It's been a bit of a crazy week and weekend with lots of work and baseball. I spent most of my free weekend time either doing stuff for work or else researching stuff for our upcoming South Dakota trip. I'm definitely ready for vacation!
Most nights I wake up WIDE AWAKE around 1:30 or 2am. I come out the the living room to my recliner and get on my computer and/or read until I hopefully fall back asleep until 4 or 5am when I get up for the day. Scout is my little shadow and he comes with me. Normally, he sleeps in bed and then either sleeps with me in the chair or else somewhere on the floor around the chair. Occasionally, though, he's a total pain and goes around and barks at the rats and chases the cats and finds things to chew up.
One night last week I had moved from bed to chair around midnight. By 1:30 I was reclined and had just dozed off when I heard Scout crying underneath my chair. Somehow, crazy dog had snooped and sniffed under my chair (something a dog with REAL legs could never, ever do!) and got his head stuck between two bars. Somehow I had the sense to not put down my footrest or I might have crushed him. He was stuck, stuck and I screamed for Gene to come help. Gene does not normally wake up in the middle of the night, but he went into hero mode and found the tools to take apart the chair just enough to free Scout's head. Scout popped out, shook it off and within approximately less than a second forgot that anything bad had happened and was back to normal. It was all good! Gene and I duct taped the bars so it doesn't happen again, because with the minuscule level of trauma on Scout's part, it seemed the odds were against us. I, on the other hand, was so worked up I didn't sleep the rest of the night. It's a good thing Scout's so cute...
That was by far the most exciting part of our week. I did take Kaylin to see Brave. As far as Disney princess movies go, it was pretty good. I only fell asleep a few times. It was a sweet story and Kaylin absolutely loved it. It was nice to have an independent, smart princess who just wants to be herself, rather than the usual stupid sheep princess who is either saved by or will change her entire life to be with a prince.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Awesome Weekend
Meghan and I spent a fantastic weekend watching cranes in Wisconsin. One of the biggerst perks of being a zoo keeper is getting tours of other facilities the general public couldn't even pay for. We started out with a guided, behind the scenes tour at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo. The curator first toured us around the office area and we got to see the camera monitoring system that can check all the cranes in their breeding facility, Crane City. We also got to watch whooping crane chicks being "trained" to be adult cranes by costumed workers. This was also via camera because the chick area requires total human silence, visible humans in costume only, etc. Whooping cranes are the world's most endangered cranes and ICF is playing a huge role in restoring wild populations. The curator had sort of implied that this would be our tour and even stated he'd send us to tour the public part of the facility on our own. Our excitement and interest must have made an impression because before we knew it, we were in a van headed to Crane City, where few non-employees/researchers ever get to go.
Crane City is a vast area with dozens and dozens of yards and houses for breeding cranes. The majority of the Crane City cranes are whooping cranes because they are so highly endangered, but the other crane species are represented as well. ICF is the only facility in the world to house all 15 species of cranes. It was already a HUGE thrill to be in this off-limits, behind-the-scenes area, so imagine our excitement when we got to enter a house and see a super-cute, fuzzy hooded crane chick up close! We stopped to check out several other cranes as well, including the most genetically valuable pair of whooping cranes in the world. Again, we must have shown a proper level of excitement and interest because after we left Crane City, the curator gave us a personal tour around the entire public area. It was excellent because the cranes all came up to him and displayed. We did get to see all 15 crane species.
We were so excited about our tour we almost immediately set out for Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, hoping to see wild whooping cranes. We hiked a hot and buggy trail, drove for miles around the 40,000 acre site and climbed to the top of a lookout tower. We saw lots of sandhill cranes and even an adorable chick, but no whoopers. We left the refuge and found a dinky but decent mom and pop motel in the nearby town and had a late dinner at the bar/restaurant next door. We were early to bed, early to rise and hit the refuge again in the morning. We went right to the lookout tower and were rewarded with some great views of a pair of whooping cranes! We watched as they browsed for food and chased off a sandhill crane. It was excellent! We saw and identified 50 wild bird species on our trip as well as several flycatchers, sparrows and warblers we couldn't positively ID from a quick look. Maybe a few years from now...
