Thoughts of the week!

As you can see, I changed our header again this week! I'm just experimenting until I find something I really like! You will note my face is on a poster that is a take off Rosie the Riveter! This was a popular poster that represented American women who worked in factories during WWII! Although the original poster said, “Yes We Can”, I changed that! I often say when I am working on or doing projects or adding apps or doing things on my iPhone that I don't do these things because have to do but, “Because I Can”! Because Carol loves music so much, I used Jib Jab to create what they call Lady LaLa which is, of course, a take off of Lady GaGa! What a trip, huh? Speaking of trips, I got gas in my car yesterday, the last time was probably 3 weeks ago!  I was surprised to see the gas prices, and my poor piggy bank:



I've been thinking a lot about my maternal grandmother the last few days! My Grandma Stayrook struggled with depression too! I don't believe it was bi-polar, but who knows! Back then depression was referred to as “nerves”! I so miss my Grandma! She and Grandpa had 10 kids to live to adulthood, and had 28 grandkids, I think! And a slew of great grandkids! Although Grandma had all those grandkids, she always made me feel special as I'm sure she did with each and every grandchild!  I always felt a special connection with her. Did she sense in me much of what she struggled with? I don't know, but I loved her very much! And I NEVER doubted she loved me!! I have many fond memories of her but the fondest I think I have is the day I asked her if I could help her make homemade bread the next day! She warned me it would take all day, but I was up for the task! So early the next morning we began to mix, then knead (a lot), then sit aside then knead some more and then put in the oven to bake. At this final step the clock indicated it was only noon! I was confused! In my world noon is not all day, but she kindly explained that she didn't want me to get bored while we went through the tasks that culminated in the most delicious bread I have ever tasted. Ahhh, that makes sense, and I still had the rest of the day to do as I wished. Spend more time with Grandma!  I have attached a few pictures of my maternal grandparents below:

         

 Granma & Grandpa's Wedding Day      Them holding me                         Their 50 Wedding Anniversary

                                                                                                                with all 10 Children! (Courtesy of

                                                                                                                Aunt Maretta!  Thanks, Honey!)

In this week's post, I am treating you to some videos of animals that don't actually come from my backyard! I know! I know! You'll miss my birds and squirrels but don't fret! Next week's another week! The videos I want to share are ones friends have either shared on Facebook or sent directly to me. They will receive credit for their sharing as I include the videos. This first video is another experiment of mine that I hope you will enjoy and appreciate! I taped a fire in my fireplace and inserted music to the background!  The music was introduced to my by my sweet friend, Carol M.  If you want to hear the whole song, I have left the youtube address for it!  It has a scenic video and the words on that!

                                          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vMYP4uJAqY

Thank you to all who have extended interest, love and encouragement!  Dee/Di/Diana/Hey You

Spring is almost here!

Spring is right around the corner especially for those of us in the southern states!  I got this idea from my Birds & Blooms magazine friends off of Facebook and thought you might find it interesting and helpful!  I plan to start some plants by seed using this!  Even if this doesn't interest you, don't miss the video I attached to the end of this "seedy" post!

Starting Seeds Indoors

 

You don’t need a fancy kit or special pots to start your own seeds.  All you need are some newspapers and a little tape.  Then you’ll have dozens of biodegradable pots ready for your favorite plants. Here’s how to make them:



1. Take a sheet of newspaper and cut it in half and then fourths. (You might try cutting several layers at once to save time, but use only one layer per pot.)

2. Take a small round container (we used a spice jar). Roll the paper around it, leaving about an inch of overhang at
    

3. Fold the overhang in, as if you were wrapping a present.  Then seal with tape. (Masking tape is more biodegradable than other kinds.)

4. Remove the jar and then fold in the edges all around the top.  This helps with stability and gives you a shorter pot.
5.Repeat until you have all the pots you want!

And if you grow vegetables, they can be used with some special friends you may have like those shown in the video below!  Thanks to Carol M. for sharing this with me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVwlMVYqMu4

Life with Whales, Dolphins, Kittens and Dogs

Sometimes a small creature and belt out a loud call!  And sometimes a small creature can muster up the courage to stand up to sometime 10 times the size of itself!  Enjoy!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaOqf2d-y30&feature=email

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNeaZz9Vt6Q&feature=related

And sometimes there's friends when you least expect it!  In this video, dolphins are getting a friendly ride from whale, not particulary known to be a friend!  Thanks to Gerri B. for sharing this on Facebook!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lC3AkGSigrA

Thoughts for the week!

