The View from Here

Fascinating...

 

I find nature fascinating. I suppose I should read more about the critters who frequent my yard so I wouldn’t end up in front of the window thinking “Why in the world did they do that?” Last night was definitely one of those instances. I mentioned before that hundreds of birds have been flying across our little corner of the prairie each afternoon around five o’clock. Of course they may do it all day when I’m at work, but they seemed to adhere to the same schedule last weekend. The most recent flocks are robins or cow birds or starlings. Last night there were a couple of flocks of each.

 

I’m not sure which birds flew across the pond last night but I suspect they were starlings just by the sheer numbers. I could see birds for about two miles to the north. Anyway, a few dropped down to an area and then a few more and a few more until they formed a large circle. They stayed on the ground for about five minutes and I thought they must have found something to eat.  Then they all flew away and about ten minutes later another half dozen birds dropped down on the same spot, and then more and more until the ground was once again black. Someone please tell me why two flocks of birds, too far apart to communicate, would stop on the same spot of prairie. It was a little creepy. I imagined the first group or perhaps even a group from last week marking the spot in some way that can only be seen from the air- bird sign for “rest stop”. Lol

 

The usual group was at the feeders last night- cardinals, white crowned sparrows, juncos, doves, red winged black birds, meadowlarks, and quite a few Harris sparrows. I didn’t see the one with the band.

 

Nasty weather this morning. Waiting for daylight and the news report to see how bad the roads will be. More rain, ice, snow and combos of each ahead for the next few days. I plan to spend some time with my flower catalogs so I don’t get discouraged.

Stay warm and safe today!

Breathing in, breathing out...

I know you are tired of hearing about my nose, but I have to say that breathing is just not fully appreciated by any of us. When the doctor took out the packing yesterday it was such a huge relief to be able to breathe normally. I hope it is a long time before I take that for granted again.

There are lots of children and adults in our school who are also having trouble breathing, but for a different reason. The cold and flu season is definitely in full swing! Please pray for us and for each other, and especially for the moms who have to “play nurse”. It isn’t fun and it certainly doesn’t seem like play. Taking care of sick children was always my least favorite part of parenting, perhaps because I felt so responsible for something I had very little training in.

I am feeling like my old self again and hope to get back to several projects that I had to lay aside. My normal life may be a little boring to some, but it is certainly a comfort to me. By the way, I love having a doctor with a sense of humor. He said not to lift anything over 20 pounds for two weeks. I asked if he could make that 10 pounds so Gary would have to help me with the laundry. He said, “Sure, wanna make it four weeks?” Sounds good to me!

Off to school today to show my students that I’m all better. They have been so concerned and so sweet. One of my girls is quite intelligent and insightful.  Monday I talked with them briefly about my nose and most of the children were quite satisfied with my explanation. But she came up to my desk later and said, “You mean this could happen to anybody? This could happen to me?”  We had to talk for a few more minutes before she decided she would be okay.

Got home late last night, nearly dark, but as I pulled into my parking space a flock of about a hundred birds rose from the yard and headed toward the woods. It was an awesome sight! Maybe some will return this afternoon and I can take pictures.

Have a blessed day!

 

Always second best...

I was looking at a friend’s photos yesterday and realized that most of them are better than mine. In fact, I know four women, including my daughter, who are remarkable photographers and they all take better photos than I do. But that’s okay. I could say it’s okay because I don’t claim to be a photographer. I could say it’s okay because I don’t sell my photos. I could say it’s okay because we aren’t competing. But you know what? It’s okay because that’s just life.

I’m always going to be second best at everything except being Mary Maurer, and that’s okay.

We are a nation, a society, a culture, a species that strives to be the first, best, fastest and greatest at anything and everything we do. Name any sport, occupation, activity, condition, or trait and chances are there is a competition of some sort that will declare someone the BEST at it, at least for the moment.  Don’t misunderstand. I enjoy some of those competitions as much as anyone. I’ve even won a few competitions. And striving to be the best often brings out the best in people who didn’t know how much they could accomplish. Competition is not a bad thing.

