Monday, June 13, 2011
Marauder revealed!
So guess who has been ransacking all of our birdseed and tearing down (and emptying!) the hummingbird feeder every night!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Massive weekend
So I’m super late getting this typed out. I’m seeing a trend of falling behind. Gotta get caught up, and STAY caught up. ☺
So Friday night, Quinn worked super late (til 11:30!), so we didn’t get such an early start on Saturday. We’d planned on meeting up with Sarah and Matt at the Aquarium by 10 - 10:30, but we ended up getting together right around lunch time, so we all headed across the street to P. F. Changs for some tasty lettuce wraps and other yummy things.
After we ate, we headed back over to the aquarium and had a great, though CROWDED time seeing all the fish. I really liked the octopus, and the dolphin show was neat too. They have such personality; I always feel a little sad for them, cooped up in a tiny tank, with no real room to roam. I hope they’re happy, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they could use a little Xanax from time to time. We finished off our Aquarium visit with a trip to the top floor, and the rain forest exhibit. It was really cool to see the sloth, and BIG pink perching birds way up in the trees. Couldn’t see the iguana in the corner though - bummer. Henry spotted a HUGE brown toad (or frog?) in a little nook on the stair landing, and we passed on its location to the people walking behind us. It made me wonder how many other creatures we missed because they were hiding so well. ☺
After that, we drove back to Sarah and Matt’s house for supper and hanging out. We stopped at Costco and got some sushi, Stacey’s, hummus, and other odds and ends. We tucked the kids in at 8pm, and then watched True Grit, which surprised me by being a very good movie. It didn’t hurt that Jeff Bridges was in it - I always like him. ☺ After the movie (which didn’t wrap up til nearly 10pm... half an hour after my self-imposed bedtime), we went to bed downstairs on the futon.
Morning came early... the alarm went off at 4am sharp. Ugh! We got up, tiptoed upstairs, and hopped in the van for the trip north to Skirmish, PA. The drive was actually very nice, and I even got a little 30-45 minute nap. We followed the instructions to avoid traffic, and whether it was because of that, or just because it was SO early, we didn’t have a bit of trouble on the way in. We DID have to pay a *ton* of tolls, though. After we paid our $10 parking fee, we came to rest in our spot in the bumpy grassy field. Our timing was awesome, because the Sorbers were only 3 cars ahead of us, so we got to hang out starting early! We got our stuff all sorted out, and hopped on the school bus shuttle over to the Dash site. It sure was funny to ride in a school bus again after such a long absence... the seats sure seemed a LOT bigger when I was a kid. :D
We got ourselves all signed in and checked our bags. It was a very chilly, very misty morning, so I decided to wear my new Warrior Dash shirt for the race. Plus, since I already had one at home, I didn’t mind so much if the new one got dirty (and isn’t the Warrior Dash about getting dirty, anyway??) Quinn kept trying to get in touch with his friend Jodi, from high school. She’d seen one of his posts about doing the race, and as it turned out, she and her hubby not only live in Harrisburg, but they had both signed up for the wave after ours! We never did get a hold of her before the race, but afterwards, Quinn went to the finish line to watch, and he actually saw Jodi as she was charging into the mud pit! So I got to meet a friend of Quinn’s from Indonesia after all. :D How crazy that they hadn’t seen each other in 20+ years, and ran into each other at the Warrior Dash! :D
But about the race itself... it was a gorgeous course, through very leafy fern-y woods. It was beautiful, with lots of twists and turns. The whole thing is within a paintball arena, and they ran us through some of the paintball scenes, including a medieval castle and a mock town, with buildings and a church, etc. :D The obstacles were fun too, for the most part. My favorites were the cargo net and the vertical wall. The vertical wall was actually very challenging at first, but once I realized I needed to get my body as vertical as possible, and not support my weight horizontally, it got way easier. I bet it was 15’ tall. What fun!!
All in all, we had an excellent time, chilly start or no. Quinn ran on ahead like last time, and the rest of us stayed together as a pack. What a blast!
Afterwards we noshed on our turkey legs, and enjoyed our complimentary beers (Quinn found an extra timing chip, so he got TWO free beers - whoo!!) They had live music, and the first band was AWFUL. (I suppose it’s probably tough to book a *good* band at 10am on a Sunday though) We finally caught the school bus shuttle back to the parking lot, and then started the drive back to Sarah & Matt’s. Quinn got overcome by sleepiness, so I drove most of the way back to Sarah and Matt’s, while he took a much-needed catnap. Once we got there, it was time for a gloriously scrubby shower! I still couldn’t get all the mud off my legs, but the rest of me got pretty clean. For supper, Matt got out their sushi-making goodies. It was SO cool to watch him assemble the rolls, and then just reach over and nosh on them!!
