Put upon

This poor little Trillium decumbens (Trailing Trillium) made the mistake of growing in an area with an overabundance of grasshoppers. It looks a bit frazzled. I feel the same, when thinking about everything I need to get caught up on in the coming week.
Stormy weather washed out the traditional best-sales-day of our last spring craft show Saturday. But like one neighbor observed, it could have been worse -- the tents could have been upside down. One bright spot was meeting an artist whose work I'd previously admired on her Etsy shop. I spent some more of my George money on one of her pieces similar to this one.
I'm thinking of trying Etsy myself, for one-of-a-kind soapy things, or the "bargain bars" that I normally sell only at shows. (We call them "cosmetically challenged" soaps because we hate to call them ugly.) Just one more item to add to the list of "things I should probably be doing instead of blogging"...
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If you like the creepy crawlers, check out the Circus of the Spineless!

I Finished It!

Here it is, my finished watercolor. It took me two sessions to finish it. I was using an instructional video and followed the teacher's instructions. Of course, it's not as good as his, but I'm pretty happy with it.
I think what I'm happiest about is the fact that I actually started it. That's the hardest part for me. I had to get over my fear of beginning. Once I did, it was pretty easy. Now if I could only do it WITHOUT the video. I have several books that are step-by-step. I think I'll work through one from start to finish.
I know it's like any other thing you want to learn. It takes work and discipline. I want to set aside the same time every day and do art. I need to make it a habit. Then it'll be easier to get into a project. Perseverance is the key.

Game Cam

Some recent game cam photos:

A sleek bobcat (Lynx rufus).

Murphy's law of game cameras:
You get mostly southern views of northbound animals. (Coyote, Canis latrans.)

Looks like she barely escaped that bicycle pump. (Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana.)

Finally, our first shot of a beaver in action. (Castor canadensis.) Click to embiggen!
We nearly ruined the game cam, trying to get a photo of a beaver. Positioned it too near the creek last spring. The heavy rains came, and... well, it's not meant to be an underwater camera. It still works, but not as well as it once did. The batteries used to last forever; now they need replacing every two weeks or so.
And this was the only beaver pic we got out of that sorry situation:

Smile!
If that's the miscreant who gnawed down the only white-blooming redbud in our woods, I wouldn't be too sad if that flash gave him a mild heart attack. I really miss that tree.
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Sirens from emergency vehicles screaming down the highway roused us in the wee hours last night. Jasmine howled, which she almost never does. It sounded so funny, I couldn't help but laugh, even as I was trying not to wake up too much. But then every coyote in the woods howled too. There are a lot more of them than I'd thought. I had imagined the population somewhat reduced, since our chicken flock has stayed intact for the past year. Now I'm worried.

MORE SNAFU!!!

Yet FURTHER interruptions... except computer is fine, but AT&T is being most uncooperative now. It's been quite a week and we are incredibly sorry that we haven't visited our wonderful blog friends. Not only did our DSL line go out, but our ground phone line is gone til late tomorrow (Monday) night. We are befuddled, but trying to cope with the issues. Typing from the likes of an internet cafe, so feel very European, but it's no vacay. See you Tuesday at the latest... we hope. Again, our apologies... we miss you all so much.

And Anyway, They Canceled the Easter Egg Hunt!

There are very few sentences you can say, as a parent, to entice your children to come to an eight hour mountain bike race in a forest, in the rain and snow.
One sentence might be "there will be other kids your age". Another you could use is, "they will have candy". And still another, although it only works up until the age of ten is "there will be an easter egg hunt, I promise". An easter egg hunt is convincing enough even to a 12 year old, because there's an assumption that candy will be involved.
But really, getting your kids to stand around for 10 hours, waiting for their parents to finish racing mountain bikes in 28 degree weather, is in itself a drag.

Thankfully, there WERE other kids there. And there WAS lots of food. And cookies. And a bit of candy. And I'd instructed them to dress as if they were spending a weekend in the Alaskan back country so as to at least be not so cold.
And so in normal fashion, we arrived with a half hour to spare before the start time. Since Morgan was racing solo and I was racing with a partner, he went off to check in and get dressed and chase after the start while the kids and I set up the feed zone. And it was at the feed zone, where I planted the kids and dogs and food and sleeping bags and tool bag and water bottles and gu and hot chocolate and cookies, while I went off to try and get prepped for my laps, before my partner Emily finished her first two laps.
This was also the area where Murphy was settling himself into heckling the racers.
And since we all know that kids are like parrots, it only took about six minutes before there was a chorus of seven kids between the ages of five and 12 yelling out things as racers rode by like,
"You ain't no Ricky Bobby. Keep pedaling"
"Ride it like I taught you"
"Stop sucking"
"You're winning!"
"Only 7 hours and 45 minutes left"
"Stop using your brakes, they only slow you down"
"Are you going to let a girl pass you!"
"Is that your sister's bike you're riding?"

