the year of the bird

I don't know what year it is, in terms of the Chinese year, but for me it is the year of the bird. There are few reasons for this.

1. Since moving to Whidbey Island I have been initially surprised, but more recently just plain grateful for the myriad of Bald Eagles that pass overhead everyday. Where I grew up, in Indiana, we never saw Bald Eagles. I know there are lots of eagles and they live all over the country, but for me, it is still a daily blessing to see these majestic birds soar through the air over water or land.


2. I am interested enough in identifying unknown birds to have a bird book next to the rocking chair by the window. With that said, I am slowly morphing into my bird-loving parents. Smiles.


3. Bailey, my canine boarder, has eaten two birds in the past month. The first, being the bird I was attempting to save. The second, a baby quail hiding in the lavender field. Frowns.


4. And lastly, strangely, I've had two birds fly into the house over the past two weeks. The weather has been warm enough that I keep both my doors open for a cross breeze. For some reason birds are feeling quite welcome. I had to rescue the first, a barn swallow, who repeatedly flew against one of the windows, futilely trying to escape. I caught and released it. The second, a hummingbird, flew in the kitchen door, through the dining room where I was seated, and out the living room door. Smart little bugger. I think he just found a shortcut to get from the front to the back of the house.

Now you see why I think it is the year of the bird. Not to mention the owl that I spotted last week, and the red tailed hawk that rides the thermals over the bluff, the crows that harass the hawk, the hawk that nabbed a rabbit in my yard right before my eyes, the hummingbird wars, the robins that love the juicy worms in my garden, the loons that dive for fish in the sound...wow. It is indeed the year of the bird.

a guest in the house

A little over a week ago my friend and fellow IWU alumni, Riccara, flew in for a brief visit to Whidbey Island. We fit quite a few things in the four days that she visited. A trip to the thrift store, numerous walks on the beach, a ferry ride to Port Townsend for dinner and shopping, a tour of Fort Casey and the lighthouse, sidewalk shopping at Pikes Market in Seattle, and a behind the scenes tour of Lavender Wind Farm (with warm chocolate chip lavender scones, to boot). The only thing we didn't fit in to your weekend was a trip to the dump. I am in love the the dumps on Whidbey Island. More on that later.

Bailey loved having Riccara as a guest as well. Riccara has a soft spot in her heart for Golden Retrievers, she has a 100 lb retriever at home in Colorado Springs. Whew, that's a big dog.
My favorite part of Riccara's visit was the morning we walked down to the beach and found the tide farther out than I had ever seen it. We found all sorts of tidal pools full of anemone colonies, various colored starfish (maroon, dark blue, red), as well as bright orange sea cucumbers. It was like a treasure hunt, full of shrieks and pointing at every new discovery. If you look closely at the above picture you will find a light green sea anemone beside the large piece of seaweed.

It was fun having a visitor to share the unique wonders of Whidbey Island. Calli is coming to visit in July and I can't wait to enjoy the island with her as well.

a rare sighting

I spotted an owl perched on a mailbox on my way to work this morning. I drove right passed it and then realized what it was, turned the car around and was delighted I had stashed my camera in my bag before heading out the door today. The owl was mostly ignoring me. Instead it was intent on something in the ditch below it's perch. I did catch a few curious glances in the midst of it's morning hunt.

After getting to work, Stacy and I grabbed the bird book and identified the owl as a Barred Owl.

I see Bald Eagles, Red Tail Hawks, and Harriers (small hawks) all the time, but an owl spotting is rare indeed.

the news

News Worthy: My little sister called to tell me she is engaged. To be married in September, no less.

Also News Worthy: I've been asked to be a bridesmaid. Super cool.

Not News Worthy But Kind a Fun: When I worked with middle and high school youth I used to have an arsenal of games on hand to play in the unexpected and inconvenient down time that always seemed to surface. One of my favorites is called "two truths and a lie". The point is to say three statements about yourself, two of them true and one a lie. The other participants must guess which statement is the lie. It is a great way to learn quirky things about others. Below are two truths and one lie . Can you figure out which of the following statements is the lie?

1. I've been pooped on by a tiger.


2. I've been a bridesmaid eight times.


3. My favorite place that I've traveled, so far, is Italy.

what summer?

I'm trying to be patient and mature about the whole thing. The whole temperature thing. I keep checking the calendar, and I have verified that it is June. In fact it is ten days into the sixth month of this year. Then why? Tell me why it feels like March?

High 54 today. 52 yesterday. 55 tomorrow.

The worst, is that I keep getting weather updates from friends and family members in the Midwest and the southern US. "It is hot out here". That is all I'm hearing. I'd like at least one day where I can say, "it's hot out here".

The only consolation I have is that it isn't actually summer yet. June 21st is still over a week away. I will, then, limit my meteorological outbursts until the change of the seasons.

Per Slugs:

1. Disturbing Discovery: 6 inch long slug
2. Disturbing Discovery # 2: slugs love Tah Tsai, Spinach and Mustard Greens
3. Removal Strategy: Beer (they are lured to a saucer of beer, where they drink to their hearts content and then find they can't escape)
4. Question: Have you ever shared a beer with a slug?
5. Toast: To the health of my garden and to the health of all slugs outside of my garden's perimeter.

I thought it was Bailey poop at first, but no. It is the most ginormous slug ever! And to the top left of the slug, there is another slug (dark brown). Under normal circumstances, I would have thought that second slug was huge, however, it looks like a pipsqueak next to "dino-slug".

living an adventure

These little helpers have been vacationing here for a few weeks. Life is an adventure and children are perfect reminders to live it out.

A related quote by Rachel Carson:

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder...he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."

the battleground

As stable as my life is, I do realize that around the country and world as a whole, there are numerous battles being formulated, fought and eventually finished. Winners and losers are being determined day and night.

