Random Thoughts

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Final final is over, *sigh*, now I get to rest my brain for a couple of months befoer it starts all over again in August. yaaay.

Bo

[Hester]

No dancing this weekend. I think I'm going into withdrawal.

[Red Cat Jenny]

WOOT! Cat's back! ... for how long?

But the cat came back the very next day.

Yes, the cat came back. She just wouldn't stay away.......

ya just never know....

[Hester]

I think there should be a new rank for 2000 posts!

I suggest "Drunken Pyrate".

424 posts to go until I'm a "Legend"! (That could take awhile!)

[Red Cat Jenny]

* Hand's Hester a cold Pimms *

"I'll drink ta that!"

[Misson]

Quality, not quantity...size matters not.

[Red-Handed Jill]

The theme of yesterday's walk was Baby Birds.

During my afternoon walk, I meandered by the field where a couple of burrowing owls have set up their nest. Some ground squirrels got a bit too close for comfort so I chased them off and got to see why they were hovering so close. The baby owls were taking one of their first forays into the outside world.

Burrowing owls are about eight or nine inches tall as adults. The babies were about four inches tall, round and still had the last vestiges of fluffiness. Naturally, they were as cute as all getout. As soon as they saw me, they were hustled back into their burrow by their mother, who gave me a look of reproach. The ever-vigilant father owl just continued to give me The Eye.

(Later, when I drove home, I passed them. All four babies were out of the nest and were hopping around. I mean literally hopping. Four little round baby owls hopping about is just so darn cute.)

So I continued my walk and encountered a female duck who looked very distressed. I could hear the ducklings but couldn't see them. I looked around everywhere and then it occurred to me that they weren't above ground. So I walked over to a grating and sure enough, there were the ducklings. They had somehow wandered over behind the local Walmart and blundered into this drain area.

I tried to pull the grating off, but it was too heavy (which, I believe, is the point...) So I found someone about to step into Walmart and talked him into helping me lift the grating. We managed - just barely - and I reached in and pulled the ducklings out one by one. Most of them went running over to their mother, but some needed a bit of help. One of them promptly ran into another grate, so we had to lift that one and rescue him again. They were at that UBER cute stage - you know, when they fit into your hand and are fluffy but have just lost that new-hatched floppiness. Hopefully, they won't fall back into that grating.

[Hester]

Cool, Jill!

My baby bird adventures are far less cute.

I live in a tall old Victorian house. The starlings love to nest in my eaves. Unfortunately, they're rather careless parents, and the flightless babies often fall out of the nest, 3 storeys down, to land, dead, on my front porch. Ick!

And last year, they nested at the top of our downspout. We had a heavy rain and the nest got washed down into the drainpipe. I could hear all sorts of scratching and rattling, but I thought it was coming from the eavestrough above. Finally, we realized there were birds trapped inside the drainpipe. My husband took it apart, and found 2 dead, decaying and very stinky baby starlings inside, and one live one.

[MadL]

I now be uncle t' the SECOND set o' black crow babies!

Aye, ye heard me right ye did. Neigh two year ago me work moved us t' this forsaken building with NO winders, a big change from a 9th floor office o'er look'n LAX! So now I spend me lunches in th' park'n lot (only daylight I get all day) where I soon befriended a pair o' nest'n crows in a palm tree what would come down 'n share me lunch. Got t' where they would see me step out th' door 'n they would meet me at me vehicle 'n wait for the grub t' be dispersed.

Soon after I began t' hear the little ones, soon after that they appear'd, then learn'd t' fly 'n their mum 'n pa show'd them how t' beg for more o' me lunch crumbs.

Well, those three now ha'e grown up 'n flown away but the parents still visit me e'ery day, swoop'n right o'er me head as I walk t' the car. 'n not long ago I noticed they be take'n turn sit'n in that palm tree again, 'n also get very angry should any other come near the tree! Just yesterday I heard the new little one's up there!

...guess it be time t' start pack'n extra rations again...

now if'n one o' those ungrateful cake eat'n buzzards would just give me one o' their wing feathers, that be all I ask for two year now o' free grub 'n parent'n advise, just one wing crow's wing feather, that all I be need'n for me hat, just one wing feather.

....wonder how 'stingy crow stew' might taste.....

[Red-Handed Jill]

The wee owls were out again this afternoon, frolicking around their burrow. Okay, they were hopping up and down and flapping their short little wings.

I wish I could get close enough to the owls to photograph them. I did last year, but that was later in the season.

[Iron Bess]

Forgot what I was going to say.....

Must be having a senior moment.

[Matusalem]

God help me, I'm so nervous.

50% chance I switch jobs and move to Baltimore & work smack in the inner harbor before summers end.

[Rogue Mermaid]

There's lots of pirating in the Baltimore Area Matusalem. You'll be in good company.

[Ransom]

The wee owls were out again this afternoon, frolicking around their burrow. Okay, they were hopping up and down and flapping their short little wings.

