show until Friday.

Some everyday visitors

There are about a dozen bird species that show up at the Aerie's feeders ever day. We also get about a dozen gray squirrels each morning.

Gray Squirrel

White-breasted Nuthatch

Downy Woodpecker

Black-capped Chickadee

Best Team Ever?

I understand there's a football game being played this afternoon. The game has sure changed since it was first played ont he Banks of the Raritan between Rutgers and Princeton way back in 1869.



If you're new to the sport of Football and wish to learn how the game should be played, Goofy has a tutorial.

There's only ONE National Pastime.

For quite some time, it was a morning ritual on a New York radio station to play read the following poem on the morning of the Super Bowl. The reason was obvious: The program's DJ/host was not a great fan of football but was a fanatic of the Nation's Pastime. Time and distance have robbed me of the name of that host and of the station upon which he held court (although I believe it was WCBS). Even so, I would like to provide you with the iconic baseball poem: "Casey at the Bat".



Of course, it was made into a cartoon which was NOT faithful to the original poem but entertaining nonetheless: "Casey At The Bat"



Which brought about a sequel: "Casey Bats Again"

Back to normal

The temps dropped to 9.4 degrees overnight and the winds shifted to come out of the north and then the north-northwest. This has produced some light snow flurries here at the Aerie and the return of The Blob over Armenia Mountain although there's some blue sky between the clouds at the moment.

******

I mentioned yesterday that whenever Joe and I go to an outdoor show it seems to snow. Friday, he suggested we shift our planned date from Monday to Wednesday so as to give the folks in Harrisburg more time to clean up the parking lots. Well, now AccuHunch is forecasting 5-plus inches of snow for Harrisburg starting Tuesday night and continuing through Wednesday. Guess I'll have to give Joe a call later this afternoon.

Aerie Report, February 6, 2010

Just a quick mid-day note to say that there wasn't even a flake of snow here at the Aerie from this latest bout of Global Warming that cut a wide and deep swath across the southern boundary of PA over night and into this morning. I'll credit the cold air mass that's sitting over us for that. It was just 14 degrees at 7 AM today. We'll be getting more of that cold over the next few days with the overnight lows settling into the single digits. Daytime highs won't get above the 30 degree mark until mid-week. Given a choice of a foot of snow or 20 degree days, I think I'd settle for the cold...as long as the sun comes out as well, which it is struggling to do as I type.

******

The Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show has opened in Harrisburg. Joe was going to come out from NJ and meet me there on Monday but we've altered our plans since there's some concern that they will not have had ample time to clean up the parking lots. Instead we will meet there on Wednesday.

Seems we run into snow problems for these shows almost every year. And it doesn't matter whether we're going to the one at Rockland Community College in NY or the Garden State Expo Center in Edison, NJ. There's usually a snow storm just ending, just beginning or in progress.

Jeez, is there anything of substance in the IPCC 2007 report?

As if the numerous "climategates" that have already been exposed were not enough we now have this:

TREES WILL NOT BECOME UNSTOPPABLE KILLING MACHINES, ADMIT CLIMATE SCIENTISTS

(From a link at Maggies's Farm. A site that should be on your daily read list.)

Aerie Report, February 4, 2010

Things have been very quiet here at the Aerie the last few days. Terry's been going about her daily routine of visiting Curves every morning (aka Rumor Central) and bringing home her daily reports of what's happening in the Mansfield area. Things like when the new Tractor Supply will be opening (April), what progress is being made on the new Lowe's (they've started bringing in the steel for the building and will probably be breaking ground in a month or so), what's happening with the current spate of new gas wells and such. When she's home she's been stitching and beading like a mad woman as she prepares for a classes she's teaching or finishing things she started in previous classes.

I've been the stay-at-home for the most part. I got back to scanning all the slides from the past into digital format. That's been taking quite a bit of time. In the last two days I've done approximately 500 slides over nearly 10 hours. That in itself has cut into my blog surfing time immensely. The same computer I regularly use for surfing has the program for scanning slides and gets tied up for that purpose. I can get four slides done every five minutes or so. All the digital images have been going onto a portable hard drive attached to the computer. I've not spent any time trying to play with the quality of those images or even label precisely what they are of. They, instead, get a generic label of the general locale (Zion, Bryce, Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc.) to go with the month and year. Many of them are, quite frankly, awful photographs. But a few turned out very, very nice.

