Happy Thanksgiving to allfrom the entire flock here at Bill of the Birds.
Bird Boxers
Birders need all kinds of gear for their activity. Photo © David Tipling.And then there is the birding clothing realm. Hats, vests, pants, coats, shirts, gloves, boots, and socks are among the clothing items designed, manufactured, and marketed specifically with birders in mind. But until now, it was impossible to dress yourself (or someone you love) in complete birding clothing from head to toe.
There was no birding underwear.
Bird Boxers.
About 15 years ago I had the idea to produce a line of boxer shorts with birds on them, but I could never find the right combination of elements to make the magic happen. Now that's all changed, and the first two Bird Boxers designs are rolling off the manufacturing line as you read this.
The artwork, by the multi-talented Julie Zickefoose, is screen-printed and depicts an American woodcock (on the black boxers) and a hairy woodpecker (on the gray boxers) at or very near their actual sizes. In fact it even says "Actual Size" below the birds' names. The boxers are a very nice and comfy cotton-poly blend.
If there is a more perfect holiday gift for the boxer-wearing bird watcher in your life, I'm not sure what it is.
You can find more information about Bird Boxers here at this link. And you can place your order at this link, or by calling us at 800-879-2473.
Yes we have more ideas in the pipeline.
And yes, we are working on some items for women. More on that later.
Happy holidays!
Traditional Welcome Ceremony
The birding tower at Indigo Hill as seen from the western side.
When special guests come to our rural farm in southeastern Ohio, we welcome them in the traditional way of our people: we throw rotten pumpkins from the top of our tower. This is the primary reason we mortgaged our childrens' future to build this giant structure: to throw things off it that will go splat and make us laugh.That and because it increases our Big Sit numbers.
From left: Kevin Sibbring, Shirley Stary, Wendy Eller—all from Lakeside; Chet Baker, Julie Zickefoose and Jen Sauter.So when our friends from Lakeside, Ohio came for a visit, we rolled out the pass-the-freshness-date pumpkins for them.
Three potential victims, resting in their decrepitude. We chose the middle one, originally a pig.
The ceremonial carrying of the pumpkin up to the tower is performed by a specially trained member of the tower staff.Carrying the mushy pumpkin (carved into the likeness of a pig) to the tower presented a challenge. Have you ever smelled rotten pumpkin juice? By comparison, Limburger cheese smells like Chanel No. 5.
And speaking of Chanel No. 5, Kevin Sibbring was standing by to help me wish the pumpkin a toothless goodbye.
Ready? One.....Two.....Three.......
Ooof! Thar she flies!
Inches and milliseconds before impact.....
And the post-splat money shot of the final carnage. Pumpkin tossed. Honored guests properly welcomed. Skunks and opossums happy.Just another reason to love Halloween.
One Moment: Leaping Blackburnian
On the morning of September 11, 2009, my camera captured a young male Blackburnian warbler launching into flight from our side-yard sycamore tree.Lack of Photo Ops & Chops
Roseate spoonbill.For me to get a really great bird photo, the planets have to align perfectly. This seems to happen about as often as the Comet Kohoutek passes within view, or as often as the Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series.
In order for me to take a decent bird image, the following things have to fall into place:
- I have to be close to the bird.
- The bird has to be relaxed and not moving very fast or very far.
- The bird's head and eye(s) need to be visible.
- The light needs to be good (not too bright/too dark) with the sun behind me and the bird in front of me.
- I have to have the right lens on my camera.
- The compact flash card inside the camera has to have some space on it.
- The camera's batteries have to be charged.
I believe it was the second part of the compound expletive I shouted that scared the sparrow into woods, never to return.
I keep on telling myself that one of these days I'm going to find the time to finally learn how to use my camera and all its fancy settings. And then I'm going to make time to get myself into situations that are conducive to taking many, many bird pictures. When that happens, because my brain is swollen with all that camera-using knowledge, I won't have to toss out 86% of the images I take, because I'll know how to use the camera properly!
