Silly Mouse

I am so easily amused. At 5 AM I clicked my link to the eagles nest. And the nest was empty, the adult eagles must have been out on an early morning excursion.

There was, however, a visitor at their nest. A mouse was scurrying around, from one side of the six foot across nest to the other side, pausing here and there to move a small piece of something, or check something out.

The eagles site I speak of is the Decorah Eagles cam. Hubby and I watched this past February as eggs were laid and kept watching so we witnessed hatching in April. So we were hooked. I would check in every day and watch the three eaglets change and grow and then the fledges in June were awesome.

As I watched the little mouse playing in the empty eagles nest, it brought back memories of the exciting events in the lives of the adult eagles and their three eaglets. In July one of the eaglets was banded and a transmitter attached. There is a map on the eagle site showing how far the eaglet is already traveling. Go, fly, wondrous creatures. Find mates and be as competent as your parents were to you.

The mouse moved too quickly for me to capture a photo on my computer, so I am using this photo I found on google that looks pretty close to the one in the nest.

Sundays In My City

The sign at the main entrance to walking/biking trails.

The trails go in multiple directions.

Some parts are pretty straight. The scenery is beautiful on all sections of trails and signs are posted at various trees naming the type of tree and who gifted the tree. There are also benches strategically situated and the benches have plaques with the name of the city organization who gifted them.

Check out the other posts participating in Sundays In My City on Unknown Mami's blog. It is a great way to learn more about other cities. Enjoy your Sunday.

Some Short Cuts To Help You Have More Relaxing Time

1. Drive the car out of the garage and open all the doors. Make sure you are on the side facing the neighbor's yard. Now plug in your leaf blower and blow everything out of the car. You may need to swish a clean cloth over the dashboard. There, done. Five minutes, max.

2. Write a personal letter full of charm with information on all the happenings in your life lately. Make several copies of the letter. Add a handwritten salutation and plenty of love at the end. Sign your name or nickname and address the envelopes and they will all think you wrote to just them and you have made lots of people happy. You can do the same thing with emails. Just blind copy the rest of the recipients. Attach a picture of yourself with a smile on your face.

3. Take a bottle of window cleaner into the bathroom with you when you are going to brush your teeth. While your teeth are being cleaned you can spray the mirror and sink faucet with window cleaner and they will be shiny clean by the time your teeth are sparkling too. Clean two whatchamacallits with one thingamabob.

4. If you are cooking a main dish make enough for two more meals and freeze the meals for the next two weeks. Not only does this save you time on a busy day in the next few weeks, it saves your waistline from expanding. By putting away the next two portions for the freezer, you won't go back for second helpings.


Now you have an abundance of time for yourself. For a bubble bath. Or a bike ride. Or a walk. Oh, you could take a small recorder with you on the walk to start a list of fun things to write about in your next set of personal letters. And be sure to carry a baggie to pick up bits of trash along the walk. Everyone likes a good neighbor.

These are a few hints I pass on to you. You're welcome.

Close To Nature

When I sit on the couch and read, I have a view out the window into the back yard. I glance up and watch squirrels play and eat, birds taking turns in the home made bird bath, and rabbits munching grass. It is tranquil and serene.

Until a hawk wants lunch. I looked up to see a young rabbit running as fast as he could, across the back yard. I thought, wow, that little guy can run! Wonder who is chasing him. Just as I was saying "wonder..." a hawk flew into view, talons at the ready.

The rabbit made it to the side of the garage and zipped into the habitat James made for the rabbits. The hawk stopped short of hitting the side of the garage, flapped his wings to change course, and turned around mid air and flew to the clothesline pole, a few feet from the habitat. Can you see the hawk:? I took this picture through the window. The window was open so it was two glass windows. Darn. Not a sharp picture. The hawk waited awhile, then flew to the nearby tree.


Pandemonium broke out in the tree. Birds of all kinds were shrieking at the hawk. Flying into his face and trying to get him to leave. Squirrels were running up fairly close and trying to lure the hawk away. Maybe there were nests in that area. I walked outside with my camera and tried to get a picture.

In the meantime, it was a couple hours before the rabbit came out of the habitat. He stayed close, within a couple feet of the opening to the habitat. He ate grass and kept an eye out for the hawk. A blue jay flew over him and he panicked until he realized it was a blue jay. Whew.

This is my first experience living in a place that allows me to see nature up close. I can tell one squirrel from another and some of the rabbits too. If the hawk had swooped up his lunch right in front of me, I would have been happy for the hawk, even though I love watching the rabbits. That is the way of nature.

Sundays In My City

Check out other posts participating in Sundays In My City at Unknown Mami's blog.
Enjoy your Sunday! I know I will. Today my hubby is clean and sober eleven years, one day at a time. I took these pictures of some of the plants and trees you see on you daily bike ride, my dear hubby. These are probably already on your grateful list.

Sometimes Even Trash Looks Pretty

Can you tell I am looking at everything with a different eye? I want to take a picture of everything! The first thing I do in the morning is charge the camera battery. Used to be the first thing I did was pour a cup of coffee.

This is my morning's trash after I clipped some flowers.

Neighbors Sharing The Bounty

This is two baskets of fresh picked veggies. A lady we met at the local grocery store mentioned rutabagas to us one day and she was telling us that the locals were not familiar with rutabagas. We told her we used to eat them often until we moved here. So she offered to share some of her garden veggies with us. The wonderful food in this picture is the third time she has brought fresh veggies to us.

This week's care package includes three fresh tomatoes, green and red peppers, a large cabbage, six ears corn, two carrots, four rutabagas, and about ten turnips.

Each time she gives us baskets of veggies, I wash the baskets and write a thank you note, clip the note to the basket and return the baskets to our veggie benefactor. It was a couple weeks till we knew her name. Let me hear a big cheer for Sherry.