After one last walk around the boardwalk trail by the visitor center, we headed back into town and had an excellent breakfast at the Little Crane Cafe. We moved on to Wisconsin Dells and visited the Deer Park where we fed crackers to deer and got to see lots of adorable fawns. We hit a cheese store on the way out of town where I bought some silly and fun toys for the kids for our upcoming South Dakota road trip. We started home around noon and arrived home ~4pm. It was a perfect weekend trip and we both had a blast.
Meanwhile, Gene had a very busy Saturday morning with the kids. Kaylin and two of her friends sold her Flufferdoodles (feather hair clips) at the Riverfront Market. They sold 57 and were thrilled! This was my dad's big adventure and he supervised, but Gene went very early to set up their table. Gene then left and took Logan to his baseball game where Logan hit a game-winning three-run homer! Go Logan!
Crane City is a vast area with dozens and dozens of yards and houses for breeding cranes. The majority of the Crane City cranes are whooping cranes because they are so highly endangered, but the other crane species are represented as well. ICF is the only facility in the world to house all 15 species of cranes. It was already a HUGE thrill to be in this off-limits, behind-the-scenes area, so imagine our excitement when we got to enter a house and see a super-cute, fuzzy hooded crane chick up close! We stopped to check out several other cranes as well, including the most genetically valuable pair of whooping cranes in the world. Again, we must have shown a proper level of excitement and interest because after we left Crane City, the curator gave us a personal tour around the entire public area. It was excellent because the cranes all came up to him and displayed. We did get to see all 15 crane species.
We were so excited about our tour we almost immediately set out for Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, hoping to see wild whooping cranes. We hiked a hot and buggy trail, drove for miles around the 40,000 acre site and climbed to the top of a lookout tower. We saw lots of sandhill cranes and even an adorable chick, but no whoopers. We left the refuge and found a dinky but decent mom and pop motel in the nearby town and had a late dinner at the bar/restaurant next door. We were early to bed, early to rise and hit the refuge again in the morning. We went right to the lookout tower and were rewarded with some great views of a pair of whooping cranes! We watched as they browsed for food and chased off a sandhill crane. It was excellent! We saw and identified 50 wild bird species on our trip as well as several flycatchers, sparrows and warblers we couldn't positively ID from a quick look. Maybe a few years from now...
After one last walk around the boardwalk trail by the visitor center, we headed back into town and had an excellent breakfast at the Little Crane Cafe. We moved on to Wisconsin Dells and visited the Deer Park where we fed crackers to deer and got to see lots of adorable fawns. We hit a cheese store on the way out of town where I bought some silly and fun toys for the kids for our upcoming South Dakota road trip. We started home around noon and arrived home ~4pm. It was a perfect weekend trip and we both had a blast.
Meanwhile, Gene had a very busy Saturday morning with the kids. Kaylin and two of her friends sold her Flufferdoodles (feather hair clips) at the Riverfront Market. They sold 57 and were thrilled! This was my dad's big adventure and he supervised, but Gene went very early to set up their table. Gene then left and took Logan to his baseball game where Logan hit a game-winning three-run homer! Go Logan!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Ancient History
One thing that annoys me about the kids' day camp is that they are constantly required to bring a small amount of cash. I don't mind at all that they need money for a wiener roast or for popcorn at the movies, I just never carry cash anymore and end up rummaging for change or making an emergency ATM stop. I always try to remember to get some cash over my weekend, but it never seems to work out.
