Birds

You know, it is funny. Strange funny, not ha ha funny, I never really considered myself a "bird person". One of those people with a bizarre attachment to birds in cages in my house, that kind of bird person.

But I started noticing all the birds every time we moved. Each place had its own unique wildlife, birds included. Our first move was to Guadalajara and I was so entranced with the trees, flowers, houses and all the color I never really noticed the birds. We had boatloads of squirrels, that's for sure!

Then we moved to Monterrey, Mexico (not to be confused with the beautiful Monterey on the coast of California). Monterrey is a Beige city. All the mountains around there were strip mined so they are beige, there is massive pollution and the air is beige, and the complete opposite of Guadalajara where people wanted their homes to stand out, these houses were all various shades of beige. Did I mention that the beige polluted air smelled to high heaven? It did. I remember clearly lying in bed and my first waking thought was, "What on earth is that smell???" It was the air. Gross.

Anyhoo, back to birds. So in the midst of all this beige nonsense, we had a huge gigantic pecan tree in our back yard. And every day we had a flock of small green parrots who would fly in from heaven only knows where and come to collect pecans. It was like they all left home at the same time, came to get food and then in the late afternoon about 5-ish they would all fly home with pecans in their feet. Some of them would squawk really loudly so you would remember to look up and watch them, and some of them would be morons and drop their pecans. So you better be looking up so that you don't get beaned with a falling nut! They would hit the patio with a resounding THUD! I loved those parrots!

In South America we had loads of birds in our various locations, but I didn't know the names of most of them. It was when we moved to Mexico City that I became fascinated with the hummingbirds. We had more hummingbirds than I can ever remember seeing! Let's put it this way, there were almost as many hummingbirds as there were VW Beetle Taxis. Ha! Now, you know how many I am talking about. I spent a lot of time buying hummingbird feeders, making up the solution and sitting at my window watching them. They are so beautiful and unbeknownst to me, quite feisty! I like them!

At our home in Minnesota I was so in love with the Canadian geese. People kept telling me I would get sick of them but no, I can't imagine that happening. They were so beautiful and such good parents to the little guys.

Here at our current home we live in an area with tons of birds! I love watching them. I was picturing myself the other day dressed up like Miss Jane from the Beverly Hillbillies when she was birdwatching with Wally Cox. The big hat, the khaki shorts with tons of pockets, the big binoculars and cameras, books, etc, all at the ready. I already have the binoculars and a hat, so I am on my way!

I like to watch the birds but I don't want to put any feeders out or anything to attract them. I do have 5 cats and 3 dogs that have all shown their penchant for bird killing. Right now I most enjoy the cardinals and the hawks. We also have blue jays, woodpeckers, various sparrows, dove, nasty grackles, mockingbirds, and some really slow type of bird that my cats keep getting and I have to take to the Wildlife Rescue place. I forget their name, I think it is phoebe.

But my favorite is the big hoot owl that roosts outside my bedroom window at night. He is supposedly a giant barn owl and goes like this, "Whoo, hoo, hooooo. Who, who, whoooooooo". I love to lay in bed at night and read and when the house is really quiet and Mr. Big Ed is not snoring his head off, I listen to the hoot owl.

This is why I make sure all my cats are in before dark. The Wildlife Rescue place said that owls can carry off huge housepets. They also said that the owls will decapitate their prey and pull their guts out of their necks. Now, who wants to wake up and find Fluffy all headless and gutless on the front lawn? Not me, that is for sure!

In the grand scheme of things, isn't it karmic that after the cats are busy killing off the smaller birds during the day that the owls get a crack at them after dark? Hmmm?? This is why I try my best to keep my critters out of the food chain, the circle of life, and all that.

Do you have birds in your neck of the woods? Do you like them? Do you like wild birds or the kind in cages in your own home?

The more I learn, the more I realize I need to shut up

Yes, that was me who was complaining about the holiday being on the wrong day. And as my friend Kristin pointed out it was ME WHO WAS WRONG!!!! This is exactly what happens when you think you know something. It turns out you don't really know as much as you think you do! And in my case, what I did know was flawed and bad information. And this is a prime example of why I need to learn to keep my big mouth shut.

Everytime I learn something one of the most important lessons I take away is that I need to learn to listen more and shut the hell up. This is why we have 2 ears and only 1 mouth, so we can listen twice as much. Right?

I find this is really important to me in my birth doula work and my massage business. Both of these things require me to be an empathetic listener and just tune in to my client's needs. Can't do these things when you are running your mouth and your own agenda.