After prepping, I made my way down to the transition area to wait for Emily.
But not before a quick trip to the porta potty. Which lead me to the next thing. That thing that you're always a little afraid will happen, but never does, because you're always super careful. But this time, because it was 28 degrees out and I was afraid my teammate would show up and I wouldn't be there to make the hand off at the exact perfect time, I whipped irresponsibly around in the porta potty and my multi tool, and two air cartridges fell out of my back pocket and into the bowl.
And I watched two out of three things sink very slowly into it. The third thing landed on top of the pile and I ever so carefully plucked it out and wiped it off and put it back into my pocket.
Yes, that really did happen.
Around noon or so, at the supposed time of the easter egg hunt, the kid crew meandered down towards the transition area for the egg hunt. And hunted for the hunt. But according to the official twenty minute complaint logged from my ten year old on the drive home, NO body knew where the egg hunt was. NO body. They searched and searched and asked and asked. And were pointed in various different directions, but were never able to find it.
As I was riding through the transition area, starting on lap two I heard the 10 year old yell out to me as I went by, "MOM! You TOLD us there'd be an easter egg hunt! Where IS it MOM? "
How the hell do I know, I thought.
Half way through my second lap as I arrived at our perfect little logistically placed feed table to refill my water bottle, Lulu asked me to go get her other shoes and socks in the car. "My feet are wet", she told me. "And anyway I can't find my socks".
Um, no, I said. I'm kinda racing right now.
STOP SUCKING she yelled at me as I was filling up my water bottle.
And then Sam told me that Morgan's bike was broken and that I needed to get him the Retrotec. Somehow.
Who told you that? I asked him.
I don't know, some guy. He said.
The guy said you need to go get the bike. He said.
I'm trying to race, I said.
Well then stop sucking, he said.

On another lap pit stop as I rounded the corner they were fighting about the one and only apple juice pouch left, that they both wanted. He was threatening to stick the straw in it and drink it and she was screaming at him that she hated him. Later, during clean up, I found it un-opened laying on a sleeping bag. Along with a pair of wet socks.

Afterwards, as we reminisced by the fire while holding puppies in our laps and eating meat and drinking adult beverages I remembered why I loved racing mountain bikes in 28 degree weather so much. Camp fires.

Eyebrook circuit

Led by Mel. Maureen, Gordon, Norma, Chris and Marion, Chris, Phil, Steph, Terry and me. Sunny and not too cold. A bit muddy in the woods.


We set off from the parking space by the reservoir downhill from Stoke Dry and walked along the road, then round the track past the fishing lodge and the dam.













Coffee break taken on the wall near the fishing lodge. Then lunch at the café in Cottingham.



A very pleasant sociable wander on a fine Monday morning.

of walk

Bird tunnels

I'm not sure how these curious little tunnels form. I don't know if birds actually make them. But they sure know how to put them to good use.
We've seen wrens hopping along the paths, jumping up every now and then to grab a bug from the underside of the lip.

These are along the edge of an old logging road on our property. I've only seen them at the higher altitudes, where the ground is rockier.
If you know any more about how they're made, I'd love to hear it.
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I'd planned that this post would describe a local political rally from the weekend, when we had not one, but two, presidential contenders in Birmingham. I'd have shown you lots of pictures, and related every little thrill. But I got sick, and can only relate how thrilling it was to watch it all on tv.
I have to say thanks to WBRC6, our local Fox channel, for showing both live. You can see the raw video of either appearance (Huckabee or Obama) by clicking on that link.
Too bad they don't show that huge honking anchor desk that they dragged all the way down to Bartow Arena for the reporters to sit behind.

Ben Rinnes (2)

Before the season moves too far on, I should continue with the account of the ascent of Ben Rinnes which my husband and daughter did between Christmas and New Year. It's not a grand mountain, and it doesn't require ropes or anything much other than enough puff and reasonable leg-power (tho like any Scottish hill mist can descend frighteningly quickly out of a blue sky, and there are crags which you could fall off, so it shouldn't be taken lightly). But it's the local big hill of my home village, and a reference point for weather predictions and the progress of the seasons. 'Snow on the Ben' is a sure sign that winter is coming. 'Snow still on the Ben' is just as sure a sign that we're having (another) cold spring.
Here it is then, all brown heather and white hoar frost on the north-facing side, on a gift of a day just before New Year.

First game camera of

No matter which way we point the game cam, we always seem to capture mostly... southbound views of northbound animals.

Well maybe not mostly, but well over half, definitely.

I'm not sure why it happens that way.

This seems like a different bobcat, don't you think? (The first one looks heavier.)
At least two other blogger friends have told me they got game cameras for Christmas, so I'm anxiously awaiting their first pictures.
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Our game camera is a Cuddeback Expert 3.0. We bought it from Boss Buck. Neither of them gave us anything for free, which is a crying shame, really, considering how much free publicity I've doled out.
I wasn't wild about Boss Buck's skimpy degree of packaging protection. But the camera got here in good condition anyway.
Wayne got the "No Flash" version of this camera, but I'm not sure that he's entirely pleased with it. I believe I remember him saying that he'd get the regular (flash) version if he had it to do over again.
If you're considering buying one, definitely check out the Cuddeback gallery to see which pictures you like best. Many videos are there too, but we've never been able to get the video function to work to our satisfaction.