One day last week, each of the kids needed $2 for lunch. I had two ones I gave to Logan and told Kaylin to go dig two dollars in quarters out of my change jar. As we were driving to camp, Kaylin realized she had accidentally grabbed a nickel instead of a quarter. I always have some change in my car so it was no big deal. Then she was looking closely at the nickel and realized it was from (gasp! wait for it!) 1959. She was astounded that a nickel that OLD could still be in circulation. She just went on and on about that old, old nickel. (In case you're not a coin collector, yes, it looks like every other nickel through 20whatever when they started whatever they're doing with the new nickels- it's not buffalo head or anything.) Logan asked to see it and he, too, was amazed. Kaylin talked about how she was going to write her Young Authors book next year about the nickel and from the point of view of the nickel and how many people had spent it, etc. I just giggled and felt old. That night Kaylin's friend came over, saw the nickel and her response was "WHOA!!!"
Yep. That is one old nickel!
One day last week, each of the kids needed $2 for lunch. I had two ones I gave to Logan and told Kaylin to go dig two dollars in quarters out of my change jar. As we were driving to camp, Kaylin realized she had accidentally grabbed a nickel instead of a quarter. I always have some change in my car so it was no big deal. Then she was looking closely at the nickel and realized it was from (gasp! wait for it!) 1959. She was astounded that a nickel that OLD could still be in circulation. She just went on and on about that old, old nickel. (In case you're not a coin collector, yes, it looks like every other nickel through 20whatever when they started whatever they're doing with the new nickels- it's not buffalo head or anything.) Logan asked to see it and he, too, was amazed. Kaylin talked about how she was going to write her Young Authors book next year about the nickel and from the point of view of the nickel and how many people had spent it, etc. I just giggled and felt old. That night Kaylin's friend came over, saw the nickel and her response was "WHOA!!!"
Yep. That is one old nickel!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
More Scout
I've been too busy playing with Scout to write about him. He is turning out to be an excellent dog. Scout has been great with the kids and all their friends who have been over. He's not completely housebroken, but he's doing better every day. Poor doggie got bordetella (kennel cough) from the shelter and while I've only heard him cough once or twice, he's sneezing a lot and sprays snot everywhere. Gross, but he can't help it. Otherwise, you'd never know he's sick; he's eating well and playing like a maniac. I'm sure he'll catch on soon, but right now he's the easiest dog I've ever medicated. I could probably just give him a plain pill and he'd eat it. One really weird thing he does is sniff around the back yard for hours at a time. He just sniffs and sniffs and sniffs. It's completely shocking that I'd get another OCD dog :)
As far as the other pets, Scout pretty much ignores Tiger the cat. Tiger is WAY bigger than him and Scout pretends Tiger doesn't exist. Tiger was pretty unfazed by the teensy dog. Willow was terrified and spent two days in the garage before figuring out that Scout doesn't care about her. She still runs from him sometimes and he chases her until she turns around. At first I was terrified Scout was going to tear apart the rats' cage and kill them. I moved the cage to another room and he now leaves them alone most of the time.
Otherwise, he's cuddly and wonderful. He likes riding in the car and playing fetch. We took him to Logan's baseball game today and he either snooped around in the grass or curled up in one of our laps. I am so happy and relieved to have a dog again. We were only without a dog for a few weeks, but I couldn't stand it. Scout is the perfect addition to our family.
As far as the other pets, Scout pretty much ignores Tiger the cat. Tiger is WAY bigger than him and Scout pretends Tiger doesn't exist. Tiger was pretty unfazed by the teensy dog. Willow was terrified and spent two days in the garage before figuring out that Scout doesn't care about her. She still runs from him sometimes and he chases her until she turns around. At first I was terrified Scout was going to tear apart the rats' cage and kill them. I moved the cage to another room and he now leaves them alone most of the time.
Otherwise, he's cuddly and wonderful. He likes riding in the car and playing fetch. We took him to Logan's baseball game today and he either snooped around in the grass or curled up in one of our laps. I am so happy and relieved to have a dog again. We were only without a dog for a few weeks, but I couldn't stand it. Scout is the perfect addition to our family.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Scout!
