"Two Dog Lodge" or the little cabin in the woods

As I mentioned in my last entry, I am purchasing a little cabin in the woods. I'm trying very hard to not spend lots of time thinking about it as the wheels of banking move very slowly. I've been given the impression that its a done deal and have made many drawings and sketches of what goes where and the colors of everything - but still. I don't want to get caught up in the wishing and not the owning!

Ten acres sounds like a lot of land and I've spent some time trying to get my mind around how big that is. I've paid strict attention to the odomometer as I've driven along the road to try and sense how big is big. It was then that it occurred to me that I hadn't walked the property and for all I knew, the back 40 . . .err 10 could be a giant swamp.

Guess I'd better plant to add that to the list of to do's before I get caught up in the decorating!

Return to Everyday is Monday

It seems like everyone else who changed over to Blogger BEta, I have been shut out for several weeks when they converted over complete to the "new and improved" Blogger site. Being Google, the solutions are never as simple as they need to be.


Regardless, here it is Christmas and I have returned to the world of blogging. While I was "gone" a few interesting things have happened - best of which is my Christmas present to myself:

(Gee, I see they've also added a "terms of Service check box for uploading photos! Good greif, when will they leave well enough alone!!!)

No, this isn't Santa's North Pole workshop - but it is a brand new cabin I have purchased up in Northern Michigan. While it looks nice and cozy, the interior has not been finished. It sits on 10 acres and I'm sure that there will be lots of pictures to come as I finish off the interior and prepare to live the good life.

Well, off to bed to see if santa is going to bring me anything else.

Shoppers in the morning light

I've mentioned the birds that come to visit feed I put out on my balcony before, but with the cold and snow, their visits increase and competition is high for the feed I put out. Usually, the Blue Jays will only stop by one at a time, but here are two both getting their share of peanuts during the early morning (hence the flash picture!)

Sunrise. . .Sunset . . .Red Sky in the Morning

Just as the sun breaks through the trees at 8:00 AM I think about "Red skies in the morning" and prepare for the days snow fall.

17 days until the first day of Winter!

Sigh. . .Winter is here . . .Is it Spring yet?

Well, this looks like it . . .the start of another winter of cold temperatures, frozen dirt and snow on the ground and bushes.

and just as the kids in the back seat say "Is it spring yet?"

Count down to winter

Well, even though the weather can never be trusted to be as expected, I'm in countdown mode for the first heavy snow storm. We could get several inches from the storm chasing up the Mississippi over the next 24 hours - could even be double digit snowfall between here and Bay City (where I'm driving to on Saturday!). Then again just a few degrees to the east and we'll get more rain and a little snow dusting on the way north. Sigh if I could only predict the weather!

Weather turns the corner

Well, today on the weather front, all bets are off as by the end of the day, the rain was just beginning and the temperature is scheduled to drop into the 30's over the next day or two. By Friday, the weather service has already warned of up to 6" of snow if the storm stays on its current track! every though the sky looks threatening, its still warm enough that its just raindrops on the lens.

Crazy weather - record temperatures

After waking to frosty cars and shrubs the crazy weather gets crazier with record temperatures by the time to come back home after work. Here's the view from the parking lot at work with the temperature in the middle 60s and its the end of November!

Unpredictable weather

The last few days the weather has been at extremes for November. This morning when I left for work, everything was covered in frost. I used to hate frosty car windows, but now, with remote starters and electric window defrosters I really don't notice them any more.

Thanksgiving Week Vacation

(I've been off travel to family and friends for the week, so posting has been impossible. However, everything returns to normal again starting Monday. )

This time of the year is the time for harvests and reflections. As the plants begin their wind down to seelp away the winter. Plants like the Milkweed burst forth with a flurry of seeds that must be frozen over the winter to germiniate in the Spring. As they float away on puffs of wind, mymind floats away dreaming about what Spring will bring for me.

Death on Wings

While I finish out this week's set of postings on favorite birds, I thought I'd share one of my mother's "least favorites". When this guy flies into the yard all the smaller birds flee into the cover of shrubs and underbrush. The harborer of "Death on Wings" is the resident Cooper's Hawk that cruises past our feeders almost daily - always on the look out for a "too brave" sparrow or dove.