Well, friends and family;

It was a struggle to get this week's post done!  I have some really good ideas, well I think they're good ideas, but just haven't been in the right spirit to get it done!  But they will be something to look forward to in the future!  As you have noticed, I designed my own header for our blog!  Did I rewrite the code using HTML as instruction in directions?  Heck, no!  I couldn't quite get a handle on what in the world they were talking about!  I'm not techy enough to deal with that hullabaloo so I did it my own dumb way!  I hope you got a kick out of it!  I appreciate using JibJab to make our little posters!

You'll find in this week's post some pictures of home improvements we've had done, a little Abraham Lincoln history, and of course, my ever present backyard activities!

On a sadder note, I found out yesterday that a lady I grew up with died on Monday!  Eileen and I were in grade school together and graduated high school in the same class of 1978!  We weren't what you would call friends, but we were friendly, and she was a nice girl.  I don't know how or why she died!  A friend from New Jersey said she saw her around Christmas, and she looked good!  She leaves behind a fiance, 2 sons and daughters-in-law and two grandchildren!  So much to live for and died too soon! Why does one person die while another lives?  I don't know!  But at the end of her life, my Grandma Stayrook surprised me by taking my hand, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, "Some day we'll understand'!  She responded to my unspoken question, "Why"?  Some day we'll understand everything!!

Eileen Long Madsen

1960-2012

Finally, I found the following video on Facebook, just loved it and had to share it!  The world can be a scary place!  But sometimes, I know, getting a hug and/or having someone you trust hold you can make your world a little lighter and your life a bit brighter! 

• http://www.godvine.com/Meet-the-Scared-Dog-That-Only-Wanted-a-Hug-1087.html

History: Abraham Lincoln

The following is an article from my History Channel Magazine in which I thought some of you may be interested.  I missed the chance to go to the mentioned exhibit when it was here in Charlotte, NC in 2011.  I have also listed the cities where this exhibit will be in 2012 if you find this interesting.

 

Lincoln and the Constitution

2012 January 25–March 9 University of Florida, Smathers Libraries Gainesville, FL March 21–May 4 Broward Public Library Foundation Main Library Fort Lauderdale, FL May 16–June 29 Kennesaw State University, Sturgis Library Kennesaw,GA July 11–August 24 Calvert Library Prince Frederick, MD September 5–October 19 Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University Libraries Blacksburg, VA October 31–December 14 Norwalk Community College, Baker Library Norwalk, CT He authored the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, waged a war that preserved the Union and liberated millions of slaves. Yet Abraham Lincoln's abundant virtues, extraordinary success, and gentle demeanor often overshadow another reality of his presidency. It's easy to forget that the16th president suspended habeas corpus, censored newspapers across the North, and instituted the first military draft in the nation's history. To help Americans better understand the complicated makeup of Lincoln's presidency, 2½ years ago the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association created a traveling exhibit focused specifically on Lincoln and the Constitution, allowing visitors a rare opportunity to hear from historians and constitutional speakers and to peruse historical documents, photos, and prints of the era. Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War offers a fresh, penetrating look at how Lincoln at times struggled to simultaneously meet the political and constitutional demands of the Civil War. This January the exhibit began the first of its final ten stops across the country, so make sure to plan your visit before it's too late.

Home Improvements!

In December and January we had some home improvement things done in our house!  The greatest of these was new flooring in all the bathrooms, the utility room and Carol's master bathroom.  The paint color in the downstairs bath and Diana's upstairs bath was changed from a dark blue to a lighter blue, and the utility room's white walls were also painted the lighter blue!  All this after we found we had plenty of paint left over after having Carol's master bath and her bedroom painted with this color.





 

Diana's Bathroom 

 

 Carol's bathroom and the utility room!  I didn't take a picture of Carol's bedroom with new paint color!

Kitchen is below!

I know! I know! Squirrels Again!

I have what's called a Squirrel Diner!  I have found, as well as many others, that one of the best ways to keep squirrels off bird feeders, is to give them their own food!  Yes, there are squirrel proof bird feeders, but from what I've read, squirrels are eventually able to figure out what to do to get to the food!  Anyway...the following two videos is of a squirrel getting into the Diner and then sitting in there to eat his feast!  Enjoy!



It never ceases to amaze me how squirrels will eat at food!  The next picture and video comically shows one of my squirrels getting food off the Kob, and then hanging upside down to eat it.  I would think blood would rush to his head, and he'd get a headache doing this, but then, I'm not a squirrel!

Oops and correction!!