We had planned to spend the weekend in St. Louis, but that got scrapped because we found a new dog! I took Wednesday off work for the kids' last day of school. My dad picked them up and took them to lunch, so I spent the morning running errands. One of my errands was picking up rat chow at PetSmart. The visit to PetSmart sort of knocked me for a loop. I was so sad and missing Duncan so much I decided to go back to the shelter and look at dogs. I was hoping the dachshund Kaylin and I played with on Friday was still there. It was! Maybe this was meant to be! I pulled his card and requested to meet him. The shelter has some colored sticker system that IS simple and explained to the public, but I hadn't paid attention. The sticker on his card showed he was already adopted. Bummer. The front desk ladies double-checked his info and found that the adoption had been canceled. Yay! They brought Scout the dachshund to a private room and he was a total sweetie pie. I filled out a hold form and went to get the kids.
I called my dad and he was close to our house, planning to go to the playground before bringing the kids home. He was driving right by our street anyway, so I asked him to stop at home first. Kaylin was very excited about meeting Scout because she had already seen him. Her excitement was contagious and Logan quickly agreed to go meet the dog instead of going to the park. This was the true test. Would Scout be good around the kids? Yes! I won't pretend like our meeting was all flowers and rainbows. Scout would have much preferred a walk outside than meeting with a roomfull of strangers, but he was totally comfortable with the kids. He showed no signs of aggression and didn't mind one bit when Logan was patting his head a little hard. Scout allowed me to touch and play with his feet and ears, check his teeth and mouth and roll him on his back with no aggression or resistance. He wasn't fazed when the kids picked him up. With these positive signs, I called Gene and begged him to leave work and come to the shelter.
The shelter has a policy that all family members must meet an animal before it can be adopted. Gene reluctantly left work and came to join us. The shelter people brought Scout to the room and Gene immediately fell for him. We filled out the rest of the adoption paperwork, paid the fee and were told we could pick up Scout on Saturday. SATURDAY?!? Three days? Hahaha. Our terrible test of patience... Scout needed to be neutered and it couldn't be scheduled until Friday. I was instructed to call Friday after 2 pm to be sure the vet cleared Scout for surgery. As long as everything went well last night, we'll be picking up our new dog after 9 this morning. We can't wait!
Since Scout was picked up as a stray, we have no idea if he's housebroken. We don't know what he'll be like around cats. We don't know if he'll eat shoes or tear apart the couch. I'm fairly positive his stumpy legs won't allow him to jump a 6 foot fence, but will he dig? Bark incessantly? Walk on a leash? We'll see. His age is estimated at 2 years old so he's probably mostly out of the puppy craziness. He certainly seemed laid back and non-aggressive in our meetings. It's quite a gamble, but Scout certainly seems worth it! Four hours until I can call the shelter and then hopefully go get him.
Since we had planned for St. Louis, we all had the day off yesterday. We needed to do something to get our mind off the terribly long wait for the dog so we decided to take a day trip to Springfield. Gene's been wanting to go to the Lincoln Presidential Museum/Library since it opened a few years ago. Yesterday was his day! Wow, that place is quite a production! The movies were Disney quality. We had a good old time playing with toys from the period and I think we all learned a LOT about Abraham Lincoln. It was a gorgeous day so we moved on to Henson Robinson Zoo. Logan found two peacock feathers and we had way too much fun playing attack the feather (through the glass) with a pair of young bobcats. They would pounce and leap and stalk those feathers! We also played with a very active wolverine that was following us along its exhibit and jumping up on the glass to "get" us. That little zoo has made some really nice improvements since the last time I visited a few years ago. We had a great time!
It's just starting to get light and I'd love to go down to Forest Park Nature Center and bird a while. I should probably clean the house and prep for the dog instead. Hmmm. Maybe I can do both.