I bet by the time I am 80 or 90 I will have learned this lesson (after a million wake up calls) and finally consider myself a quality person worth knowing. Crossing my fingers and hoping this is the case.

It is said that you get the same lesson over and over until you get it right. Let's hope now that I am 50 I can get this right and finally move on to the next lesson!

So if you read my previous mis-informed post bitching about what I apparently know nothing about and you wanted to tell me I am a big wiener, consider it done. I have told myself that and hope to increase my character.

Lying Liars and Holiday Movers

Why are the lying liars lying about Memorial Day weekend? Isn't Memorial Day on May 30? Hasn't it ALWAYS been May 30? Why is this weekend being billed as "Memorial Day weekend"? Aaaarrrrrggggghh!

I positively HATE it when "they" whoever they are, move holidays. Why is this weekend more appropriate to celebrate Memorial Day rather than the actual day? Hmmmm? I ask you.

Oh, and guess what? Remember back at President's Day (another lame attempt at moving perfectly good holidays) when I complained about how someone seemed to think the best way to remember Washington and Lincoln is to buy a new mattress? Well, guess what? The mattresses are on sale again! And so is furniture! You can get a whole bunch of new furniture to go with your new Memorial Day Mattress. Woo Hoo!! What better way to honor our dead than by buying a queen sized mattress and a coffee table. (Note the dripping sarcasm)

Why does every flipping holiday that comes down the pike have to mean a shopping trip? Wouldn't a parade be more appropriate? Wouldn't a neighborhood event like a block party cookout be fun? Wouldn't these holidays actually MEAN something to the children when we explain what we are honoring if they were held on the date designated? "See, Billy we set aside a day every year to honor and respect the men and women who have died for our country. That day is always May 30. But we are not actually going to do anything that day. We are going to go buy mattresses and coffee tables on May 23 instead." "Oh yeah, and we get Monday the 25th off from work". If you were little Billy in this scenario would you grasp the whole Memorial Day concept? No? I didn't think so.

I am unhappy about moving national holidays. I am unhappy about turning national holidays into a sale on unneeded items. Mostly I think I am unhappy about all of us blindly following along with this and not asking why is it happening. Who is in charge of doing this? How did this person get that job? How do we fire that jackass and put things right again?

I would like some answers. Short, clear and concise. No long-winded bullshit either.

Can't wait to see what they have in store for us on Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, etc., etc., etc.

I am asking you to take this opportunity to take back the holidays and celebrate them in the manner befitting. Have a parade with you, some kids and dogs in a wagon. Set up a bbq grill in the front yard and a few lawn chairs and talk to your neighbors about Memorial Day. Hang a flag. Do whatever feels like you are honoring the day. And I highly doubt it will involve new bedding or a trip to a furniture store.

It's been a while, hasn't it?

This is what happens when real life beckons and I leave town for a while. It's been damn near 10 days since I blogged. Now to get back in the rhythm. Rhythm is a word that doesn't flow well whether you are writing or typing it, does it? Where are the vowels for Gosh sake??

Have there been some t.v. show season finales, or what??? I still stand by my assertion that Private Practice closed the season with the all-time best nail-biter of a cliff hanger, BUT did you see Grey's Anatomy? OMG!!! I think my head spun all the way around! Ye Gads!

DWTS - I am sorry, Gilles was robbed. Less than 1% of the popular vote difference? Make it a tie, people! Give them both a $12.50 mirror ball, but to just outright hand it over to a 17 year old? Nope, not a good outcome. This is as bad as the first season when they gave it to Kelly Monaco for showing her breasticles instead of the J. Peterman guy. I want a re-count!!!!

Biggest Loser - Helen? Seriously? Helen? Isn't Helen the same one who whined and complained? The same one who insisted they drink shots and smoke cigarettes the night they were let loose on campus? The one who selfishly took the place of her daughter? I loved Tara and Mike and would have been fine with either of them winning. But Helen?

Enough said.

Survivor - Now there's a show that knows how to reward good play! J.T. played that game better than anyone else and no one deserved it more. I loved that Alabama boy.

Desperate Housewives - Looks like they are trying to end the season with us guessing whether Mike marries Katherine or re-marries whiney-ass Susan. Raise your hand if you give a shit. Anyone? Me, neither. Yawn.