Sundays In My City

Tennis, anyone?

Check out Unknown Mami's blog to view many more versions of Sundays In My City.

Day After A Storm

The southern states are experiencing record high heat and fires. The midwest states are dealing with storms. We looked around our little hippie town after two nights of storms that knocked over our planter of tomato plants and threw branches all over the yard. There were lots of trees down, and here are some samples. Because the storms have been during the night, I slept through it all. And now the days are cooler.

The Ready Position

This cat is ready, has decided to sit and wait for lunch to fly right to him.

I found this cute picture on All Creatures Great And Small blog.

I sometimes feel like I am in the ready position. Not just when we are standing at the barbecue waiting for the chicken or veggies to cook. I deliberately open my mind to what is in store for me to hear and/or see. I am anticipating learning something good for me. Even if it is not about me, it can be good for me.

So many times I move from blog to blog, reading entire posts, and carrying bits of information to the next blogs; hence, my internal vision expands, my vocabulary increases, my life is more interesting. And I don't leave home for all this growth.
TechnoBabe's Adventures indeed.

Sundays In My City

There used to be four banks in this city. Many years ago they closed and the current bank moved to this little city. This week they celebrated the 120th birthday and invited everyone to come and celebrate with them in the bank parking lot. Hubby and I did just that. We ate hot dogs, chips, cupcakes, drinks and chatted with some of the nice people who work at the bank. A few of them graciously gave permission for me to add their picture to my blog.

Click on the link and see how many people participate in Sundays In My City on Unknown Mami's blog.

Speaking of Books

Since books and music are two of my dearest loves, it is a joy to discuss books with people who share an interest in reading. Terri wrote about reading on her blog Into The Mystic and her post inspired Rock Chef to write about reading on his blog The Spartan Rock Chef. Several of my regular readers posted about books since these two posts and I have been thinking of my books all along. Now I share some with you.

Some of my favorite books have been about subjects unfamiliar to me. For instance, one favorite book is "The Greatest Game Ever Played" by Mark Frost. The book about golfing could be a school textbook; however, the book is not a dull textbook. It has a thorough Index and follows the golf careers of Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet with the results of extensive research and written so well that the reader is transformed to that era throughout the book. Students could learn much about determination and grit and dedication as well as cash in on the excellent writing ability of the author. Hubby and I each read the book and both liked it so much we rented the DVD. It doesn't work well to read a book and then see the movie; usually it means disappointment that some fun items were left out of the movie. Especially a book with so much history and information as The Greatest Game Ever Played. But the movie's passion and love of the game of golf brought the book to life.

Laura Hillenbrand's "Seabiscuit" taught me about horse racing in such detail that I never would have thought possible. The book held my interest every page and I neglected all else until I finished the book. This book is a keeper in our home. I have some absolute favorite books, some I have carried around from young adulthood, and "Seabiscuit" has joined that elite group. I have never been to a horse race in person, but when I was living alone the years before I met my hubby, I discovered the beauty of horse racing on my large plasma screen on the wall. Yes, I used to be one those and it was right before I met James that I stopped watching TV news and didn't turn the TV on every day. I was fascinated to see the beautiful colors and movement of the horses and the jockeys that were sometimes so close I could reach out and touch them. A couple years later I read "Seabiscuit", one of the best written and most interesting books for adventurous readers with a heart for real life.

A few years ago my older daughter gifted me with "One Thousand White Women" by Jim Fergus. I was captivated from the first page and limp as a noodle when I finished. Because I am interested in Native American culture, the added benefit was obvious. But the deep emotions of the book were a surprise to me and instead of being a downer, it was exhilarating. I quote Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump:
"Jim Fergus knows his country in a way that's evocative of Dee Brown and all the other great writers of the American West and its native peoples. But One Thousand White Women is more than a chronicle of the old west. It's a superb tale of sorrow, suspense, exultation, and triumph that leaves the reader waiting to turn the page and wonderfully wrung out at the end."

"The Weeping Chamber" by Sigmund Brouwer tells a story that for me depicts Jesus the Messiah as people living in that time would have seen him. The book is in fact, about two men, one known as The Teacher and another looking for a miracle. Sigmund Brouwer is not a historian. The book "The Weeping Chamber" is a novel.

My hubby introduced Tony Hillerman's books to me in the first month of our courting. We have all of Hillerman's books on our shelves. Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are now my friends, calming me with the mysteries these Navajo Tribal Policemen solve on the reservation. I say calming me because Hillerman's style is simple and clean; easy reading that incorporates native customs and traditions.

Reading is something I do throughout every day. I always have. If I had an appointment, I carried the current book with me and would disappear into what I was reading while waiting. I had audio books in the car that would carry me away from the traffic jams in California. Books have been my friends since I was four years old. One book I have had since then. It is too old and brittle to read but it is still with me.

Romantic Baking

Do you know anyone who puts cookies in a heart shape when they bake cookies?

I do.

And he makes music too.

Sigh.

Exploring

Going for walks and finding things of interest. Seeing things in a different way.
Seeing small pods on plants. Seeing trees with sun shooting through the branches. I took this photo this morning on my walk. It looked interesting to me.

I will be taking pictures of so many things and getting experience with the camera.

Yesterday I was watering some plants in the back yard when I very large butterfly flew around me and then landed on my shirt front and stayed there while I watered. I said thank you to the butterfly for the nice visit.

Hubby has put his blog on hold for now, not deleted. At least not yet. I have seen him let go of a few blogs so I don't know if he will be back to blogging again or not. He wants to concentrate on his music. He is no longer on my blog.

This phase will be about me. Finding things I am interested in. Sharing them here.