Maskenthine XC Classic

Photos of Maskenthine XC Classic Mountain Bike Race are posted on the photo web site http://win-photo.photoreflect.com

As usual, the photos on the web site are proofs from jpg. Before shipping any ordered files, I will adjust exposure and lighting from the camera RAW.

Enjoy

How to make your own nose plugs

Our Fall whitewater kayak class at theWest Cook YMCAhas begun. Thirteen students in an amply chlorinated pool means one of two things: suggest they buy nose plugs, or make them.

President John F. Kennedy admires a new set of nose plugs, drying on a homemade rack between dips.

Today we invested in $8 worth of wire and $13 worth of Plasti Dip--enough material to make hundreds of nose plugs--and began clipping, bending and dipping.

Clipping...

bending...

...and dipping.

Soon these nose plugs will adorn the faces of our students, allowing them to learn to paddle, brace and roll without getting a chlorinated nasal irrigation.

Wire cut, bent, and waiting to be dipped.

After a second and third dip, the nose plus will dry and be ready to use.

Durango!

Yesterday dawned clear and cold in Dillon, CO (40 deg!). I had a bit of a head ache from the altitude (over 9000 ft in Dillon). For these reasons, I skipped my planning morning bike ride and got on the road.
Most of the drive was boring. Hwy 285 through Colorado is not exciting. Not much to snap photos until I hit Wolf Creek Pass. The photo here was taken at the scenic view West down the pass toward Pagosa Springs.
Lots of construction on Hwy 160 coming into Durango. Stopped at the Visitor Center for info. Then checked into my motel.
Grabbed the bike and headed downtown to find the bike shops. Stopped by Mountain Bike Specialists - checking out the shop ride on Thursday evening. I found out that they are planning to ride a much more difficult trail than the trail on the web site. Guess I will have to scope out rides myself.
On the way back past my motel, to the local Trek dealer - Hassle Free Sports. The wrench did some adjustments to the shifter and read derailleur (was a little out of alignment).
During the ride. my heart rate was over the roof! Probably from missing a meal middle of the day and the altitude. Will have to watch this here.
Capped the day with too much food at The Olde Tymers Cafe downtown Durango. It was burger night. And checked out the local brew (SKA Pinstripe). Chatted with "Cowboy Bruce", who gave me some recommendations.
Now, what to do today? Do I take the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad? Hike up to Horse Gulch to check out the trails? Something else? Stay tuned.

War of Wealth

Geez, y'all stop collapsing the world financial system, would you?
This is a poster from a 1895 play. I'm not sure if today's equivalent would be War of Wealth, War on Wealth, or War for Wealth.
Wikipedia has a handy reference of Economic disasters in the US that includes 16 incidents labeled "Panics". I guess since the last one was in 1911, somebody thought it was high time for a good old-fashioned panic. Many panics seem to start when the Joe Moneybags of the world try to grow even filthier rich, by means of dodgy schemes designed to swindle everybody else.
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Here are a couple of money-saving tips that I learned by accident.
#1: Discounts.
Hubby had a few medical tests a while back (he's fine). The bill was substantial, about $1000. I always feel a little cheesy doing it, but since we have one of those BigNameGasStation credit cards that rebates 1%, well, why not use it. I've learned to tolerate a little cheese.
"Can I pay over the phone with a credit card?"
"Yes. How much would you like to pay?"
"All of it."
"I can offer you a 20% discount for paying the entire amount."
"What!"
I'm sure if I'd written a check, they'd have happily cashed the whole thing.
#2: Look closer.
Counterfeit $10 bills have been passed in Oneonta recently. Who's risking a felony charge for $10?! ("Teenagers" comes to mind.)
This is another thing I love about small-town living. The bank teller not only told me about it, she showed me the bill in question. I would never in a million years have caught this bill as a fake. It just looked and felt like one of the new tens that had already seen a lot of wear.
She told me there were two ways to spot it as a fake: look for the plastic security strip by holding it up to the light, or check that the glossy "10" (in the lower right) changes color when the bill is tilted. But who does that kind of thing for $10 bills? I check the strip on $50s and $100s at craft shows, though it always makes me feel so rude. Hubby's been saying that I need one of those currency-checking pens instead, but the teller told me that counterfeiters now use paper that the pen doesn't detect.
Bottom line, if someone hands you one of the newer bills that seems like it's seen a lot of wear... take a closer look.

More on Finding Balance

"I believe that a healthy sharing of oneself is a holy call, but so is caring for ourselves and taking time for the beautiful mysteries God created within us. The important thing is balance. Being a martyr distorts the virtuous ideal of giving to others by crossing over into victim pastures and a self-denial that squelches selfhood and the creative life of the soul." Annie O'Shaunnessy