I am still catching up on the season finales that happened while I was roadtripping. So I haven't seen Lost yet or a couple others. I could have spent the morning catching up but it was more important to go see my friend Gina and get a pedicure.

I am glad to have taken the trip and even more glad to be home again. Isn't that the way a trip should go? I am happy to see all my doggies and kitties. Time to check out the garden and see what is growing besides leaf lettuces. You can't beat those lettuces back with sticks!

My mama gave me some good strong mint to plant. I hope I can keep the dogs from digging it out and let it have a chance to take over. Wish me luck there!

It's nice to be home.

Stream of consciousness rambling

I haven't posted anything in a few days. Not that I haven't wanted to, or that I haven't tried. Nothing came. I sat here at least once each day and nothing. I think I was trying too hard to come up with something witty and clever to talk about. So I am giving myself permission to talk about whatever floats in my head. And if you have ever had a conversation with me, you know that this could go all over the map!

Mother's Day was nice. It was peaceful and relaxed and I didn't have to cook or clean. What more can you ask for? A beautiful corsage, apparently! It was a good day. I don't think I had to clean up any cat puke either. Now, THAT'S a gift! Not having to clean the puke is a gift. That looked like I thought the puke was a gift. Surely you know that is not what I meant?

I am picking up my tiny little daughter Rachel Pie at the airport today. Hooray! It has been a long semester away since we didn't see her at spring break. Seriously, how many college kids want to spend spring break with their parents? So I understand. But it makes her getting home now all the better!

Then we are heading up north for my nephew's graduation from college. So we will be road tripping for a few days and then back home. It should be a fun trip getting to see a bunch of family all in one shot!

Amazing Race just popped in my head from the Mother's Day paragraph! That poor Luke. I thought at the beginning they were going to win and be at the mat waiting for hours for the other two teams. But that is never the way the final is, now is it? Whoever is in the lead at the beginning never wins. I think Tammy and Victor were extremely deserving of that win. And you know, perspective is everything. The whole season I am watching them and thinking "awesome, intelligent, well educated" and that sort of adjectives to describe Tammy. And then she pipes up and says something about the skinny, awkward little Asian girl describing herself. Huh? I also loved at the end when they were carrying those damn heavy pigs and Victor kept telling her, "when you think you can't go anymore, just give me 3 more steps". To me that was way more supportive and encouraging than what Jaime was doing to poor Cara! OMG!! That Jaime never stopped! During that very last challenge when Luke helped her and she finally realized she should return the favor, that's when I saw a shift in her perception. I think it is going to be a huge eye-opening revelation when she sees what we saw. Talk about a moment for personal growth!!

This next couple of weeks is all the big season finales. I was wrong about Grey's Anatomy, the finale is this week. Oh, and this week is Lost, Biggest Loser and Survivor. Probably a lot of others, too.

The other night I clicked on HBO on demand to see what was on. and there is a series that started last year that I had never watched called In Treatment. So I went to the beginning of Season 2 and started them in order. This is a wonderful show. It's sort of like a 2 man one act play each time. I really enjoyed it. It stars Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest. What's not to love there?

Ooooh, did you see House last night? OMGGGGG!!! Wth was that?

One more t.v. comment and then I am done: DWTS, come on already! Poor Ty Murray. He just shouldn't be in the finals. I like the guy and he seems like a really honorable guy and like someone you could trust, but his hips!! I think his fans think they are doing him a solid by voting to keep him around, but come on! It just makes it all that much more apparent that it is his time to leave. He should be home dancing. With Jewel. In private.

Survivor, Grey's Anatomy and the like

Thursday nights are officially frustrating. My DVR has become Hal-like with it's own evil mind and will of its own. There has been NO recording of Grey's Anatomy for the last 2 weeks! I had to watch last week's episode online and now I am going to watch the stupid season finale online. 2 questions here; first why does my DVR do stuff like this? And secondly, is Izzie really going to die? Is George really going to leave? Will Meredith finally get her head out her ass? Is McSteamy the most improved man in the world?? Is McArmy going to deal with his stuff? Will Callie lie to her parents to get her allowance back? Why does a grown woman need an allowance?

That was WAY more than two questions, but they all need to be answered. Was last night the finale or is there one more week?