Hi, all!  I'm sorry for a couple reasons!  First and foremost is that I should have really proof read my post better!  I was in such a hurry to get it posted before Merry Maids arrived that I had some spelling and punctuation errors as well as some words missing in the text!  Please overlook this with a promise to do better in the future!

Now the most important problem with the original post is that a video is missing in the squirrel section.  I liked to say that the glitch was a computer problem, but you know what they say!  A computer is only as good as it's user!  So since I can't blame the computer, and I don't want to blame me, I'll have to blame, hmmm, I know!  I'll blame my mom since she's not here to defend herself!  Hee Hee!  Ok! Enough of my yammering!  Below is the text posted on the original post, and it will really be followed by the video you were supposed to see in original post! 

"In the video below, you'll notice that the squirrel will eat then stop and hesitate a couple times.  He heard movement behind him.  Only after he realizes it was only a mourning dove (you'll see it come in view) does he relax and continue eating!"



February 8, 2012

Hello, again, friends and family;

I hope you will enjoy this weeks updates to my blog.  You will find info, pictures and videos of the antics in my backyard!  I hope you do not tire of this!  I love to look out the back door and find something new going on back there!

First and foremost, congratulations to New York Giants fans for their Super Bowl win!  Unfortunately, my Pittsburgh Steelers didn't make it this year!  And though I agree with the baby below, it sure was a good game.  Carol and I enjoyed spending the evening with our wonderful friends, Bill and Vicki!  Great chili from Vicki, wonderful snacks, some vegetable pizza we provided and plenty of soda/tea, well Vicki and I had a beer (thank you, Vicki) and a great game made for a stupendous time even if Carol was rooting for the Patriots!

Something new I'd like to share with you especially if you like reading!  My friend, Bill had asked me to find some books on amazon.com! I actually found another website that, if you don't care that the books are not brand new, is often much cheaper!  Vendors sell through this website, they detail the condition of the particular book and some even offer free shipping!  I ordered 8 books through them and every book was in great condition and the prices couldn't be beat!  I got all 8 of these books for just under $30 which averages out to about $3.75 each and several of them were hardcover!  If you're interested, the web page address is abebooks.com!

And finally if you made a New Year's resolution to stay away from cookies, you will surely enjoy this youtube video, my sweet friends Carol and Chuck sent me a few weeks ago!  If nothing else, it will bring a good laugh!  If it doesn't, you might want to have your laugh gauge checked out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=FrTbnczYAd4&feature=player_embedded

Well, blessings for this week and if you're having a rough week here are lyrics from the band Florence + The Machine!  "It's hard to dance with the devil on your back.....so shake it out!"  Love to all, Dee/Di/Diana

Juncos & Cardinal & Wrens OR Lions & Tigers & Bears, oh my!

I enjoy watching birds, wrens in particular, feeding off the Kob I put out for the squirrels!  You'll notice in this video that a wren in feeding off the Kob, and a junco is feeding off the ground from what is dropped on the ground.  If you listen closely, or maybe not that closely, you will hear screaming in the background!  I had not muted the tv while video taping the birds so what you're hearing is from a show on tv.  Just so you don't feel left out the video following the birds feeding is what was on tv at the time.  I rewound the show and taped it with my camera so I hope you'll enjoy as much as we did what is happening on the tv show!

Anyone for a bison burger?

Now cardinals are an interesting bird!  The male is a beautiful red while the female is a mousy brownish red!  Doesn't seem right, does it ladies?  I have read and noticed with my own cardinals that they prefer to feed from feeders or off the ground when there is little or no other bird traffic!  The first of the two videos below show the male cardinal eating from a feeder with his mate directly below him eating off the ground! The second shows the two love feeding together from the ground!  Ain't that sweet?

Squirrels in caution!

Here's a little info you may like to know about my squirrels.  Normally they don't like to share!  On cold days one of my squirrels seem to tolerate other squirrels feeding around them.  BUT on warmer days they haven't apparently learned the lessons we have been taught as children....It's nice to share!  The two pictures below were taken as the squirrel was feeding off the ground!  He stopped and froze!  He heard what he thought may be another squirrel!



In the video below, you'll notice that the squirrel will eat then stop and hesitate a couple times.  He heard movement behind him.  Only after he realizes it was a mourning dove, you'll see it come in view, does he relax and continue eating.

In this last video, you will notice the squirrel wagging or shaking his tail.  Unlike dogs, when a squirrel wags his tail he is NOT happy to see you!  He is aggitated because another squirrel is in the vacinity!  It is hilarious to watch them chase each other around my backyard!  Catching it on video is virtually impossible!  They run so fast and by the time I grab my camera, the party's over!





Squirrels love to eat!