We left their house after supper, and pointed the van south once more. Since he’d had a nap earlier, Quinn was fine to drive, and by then, I was getting pretty tired. We got home by about 8:30pm, which was nearly what we’d been shooting for. The boys had a big carnival at school Monday morning, and I didn’t want them to be exhausted for it.
So Friday night, Quinn worked super late (til 11:30!), so we didn’t get such an early start on Saturday. We’d planned on meeting up with Sarah and Matt at the Aquarium by 10 - 10:30, but we ended up getting together right around lunch time, so we all headed across the street to P. F. Changs for some tasty lettuce wraps and other yummy things.
After we ate, we headed back over to the aquarium and had a great, though CROWDED time seeing all the fish. I really liked the octopus, and the dolphin show was neat too. They have such personality; I always feel a little sad for them, cooped up in a tiny tank, with no real room to roam. I hope they’re happy, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they could use a little Xanax from time to time. We finished off our Aquarium visit with a trip to the top floor, and the rain forest exhibit. It was really cool to see the sloth, and BIG pink perching birds way up in the trees. Couldn’t see the iguana in the corner though - bummer. Henry spotted a HUGE brown toad (or frog?) in a little nook on the stair landing, and we passed on its location to the people walking behind us. It made me wonder how many other creatures we missed because they were hiding so well. ☺
After that, we drove back to Sarah and Matt’s house for supper and hanging out. We stopped at Costco and got some sushi, Stacey’s, hummus, and other odds and ends. We tucked the kids in at 8pm, and then watched True Grit, which surprised me by being a very good movie. It didn’t hurt that Jeff Bridges was in it - I always like him. ☺ After the movie (which didn’t wrap up til nearly 10pm... half an hour after my self-imposed bedtime), we went to bed downstairs on the futon.
Morning came early... the alarm went off at 4am sharp. Ugh! We got up, tiptoed upstairs, and hopped in the van for the trip north to Skirmish, PA. The drive was actually very nice, and I even got a little 30-45 minute nap. We followed the instructions to avoid traffic, and whether it was because of that, or just because it was SO early, we didn’t have a bit of trouble on the way in. We DID have to pay a *ton* of tolls, though. After we paid our $10 parking fee, we came to rest in our spot in the bumpy grassy field. Our timing was awesome, because the Sorbers were only 3 cars ahead of us, so we got to hang out starting early! We got our stuff all sorted out, and hopped on the school bus shuttle over to the Dash site. It sure was funny to ride in a school bus again after such a long absence... the seats sure seemed a LOT bigger when I was a kid. :D
We got ourselves all signed in and checked our bags. It was a very chilly, very misty morning, so I decided to wear my new Warrior Dash shirt for the race. Plus, since I already had one at home, I didn’t mind so much if the new one got dirty (and isn’t the Warrior Dash about getting dirty, anyway??) Quinn kept trying to get in touch with his friend Jodi, from high school. She’d seen one of his posts about doing the race, and as it turned out, she and her hubby not only live in Harrisburg, but they had both signed up for the wave after ours! We never did get a hold of her before the race, but afterwards, Quinn went to the finish line to watch, and he actually saw Jodi as she was charging into the mud pit! So I got to meet a friend of Quinn’s from Indonesia after all. :D How crazy that they hadn’t seen each other in 20+ years, and ran into each other at the Warrior Dash! :D
But about the race itself... it was a gorgeous course, through very leafy fern-y woods. It was beautiful, with lots of twists and turns. The whole thing is within a paintball arena, and they ran us through some of the paintball scenes, including a medieval castle and a mock town, with buildings and a church, etc. :D The obstacles were fun too, for the most part. My favorites were the cargo net and the vertical wall. The vertical wall was actually very challenging at first, but once I realized I needed to get my body as vertical as possible, and not support my weight horizontally, it got way easier. I bet it was 15’ tall. What fun!!
All in all, we had an excellent time, chilly start or no. Quinn ran on ahead like last time, and the rest of us stayed together as a pack. What a blast!