However, as a teacher I’m also in a position to see the darker side of competition. Parents, teachers, and coaches sometimes forget that winning isn’t everything. If we take that position then we also convey the idea that winning is worth any cost…even lying or cheating. Little boys across the nation recently competed in the Pinewood Derby and I promise you that there were some boys in the competition who did not build their own cars. Don’t tell me the rules. I know parents. I’ve been to more than a few science fairs. I’ve seen the work of talented children, and I’ve seen the work of anxious, competitive parents. I’ve seen kindergarten homework done in cursive! I saw a talk show once that revealed that 70% of the audience admitted doing their child’s homework. It starts with something that small and grows until a school district is fined for falsifying state test results.

I also think we have to be careful with the idea that doing our best and being THE BEST are the same thing. They are not. I think one of the worst things we can teach our children is that the people who aren’t winners are therefore losers. Our children get the impression that the person or team without the trophy is somehow inferior when in fact they might be just as good and might have competed just as well. It is a reality of life that outcomes often rely on luck, subjective judging, or a tenth of a second on a clock. It is also a reality that most winners are the best for only a night or a day or a year, until someone else wins. And that is the lesson to be learned. Winning is a great goal, but it is temporary. What we learn from playing, competing, striving, trying, doing…that lasts forever.

I’m old enough and confident enough to know that someone else’s superior ability does not make me inferior as a person. I do the things I do because I enjoy them and they make me a better person. I do the things I do because they fit my personality and my skills. It is enough to be the best ME that I can be. But children don’t know that. And children who feel inferior often withdraw from trying, or cross the line into lying and cheating in order to feel better. Or they bully other people so they can maintain their perception of superiority.

Somehow we have to learn to balance our need to win with the satisfaction of “just being nominated”. I know that sounds like a naïve cliché. But I think it is an important distinction that many of our children are missing.

Winning is fun. Winning is exciting. Winning is gratifying. But winning isn’t everything. It’s only a way of measuring a moment in time. Real life is measured in years and tears and laughter. It’s about enduring the race, not crossing the finish line.

Have a wonderful day!

 

Proof positive...

 

As proof that I am feeling better, I offer a few bird photos from yesterday. I have watched and enjoyed the birds each day, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I felt like the swelling in my cheek had gone down enough for me to hold the camera anywhere near it. I apologize for the quality of these, as I waited until nearly dark to take them.

A pair of hawks swirled around in the sky for quite a while yesterday. It was fun to watch them and interesting to observe the reactions- panic- of the other birds when they came near the feeders. There were half a dozen large crows in the yard during the afternoon. And the Harris sparrow came back to eat, but not close enough to the window for another photo.

 

I spent much of Saturday watching television- mostly old House episodes. Nothing better for a recovering patient than to watch the greater suffering of others. I also managed to crochet a bit. You would think that I would taken advantage of the extra time to work on my book or to read someone else’s but the swelling bothered my eyes and made them a little teary and blurry. So television was my diversion.

 

Yes, I saw the sad report of the elephant handler’s death. It is always a risk to work with wild animals of any kind, but especially those of tremendous size and strength. However, I think the media sometimes goes a little crazy with their reporting of zoo accidents. I’m not sure why. People are killed each year in horse racing, rodeos, circuses, and other industries involving animals. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases figures each year on accidents and deaths in various occupations. It makes interesting reading.

I couldn’t sleep Sunday morning so I watched an early, early program about yachts. There really are people in the world who have too much money, too much free time, and too much time and energy invested in their own egos. I told Gary that the show supports my theory that there is enough money in the world to solve any problem we have…we just use too much of it for self-gratification.

 
 

No, I did not watch the Golden Globe awards. I’m tired of award shows in general, and that one always bothers me because the celebrities are sitting around drinking- thus you can never be quite sure what you will see or hear. Plus, I’m not a fan of the overly dressed. And I seldom agree with the outcome of the voting. So I abstain.

 

I will be back in the classroom today, and while I don’t imagine that I will feel wonderful, I know that I will feel better there than I will on my couch. I have missed my students and my colleagues and I look forward to a day away from my own petty problems.

Happy MLK day to you!

  

 

Bird Banding

 

Turns out that the little banded bird at my feeder last week was a Harris Sparrow. It breeds in Canada and migrates in the winter down to Texas and Louisiana. It was named for Edward Harris, a companion of John James Audubon on his western explorations in 1843. The Harris feeds on the ground and likes weed seeds, flower buds, blossoms, small fruits, berries, insects, spiders, and snails.