I called my dad and he was close to our house, planning to go to the playground before bringing the kids home. He was driving right by our street anyway, so I asked him to stop at home first. Kaylin was very excited about meeting Scout because she had already seen him. Her excitement was contagious and Logan quickly agreed to go meet the dog instead of going to the park. This was the true test. Would Scout be good around the kids? Yes! I won't pretend like our meeting was all flowers and rainbows. Scout would have much preferred a walk outside than meeting with a roomfull of strangers, but he was totally comfortable with the kids. He showed no signs of aggression and didn't mind one bit when Logan was patting his head a little hard. Scout allowed me to touch and play with his feet and ears, check his teeth and mouth and roll him on his back with no aggression or resistance. He wasn't fazed when the kids picked him up. With these positive signs, I called Gene and begged him to leave work and come to the shelter.
The shelter has a policy that all family members must meet an animal before it can be adopted. Gene reluctantly left work and came to join us. The shelter people brought Scout to the room and Gene immediately fell for him. We filled out the rest of the adoption paperwork, paid the fee and were told we could pick up Scout on Saturday. SATURDAY?!? Three days? Hahaha. Our terrible test of patience... Scout needed to be neutered and it couldn't be scheduled until Friday. I was instructed to call Friday after 2 pm to be sure the vet cleared Scout for surgery. As long as everything went well last night, we'll be picking up our new dog after 9 this morning. We can't wait!
Since Scout was picked up as a stray, we have no idea if he's housebroken. We don't know what he'll be like around cats. We don't know if he'll eat shoes or tear apart the couch. I'm fairly positive his stumpy legs won't allow him to jump a 6 foot fence, but will he dig? Bark incessantly? Walk on a leash? We'll see. His age is estimated at 2 years old so he's probably mostly out of the puppy craziness. He certainly seemed laid back and non-aggressive in our meetings. It's quite a gamble, but Scout certainly seems worth it! Four hours until I can call the shelter and then hopefully go get him.
Since we had planned for St. Louis, we all had the day off yesterday. We needed to do something to get our mind off the terribly long wait for the dog so we decided to take a day trip to Springfield. Gene's been wanting to go to the Lincoln Presidential Museum/Library since it opened a few years ago. Yesterday was his day! Wow, that place is quite a production! The movies were Disney quality. We had a good old time playing with toys from the period and I think we all learned a LOT about Abraham Lincoln. It was a gorgeous day so we moved on to Henson Robinson Zoo. Logan found two peacock feathers and we had way too much fun playing attack the feather (through the glass) with a pair of young bobcats. They would pounce and leap and stalk those feathers! We also played with a very active wolverine that was following us along its exhibit and jumping up on the glass to "get" us. That little zoo has made some really nice improvements since the last time I visited a few years ago. We had a great time!
It's just starting to get light and I'd love to go down to Forest Park Nature Center and bird a while. I should probably clean the house and prep for the dog instead. Hmmm. Maybe I can do both.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Inspection and School OVER!!!
Tonight I'm breathing an enormous, happy sigh of relief! My part of the zoo inspection is over and I lived to tell! I plan to go a long time without painting anything or washing a ceiling :) Our inspection team is incredibly nice and even though they had several easy opportunities to grill me individually, they only asked questions that were pertinent to the situation at hand. Five years ago I was nailed with a seemingly endless stream of questions that ranged from favorite/least favorite things about the zoo to pest control. This time around I memorized our mission statement and our types of guns "just in case." I wasn't asked, thank goodness!
My uncomfortable moment came when I had to shift the tigers around in front of the inspection team. Tigers are neurotic and overly cautious in the best of situations, so I wasn't too optimistic about how they were going to act with 4 extra people in the building and at least 3 others outside watching through the window. I have had situations in the past where I truly believed Kyra the tiger was reading my emotions and protecting me. I am positive that both Kyra and Vaska read me and did what needed to be done. Those tigers shifted like champs! They also made me look great and made the whole process look effortless. That would be a perfect example of why I love my job and love animals in general. Those tigers are the BEST!