Afterwards we noshed on our turkey legs, and enjoyed our complimentary beers (Quinn found an extra timing chip, so he got TWO free beers - whoo!!) They had live music, and the first band was AWFUL. (I suppose it’s probably tough to book a *good* band at 10am on a Sunday though) We finally caught the school bus shuttle back to the parking lot, and then started the drive back to Sarah & Matt’s. Quinn got overcome by sleepiness, so I drove most of the way back to Sarah and Matt’s, while he took a much-needed catnap. Once we got there, it was time for a gloriously scrubby shower! I still couldn’t get all the mud off my legs, but the rest of me got pretty clean. For supper, Matt got out their sushi-making goodies. It was SO cool to watch him assemble the rolls, and then just reach over and nosh on them!!
We left their house after supper, and pointed the van south once more. Since he’d had a nap earlier, Quinn was fine to drive, and by then, I was getting pretty tired. We got home by about 8:30pm, which was nearly what we’d been shooting for. The boys had a big carnival at school Monday morning, and I didn’t want them to be exhausted for it.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Bluebird of happiness!
Bit of a late entry (It’s Tuesday), but I wanted to catch up a little on some stuff. Thursday evening, we were eating supper (chicken divan) in the dining room, when Quinn spotted a bluebird on the railing of the little porch! We were all excited, and most everybody got to peek at it before it flew off. We talked about it a little, then we all started eating again, and a couple minutes later, it came back again, with either a female or a juvenile! I’ve never seen one before, so it was super exciting to see one twice, and with a bonus bird too. :D
Monday, June 6, 2011
Night hummers?
So 2 things started out my morning (so far!)
1) The hummingbird feeder was totally empty this morning when I came downstairs. When I went out to try to figure out what was up, the ground underneath was sort of tacky, so my best guess is that something came to investigate it, and tipped it sideways a little while it was checking it out. If it doesn’t stay perfectly level, the juice leaks out. I boiled up a new batch, and rehung my newest toy!
2) I heard the really loud woodpecker out in the woods again this morning, before the boys went to school. It kept chatting, and sounded like it was close to the house, so I went from window to window to try to see him/her. I finally made it out onto the little back deck, and spotted it! It was a pileated woodpecker!! It flew from around sprinkler Zone 5 over to a sassafras tree next to the ornamental dogwood, and didn’t seem to notice me at all! I can’t remember ever seeing them in person before - they are BIG birds! No wonder they make such a racket when they call. :D After the sassafras, it headed down to the swampy pond down below the house.
Bit of a bummer in the afternoon... I did my 4 mile tread, fed Nomes lunch, and had just gotten changed into my blue/white striped bikini, to get a bit of sun, when the school called. Nater was in the nurse’s office with a fever of 101ยบ. I texted Quinn, and he left work to go fetch Nate home. Quinn decided to just stay home after that, and he worked in the computer room with the door shut for the rest of the afternoon/evening. He did take a break to come out for supper, and then to help tuck the kids in bed, but he pretty much worked solidly from 3:30pm to 9:45pm. Wow!
Luckily, after I gave Nate ibuprofen, he got cool and stayed cool.
1) The hummingbird feeder was totally empty this morning when I came downstairs. When I went out to try to figure out what was up, the ground underneath was sort of tacky, so my best guess is that something came to investigate it, and tipped it sideways a little while it was checking it out. If it doesn’t stay perfectly level, the juice leaks out. I boiled up a new batch, and rehung my newest toy!
2) I heard the really loud woodpecker out in the woods again this morning, before the boys went to school. It kept chatting, and sounded like it was close to the house, so I went from window to window to try to see him/her. I finally made it out onto the little back deck, and spotted it! It was a pileated woodpecker!! It flew from around sprinkler Zone 5 over to a sassafras tree next to the ornamental dogwood, and didn’t seem to notice me at all! I can’t remember ever seeing them in person before - they are BIG birds! No wonder they make such a racket when they call. :D After the sassafras, it headed down to the swampy pond down below the house.
Bit of a bummer in the afternoon... I did my 4 mile tread, fed Nomes lunch, and had just gotten changed into my blue/white striped bikini, to get a bit of sun, when the school called. Nater was in the nurse’s office with a fever of 101ยบ. I texted Quinn, and he left work to go fetch Nate home. Quinn decided to just stay home after that, and he worked in the computer room with the door shut for the rest of the afternoon/evening. He did take a break to come out for supper, and then to help tuck the kids in bed, but he pretty much worked solidly from 3:30pm to 9:45pm. Wow!