Another Favorite Bird

About the time that Autumn begins to overtake Summer in October, a cheerly little ground sparrow appears at our feeders. Often heard singing their "home sweet Can-a-da Can-a-da Can-a-da" song before flying to the ground below feeders, the hop and peck among the spilled seeds, gleaning what others have dropped. There are two different "variations" - a white striped and a brown striped. Can you tell which is which?

Favorite Birds

Usually, my favorite bird is the one I happening to be looking at! Still some birds always make me smile when I see them.

Chickadees are that way with most birders. Small, active, stately in black and white and gray - but not overstated, friendly by not harassingly so, and always with a cheerful song.

Having attracted Tufted Titmice (or would that be titmouses) to my balcony feeder and have the bonus of having them at "my other place" up north, they have become my new favorite bird - at least for right now!

Gray Tuesday

Today was one of those gray days of Autumn. Looking out the window all day it looked much colder and like it was going to snow mountains of snow, but not a flake was seen. It was the kind of day that by 4:00 PM everyone is yawning thinking its well after dinner and getting close to bed time - only to discover they're still at work.

Oh well, snow will be here soon enough and so will the gray days of Winter when there's enough snow to cancel the world that day and we all get to sit at home drinking warm drinks and thinking about what to plant this Spring.

My Favorite Bird Photograph

Back in the days before digital photography, I took lots of pictures with my 35mm SLR film camera. That meant that one had to wait and wait to see if the photos were any good or if you missed the moment entirely. I have drawers full of black slides, blurry images and empt tree branches.

However, here is my all time favorite picture from those days of old. This Black Capped Chickadee was so intent on getting to the grub in the end of the branch, that it didn't notice me shooting away. Somehow in the flurry of clicks, this picture came to life.

PHOTO Black Bellied Whistler - hunting photo!

Well, I've found the pictures and this is definitely a Black Bellied Whistler.

I've also confirmed that this would be the first state sighting for Michigan, so now the Records Committee is picking up the ball and making direct contact with the hunter in question in order to properly document this bird.

The bird was taken in the Nayanquing Point Game Area on the western shore of Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay.
While it is "unfortunate" that his bird was harvested, there is hope that the species may be seen again in the area under similar circumstances.

I happy to have played at least a small role in getting this bird into the record books. Let's hope we see more Black Bellied whistlers here in Michigan in the future.

UPDATE Black Bellied Whistler

Well, it seems the plot thickens. I've been checking and I can't find a record at all for this species being this far north - EVER. However, with the hurricanes of last year in the deep south, anything is possible. I'm going to check further with the Audubon Records Committee regarding this sighting - so stay tuned! This could be a first!

Interesting bird report from a Hunter

I was talking to my brother this weekend - an avid hunter - and he was telling about a fellow duck hunter who had an unusal bird that he "harvested" on the shores of upper Saginaw Bay. It seems that this guy bagged himself a Black Bellied Whistling Duck - normally a far southern duck. I'm tracking down pictures to verify for myself. I'll post details as they become available.

When North is really South

While its a little early, I think, I have already had reports of Snowy Owls who have moved south from the range in the far north. In fact, (follow me closely here), north of Ann Arbor, about 100 miles north, Snowy Owls more often than not come to Tuscola County for our balmy, only slightly freezing winters. While I have to travel north to see them, they, of course have traveled south to be seen. Well, you get the picture. Speaking of which, here are two of last years regulars seen on telephone poles along Bradleyville Road in Tuscola County.

Cue the Scary Music

Good Evening!

Every year its like a bad Alfred Hitchcock movie (ok, that dates me!) The Starlings, like the rude house guests that they are, gather in huge flocks of hundreds and thousands to literally strip the fruits and berries off from trees in minutes. This shot is one of several "tree fulls" that I came across as I left work after watching the snow lazily fall all day. They would swoop in a massive synchronized flock into the smaller trees and shrubs at ground level and strip the fruits as if they had eaten in months! Kind of scary how quickly they come in a empty a fruit ladened tree in seconds - and the snow is barely sticking on the ground!