The inspection team was out of my area by 11am, so the only thing remaining was lunch. Three tables were set up with one inspector at each table. Non-management staff was first questioned by "our" inspector and then had an entire group Q & A. I assume they do this so we can comfortably air grievances without management present and without risk of retaliation. I also imagine many people are more willing to speak without their boss present and even complain about the boss if necessary. Really, our only complaints were wishing for more full time positions and more money. I'm sure the inspectors practically died of shock that we all would like a raise :)
That was it for my part of the inspection. The team will be at the zoo all day today and part of the day Thursday, but it's all for interviews with bigwigs and park district people. I probably won't even see them again unless in passing. Hooray! I had been dreading this inspection for a year and I survived!
I requested today off of work months ago (long before the inspection was scheduled) because it's the kids' last day of school. I thought it was pretty convenient how that worked out, but I don't think working today would have been a big deal at all. Anyway, I can't believe the school year is over! At 10:31am, my daughter will be a 7th grader! How is that possible?!? My baby boy will be a 4th grader and in his final year of primary school. Time does fly. The kids are super excited about summer and looking forward to camp. Today I'll do inventory and stock up on sunscreen and beach towels and water bottles and lunch items. We're planning a weekend in St. Louis to celebrate school being out and the zoo inspection being over. I checked the weather forecast and Friday's high is around 70F. We couldn't wish for anything better.
Gene took the kids to a White Sox game Sunday and they all had an excellent time. The Sox won and the game was high scoring with homers and big plays from several of their favorite players. They filled up on stadium food and the kids got to run the bases after the game. Logan was beyond thrilled. Kaylin liked the bouncy bases. Logan bought a REAL major league baseball that he loves so much I wouldn't be surprised if he's sleeping with it. They played bags in the parking lot and found our family brick. Heehee, did I mention it was Kids Day so the kids' tickets were only a buck apiece? Super good deal!
I am continuing the impossible search for a new dog. Kaylin and I went to the shelter on Friday and "tried out" a little poodle mix. She was a sweetie-pie, but I just didn't get the right vibe. This visit was a little more promising because we also would have met a dachshund that totally acted like Duncan, but he was already getting adopted. I absolutely KNOW I should wait until after our planned July vacation to even think about getting a dog, but I miss Duncan so much and I want another dog NOW. I may not be smart enough to wait until after vacation and I may be stupid enough to end up getting a puppy, but I am at least smart enough to keep looking and wait for the RIGHT dog.
My uncomfortable moment came when I had to shift the tigers around in front of the inspection team. Tigers are neurotic and overly cautious in the best of situations, so I wasn't too optimistic about how they were going to act with 4 extra people in the building and at least 3 others outside watching through the window. I have had situations in the past where I truly believed Kyra the tiger was reading my emotions and protecting me. I am positive that both Kyra and Vaska read me and did what needed to be done. Those tigers shifted like champs! They also made me look great and made the whole process look effortless. That would be a perfect example of why I love my job and love animals in general. Those tigers are the BEST!
The inspection team was out of my area by 11am, so the only thing remaining was lunch. Three tables were set up with one inspector at each table. Non-management staff was first questioned by "our" inspector and then had an entire group Q & A. I assume they do this so we can comfortably air grievances without management present and without risk of retaliation. I also imagine many people are more willing to speak without their boss present and even complain about the boss if necessary. Really, our only complaints were wishing for more full time positions and more money. I'm sure the inspectors practically died of shock that we all would like a raise :)
That was it for my part of the inspection. The team will be at the zoo all day today and part of the day Thursday, but it's all for interviews with bigwigs and park district people. I probably won't even see them again unless in passing. Hooray! I had been dreading this inspection for a year and I survived!
I requested today off of work months ago (long before the inspection was scheduled) because it's the kids' last day of school. I thought it was pretty convenient how that worked out, but I don't think working today would have been a big deal at all. Anyway, I can't believe the school year is over! At 10:31am, my daughter will be a 7th grader! How is that possible?!? My baby boy will be a 4th grader and in his final year of primary school. Time does fly. The kids are super excited about summer and looking forward to camp. Today I'll do inventory and stock up on sunscreen and beach towels and water bottles and lunch items. We're planning a weekend in St. Louis to celebrate school being out and the zoo inspection being over. I checked the weather forecast and Friday's high is around 70F. We couldn't wish for anything better.