Roseate spoonbill.Looking at the calendar, I'm thinking the late-January trip to Florida for the Space Coast Birding Festival might be my next best opportunity. Phoebe is traveling with me for that event, so she can be my sharp-eyed bird spotter. Maybe I can get another shot of a flying spoonbill when I'm there.
That is, if I remember to charge the camera batteries.
Liam and the Gorilla
Last Friday, as part of his 10th birthday celebration extravaganza, we took Liam and his sister Phoebe, and two of their Columbus pals, to the Columbus Zoo. Liam really wanted to see the gorillas, though he assured me that the bison was still his favorite animal.So, after checking out several of the other animal exhibits (broken up into continental themes: Asia, Africa, North America, etc) we headed over to the Gorilla House to visit the relatives. The gorillas at the Columbus zoo are western lowland gorillas.
What happened next was pretty cool.
We were looking through the thick glass enclosure at a humongous male silver-backed gorilla. It was eating some tiny seeds it was picking up off the floor. Liam was fascinated to be so close to such a huge animal. Adult male western lowland gorillas can weigh almost 500 pounds and stand 6-feet tall. They are called "silver-backeds" because the hair on their backs goes silver as they age—at about 12 years old. Males younger than 12 years have all black hair.
I couldn't resist taking some pictures of Liam watching the male eating.
And then the male turned to look at Liam...
And the two shared a moment of quiet, mutual contemplation....
I was so proud of Liam for staying in the moment and for realizing how special it was to be looked at by a mature male gorilla.
The only thing Liam said was "Man, this gorilla really likes looking at me!"
Liam even canted his head to the side, aping the great ape's head position.
We humans have something like 98% similarity in our DNA to that of western lowland gorillas. And yet, gorillas are endangered wherever they occur due to deforestation, bush-meat hunting, and persecution. While it's not as special to see gorillas in a zoo as it would be to see them in the wild, places like the Columbus Zoo help to educate (and fascinate) the public about these incredible animals. And the Columbus Zoo generously funds a variety of gorilla research and conservation programs in countries where these wondrous animals are struggling to sustain their populations.If you have not yet been to the see the gorillas at the Columbus Zoo, I'd highly recommend a visit. Take the kids. Take the neighbors. Take your friends. But definitely take yourself. By the way, 2009 is the Year of the Gorilla at the zoo.
As we were leaving the gorillas, Liam waved goodbye to his new pal. And then he said "Waal, I think that giant man gorilla knew it was my birthday and that's why we had a special connection!"
Who was I to argue with that?
Penyakit dan Pengobatan Pada Burung
Burung yang sudah terserang penyakit umumnya sangat sulit untuk di sembuhkan. Kalaupun dapat di sembuhkanburung tersebut harus tetap mendapatkan perhatian khusus dalam waktu yang relatif lama. Jika kita menjumpai burung terserang suatu penyakit sebaiknya segera dipisahkan dari burung yang lain yang sehat agar tidak menular.
Berikut ini adalah penyakit penyakit yang sering menyerang burung:
- Gangguan Pernapasan
Penyakit pernapasan sering menyerang burung. Penyebab penyakit pernapassan adalah adanya infeksi sekunder pada saluran pernapasan oleh E.coli dan sejenis mycoplasma galisepticum yang yang lebih terkenakl dengan nama CRD (Chronic Respiratory Desease). Jika sudah kronis penyakit ini sangat sukar disembuhkan dan biasanya lama kelamaan burung yang terinfeksi penyakit ini akan mati.
Penyakit pernapasan bersifat menular. Penularan penyakit ini dapat terjadi melalui kontak langsung antara burung yang sehat dan burung yang terinfeksi. Penularan penyakit pernapasan juga dapat terjadi melalui makanan, minuman, lingkungan kandang yang kurang bersih dan makanan/minuman yang tercemar kotoran burung yang terinfeksi penyakit.