It had to happen Sooner or Later

Even though those of us who barely tolerate the winter wish we could, sooner or later the snow begins to fall and "stick" on the ground. Such was the state of the weather this morning when woke. As you can see, the closest flakes appear to be larger dots in the photograph, but looking across the parking lot, you can see the snow beginning to gather in rows across the street. Sign, I guess it will happen no matter how hard one wishes.

New Morning visitor

The Blue Jays and Crows that stop by in the early AM for breakfast have been stopping around for a few years now. I'm always excited when "somebirdy" new joins in - even if only to see what's so interesting on my balconey.

Well the last few mornings a Titmouse has jopined in to pick up any peanut bits that fall out of the shelled peanuts I throw out for the others. Because they are a little shy, I'm posting a picture I took from one of my many walks in the Arboretum behind my building.

I'm hoping to get a picture from the balconey door soon.

Charlie and Max Now - 1 year 10 months

And here is the latest picture of "the Boys" and nearly two years.

How Quickly they Grow

This past weekend, (which was cold, rainy, and windy), my one year old labs, Charlie and Max, had an appointment with the vet for a shot. In fighting them into the car, into the office, back into the car and finally back home, I couldn't help but to think how quickly they had grown. It was but a year ago this Spring that these two little guys came home with me.

Charlie 7 weeks (2005) Max 8 weeks (2005)

Wandering their way South

My favorite wading birds are the herons and egrets. While the Great Egret keeps me company more days than not, once the cold begins to settle in, they head south. On the other hand, Great Blue Herons will often try to hang on into latest of winter, and even overwinter if they have open water. Along my path to work, I see this heron nearly everyday in the same pond that I pass everyday to and from work. It isn't until the pond freezes over solid that this guy disappears for a month or two and then returns as early as possible in the Spring.

Worst part of Autumn Daylight Savings

I'm not sure who came up with the idea that in late October that we're saving day light by having the clock an hour faster than the Sun and Moon tell us. It seems to me that all it means is that when the temperature starts to drop overnight and there's a frost in air we have to wake up even earlier to scrape the frost off our windows before making that drive in the dark to work!

Sure sign of Autumn

The most reliable sign of the end of Summer and the coming months of cold and snow are the migration of ducks and geese. Like most birds facing winter, they can not survive without open water upon which to rest and feed. well in advance of the freezing temperatures that will ice over the ponds and lakes, the ducks and geese form up into flocks and Vee patterns to leisurely make their jounrey to warmer parts for winter. Their respite will be but a few months before they begin to return early next year.

Frosted, but not frost dead yet

The overnight air continues to get colder and colder and it shouldn't be long before the overnight killing frosts are here. Soon after, the ground freezes and the snows of winter will begin. The tenderest of the flowers outside my door have been touched hard enough by the frosts that they have died, but the hardiest, like the geraniums, will still hold onto life for the few remaining weeks they have before the killing frosts are too much for even them to survive.

Anniversaries

Different people celebrate anniversaries in different ways. This past week, I had an anniversary - of sorts. Two years ago I had a massive heart attack that resulted in a severely damage heart. Fortunately, a few months later, my heart had recovered enough strength that a quadruple by pass was performed and today I am fine and in probably better shape than before the attack.

This anniversary is not an anniversary of the heart attack, but an anniversary of the aftermath and my "new life" . I could have as easily succumbed to the damage as well as survive it. For me, I knew I had to survive as I had many things in life that I wanted to do before I grew too old or frail.

And so, with this week, I continue on, a little more cautious and insightful to the signs my body sends out, but filled with the spirit of having the time now and in the future to truly enjoy life and living.

And soon it's just a fading memory

(Continuing the Saga of the Tree)

When the deed was done and the landscapers where gone, the tree that once graced the lawn was gone. And soon it's just a fading memory

Erasing History

Today outside of my window at work, I saw history being erased. You see a truly middle aged American Elm tree had lost its struggle against the progress of a new parking lot and construction that had disrupted its roots four or five years ago. Having passed. it was time for the tree to go as it had become a fragile catastrophe waiting to happen.