Gene took the kids to a White Sox game Sunday and they all had an excellent time. The Sox won and the game was high scoring with homers and big plays from several of their favorite players. They filled up on stadium food and the kids got to run the bases after the game. Logan was beyond thrilled. Kaylin liked the bouncy bases. Logan bought a REAL major league baseball that he loves so much I wouldn't be surprised if he's sleeping with it. They played bags in the parking lot and found our family brick. Heehee, did I mention it was Kids Day so the kids' tickets were only a buck apiece? Super good deal!
I am continuing the impossible search for a new dog. Kaylin and I went to the shelter on Friday and "tried out" a little poodle mix. She was a sweetie-pie, but I just didn't get the right vibe. This visit was a little more promising because we also would have met a dachshund that totally acted like Duncan, but he was already getting adopted. I absolutely KNOW I should wait until after our planned July vacation to even think about getting a dog, but I miss Duncan so much and I want another dog NOW. I may not be smart enough to wait until after vacation and I may be stupid enough to end up getting a puppy, but I am at least smart enough to keep looking and wait for the RIGHT dog.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Work work work
I consider painting (as in walls, not art) to be one of the most boring jobs in the world. Five years ago I painted a LOT in preparation for a major zoo inspection and it turned me off of the task probably forever. Right now we're prepping for another inspection and I'm once again painting more than I would like (but not even close to as much as last time.) The inspection prep is all good- it makes the zoo look great and it even gives some sense of accomplishment, but it is both physically and mentally exhausting. Add the work exhaustion to the mental anguish of losing Duncan and I really needed to do something fun this weekend. Something fun but relaxing...
Logan agreed to come birding with me, but he wanted to attend the neighbor boy's baseball game first. The game was at 8:30am, so I used my early morning and went to a migratory bird walk at Forest Park Nature Center. I guess I'm always surprised and a little disappointed that I know more than the naturalists that guide these tours. Including the guide, there were only 5 of us and two of us were better birders than the guide. The other 2 were a mom and her ~12-yr-old son who was working on a boy scout badge. He needed to see and identify 20 species, so we all helped him ID cardinals and robins and brown-headed cowbirds. Oh, and chickadees and nuthatches and woodpeckers and wild turkeys. It was alright, but we spent an hour and a half walking maybe a quarter of a mile and saw zero warblers. The most exciting birds of the tour were indigo buntings and an eastern phoebe. The buntings are always pretty, but seriously? Yawn.
Logan and I loaded up his bike and set out for Banner Marsh. The water levels were really low and we saw little other than Canada geese and mute swans. The goslings and cygnets were adorable, but I was hoping for more. We moved on to Emiquon. Again, the water levels were down, but at Emiquon it was a good thing. The black-necked stilts were EVERYWHERE. Not that I would ever do this, but the stilts were so close I could have thrown a rock and hit them. I also saw American golden plovers and dunlin. Logan rode around a little, but even with a nice breeze, the sun was beating down and the heat was getting to him. I was thinking about walking through the woods by the Spoon River, but they were all flooded. The river itself was pretty high. What in the world? Why were the water levels at Banner and Emiquon so low and the river so high? Okay. We moved on to Chautauqua and got to see the osprey nest and found some orchard orioles, but there was absolutely nothing on or near the water other than a few coots. We drove through Sand Ridge forest and saw basically no birds. It was hot and the sun was beating down. We had planned to look for snakes at Spring Lake, but decided to skip it and go to a couple of animal shelters instead.