Gejala-gejala penyakit pernapasan adalah burung sering bersin-bersin, pada malam hari yang cuacanya dingin pernapasanya ngorok, hidung lembab/basah berlendir, dan aktifitas atau gerak burung menurun. Tindakan preventif dan kuratif untuk mengatasi penyakit pernapasan yang dapat dilakukan adalah sebagai berikut.
a. Burung yang terinfeksi penyakit pernapasan segera diisolasi di kandang tersendiri dan diobati agar tidak menular kepada burung-burung yang lain.
b. Sangkar, tempat makan, dan tempat minum selalu di kontrol dan semua kotoran yang terdapat didalam sangkar ataupun didalam wadah makanan/minuman selalu dibersihkan.
c. Makanan yang akan diberikan dicuci bersih dan dikeringkan untuk menghilangkan kemungkinan adanya residu pstisida pertanian yang membahayakan kesehatan burung.
d. Minuman yang kotor segera diganti dengan air yang bersih, segar, sehat, dan tidak mengandung bahan-bahan beracun yang membahayakan kesehatan burung. Air untuk minum direbus terlebih dahulu hingga mendidih untuk membunuh semua jenis bibit penyakit yang terdapat didalamnya.
Pengobatan:
Pengetahuan tentang jenis-jenis obat untuk unggas, perlu juga dimiliki oleh para penghobi burung. Umumnya obat-obatan yang perlu disediakan adalah jenis obat yang biasa digunakan juga untuk unggas, khususnya ayam.
DOXERIN Kombinasi ampuh melawan CRD, Snot dan komplikasinya dalam bentuk water soluble
Komposisi per Kg :
Doxycycline 2,5 %
Erythromycine 4,0 %
Indikasi:
Untuk pengobatan CRD, CRD Complex, Coryza dan penyakit pernafasan lainnya pada unggas.
Aturan Pakai dan Dosis : Oral
Unggas : 2 gr/liter air minum per hari atau 200 – 400 mg DOXERIN/kg BB per
hari selama 3 – 5 hari berturut-turut
Cara mudah pemesanan :
- Kirim SMS Nama Obat yang ingin anda beli dan alamat anda Ke 081249495990 (AGUS)
- Kami akan membalas tentang ketersediaan barang dan harga sampai ketempat anda.
- Silahkan anda melakukan transfer rekening kami
- Pengiriman barang akan kami proses
- Silahkan menunggu pesanan di rumah anda
- Harga bukan masalah selama dapat menyelesaikan masalah
- Berak Kapur
Penyakit berak kapur banyak menyerang beberapa jenis unggas. Penyakit ini dikenal dengan nama penyakit salmonellosis atau Pullorum. Penyebab penyakit ini adalah Salmonella Pullorum yang menyerang saluran pencernakan.
Penyakit berak kapur bersifat menular. Tanda-tanda serangan yang dapat dilihat adalah kotoran burung berbentuk cair dan berwarna putih seperti kapur, nafsu makan menurung, pada stadium tertentu burung mengalami kesulitan membuang kotoran. Jika diperhatikan, banyak kotoran berwarna putih melekat pada bulu di sekitar anus. Tanda lain burung yang terserang berak kapur adalah muka pucat, bulu tidak teratur, sayap menggantung dan burung tidak bergairah.
Pencegahan terhadap timbulnya penyakit berak kapur dapat dilakukan dengan menjaga kebersihan sangkar, makanan, dan minuman. Setiap hari sangkar di bersihkan dari segala kotoran, termasuk kotoran burung itu sendiri. Gunakan desinfektan atau antiseptik untuk mencuci sangkar. Setiap dua hari sekali, tempat makan dan minum dibersihkan. Sisa-sisa makanan dibersihkan dibuang agar tidak berjamur dan diganti dengan air baru yang sudah direbus atau matang., bersih dan sehat.