Unfortunately I was unable to read the band on this little guy. I have since learned that if I had been able to read it I could report the sighting to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Bird Banding Laboratory.

The banding of birds in the United States is controlled under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and requires a federal banding permit, and in some states an additional state permit. That is understandable since the birds have to actually be captured in order to band them. Only an official federal band may be placed on a bird.

 

Bird banding is done in order to collect data for research and management projects. According to Patuxent “Individual identification of birds makes possible studies of dispersal and migration, behavior and social structure, life-span and survival rate, reproductive success and population growth. The first record of a metal band attached to a bird's leg was about 1595 by Henry IV. The first records of banding in North America are those of John James Audubon, the famous American naturalist and painter. In 1803 he tied silver cords to the legs of a brood of phoebes near Philadelphia and was able to identify two of the nestlings when they returned to the neighborhood the following year.”

My friend Jan informed me that there will be a bird banding demonstration by Dr. Wood at the Arbuckle Simpson Nature Festival. The festival will be the last Friday and Saturday in April. There will also be a free presentation by the Sutton Avian Research Center.

Always good to start the day with a little bit of new information.

Update

I told my husband I’m trying a new diet. It’s called the “my face hurts too much to chew” diet. Who knew that all the muscles in your face are connected to your nose?

I had my nose cauterized and packed yesterday. I’ll spare you the details and just say painful. I wouldn’t recommend having it done unless you really must.

I’m going to take a little break and recuperate. Back tomorrow with some information on bird banding.

ER

I’ve spent many hours in hospital emergency rooms- as an employee, a friend, a family member, and as a patient. I have lived a rather accident-prone life beginning with a car accident when I was just an infant.  In early childhood a window fell on me during a storm. When I was nine I stepped on a broken bottle while swimming in the river and severely cut my foot.  I got hit in the face with a wooden box when I was about ten. Broke my arm when I was twelve.  I’ve left out six or eight things, but you see the pattern. As an adult I’ve been in three more car accidents, broken five more bones, had nine surgeries, and a couple of diseases that warranted a little emergency room care. I’ve had a collapsed lung and a detached retina. However, I never imagined that Gary would be tying my shoes for me and packing me into the car for a trip to ER because of a nose bleed. What a whimpy thing to add to the list! In my own defense I was simply following orders. I’ll save you the details, but my doctor said, “if…., then go to ER” and the conditions met his criteria, so off we went.

The emergency room feels safe and comforting to me. As I said earlier, I’ve worked in ER as an EKG tech, and for a week I even worked in our local emergency room as a switchboard operator. (The week part of that is another blog.) I know that once I get there I don’t have to control whatever condition or disease I’ve been battling. I can let the experts handle it.

However, some people are frightened and intimidated by the emergency room or by hospitals in general. The environment is alien to them- filled with machines and procedures that are also frightening. And they are in an emotional state anyway because of whatever circumstances sent them to seek help. The situation is often more upsetting to the family members in the waiting room than it is to the patient receiving care. Our arrival in ER yesterday coincided with the arrival of an ambulance with a critical patient. We spent the first hour just sitting in the waiting room while the staff worked on her. I felt so sorry for her family, but they finally got “out of hand” to the point that a police officer had to calm them down.

So…yesterday wasn’t  a perfectly perfect day. After three hours in the emergency room I had to go see my regular doctor and get a referral to an ENT (ear, nose, throat doctor). I told Gary that this is the sure sign of old age- your conditions get to be too complicated for one doctor to handle! Lol I now have three doctors. I think if the list gets to six you have to start worrying.

I’ll see the new doctor today and let you know what he says. Even if you aren’t sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next in my life, you may have to deal with nose bleeds at some point and you may learn a few things from my experience. I always recall the summer that Gary nearly died from diverticulitis. Just the week before I had read an article in a magazine about a woman who went through a similar experience. Having that knowledge helped me more than I can ever explain.

I hope today is better for all of us.

