Day Twenty Four 2013

I envy people who can just look at a sunset. I wonder how you can shoot it.  
~Dustin Hoffman 

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.
~Mahatma Gandhi

Day Twenty Three 2013

Grand daughter Shelby noticed this bird sitting in my back yard this afternoon. It caught her attention because it was so large. She thought it looked like a hawk or falcon. We both did some research, and she was right. From what I can tell comparing my picture with pictures of falcons, it looks like a Peregrine Falcon and would have migrated here. This one was surrounded by a cloud of feathers on the ground, and he was tearing at and eating a fresh kill. By the looks of the feathers, we figured the meal was a dove. It feeds primarily on birds which it takes in midair after a steep, swift dive from above them. Which means that poor dove didn’t stand a chance. He eventually flew off with what was left of his dinner. We have lots of doves in the yard, so he may turn up again sometime. Here’s some fun facts about this bird.

• The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest bird on record when in diving posture, called a stoop, at 175 mph or more.
• The Latin name “peregrinus” means “coming from foreign parts” which is fitting because they have one of the longest migrations of any North American bird.
• These falcons were given Endangered Species status after decimation of the population from exposure to DDT in insecticides. A successful recovery effort resulted in removal from the U.S. list in 1999.
• A group of falcons has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "eyrie", "ringing", "stooping up", and a "tower" of falcons

Don’t say I never taught ya nothin’

Day Twenty Two 2013

Squirrel finds comfort food on a cold day in January.

Comfort food for hubby Neil and me on a cold January night. Thanks to my sister Jane for the veggie beef stew recipe. It was totally delicious! And much better than peanut butter.

Day Twenty One 2013

Duct tape is a man’s best friend. And only a man would do something like this. Hubby Neil had the day off and planned on doing a little crawling around under the house, cleaning out our nasty basement. His equally nasty jeans have huge holes in the knees, and it was cold out, so he covered up the holes with duct tape. Nice insulation, but I’m sure it made for some sticky knees.

Such a gorgeous day! Not a cloud.

We decided it was a good day for a walk. The sun was out. The sky was blue. We didn’t realize how cold it actually was when we set out around four. Sun was going down by then. Long shadows. Short walk.

Chilly night = chili night! Oh yummy!  Happy Monday, everyone!

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” 
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day Twenty 2013

  A snowman is the perfect man. He's well rounded and comes with a broom. 
~anonymous snowman saying