Luckily, after I gave Nate ibuprofen, he got cool and stayed cool.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Mystery bird revealed, plus... HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER!
So yesterday I saw this cool cinnamon colored bird, and thought it might be a wood thrush. Today, I’ve seen them a TON of times, and I’m sure now... it’s a brown thrasher. Its eyes are a bright yellow, and it’s got the 2 bands on its wings like the picture below. They’re such long, graceful birds, and super pretty. I see them out near the birdfeeders, in the bush under the computer room window, and in the back yard, along the tree line. Every time, they avoid coming out into the open as much as possible, and are pretty skittish, though the one(s?) that come to the computer room bush don’t seem to mind me peeking out at them every time I hear a scritching. They’re in there hunting bugs, but also picking up bits of the thorny stems, maybe to take for nest building?
Also cool today... I got to hang up my hummingbird feeder! Quinn put the bracket on the tree last night, and I boiled up my first solution of sugar water this morning. Within ONE HOUR, a hummer came to investigate, and have a nice long drink. Super cool!! Now I’ve got a tripod set up in the living room to try to capture some images of the little guys, though I doubt it’ll get much, even at full zoom. The one I saw was green all over its back, and creamy colored underneath. No red to be seen. I’ll try to get some pictures to post too.
Also cool today... I got to hang up my hummingbird feeder! Quinn put the bracket on the tree last night, and I boiled up my first solution of sugar water this morning. Within ONE HOUR, a hummer came to investigate, and have a nice long drink. Super cool!! Now I’ve got a tripod set up in the living room to try to capture some images of the little guys, though I doubt it’ll get much, even at full zoom. The one I saw was green all over its back, and creamy colored underneath. No red to be seen. I’ll try to get some pictures to post too.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Birds in the morning
While I was loading up the dishwasher just now (~8:15am), I looked out and saw a new bird at the birdfeed! I think it was a wood thrush, though I’m not positive. It hung around for a few minutes, and then wandered off into the woods. Its back was a very rich cinnamon color, and the rest of it looked like the bird below.
But that wasn’t the only excitement - there were 4 young squirrels playing tag, a male cardinal, a bluejay, AND a crow! All at the same time! :D :D :D
Quinn says he’ll hang the mount for my hummingbird feeder today, so I’ll be able to have 3 feeders at once... hummingbird, suet, and regular birdseed. I can’t wait! ☺
This is going to be our last “lazy” weekend for a while, so I really want to enjoy it.
Quinn got a hold of a guy about an hour away who has the kind of rough wood that would be perfect for the treehouse, so he and Nate took off at about 10am to go get some. It’s nearly 3pm, and they’re nearly back home again after picking it up, and then stopping for some McLunch in Prince Frederick.
But that wasn’t the only excitement - there were 4 young squirrels playing tag, a male cardinal, a bluejay, AND a crow! All at the same time! :D :D :D
Quinn says he’ll hang the mount for my hummingbird feeder today, so I’ll be able to have 3 feeders at once... hummingbird, suet, and regular birdseed. I can’t wait! ☺
This is going to be our last “lazy” weekend for a while, so I really want to enjoy it.
Quinn got a hold of a guy about an hour away who has the kind of rough wood that would be perfect for the treehouse, so he and Nate took off at about 10am to go get some. It’s nearly 3pm, and they’re nearly back home again after picking it up, and then stopping for some McLunch in Prince Frederick.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Adventure outings
Today has been jam packed so far. Started out with Quinn getting up after 5am, and making a pot of that Kona blend coffee I got at BJ’s a few days ago. DAMN that stuff’s good!! After he left for swimming, I got started on house/kid stuff. After the boys were shooed up the driveway for the bus, I got ready and did my 4 miles, though my tummy was NOT in good shape. (and continues to churn as I’m typing this, hours later - boo!)
Grabbed a shower, then got all purtied up, cause our plan was for Q to come pick up Nomes and me, and whisk us off to the Golden Chicken & Japanese Grill for a lunch date! Q got the General Tso’s chicken, and I got shrimp and chicken, sort of stir-fried. Mine came with a nice blend of stir fried onions, carrots, and zucchini - yum! After that, we walked over to Starbucks, and both got a venti nonfat coconut mocha with an extra shot. We sat out in the sun for a few minutes, sipping our delicious beverages, then it was time to drive Q back to work.