Jika burung tersebut sudah terinfeksi berak kapur, burung tersebut harus segera di pisahkan dari burung-burung yang lain agar tidak menular. Burung yang sudah terinfeksi diberi obat antibiotik secara intensif sesuai dengan petunjuk yang ada. Penggunaan antibiotik tidak boleh sembarangan, sebab jika kita tidak tahu secara passti justru berakibat fatal.
Pengobatan:
NEOXIN Kombinasi antibakteri, water soluble
Komposisi per Kg :
Neomycine (sulfate) 32 gr
Oxytetracycline (HCl) 32 gr
Keunggulan :
- Mengandung Oxytetracycline yang berspektrum luas dan cepat diabsorbsi sehingga cepat mencapai kadar optimum
di dalam darah. - Mengandung Neomycin yang efektif bekerja memberantas kuman-kuman penyakit disaluran pencernaan dengan tuntas.
- Praktis dan ekonomis karena mengandung dua antibiotik dalam sekali pemberian.
Indikasi :
- Mengobati Kolera ayam, Colibacillosis, Salmonellosis dan lain-lain pada unggas.
- Menekan angka kematian anak ayam pada minggu-minggu pertama.
Cara Pemberian dan Dosis : Oral
Unggas : 2 gr/1liter air minum per hari atau 1 gr NEOXIN/kg BB per hari
selama 3 – 5 hari berturut-turut
Kirim SMS Nama Obat yang ingin anda beli dan alamat anda Ke 081249495990 (AGUS)
- Kami akan membalas tentang ketersediaan barang dan harga sampai ketempat anda.
- Silahkan anda melakukan transfer rekening kami
- Pengiriman barang akan kami proses
- Silahkan menunggu pesanan di rumah anda
- Harga bukan masalah selama dapat menyelesaikan masalah
- Snot atau Coryza atau Pilek
Penyakit snot atau corza atau pilek disebabkan oleh virus Hemophillus gallinarum. Penyakit ini menyerang sekitar bagian muka burung sehingga menyebabkan bengkak dan muncul benjolan berwarna merah di sekitar hidung, mata, dan telinga. Cara penularanya melalui perantaraan burung lain, debu, udara, makanan dan minuman.
Tanda-tanda serangan penyait coriza atau snot yang dapat dilihat adlah muka bengkak, hidung berlendir, sering bersin-bersin, sesak napas, dan napsu makan turun. Jika tidak ditangani secara serius, lama kelamaan burung yang terserang penyakit akan mati.
Pencegahan terhadap serangan penyakit coriza dengan cara menjauhkan burung yang terkena serangan penyakit dengan burung yang masih sehat. Disamping itu sangkar, tempat makan dan tempat minum harus selalu dibersihkan dari segala kotoran.Burung yang sudah terlanjur terserang penyakit snot harus segera diberi obat yang sesuai.
MOXACOL
Antibakteri, water soluble
Komposisi per Kg :
Amoxycycline (trihydrate) 75.000 mg
Colistin (sulfate) 250.000.000 IU
Indikasi :
Kolera Ayam, Colisepsis, Colibacillosis, Salmonellosis (Berak kapur), enteritis, Ngorok, dll pada unggas.
Cara Pemberian dan Dosis: Oral
Unggas : 1 gr/1 liter air minum atau 0,3 gr MOXACOL/kg BB per hari,
2-3 kali/hari selama 24 hari selama 3 – 5 hari berturut-turut
Cara mudah pemesanan :
- Kirim SMS Nama obat yang ingin anda beli dan alamat anda Ke 081249495990
- Kami akan membalas tentang ketersediaan barang dan harga sampai ketempat anda.
- Silahkan anda melakukan transfer rekening kami
- Pengiriman barang akan kami proses
- Silahkan menunggu pesanan di rumah anda
- Harga bukan masalah selama dapat menyelesaikan masalah
- Cacingan
Cacingan adalah jenis penyakit yang menyerang saluran pencernaan dan hati. Penyebab cacingan adalah cacing tambang, cacing gilig, cacing pita dan cacing hati. Tanda-tanda serangan penyakit cacingan yang dapat dilihat adalah burung kurang bergairah, lemah, napsu makan berkurang,bulu tidak teratur, kotoran berbentuk cair, dan berat badan burung menurun.