I wish I could get close enough to the owls to photograph them. I did last year, but that was later in the season.

When I lived in So. Calif. my first husband and I used to run early in the morning, mostly on dirt roads through the hills behind our house. We used to see those little burrowing owls all the time. They really are cute, even the adults.

Here in Oregon, we have all kinds of Owls. The ones that hang out at our place are small little guys, who perch in the tree in the front yard at night, and then swoop down on the little tree frogs living by the water spigget.

We also have bats, that come in to eat the bugs that are attracted to the light over the garage door.

Come to think of it, between the owls, bats, geese, ducks, a zillion different types of birds, raccoons, opposums, skunks, and the three black-tail bucks that snooze the afternoon away in our front lawn, we see a lot of wildlife during any given 24 hrs.

[Red-Handed Jill]

When I lived in Pacifica, I was in Critter Central. Raccoons, deer, possums, skunks, hawks, snakes and a host of other creatures used to hang out in my back yard. I lived near the ocean, just beyond the end of a forested valley.

In Redwood Shores, I'm right on the SF Bay and it's mostly birds - so many different kinds, it's unreal. Lots of Canadian geese, for some reason. And since it's late Spring, there are goslings galore. And there are jackrabbits, raccoons and skunks around as well.

[Christine]

Beverly Hills Chihuahua.......honestly, what is Disney thinking? This looks so stupid! Even my cousin's 6 year old son has zero interest in it. My cousin took him to see Prince Caspian and the trailer for this pathetic movie was shown. The audience groaned at it's stupidity. I just can't get over how something like Beverly Hills Chihuahua even got the green light to be made. *shakes head*

[oderlesseye]

You know eye have never posted to this thread before ..soooo let see wot randomly comes to mind...

Eye am gonna buy a sewing machine. And take lessons too. never thought I would do this for garb..but a new endevor it be.. I were sword fighting but me Group I am in is falling apart..For once not of controversy as many groups do..but of nesesity in each persons life..

One member wants to start a businuss on St. Thomas Isle. Nother has stronger committment to nother group he has been running for 17 years and me ..I learned wot I wanted and found a few new friends.. tyme moves on and some tymes we must move on with it.. So to fill the gap of tyme I was spending learning sword play..It be tyme to sew and think up some new ideas of wot to do with the rest of my life....

[Red-Handed Jill]

For those of you not in the San Francisco Bay Area...

Gas here is now well over $4 a gallon and diesel is over $5.

[Ransom]

In Oregon, it's pretty close to the same thing. Which is why Chain Shot just traded in his big 1993 Ford F210 PU, which we don't use now since we have no big horse traler to haul, and bought a 2002 Toyota RAV4. Gets 25 mpg in town, 29 frwy. For both of us it's a 22 mile round trip into town, so that little all-wheel drive car will save us a bundle. I only go into town maybe once, twice a week, if that, so I can still rationalise my Tundra — which for a truck, doesn't hog too much gas.

[MadL]

Well oderlesseye, let me know if those mechanical contraptions be any less dangerous then ye old needle 'n hand!!

I just finished me first sew'n adventure (since sew'n on me own insignia in military) 'n I find that th' needle 'n thread be DANGEROUS!!! I now ha've many holes in several fingers and thighs, calluses and cuts under me finger knuckles 'n more cramps in my right hand then an adolescent sailor stranded adrift alone for a four month with not but a copy o' "Wenches-N-Rum" for company!

As for gas: $4.19!!!???!!!

This is REDICULAS Mates!!!! Soon it be Road Warrior for REALS it will! Ye mark me words, it be for REALS!!!

[Hester]

Gas here is $1.29 a litre. By my calculations, that would be $4.88 for an American gallon. (Assuming the Canuck buck is at par these days.)

And my favourite Thai restaurant just raised its menu prices by $1 per each main course dish.

[Red-Handed Jill]

I got close enough to take some photos of the owls yesterday (okay, using the zoom as well.) The father owl was further out in the field, shooing away ground squirrels. The family consists of a pair with five babies. Occasionally, I've seen all five babies, but today I only saw two at a time.

The always vigilant mama owl:

Notice the banding on the legs - I guess someone is keeping track of these particular owls.

Mama owl and a couple of babies (the boldest of the babies is on the right - it has even started practicing those deep knee bends. Also, the mama owl is sitting and somewhat hunched over. She's normally about twice the size of the babies.):

Baby owl, right before it realised it was being watched and hustled its little butt into the nest:

These were taken earlier in the day:

The boldest of the baby owls peeking out at me from the nest:

Now joined by a more timid sibling:

[Iron Bess]

OMG... those are SO awesome!

How lucky to be part of all that....

[Hester]

Those burrowing owls are wonderful, Jill!

You should submit your photos to National Geographic!

[oderlesseye]

As for the Gas prices..I will not be suprised ifen ye catches folks sneakin round at night with a mini pump and containers in hand to rob yar long boat of fuel!