As I watched the men working, I could not help to think about the history the tree had seen. I went out after it was felled and the tree rings told me the tree was nearly 60 years old. This tree had been a seedling before I was born. It had passed through all of the wars, world strife, presidential elections and assassinations, mayor appointments and resignations, and a host of other events.






Somehow, my heart sank a little as the tree came crashing down and all of its history erased forever.











What was interesting, is that the entire tree was completely gone in a short hour complements of three men and an assortment of machines.

Woolly, Woolly Bully, Woolly Bully Bear

While work outdoors today, I came across a Woolly Bear catepillar. According to some folks, Wooly Bears can be used to predict the coming winter. I've been told that if the brown band in the middle is small, it will be a hard, cold winter. If the band is large (like this one), the winter will be warmer and mild. I check with Woolly Bear brothers (and sisters) and they agree - mild winter is on the way.

Of course other people think that the size of the band is related to the humidity where the Woolly Bear grew up - but I prefer the weather predicting version instead!

Alarm Clock - Part Duex

One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's post is that the entire alarm clock system does not rely just on Blue Jays and peanuts to make it work. No in fact, there is a darker side as well.

You see, the crows - of which several hundred gather in the Fall - have also learned where there's a free meal if they beat the Blue Jays to the the outdoor Diner.

Have you ever tried to sleep through a mob of crows four feet from your window all cawing loudly because there isn't anything to eat? Next to darn near impossible to sleep in!

Monday Morning Alarm Clock

About a year ago, I got in the habit of not using an alarm clock to wake each day. Even though I have to go to work (yet) nearly every day, I've not been late once due to oversleeping. When day light savings begins, it gets easier and easier to wake in the early morning as I don;t close the drapes and the dawn sun easily wakes me from my rest.

However, now that days have gotten shorter and shorter, I've come to rely on another part of nature to wake me every day.

If I forget to put peanuts out on the balcony outside my bedroom window, I'm awakened but the irrated calls of several Blue Jays who expect to find breakfast nuts each and every day, waiting for them in the earliest of morning.

If I could just figure out how to use them as a snooze alarm!

Everyday in my Backyard

While work is a part of us but so is where we live. I've blogged about getting to work, but this AM I took these pictures of where I live - or at least my backyard.




Luckily for me, my apartment is right on the edge of a wonderful arboretum owned by the University and is surrounds by city parks as well along the banks of the river. Whenever I feel
the city closing in around me, I only have to look out on the river to remember why I live where I do and what a joy it is to be here.



Dave

Weekends

Weekends (except in the winter) are never Mondays! Nearly every weekend I travel to my family home where my monther and brothers live - but most importantly, I get to see Charlie and Max - my "boys".

The last few dogs I've owned have been Labs and they are the greatest. Charlie (the chocolate) and Max (the yellow) live at home at my family home to keep my my 89 year old mom company and because I live in a small apartment which is just big enough for me and not the three of "us".

Every weekend (and if I sneak away during the week) I go up to get the boys out into the fields, go for a swim, practice fetching, and generally give my family a break from their antics! While they are both big, they are big babies being that they are not even two years old yet. They are not related, but are only a week apart in age (Max being older).

Little do they know that once I retire in a few months, their days of lazying around will change and everyday will become a day in the field.

Isn't it a Rule?

If it isn't, it should be. NO SNOW BEFORE HALLOWEEN! No if buts, and, or other excuses. I don't want to hear "It won't stick.", "The ground is too warm.", "Just wait until Indian Summer." or anything else to try to make me feel like its not cold and going to get colder before it gets warmer.

Why just yesterday I was writing like Winter was just a dot of light someplace way down the road of the future - yet here is what I woke to this morning on the 12th of October. The only thing I want white on the ground in October is white sand!

Dave

Fallen Leaves

While the trees fight to hold their changing leaves, the Autumn rains begin to fall. Struggle as they may, the falling rain drops gathering on leaf surfaces become too much and the leaves begin their slow drift into the puddles forming on the ground. One by one the leaves will drift until the trees are bear and soon enough the rain drops will go through their change and they too will drift from the skies, collecting not in puddles, but in drifts of white snow. Luckily, those days seem to be in still in the future even though the temperatures are dropping with each passing day.