Faktor utama penyebab kondisi cacingan adalah kondisi sngkar dan tempat makan/minum yang kotor.Pencegahan terhadap serangan cacingan dapt dilakukan dengan cara menjaga kebersihan sangkar, tempat pakan dan tempat minum. Oleh karena itu, sangkar, tempat pakan dan tempat minum harus selalu di kontrol dan dibersihkan dari segala macam kotoran agar tidak menjadi sarang cacing.
Pengobatan:
Pipera-San (oral solution)
| Composition | Setiap ml mengandung: Piperazine citrate 250 mg |  |
| Indications | Perlakuan terhadap hama cacing yang disebabkan oleh nematoda pada unggas (Ascaridia Galli, Heterakis gallinarum), babi (Ascaris lumbricoides, Oesophagostomum spp.), Ternak (Neoascaris vitulorum, Oesophagostomum radiatum, Strongylus spp.), Domba / kambing (Oesophagostomum spp.), Anjing / kucing (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina). | |
| Dosage and Direction For Use | * Unggas: 1 ml PIPERA-SAN / kg BW. * Sapi, domba, kambing, babi: 1.1 ml PIPERA-SAN / kg BW. * Anjing dan kucing: 0,2 -0,3 ml PIPERA-SAN / kg BW. * Monkey: 0.7 ml PIPERA-SAN / kg BW. * Rabbit: 2 ml PIPERA-SAN / kg. Aman untuk unggas selama produksi dan hamil binatang. | |
| Precaution | AAman untuk unggas selama produksi dan hamil binatang. | |
| Packing | 100 ml, 1 l. | |
- Kirim SMS Nama obat yang ingin anda beli dan alamat anda Ke 08129495990 (agus)
- Kami akan membalas tentang ketersediaan barang dan harga sampai ketempat anda.
- Silahkan anda melakukan transfer rekening kami
- Pengiriman barang akan kami proses
- Silahkan menunggu pesanan di rumah anda
- Harga bukan masalah selama dapat menyelesaikan masalah
- Kutu Burung , Burung juga sering diserang oleh kutuburung. Burung yang terserang ktu burung menunjukkan gejala-gejala gelisah, sering menggigit-gigit bulu (jawa: didis), jika bulu burung disingkap akan tampak kutu-kutu burung yang bergerak diantara bulu. Jika tidak segera di obati, burung yang terserang kutu lama lama kelamaan akan berat badan menjadi menurun, nafsu makan akan menurun, dan akhirnya akan mati.
Penyebab utama serangan kutu burung adalah kondisi sangkar yang kotor, lembab, berbau dan burung jarang mandi. Pencegahan terhadap kutu burung dapat dilakukan dengan menjaga kebersihan sangkar, menyediakan air yang cukup untuk mandi. Dan burung sering di jemur.
Pengobatan:
Cara mudah pemesanan :
SUPRALIT
Cara mudah pemesanan :
- Kirim SMS Nama obat yang ingin anda beli dan alamat anda Ke 081249495990 (agus)
- Kami akan membalas tentang ketersediaan barang dan harga sampai ketempat anda.
- Silahkan anda melakukan transfer rekening kami
- Pengiriman barang akan kami proses
- Silahkan menunggu pesanan di rumah anda
- Harga bukan masalah selama dapat menyelesaikan masalah
SUPRALIT
(Vitamin dan anti stress)
Kombinasi vitamin dan elektrolit anti stress
Stress adalah terjadinya ketidakseimbangan hormon kortikosteroid di dalam tubuh. Hal ini disebabkan oleh pembakaran yang hebat di dalam tubuh yang banyak menggunakan elektrolit yang ada, sehingga tubuh akan banyak kehilangan elektrolit.