With that in mind, the battle closest to me, regionally, is being fought in and around my back stoop. There are no weapons dealers, no government funded military, no deaths that I know of...yet. However, the warriors are tenacious, they are stubborn, and strong. Each fighter weighs in at only a few grams, they fly by their own means, and their weapons are their own beaks. The battle is being waged between a horde of hummingbirds. And the spoils of the victor is in the form of sugar water.

Like tiny fencing champs, these hummingbirds use their beaks and strike at each other while hovering acrobatically in the air. I've been mesmerized for whole quarters of an hour watching the battles play out. Today the winners are the females, while the losing males stay on the fringes, restricted to finding natural nectar in the flowering shrubs all around. I noticed one fat, little female sitting on the climbing rose bush near the feeder, just waiting for another bird to fly in for a snack. Then as soon as one comes in the "zone", she chases it off with the tip of her pointed beak. What a bully!

the last of May - bring on month #6

Another week has passed on Whidbey Island. Another week on Lavender Wind Farm. Another week of spring. The days are finally warming up, the sun is less bashful than it has been for months. The bees, hummingbirds, slugs and snails are fat and content with the new green shoots and colorful flowers that insist on occupying every inch of ground space. The garden is getting quite 'bushy', in fact, some of the plants that were started from tiny seeds are massive - dense with edible foliage.

This past week I've been sharing space with Dean and Suzie and their two grandsons (twins of 6). The boys have spent lots of energy "helping" the adults. Helping with weeding, planting, shoveling, and surprisingly, even washing dishes (of which they insisted on washing today's breakfast dishes all by themselves).

The march to summer solstice has begun. Each night the sun moves further north along the horizon as it sets. By 10:00 the last streaks of light from the setting sun can still be seen lingering over the water. Dinner has been pushed further and further back as the sun is stalling before finally disappearing behind the Olympic Peninsula. And, as expected, dawn is breaking quite early. I wake to the singing of the songbirds as early as 4:30 some mornings. And if I dare to sleep-in until 7:30 or 8:00 it is as light as noonday!

I didn't try to save any birds this week, but I did manage to bury the latter half of a rabbit that I found under the fir tree. Must have been the leftovers from a hawk or an eagle. Nasty!

please try not to be jealous of my delicious looking lettuce, spinach, and other random greensthe bees have been pollinating, tirelesslymaking the days count is my main job

wonderful words

I remember the first time I picked up a book of quotable quotes from Mindy's bookshelf. As a teacher, I was constantly trying to think of little ways to improve my classroom's environment. Make it feel safe, full of energy, and if I got lucky, somewhat inspiring. As I perused through the book I found myself laughing out loud, nodding in agreement, and at times being moved by the words in print. Not long after that first introduction into the world of words, I began using a "quote of the day" as a discussion prompt in my science classroom. The students ate it up, some would even write the quotes down in their notebooks. It became routine, one of those routines where if I forgot to start class with the quote, I would get three or four students urgently reminding me of my grievous error.

So here I am years removed from my science classroom and still sitting down with a book of quotes. Still laughing, still nodding in agreement, and at times being moved. To give you a picture of what I mean, I've chosen a few special ones for the readers of this blog.

• a laughing quote: "If the world were a logical place, men would ride side-saddle." - Rita Mae Brown
• a nodding quote: "The world is not conclusion. A sequel stands beyond - invisible, as music - but positive, as sound." - Emily Dickinson
• a moving quote: "I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." - Diane Ackerman

my short-lived job as a bird rescuer

I discovered a small sparrow sitting in the grass today as I was pushing a wheelbarrow full of blackberry roots down to the burn pile. It obviously was distressed since it wasn't where birds are supposed to be (in trees, in the air, in nests), and it wasn't even using its wee little legs to hop around. So I bent down and scooped up the little bird. It released one short, staccato chirp just to let me know that it wasn't on the same page with me in my bird rescue plan. I really didn't have a plan, but I knew it couldn't just sit in the lawn out in the open.

I placed it on a mound under the big Douglas Fir tree on the edge of the property. It would be sheltered there and have a better chance of surviving, I imagined. Feeling downright kindhearted, I continued on with my yard work; weeding, watering, digging.

Hours passed and I didn't give the little bird the slightest thought. But as I was coiling up the hose by the side of the house there was the bird again, in the middle of the lawn. For a moment I thought it was another bird, but as I approached it, I recognized it as the bird I had rescued earlier in the day. It had successfully "un-rescued" itself into the great wide open. Crazy little bugger.

I, again, knelt down and gently lifted it up and placed it under the fir tree (what I thought to be a perfect little recuperation habitat for the little guy). I grabbed my camera to take a picture of it so I could remember the little bird that I rescued...twice. As I bent down to snap a picture Bailey aroused from her lounging in the shade and wandered over, curious as to what I was doing. I could tell she was interested so I told her to stay back, but I wasn't really too worried. Bailey is the kind of dog who ignores rabbits and birds, and barely acknowledges people. So much for having her keep the rabbits out of the yard.

She inched a little closer and sniffed at the little bird who was attempting to hop along, but was more or less falling head first each time it hopped. And then in a flash the bird was gone and Bailey was backing up quickly. I was horrified! From beneath Bailey's closed lips I could see a wing protruding. I commanded Bailey to "drop it"! But we all know how well she does that. Instead she shifted the position of the bird in her mouth, and the wing that was hanging out, disappeared. A minute later, and a few chomps, and that was it for the little bird.

I have, without hesitation, fired myself as a bird rescuer. I can not imagine what could be a worse offense in bird rescue than allowing and watching the gruesome and untimely death of a defenseless and not to mention, injured bird.