Dave

New items on Blog

I'd admired a few of the blogs that I read for the "extra" features that they have in their side bars, so I've decided to "borrow" some of these for this blog. I've added in the clock, calendar, and weather forecast widgets into this blog to help provide a little more information for both you and I while visiting the blog. If you're interested in any of these features, you can either view the source code or click on the links provided. From time to time, I maybe adding other useful features as I run across them. Enjoy.

Dave

Autumn Drive

I have mentioned my drive to work in previous posts. This time of year the drive is one feast for eyes. The trees and shrubrs are readying themselves for the coming Winter by painting their leaves in bold colors.

(Speaking of the coming Winter, the weatherman, who used to be my friend, is predicting daytime temperatures as low as the 40s before the end of the week! Let's hope they are wrong.)

Weather - Whether you like it or not

One of the things in life as a field biologist that interests me is looking at patterns in nature. And without a doubt the repeating patterns of the nature world can be precise and like clockwork. On the other hand, some phenomena, like the weather can be somewhat unpredictable.

Regardless, as part of my complusion for record keeping, I decided to equipment my work studio with its own weather station which will allow me to record not only temperature, but humidity, wind speed and direction and even rainfall.

This lastest gizmo in my collection is from Oregon Scientific and includes a complete set of solar powered, wireless remote sensors, base station and computer software to collect, graph, and compare the data over time. For now, I'll mainly get everything set-up and working and then some time down the road, start to include a few weather trends in my observations of the world.

Harvest moons - end of Summer

Now that the rains have stopped, the nearly full Moon is shining brightly in the night sky. Some how, at this time of the year, the air is so thin, the Moon so bright, and in early evening so large, that one can not help but stop and admire it. Looking over its face, I think back to when humans first walked on its surface and I am constantly in awe.

While the new Moon is several weeks away yet, this moon is making its mark at the beginning of Autumn and the end of Summer for another year.

Soon enough, even the last few rustling leaves will fall victum to the coming snow and the quiet that is Winter will come round.

New Camera - Pictures to Blog

Being a bird watcher and field biologist, I have an assortment of 35 mm and (now) SLR digital cameras along with an assortment of tripods, lenses, filters, and attachments. Unfortunately, all of that equipment makes taking a simple picture an even requiring conscious and deliberate effort on my part.

For a while now, I have admired my fellow bloogers who always have a host of new pictures dotting their blogs and websites. I have been envious of their photographic spontanity. However, I shall envy no longer!

I received my latest :necessity" in life - a Nikon CoolPix P3 camera. Hardly much larger than a deck of cards, this little baby will easily slip into a pocket and will give me the freedom to shot pictures at will and even when my "big rig" is sitting back at home.

Look for new sights on this blog!

Scary in London?

It must kind of eerie living in places like London, England because of all of the fog. This AM was drizzly and foggy. When I headed out to work, it was impossible to see more that 25 feet in front of you. Some place in the foggy a flock of Canada Geese were honking on the way. I strained to look, but didn't see them.

I stopped along the way at a field that has had Sandhill Cranes in it and I thought it would make a cool picture - cranes standing in the morning fog. Unfortunately I couldn't see them or even tell if they were there. Suddenly out of fog came their calls as they were apparently just settling into the field when I stopped. They ethereal calls were even more scary in the dim morning blindness.

Dave

"Red Sky in the Morning. . . .

Sailors take Warning. Red Sky at night, Sailors delight."

This dawn, the sky was bright red and one could have thought it was fire and brimstone time! Unfortunately, after the rainy week last and rain on Saturday, it all started again. At least today it will get into the 70 degree range. The bad news is rain and cooler temperatures until Thursday. Hopefully the coming weekend will be nonrainy - Sunny is too much to ask for!

Dave

The Ying and Yang of weekends

Weekends like this always make me feel hurried.

Saturday was rain more on then off all day so that means not much gets done outside - and outside is where everything needed to get done.