Bila diberikan air minum biasa, maka akan terjadi pengenceran elektrolit dalam tubuh yang akan memperburuk keadaan tubuh, sehingga metabolisme tubuh tidak sempurna, akibatnya :
- Nafsu makan akan turun
- Berat badan turun
- Mudah terserang penyakit
Untuk mengatasinya, diberikan SUPRALIT Anti stress.
Komposisi per Kg :
Vitamin A 1.000.000 IU
Vitamin D3 200.000 IU
Vitamin E 10.000 IU
Elektrolit : Na+, K+, Cl-, HCO3-
Elektrolit : Na+, K+, Cl-, HCO3-
Cara mudah pemesanan :
- Kirim SMS Nama obat yang ingin anda beli dan alamat anda Ke 081249495990
- Kami akan membalas tentang ketersediaan barang dan harga sampai ketempat anda.
- Silahkan anda melakukan transfer rekening kami
- Pengiriman barang akan kami proses
- Silahkan menunggu pesanan di rumah anda
- Harga bukan masalah selama dapat menyelesaikan masalah
Making More Podcasts
I've been spending some time lately in GarageBand, the nifty recording software that comes with all Mac computers. It's what I usually use to create my podcast episodes for "This Birding Life." Messing around with sound recording software and equipment is something that I really enjoy—in fact I wish I could do it more often. Way back in the early 1980s, before I went to college, I nearly went to an intensive recording workshop program instead. Why? Because I loved the recording process—recording tracks, layering on effects, building songs out of ideas. And because the recording school looked cool in its advertisements in the back of Rolling Stone.
These days I have to fit the podcast recording and building in among a plethora of other tasks demanding my time. But I still like it when I get to do it. I get into a sort of Zen-like zone with the recording and episode editing.
Recording the original material is the easiest part. I guess I find it really easy to talk to people—my subjects often tell me that I "give good interview." The real work starts with the editing. This is where good software comes in super handy. Once I listen through an entire unedited interview, I go back to the beginning and do an edit pass. Among the things I'm looking to fix are volume anomalies, bits of mis-speak, and extraneous noises (don't make me list them here, please).
After I have a rough audio edit done, I go back through to listen for image cues. If the person speaking mentions something worth illustrating, I jot it down along with a time stamp. Later, once I've acquired the necessary images, I place them in the proper spot in the audio timeline so everything matches up.
Then it's time for a final listen-though to make sure there are no blips, buzzes, jumps, pops, snaps, umms, burps, or other body noises. And once these dragons are all slain, its time to pop the whole thing into my Easy Bake Oven, turn the temperature knob to "podcast" and wait.
I always make two versions of each episode: a plain audio (MP3, with no images) and an enhanced audio (M4a) which has the embedded images. These are uploaded to the Podcast Central server by seasonally-employed podcast elves, and to iTunes by the fabulously tech-savvy Katherine the Good Witch of the Web. And we are officially podcasting to the world.
In 2008, in honor of the centennial of Roger Tory Peterson's birth, and in conjunction with the new Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of North America, I, along with the multi-talented Jeffrey A. Gordon, produced a series of video podcasts. These are available for free from the Peterson Guides site. They cover a variety of species profiles, some bird family overviews, a few tutorials on bird identification, and a couple of biographical sketches of the great RTP himself.
Notice I said video podcasts. These were created in Final Cut, a video editing software that is both wonderful and dauntingly powerful. These podcasts act just like any enhanced audio podcast, except that they can contain video clips, and a variety of more movie-like effects, such as pans, zooms, fades, and so on.
Some day I want to move "This Birding Life" over to video podcast format simply because it's so much more like watching a movie as opposed to watching a slideshow. Besides, many of us now have the capability to watch video over our mobile devices and smart phones.
All I need is time. So if you've got any to spare, send it my way, will you, please?
Well, it's time to record some voice-overs for my next episode of TBL. This next one's about The Big Sit! It should be done and available in a few days. Check-in back here and I'll let you know when it's up.