I had never been to the new TAPS facility in Pekin. It is really nice! They had the usual selection of huge, uncontrollable barking dogs and a few small dogs that were all marked "Not good with children." We moved on to PAWS in Peoria and were again disappointed. I was surprised at the number of Chihuahuas. Between the two places there were at least 6. There was a wiener dog we really liked, but it was relinquished because it wasn't good with other pets. I reminded Logan how many times we went to PAWS before we found Duncan, but that was more depressing than helpful. Part of me is considering a puppy from a breeder. My logical side knows a puppy is an insane amount of work and will destroy all of our shoes and furniture. My stupid side wants a puppy. A coworker wants me to take his "best dog in the world" golden retriever that his daughter is allergic to and he doesn't have time for. Maybe, but I really fell in love with the idea of having a small dog. Basically, we just want Duncan back, but that isn't going to happen. The one thing we all agree on is that we want a dog in our lives. Too bad it isn't easy.
Well, time to get ready for work and what will be a tough week of painting and pulling weeds and cleaning like a maniac. The inspection starts a week from Tuesday. In 12 days it will be completely over. We will all make it through. I am just thrilled it is at the end of May this time rather than mid-July. The last inspection pretty much ruined my summer. This time it will be over before summer even starts!
Logan agreed to come birding with me, but he wanted to attend the neighbor boy's baseball game first. The game was at 8:30am, so I used my early morning and went to a migratory bird walk at Forest Park Nature Center. I guess I'm always surprised and a little disappointed that I know more than the naturalists that guide these tours. Including the guide, there were only 5 of us and two of us were better birders than the guide. The other 2 were a mom and her ~12-yr-old son who was working on a boy scout badge. He needed to see and identify 20 species, so we all helped him ID cardinals and robins and brown-headed cowbirds. Oh, and chickadees and nuthatches and woodpeckers and wild turkeys. It was alright, but we spent an hour and a half walking maybe a quarter of a mile and saw zero warblers. The most exciting birds of the tour were indigo buntings and an eastern phoebe. The buntings are always pretty, but seriously? Yawn.
Logan and I loaded up his bike and set out for Banner Marsh. The water levels were really low and we saw little other than Canada geese and mute swans. The goslings and cygnets were adorable, but I was hoping for more. We moved on to Emiquon. Again, the water levels were down, but at Emiquon it was a good thing. The black-necked stilts were EVERYWHERE. Not that I would ever do this, but the stilts were so close I could have thrown a rock and hit them. I also saw American golden plovers and dunlin. Logan rode around a little, but even with a nice breeze, the sun was beating down and the heat was getting to him. I was thinking about walking through the woods by the Spoon River, but they were all flooded. The river itself was pretty high. What in the world? Why were the water levels at Banner and Emiquon so low and the river so high? Okay. We moved on to Chautauqua and got to see the osprey nest and found some orchard orioles, but there was absolutely nothing on or near the water other than a few coots. We drove through Sand Ridge forest and saw basically no birds. It was hot and the sun was beating down. We had planned to look for snakes at Spring Lake, but decided to skip it and go to a couple of animal shelters instead.
I had never been to the new TAPS facility in Pekin. It is really nice! They had the usual selection of huge, uncontrollable barking dogs and a few small dogs that were all marked "Not good with children." We moved on to PAWS in Peoria and were again disappointed. I was surprised at the number of Chihuahuas. Between the two places there were at least 6. There was a wiener dog we really liked, but it was relinquished because it wasn't good with other pets. I reminded Logan how many times we went to PAWS before we found Duncan, but that was more depressing than helpful. Part of me is considering a puppy from a breeder. My logical side knows a puppy is an insane amount of work and will destroy all of our shoes and furniture. My stupid side wants a puppy. A coworker wants me to take his "best dog in the world" golden retriever that his daughter is allergic to and he doesn't have time for. Maybe, but I really fell in love with the idea of having a small dog. Basically, we just want Duncan back, but that isn't going to happen. The one thing we all agree on is that we want a dog in our lives. Too bad it isn't easy.
Well, time to get ready for work and what will be a tough week of painting and pulling weeds and cleaning like a maniac. The inspection starts a week from Tuesday. In 12 days it will be completely over. We will all make it through. I am just thrilled it is at the end of May this time rather than mid-July. The last inspection pretty much ruined my summer. This time it will be over before summer even starts!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