Got back to the house, and tucked in Nomes for her nap. After the boys get home from school, we’re going to head back down, pick up Quinn, and have a family adventure... bag o’ burgers, and Kung Fu Panda 2.... IN 3D! :D
It was AWESOME! :)
Grabbed a shower, then got all purtied up, cause our plan was for Q to come pick up Nomes and me, and whisk us off to the Golden Chicken & Japanese Grill for a lunch date! Q got the General Tso’s chicken, and I got shrimp and chicken, sort of stir-fried. Mine came with a nice blend of stir fried onions, carrots, and zucchini - yum! After that, we walked over to Starbucks, and both got a venti nonfat coconut mocha with an extra shot. We sat out in the sun for a few minutes, sipping our delicious beverages, then it was time to drive Q back to work.
Got back to the house, and tucked in Nomes for her nap. After the boys get home from school, we’re going to head back down, pick up Quinn, and have a family adventure... bag o’ burgers, and Kung Fu Panda 2.... IN 3D! :D
It was AWESOME! :)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Of suet feeders and pink moths
First thing - the poor suet feeder. When I came downstairs this morning, I saw that the night attackers had ripped the metal of the holder right apart! The carbiner was still attached to the feeder, but the whole contraption was on the ground, with the 2” piece of metal still attached. I re-hung it on one of the nails sticking out of the tree, reloaded it, and am hoping for the best. I’m sure it’ll get gleefully ripped down tonight.
After that, I figured I’d distract them, so I refilled the “squirrel-proof” (haha!) birdfeeder, so now there are 2 things hanging on the tree. I want to get the hummingbird feeder up and running, so that’ll make 3, eventually.
Naomi found a beautiful moth that had just emerged from its cocoon, wings still floppy and wet. She captured it gently, and we put it into a “trap”, with a stick to climb on, and left it to air out on the front porch. An hour later, when I went to check on it, there were 3 other similar moths flapping all around. I’m guessing that Nomes caught a girl, and all the boys had smelled her pheromones and were trying to home in on her scent. Poor guys! After a lot of searching, turns out these guys are “Pink-striped Oakworm Moths” - what a mouthful! Here’s a neat link to some info/photos: http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek080316.html
After that, I figured I’d distract them, so I refilled the “squirrel-proof” (haha!) birdfeeder, so now there are 2 things hanging on the tree. I want to get the hummingbird feeder up and running, so that’ll make 3, eventually.
Naomi found a beautiful moth that had just emerged from its cocoon, wings still floppy and wet. She captured it gently, and we put it into a “trap”, with a stick to climb on, and left it to air out on the front porch. An hour later, when I went to check on it, there were 3 other similar moths flapping all around. I’m guessing that Nomes caught a girl, and all the boys had smelled her pheromones and were trying to home in on her scent. Poor guys! After a lot of searching, turns out these guys are “Pink-striped Oakworm Moths” - what a mouthful! Here’s a neat link to some info/photos: http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek080316.html
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Lighthouse run!
So Quinn dropped me off at the lighthouse, and I ran home. Went all the way to the end of the cul de sac and then came back. It was 3.75 miles, so not quite as far as my usual 4 mile runs, but with all the elevation change, it was a LOT harder. Saw a dead snapping turtle on the way back, and smelled TONS of honeysuckle - very awesome. I saw Beth and her husband when I got to the end of the cul de sac, so I stopped for ~5 minutes to talk to them.
Now Quinn’s out at the treehouse, working on the roof. It’s a *gorgeous* day out, nice breeze, and not too humid. ☺ Aah!
Male Flicker
Saw a male common flicker today, in the woods beyond the suet feeder! First spotting. ☺
Northern Flicker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The ornamental dogwood is starting to fade a little, as are the mountain laurel, but both are still very pretty. The air smelled perfumed last week, when the laurel were in full bloom.
Saw 3 deer in brown glossy coats this morning, from the downstairs bathroom window.
Q’s playing in the treehouse, working on the roof, and I will probably do my 4 mile run outside today!
Northern Flicker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The ornamental dogwood is starting to fade a little, as are the mountain laurel, but both are still very pretty. The air smelled perfumed last week, when the laurel were in full bloom.
Saw 3 deer in brown glossy coats this morning, from the downstairs bathroom window.
Q’s playing in the treehouse, working on the roof, and I will probably do my 4 mile run outside today!
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