Until then, please lean close to the microphone and speak slowly and clearly.....
Happy Birthday to Liam!
It's been a weekend cavalcade of activities to celebrate Liam's 10th birthday. One of which was a Friday trip to the Columbus Zoo. Here's the birthday boy rasslin' with a tiger sculpture.
Today, the actual birthday, we're having his choice of food (cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries, salad with pesto-ranch dressing, and chocolate cake with orange icing). The family is converging here at the farm, so we're bustling around in preparation.
Of the many things I admire about my son—his brains, his artistic ability, his curiosity, his ability to make us laugh—it's his inherent sweetness that I love most of all.
Penangkaran Kacer
Nara Sumber : Bambang-Is, Branjangan Dirangkum Oleh : Om Fian Anggota Tim Editorial {IF} ... Sumber: http://www.kicaumania.org | |
Signs Along the Way
I found this sign outside a fire department compound on the island of Tobago in the West Indies.Too many rules take all the joy out of living!
Counting the Months Until Warblers
Male blue-winged warbler in our orchard.I already miss the warblers.
Most years we have a dozen species of eastern wood warblers nesting at Indigo Hill. From April through early October we can see and hear them. Now in November, when the landscape seems tired—resigned to the killing frosts and weak sunshine of another winter, we have the occasional yellow-rumpeds passing through, issuing their soft tchups to one another. They won't linger here on the ridge where the wind blows cold. They'll spend the winter along the river eating dried pokeweed berries and poison ivy and sumac fruits, taking advantage of the micro hatches of insects on sunny winter days.
Yellow-rumped warbler in winter plumage.I was editing some video the other day. It was footage I shot on our farm during an interview last summer. The amount of bird song audible in the background of the footage was stunning. Indigo bunting, common yellowthroat, blue-winged warbler, prairie warbler, hooded warbler, yellow-breasted chat, red-eyed vireo, white-eyed vireo—they've all gone south now.
Prairie warbler, male, singing along the edge of our meadow.Funny how the spring and summer bird song chorus just sneaks up on you. A few more birds chime in each week until the singing is nearly constant. Yet your ears have grown accustomed to it to the point where you don't really notice it. Now, in the relatively quiet days of early winter, that bird noise on the video is a startling reminder of what we had all around us just a short while ago. My how things change with the seasons!
So I'm counting the days—months really—until the warblers and other migrant songbirds return and the air is once more filled with song.
Glimpses of Halloween
Calvin and Hobbes emerged from Indigo Hill this Halloween. Liam is TOTALLY Calvin, and God love Phoebe for indulging her brother and thinking it was a cool idea to team up. We're lucky that our kids mostly get along.
First stop on the Halloween cavalcade of fun was the kids' elementary school (though Phoebe now goes to the high school) where we posed for a family photo. I think we'll send this one out with the Christmas letter this year.
Next we went to Clay and Ali's house for pizza and parent juice before heading out into the falling dusk to beg for candy from complete strangers.
The good houses had lines of kids waiting for their turn to mumble "triggertree" and hear the satisfying thud of another piece of high-fructose corn syrupy goodness drop into the bucket. We were pleased to note that we no longer have to browbeat our kids to say "Thank you!" to the kind candy givers.
Meanwhile over on Warren Street, WitchyPoo was doing her thing. Entire generations of kids have been scared spitless by my mom's depiction of "the witch." Some of these same kids now bring their OWN children by, just to experience Elsa the Witch. She says "Halloween is the one night of the year when both my drama major in college and my arthritic hands come in handy!"
She will NOT give candy to kids who are too young to speak. Or to "kids" who are old enough to be grandparents themselves.
Granny and Geepop's house is the final stop for all of the kids in our family. There the front parlor takes on the look of a frontier trading post, where all the candy is dumped out and the Twizzlers are traded for Sweet-tarts, Reese's Cups are hoarded and the Butterfingers are hidden from me.For a much more poetic account of the evening, head on over to Zickland.
