The View from Here

A Day of Discovery

I am currently using a cane for any activity outside of the house that does not involve a mower or shopping cart. Right now, it isn’t an absolute necessity, but rather a precaution against the possibility of stumbling in the back yard and damaging my knee, or encountering a stray dog while in the front yard (something that has already happened once here and once in our previous yard). My cane is metal and has a wrist strap, so it’s sturdy, lightweight, washable, and manageable even when I’m using the camera.

I tell you that to explain how I made a startling discovery this morning.

I was making the rounds, feeding the birds, and frequently glancing down at the lawn for any new hazards (we have moles or voles or something). I was about to move my cane forward when I realized I was about to place it on a small light brown snake. I stayed where I was and began to take a few photos. As I adjusted the zoom, I noticed that it had ants on it. It also appeared to have a damaged tail.

I went inside later and did a Google search to try to ID the snake and determine if it was venomous. Curious about the ants, I also searched for information about whether or not ants would eat an injured snake. I was stunned to read the answer and realize that they were not only eating it, but KILLING it! I didn’t know they were capable of killing a snake. Apparently, f they perceive one as a threat they will attack it as a group, bite it, and then continue until it dies. Ant venom contains neurotoxins that induce paralysis.

I went out to the yard to confirm. The snake was dead and covered with ants!

Lesson learned: beware of small snakes in the grass, but also avoid any contact with angry ants!

Flowers 2019

As promised, you'll find a new photo album link in the left column. Just a few of my favorite flowers. Enjoy! 

What Do They Tell Their Children?

Gary and I went to Walmart yesterday, and as expected, there were a number of shoppers without masks. Like any risky action, from smoking to texting while driving, I’m sure people have reasons for their decisions, just as I do. However, one trend that really interested me is the increasing number of young parents shopping with their children…without masks.

I spent about twenty-five years of my life teaching children of all ages. Fifteen of those were spent in kindergarten, so I know that children are intelligent and inquisitive. My experience makes me question a lot of current parental behavior. My question yesterday was what do the parents I saw in Walmart tell their children about masks?

I went through the following options in my own mind, followed by what I imagine a child’s responses might be:

1. Those people are sick. Why are they shopping? You won’t even let me go to school when I’m sick. Why are so many of the workers sick? Won’t we get sick?
2. Those people are afraid. What are they afraid of? (I you are honest in answering then be prepared for your child to be afraid and perhaps also a afraid to admit it.)
3. Those people are protecting themselves and us. Then why aren’t you?

Since there were also a few parents who were wearing masks and whose children were also wearing them, I also wondered how the others explained that.

I’m sure I’ll never understand this any more than I understand anything else humans do. On the way home we encountered a woman talking on her phone while navigating the highway. We frequently see someone’s hand, holding a cigarette, extended out the window of a car in traffic. A local judge was recently arrested for driving with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit. People can be warned. They can be given guidelines, and even laws. Compliance is another matter.

Bird Brain

 

I recently finished reading Jennifer Ackerman’s book, “The Bird Way” and it has given me a whole new perspective of the insulting nickname of “bird brain” we often used with each other when I was in school. It was meant to imply that someone’s decision or actions had been less than intelligent, scattered brained, or foolish. It seemed appropriate, considering birds diminutive heads and their often-confusing behavior. How could they possibly be smart?

Well, as it turns out I was paying my friends a compliment! I’m currently reading Ms. Ackerman’s first book, “The Genius of Birds”. Does the title make you curious? It should.

While I was always aware that birds have amazing survival skills and interesting habits, I prioritized them into a few limited categories. I knew parrots could “talk” and my own grandmother’s parakeet could recite three or four phrases, but I assumed that was just a memory skill and they needed a human to teach them anything. Birds in the yard seemed to act on instinct. To my young eyes, one sparrow seemed to be acting the same way as any other. It never occurred to me that birds actually did any independent thinking or possessed the ability to actually learn from other birds, solve problems or make tools. Now I know better and I’m astounded by the results of recent observations and testing.

To me, the most fascinating chapters of both books are those on communication. Ms. Ackerman also covers the topics of work, play, and parenting. If you have even a mild interest in birds, I think you will enjoy either book. I have to warn you though- once you read one, you’ll feel compelled to read the other!

Read an excerpt.

Wet Morning...

It rained again this morning! We've received nearly three inches in the past few days, Any time it rains between the first day of summer and the first day of September is usually a blessing here. This morning Gary and I were sitting on the patio drinking our tea and he remarked that it felt "just like Monterey".

And of course there were also new lilies...

Dad

One of the things I'm blessed to have is an abundance of family photos. Sure, some are mislabeled and most are grainy and old. There are family members who, for one reason or another, missed the camera's eye. However, my father seldom turned down an opportunity to pose. He was older than his brother, Barry Don, and remained the taller of the two for quite a few years. 