Survivor - again, I ask wtf? Why Debbie before Coach? Please, please someone! Get rid of that damn lying liar Coach. I almost felt sorry for him. Just a teeny part of me felt sorry for him when everyone else had family and someone they loved show up and he got an assistant coach! ???? That's the best they could come up with? Maybe he has lied to all his loved ones and they kicked him to the curb? I don't know what to make of that. And it was hysterical that the first thing he did is lie to the poor guy and say "You know what they call me? The Dragonslayer!" No one calls him that but himself! In Coachland I guess they all call him that. In Coachland he must have a crown of some type to fit on his Samurai hairdo. In Coachland all the lowly peasant types bow down to his awesomeness. Ye Gads! And then he makes the poor guy crack his back. Enough already.

I am loving that J.T. I also love Taj. And Steven is growing on me. I really liked the way he pulled a "come from behind and kick some ass on a mental puzzle". Nice job!

Hell's Kitchen! I haven't talked about HK in a long time. Down to the final 2 and next week will be the finale. And of course they had to bring back that lunatic Lacey. How on earth did she make it through the application process in the first place? She is so damn annoying I want to reach through the t.v. and smack her! What is up with her? Can she even cook? I can't even recall her producing a single dish or doing anything memorable that was positive. I was glad to see LA back. I liked her a lot. I hope she shines in the finale. I like Danny a lot but I almost feel like Paula should win and he needs a few years to mature and develop into a great chef. That is a lot of responsibility to heap on a 23 year old. We shall see, won't we?

Sunday is the finale of AR. Please, please, if you pray, please, pray that Jaime and Cara don't win. If you can't bring your self to pray AGAINST someone, then just pray for one of the other teams. I can't imagine a world where behavior like Jaime's gets rewarded with $1,000,000. She is just not a nice person. Sorry.

And I was traveling last week and didn't post anything about the season finale of Private Practice. Holy shit!!! Did anyone else watch this? If not, go online and get caught up and watch it. What a cliffhanger! I can not even believe they are leaving us like this till next fall. Honestly one of the most impressive finales ever! I can't remember a season ending as agonizingly as this. Kudos to who ever dreamed this up!! I tell you my heart was beating, I am sure my blood pressure was up and I don't think I could move for a few minutes. Guess where I will be when they announce the date for the new season to start up? In line at the cable store getting a DVR, that's where!!! I don't want HAL to screw up and not record that particular episode!

Tea Hoarding Challenge - end of Month 4

Alright, this is ridiculous! Do normal people have pantries that contain SOOOOO much tea that 4 months of usage shows no dents in the total? Good Lord!

I know that I have finished off several boxes and tins of teas. But you couldn't tell it by looking at the pantry. There is still so much tea left. My sister was here last month and looked at it and pronounced it much depleted since December, however she also said she believes this will go on into 2010! More than one year! I feel like the biggest schmuck in the world. Who does this? Who hoards this much tea? I'll tell you who does . . . . . . My mother, that's who! Apparently the apple did not fall far from the hoarding tree.

All this begs the question, What else am I a hoarder of? I have extensive collections of many items. I am aware of that and I am really thankful that I signed up on the Compact group in Jan. 2007 to get a handle on shopping. I got the message loud and clear about shopping as a hobby, having too much stuff, landfills, disposable electronics, etc. I promise you that my whole sensibilities regarding this stuff is a complete about-face from what it was. We lived as ex-patriates for 12 years and over time I really developed the ex-pat philosophy of when you find something you really like, buy all you can because they will never carry it again. This is true, the stores do that to you. You should have seen what it was like when the grocery store in Santiago, Chile would accidentally get a few cases of root beer in! And get this, when we would ask the manager to get more, this was the response "No, we don't like to get more of (insert happily found product) because you will just buy it all, and I will have an empty shelf."

Do you need to re-read that? Honestly, this is where the dumb, wide-eyed "Huh???" look comes in and the first thing out of your mouth is wtf???? He doesn't want to stock things that we want, things that are so ridiculously over-priced it should be illegal, because we would buy it all and then they would have to re-stock the shelves. Now, maybe I am just a crazy American with too much time on my hands (and apparently too much root beer buying money) but this made no sense to me at all!

Now, my 2009 self would not buy into that mentality. I would be a completely different ex-pat wife than I was back then. Shopping was a sport for me. Now I would spend way more time at the orphanage or visiting the families that live at the garbage dumps. I did do these things, but I bet I spent way more time purchasing than I did helping. That is just wrong. I should be, and I am, ashamed.

So, back to my tea stash. I still have lots of tea. I will be mindful every time I look at my pantry. Every time I decide which tea to drink. Every time I empty another tin. By the by, I am saving all the tea tins to use for loose teas when I open those packages. I really was going to take pictures of my tea stash but I never got to it. I wonder if it is because I am ashamed and don't want to show you how much there really is?