 

Frigid

 

When there is only one digit in the temperature is there anything to talk about except the weather? I mean at this point it doesn’t matter if it is a 6 or a 9, it’s just too cold for man or beast. Only our modern conveniences and technology allow us to even function at this temperature. Did you hear that yesterday there was snow in 49 states? (Hawaii, but not Florida) Since I spend so much of my time reading about the past, I often wonder how our ancestors coped with winters like this one. How would we manage with dirt roads, wood heaters, well water, and oil lamps? And no snow plows, phones, television weather reports, or highway patrol.

We got up to a sunny 31 yesterday and it felt wonderful! Further proof that is not reality, but our perception of it, that makes all the difference in our attitude. I look forward to warming up to 31 again today!  

 

I was pleasantly surprised to have perfect attendance in class yesterday. I have great parents and healthy children this year. It makes such a difference in our progress.

I typed the teacher list for Caddo Schools, 1941, and posted it on my Caddo blog this morning. Interesting to see Alma Brown on the list as a first grade teacher. She was my high school geometry teacher in 1966! I credit her with the fact that I even passed geometry. She kept me after school at least three days a week and drilled that stuff into my little brain. She made us work at the chalkboard in front of the whole class and I hated for the other students to see that I didn’t understand the problems, so I worked extra hard that year.

 

Since I’m just prattling this morning I will ask if you know anything about bird banding. The little guy here has obviously been captured and banded at some point in his life. I suppose I should Google for the information, but my internet service has not been the greatest this week so I’m trying to just get all the basics done while I’m online.

Have a warm day!!

 

3-15-0

 

3= The setting on my electric blanket last night. I’ve never set it that high before, nor have I left it that high all night!

15=Our temperature. Not wind chill factor. Temperature. Those numbers won’t reverse until the weekend.

0=My enthusiasm level this morning. My motivation to go out that front door in a few hours is only slightly higher. I hate to be cold!

 

At least I feel like I’m prepared. I have my three layers of clothing including my heavy new coat. I have snow melt and a shovel in the back of the truck. I have water, trail mix, a thick blanket, a flashlight, and an ice scraper. Feels more like getting ready for an expedition than just for work.

 

I know my readers and my family members in the East are laughing. They deal with snow all the time. But that’s the point. They deal with it so often that they don’t have to worry about forgetting something. And they have the luxury of snow plows and blowers and shovels. We so seldom have snow that we aren’t prepared to deal with it. There is no way to adequately prepare for ice! And our road crews only clear the major highways and bridges. Those of us in the country are left to fend for ourselves.

 

I have more bird photos today because I went outside and stood around yesterday afternoon. Some of the birds were so hungry that they didn’t mind a little company.

Stay warm today! I’ll certainly try.

 

Snow

 
 

Friday I took my students to recess. I wore my school t-shirt and jeans.

Saturday I went to town to do some shopping. I wore my long-sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, and jeans.

Yesterday I stayed inside and did some projects and watched television with my hubby while the snow fell and the wind howled. I wore my fuzzy green pajama bottoms, my long-sleeved t-shirt, and a sweatshirt.

Today I will have to refill the bird feeders and I’m planning to wear my sweats, coat, boots, gloves, scarf, and hat!

 

 

Gotta love winter in Oklahoma.

We are staying home today. No school. The roads are too icy and the temperature is staying below freezing.

 

I took a few bird photos from my window yesterday. I didn’t venture out because the snow wouldn’t stop falling and I didn’t want to let the camera get covered with snow. A couple of the photos are a little fuzzy because I took them through a window that has a screen. I have removed the screens from two windows to make my photography easier, but of course the shots I wanted were on the other side of the house! My favorite shot is the meadowlark with his foot raised as though to say, “Yuck!” The cowbirds came in late in the afternoon. I’ve never seen so many in one flock! I was too lazy to fill the feeders yesterday afternoon so I simply threw a large bucket of seed out the back door. That’s where part of the flock is feasting. I thought it was interesting too, that they lined themselves up along the fence. I’m not sure if that was warmer, or there was a gap in the snow where they could find some natural food source.

 
 

I also took a couple of shots of a new visitor on Saturday. That’s a common flicker. I looked him up in my bird book. I was a little startled to see him and quite pleased that he stayed around long enough for me to fetch my camera from the other room.

 

 
 
 

Hope you are warm and cozy today!!