Birds so far...

I uploaded a new photo album this morning. You’ll find the link in the left column.

It contains some of the bird visitors we’ve had so far this year. There are a few that have eluded my lens, but I know I will take a lot more photos in the next few months, so I thought I’d divide this year’s album into two volumes.

I am a bird watcher, but I have to admit…not a very good one. So do NOT expect all of my bird identifications to be correct. I try, but I often have to ask a true bird “expert” that I know. I am especially unreliable at female and juvenile identification. If you see that I’ve made an error, please let me know.

I find the behavior of birds fascinating! I’m currently on the last chapter of Jennifer Ackerman’s book, “The Bird Way”.

Hope you enjoy the view through my lens!

Yes, the garden album will be the next changed. 

Always There

Even though it’s still a couple of days until Father’s Day, I was thinking this morning about my dad, who died in 2014.

My relationship with him was “complicated”. I suppose most women would say that about their fathers. Until I was about ten, we were usually on the best of terms, despite the fact that he was often opinionated, quite strict and “set in his ways”. Though a stern disciplinarian, he was never abusive. If I was punished, I usually deserved it.

Dad and I hunted and fished together, worked in the fields, and shared a love of animals, especially birds. My dad showed poultry in high school and we always had some kind of chicken, goose, or parakeet. Until my four brothers began arriving, I was his assistant for all repairs and building projects I learned to identify and fetch numerous tools and swing a hammer without injuring either of us. Dad also taught me how to dig and manage irrigation ditches, prune vines, build cages, and drive a tractor.

My dad also taught me patience…because he could talk to anyone in the world, and usually did! He talked and talked and talked. His usual modus operandi was to leave mom and me in the car so he could get two or three grocery items or a spark plug, or a sack of feed. “I’ll be right back,” he’d say. He never was. At some point mom usually had to send me in to remind him that we were in the car. Of course, I never interrupted him, at least not after the first time. I learned to simply stand next to him or take his hand. That was usually enough to prompt him to wrap up his conversation. I certainly learned a lot about life by listening to those conversations for a few minutes!

I also learned about hard work from my dad. He had a variety of jobs and businesses and liked to call himself a “Jack of all Trades”. If he didn’t know how to do something, then he figured it out or worked for a time with someone who did. And it was not unusual for him to work the vineyards and orchards we leased from sunrise to sunset. He eventually “retired” from driving a truck for a local business. However, he continued to do metal recycling, welding, and carpentry. He was still working in his shop when he was eighty.

It was at the beginning of my teen years that our more serious conflicts began. He had very definite ideas about a young woman’s appropriate dress, behavior, and curfew. I think I only need to give one example to make my point. I was once fifteen minutes late coming home from a date and Dad was pulling out of the driveway to come and find me.

After we survived those years and I was safely married, Dad was understanding, helpful, and generous. He adored his grandchildren and frequently asked me to return to Oklahoma. I finally consented, but by that time our girls were married and only Robert was available to be spoiled. Thankfully each of the girls later came to visit and brought great-grandchildren with them.

I was trying this morning to think of what I admired most about my Dad. I think I can sum it up by simply saying, he was “always there”.

Details

I have long stated that my extra pounds were mostly due to not being able to burn as many calories as I ate…because of my difficulties in walking. Well, true enough. However, in the past few years I haven’t devoted nearly enough time, effort, and brain power to reducing the amount of calories I was consuming. I had reduced some portions and cut out a few calories, but clearly not enough.

Since receiving a serious warning from my doctor I’ve finally paid closer attention to the details of my diet. I got a pretty set of measuring cups for myself and now I not only read the serving size on food, but actually measure it out and look at it. Typically, I now reduce every item by half. I’ve also quit buying some foods and made substitutions for others. I got a guidebook for fruits and vegetables that don’t have a label.

I’ve discovered that taste is more important than quantity. Last night I ate 1/3 of a cup of spaghetti on top of a meatless burger pattie and topped that with two tablespoons of sauce. I had a cup of steamed broccoli and a salad made with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, and ¼ of an avocado. For dressing I used 1 teaspoon of blue cheese dressing. I often use a tablespoon of low-fat sour cream.

Still looking for ideas and making changes. I plan to weigh on Saturday. Progress…

I hope you are staying safe and well and I feel compelled to add this warning:

A seven-year-old boy at a local grocery store received second-degree chemical burns after transferring sanitizer from the grocery cart handle to his face. It had not been properly diluted and there was "gel" on the handle. The boy's lips and chin were burned and extremely swollen. If it had been a younger child the results would have been even worse.  

Showers of Blessings

 

Today we enjoyed a lovely respite from the heat of summer! Gary and I sat on the patio and watched it rain for about fifteen minutes. The birds also seemed to enjoy it. Even the flowers know the difference between hose water  and rain water.