******

The weather has been just gorgeous. While yesterday started with a bit of a snow shower, that ended before noon with little accumulation. The temperature never really rose above 30 degrees here on the hill but did get just above freezing down along Route 6. Today was even better with bright sunshine all day and a high of 38 degrees around 3 PM. The warm temperatures have nearly removed all the snow from the yard and driveway. When we get a few hundred feet down the hill, it is all gone. Only the ice that formed after the rains two weekends ago has survived but that's because it was just so bloody thick!

While the big story for the approaching weekend is the snowstorm that will hit the mid-Atlantic states, we will be spared all but a trace to an inch tomorrow night into Saturday morning. The bulk of the snow will be well to our south and will hardly cross Interstate 80. The heavy snow might just nip the southeast portion of Pennsylvania. Terry's Mom and our daughter in Linden, NJ will get more snow than we will.

******

The birds and squirrels have continued to put a sizable dent int he sunflower seed stock. I'm glad I purchased ten fifty-pound bags of the stuff when it was on sale last October. We've gone through five of those bags already and I'm working on number six. The same is true for the suet blocks. The woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees are all out there hammering away at the nut, seed and fruit laced fat but there are still five or six blocks in the freezer.

Abbott and Costello today

One more from Ruthann. It's been around for a bit but still good for a laugh.
She actually sent it last night but I held off posting it until this morning. Don't want her to think I'm totally dependent upon her emails. ;-) Besides, by delaying this post, I got to locate and post "Who's On First" before this one showed up.

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and not too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their famous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO BUYS A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know.. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows..

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows..

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue'W'.

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on 'START'.............

Who's On First

Regardless of what Punxsutawney Phil decreed this morning, spring is in the air. At least in Florida and Arizona where major league pitchers and catchers will be reporting next week for spring training.

In honor of the beginning of the rites of spring, I present:

One of the THE greatest comedy routine of all time!

Abbott and Costello were recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum with a plaque, gold record and transcript of this famous sketch included in the museum collection.

Lou Costello, the derby wearing, bat wielding foil in this routine was indeed a pretty fair athlete back in the day back in New Jersey. Basketball and boxing in particular were his sports, but he also did some catching in high school.

I dare you to watch this without laughing out loud.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

It's nearly time for the Great Backyard Bird Count to take place. On the weekend of February 12-15 just keep track of the birds coming to your feeder and submit them to the Cornell Labs. Click the button below or on the sidebar to learn more.

Water or Wine?

An email from my lil Sis, Ruthann. (I told you..pretty soon she'll be a full time contributor to this little corner of cyberspace.)

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine... and those who don't..

As Ben Franklin said:
In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.


In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - the bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop..

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember:
Water = Poop,
Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid,
than to drink water and be full of shit.

Aerie Birds: Pileated Woodpecker

I mentioned the Bluebird and Pileated Woodpecker in the last post as infrequent visitors to the Aerie. Well, today the Bluebird was back on the electric wires at noon. I attempted to get a photo but the auto focus kept zoning in on the trees 15 feet behind the bird and all I got was a little ball of blue fuzziness.

Earlier, as I went out to fill the feeders on the deck, I spooked a Pileated Woodpecker for the trees on the other side of the driveway/parking area. It didn't go far and I quickly retreated hoping it would return. It finally did several hours later. At that time it went to the fruiting bodies at the very tippy-top of the one sumac on the edge of the driveway. It was a long shot at a sharp angle out of the window. And, in my haste, I forgot to zoom in!

Pileated Woodpecker

I tried a second shot through the front door but as soon as I cracked the door open, it flew away. For a bird that perched in the same tree last year while I ran the snow thrower directly beneath, it sure is spooky this year.