Sunday was bright and sunny, but laundry from the past several weeks called all day so there wasn't anyway to catch up from the rain outside. So the only thing to do is to rush around through the laundry and create a frenzy of action outdoors, yet never being satisfied that anything really got accomplished.

It would be so much easy to plan with either Ying or Yang but not a mix in the same time.

Dave

Where is Summer and What happened to Autumn?

I really hate the whole daylight saving thing. I've have the luxory of walking up with the sun regardless of the season, but right now its so late when the sun finally shines through the window!

And what a shock to find out it was below freesing overnight! NNNNOOOOOOO its too early for frost!!!

Ah well, at least I didn't have to scrap the car windows or dust the snow off - but that will be soon enough.

Dave

Purple, White, Yellow, Blue

A few days ago, after I posted about the Colors of late September, I realized a photo is worth a thousand words, so enjoy:

Dave

Light at the End of the Tunnel

It seems like we've reached that point in the year were the sun is in just the right spot that about half the time its blinding you while you're trying to drive. And besides that, its in just the right spot so that neither the left nor the right car visor blocks it and blazes away right along side of the rear view mirror.

During Fall, its like the sun is burning on high and it just seems so bright. Add in the dew on the grass and you get little jewels all along the side of the road twinkling away as you pass by.

The other bad part is I'm read to end this stupid day light savings bit. If you want more sunlight, get out of bed earlier in the summer time! It seems so obvious to me that 99% of us no long work dawn to dusk on farms, yet we hold on to modern traditions like Day-light Savings time. Where's the Savings? I'm awake the same number of hours as the rest of the year. I guess I don't get it (assuming that there's something to get!).

Colors of Autumn (September version)

As I was driving this AM, I was thinking about the colors of Autumn. Everyone probably thinks of reds, yellows, and browns as leaves turn those colors before dropping for winter. But as I was driving this AM I realized that for right now, the Colors of Autumn should be white, blue, purple and yellow- for all of the wild asters and golden rod blooming along the roadsides and farm fields. Its sometimes hard to imagine that all that color is sitting off the side of the roads just waiting until the temperatures start to fall and the days get shorter.

Speaking of temperatures, more often that not, the overnight temperatures head down into the 40s while the daytime highs still approach mid 70s. Its leave for work with a jacket and return home in shirt sleeves kind of weather. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while I can.

Dave

Chug Chug Toot Toot - Driving to Work

I have lived enough to have been able to be to work in five minutes and sometimes it took a hour or more. The hour long ride was nice and relaxing in that if work was ugly, by the time I got home - all was right with the world and vice versa. Of course, in the dead of winter, it also once took me over 6 hours to travel the 50 miles I was traveling to get to home from work and that night was no fun.

Now, I have a fairly pleasant 20 mile drive through mainly farm country getting to and from work. At this point in my life, I enjoy the beginning of Fall as the leaves are just starting to turn. I can tell that the Early Goose hunting season has started as most of the field have flocks of geese picking through the harvest stubble.

The real highlight is like this morning when I get to glance at a pair of majestic Sandhill Cranes standing in the morning light of a fair field, daintly stepping through the rows of corn stubble, picking at the spilled grain.

Soon though, the fields will be covered with snow and another, albeit my last winter of traveling to and from work, will be here. Is it too early to dream of Spring?

Dave

Everyday really is Monday

In the blog-o-sphere, the biggest problem is addiction - addiction to reading blogs and ,at the other end, addiction to writing them! When I started blogging, I had a specific topic blog in mind - bird watching. But then came along gardening, and then...and then...and then it wasn't long before I noticed that I had enough blogs that I couldn't get around to posting on them regularly.

Ok, I could/should have created a single blog with different categories - I know/realize that now! I guess I could move everything over to one and get things organized better. I guess the other idea is the one where I'm at. And that is to create sort of a master blog. If I don't have something specialized to talk about, it goes here; If I do post to one of the specialized topic blogs, then I'll drop in here and post a link to the specialized blog.

Don't ask me how I think this will be any better or if it will work - I'm just a blogger and I want to have fun.

Dave