How much of something is a good amount to have on hand? How much is too much? How do you know when you have crossed that line? When is it good financially to stock up on a sale item and when is it just ridiculous? These are the things I find myself thinking about when I am looking at my teas, or my cookbooks, or yarn, or body lotions. I got under the bathroom sink the other day and I have it well organized by cute little bins. There is a large bin in the back that is full of lotions. I know I filled it and put it back there when we moved into this house almost 4 years ago. In all this time I don't remember getting into that bin and pulling out a new tube or bottle of lotion. Does that stuff get old? Does it get out of date and un-usable? I don't know. I think I will pull a bunch of it out that I will never in my lifetime use and take it down to a women's shelter and let those girls have a crack at using it up.

I think this is all the taking a really good look at myself that I can do for one day. Please comment on your own standards of stocking up, using up, etc.

Who saw THAT one coming???? Not me!

Dancing with the Stars! OMG! What on earth happened?? Are they doing this every season? This is what happens when you let the general public be part of a talent show/contest; it turns into a freakish popularity contest instead. Seriously? A person who was so surprisingly good and one of the top 3 competitors the whole season is gone ahead of the cowboy who, while a very sweet person, is just not in the same league as Li'l Kim. Sad, sad, sad.

But . . . . . . here is what drove me batshit the WHOLE show! Samantha Harris sticking her hands in her pockets. Now, first off why does her "ball gown" have pockets? And most importantly, why does she scrunch up her shoulder so weirdly when she stuffs her hand in her pocket? It looked like her collar bone or her shoulder was out of its socket or something. Very strange indeed, most peculiar. If you dvr'ed it, go back and look at her and you will see what I mean.

Normally, the Tuesday night show I can get through in 15 minutes with all the Triple Speed Zipping I do. Tonight I actually watched the Dance Center skits with Kenny Mayne, Jerry Rice and Len. What a hoot! It was too funny.

And on to Biggest Loser. Not a lot of content on this episode, was there? I don't really like that America is voting. I don't like it that it is between Ron and Michael. Tough to know which way to go with that. You can vote for Michael if you want him to win OR you can vote for Ron if want Tara or Helen to win. Are you voting? Do you care to share who you will be voting for?

And finally, I just realized I didn't do an update to my Tea Hoarding Challenge on the first of the month. I will do that tomorrow.

Monday Ramblings, etc.

Last night on TAR was really no surprise. I am only truly sorry that Jaime of Jaime and Cara is still in the race. If we could vote her out and keep Cara in, I would be fine with that. My hope is that when she SEES the show and realizes what the rest of the world sees in her, she will make some major changes. Talk about humble pie being needed!! Lordy, Lordy, that girl is a piece of work. And we are down to the final 3. Any favorites in this group?

Next week is the season finale of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Already? Yep, it is. I have got to get down to the library and look for that series of books and get to reading. If any survey people ask you if this show should be brought back for another season, please say yes!

Survivor - too bad it had to be Sierra instead of that idiot liar Coach. Maybe it is better that he has to suck up and squirm for another week? I don't know. He just irritates the beejeebers out of me and he needs to go. Can you imagine anything worse than him winning the million? How about this for scary, what if he won AND Jaime and Cara won on TAR? Now that my friends would be the worst thing ever!!!

DWTS - Who all was surprised at Chuck and Julianne being voted out? I was. I know Chuckie is not the greatest dancer, but we all love Julianne. I guess Chuck doesn't have as many voters in Alabama (or wherever he said) as he thought he did. Because he sure had better judges' scores than Melissa.

My friend Kristin was in town and we had breakfast and visited this morning and did a little shopping. How much fun was that? The best! Now, I have to start baking that cursed Amish Fiendish Bread and do some laundry. Oh joy! Could I ask for more excitement? (Did you notice all the sarcasm?)

Lots of big show season finales coming up this month. So check your local listings and don't miss them!

Pictures of PBGV's

Ok, Rachel Pie asked about the PBGV. Here are some photos off the internet to whet your interest in the cutest breed of dogs you ever saw!

Aren't they just the cutest? Don't you just want to hug and kiss them? How could we NOT want them? There is just something about those wirey-haired scruffy looking dogs, especially a low rider breed like this that just appeals to me.

That's your cuteness quota for the day, enjoy!!!