Aerie Birds: Goldfinch & Titmouse

I've pretty much given up on the possibility of either the Redpolls or Purple Finches making an appearance at the Aerie this year. Both are far northern species that make their way south when food is scarce and snows are not. They were both abundant (along with the Evening Grosbeaks) over the last two winters but are near impossible to find in any reports this year. It's a shame really, since all three species (Redpolls, Purple Finches and Evening Grosbeaks) brought some much wanted and needed color to the feeders.

So I guess we'll have to make due with what we have on hand, namely Chickadees, Nuthatches, Morning Doves, Blue Jays, Goldfinches, Tufted Titmice, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and the occasional Blue Bird and Pileated Woodpecker.

American Goldfinch

Tufted Titmouse

Grooving Owlet

This baby owl is really getting into the groove!



(From the LOL Cats folks.)

A Palindromic Message

One more from Sis. (I'm going to have to add her as a contributor soon!)

A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.

This only runs for 1 minute, 44 seconds and it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen…forward and backward.

This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it.

(I may not agree fully with everything she says but I do find this piece to be extremely well done.)

A Look Back In TIme

Another email from my younger sister. Who, for some reason, seems a little more nostalgic than I.

HEY,WASN’T THAT US ?

SURE WAS!

A little house with three bedrooms, one bathroom and one car on the street.
A mower that you had to push to make the grass look neat.

In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone,
And no need for recording things, someone was always home.

We only had a living room where we would congregate.
Unless it was at mealtime in the kitchen where we ate.

We had no need for family rooms or extra rooms to dine.
When meeting as a family those two rooms would work out fine.

We only had one TV set, and channels maybe two,
But always there was one of them with something worth the view.

For snacks we had potato chips that tasted like a chip,
And if you wanted flavor there was Lipton's onion dip.

Store-bought snacks were rare because my mother liked to cook,
And nothing can compare to snacks in Betty Crocker's book.

Weekends were for family trips or staying home to play.
We all did things together even go to church to pray.

When we did our weekend trips depending on the weather,
No one stayed at home because we liked to be together.

Sometimes we would separate to do things on our own,
But we knew where the others were without our own cell phone.

Then there were the movies with your favorite movie star,
And nothing can compare to watching movies in your car.

Then there were the picnics at the peak of summer season,
Pack a lunch and find some trees and never need a reason.

Get a baseball game together with all the friends you know,
Have real action playing ball and no game video.

Remember when the doctor used to be the family friend,
And didn't need insurance or a lawyer to defend?

The way that he took care of you or what he had to do,
Because he took an oath and strived to do the best for you.

Remember going to the store and shopping casually,
And when you went to pay for it you used your own money?

Nothing that you had to swipe or punch in some amount,
Remember when the cashier person had to really count?

The milkman used to go from door to door,
And it was just a few cents more than going to the store.

There was a time when mailed letters came right to your door,
Without a lot of junk mail ads sent out by every store.

The mailman knew each house by name and knew where it was sent;
There were not loads of mail addressed to "present occupant."

There was a time when just one glance was all that it would take,
And you would know the kind of car, the model and the make.

They didn't look like turtles trying to squeeze out every mile;
They were streamlined, white walls, fins, and really had some style!

One time the music that you played whenever you would jive,
Was from a vinyl, big-holed record called a forty-five.

The record player had a post to keep them all in line,
And then the records would drop down and play one at a time.

Oh sure, we had our problems then, just like we do today,
And always we were striving, trying for a better way.

Oh, the simple life we lived still seems like so much fun,
How can you explain a game, just kick the can and run?

And why would boys put baseball cards between bicycle spokes,
And for a nickel red machines had little bottled Cokes?

This life seemed so much easier and slower in some ways,
I love the new technology but I sure miss those days.

So time moves on and so do we, and nothing stays the same,
But I sure love to look back and walk down memory lane...

I have to admit though, everything does look a little rosier through the rear view.

Six more weeks. **Sigh**

Weather.com said it was cloudy and there were snow showers in the area this morning as ceremonies commenced in Punxsutawney, PA this morning, but that didn't stop Phil from seeing his shadow and forecasting another six weeks of winter. Of course, it's something he does around 80% of the time (meaning you've only got a 1-in-5 shot at his saying early spring) but still it would be a nice change.

My guess is that Phil is an AGW denialist and is in league with Jack Frost and Frosty the Snowman.