Friday, March 30, 2012

Bird Watching: Truffles vs. Bluejay

This past week we've been working on getting the yard cleared up because the city has free pick-up of yard waste and such for a couple weeks. So this morning I went out to the backyard to do some raking, putting Sasha in the kennel because we were the only ones awake.
I was working on gathering all the leaves in the garden area when I finally took notice of a loud bird that had been practically screaming for the past few minutes. Looking around, I saw Truffles sneaking through the twisted branches of some gnarled tree nearby. Overhead darted a bluejay - back and forth, all around the tree, feathers ruffled and cawing like crazy. I think there was a nest in the tree, but I can't be sure. That would be my guess because, though the bird was clearly what Truffles was after, I can't think of any reason it would be hanging around and be so angry except for a nest.
I put down the rake and moved closer to see just what was going on. The bluejay kept flitting around that tree and occasionally up to the higher branches of the tree next to it. Truffles was having some difficulty getting through the tangled mass of branches, but his eyes stayed almost constantly on the bird. The bluejay would sit on a branch and yell at Truffles, perhaps take a few jabs at the branch with its beak, and then quickly move to another branch.
In a minute this activity drew another bluejay to the scene, and then there were two angry birds darting around, stabbing at branches, and screaming in unison at the smug cat. Soon more birds appeared - one little bird I couldn't identify came to rest in the high branches of one tree and three or four cardinals settled on a bush. The bluejays had gone quiet, only shrieking in rage every now and then. Truffles completely ignored the nest (I'm pretty sure that's what I saw on the other side of the tree) and kept looking for the quickest route to the top.
Only when I saw the female cardinal resting quietly in plain sight did I have the sense to hurry inside for a camera. It took me longer than I wanted because I couldn't find Mom's, so eventually I had to borrow Heather's point-n-shoot. (Sorry, Heather.) When I came back outside, all the birds but one bluejay (presumably the first) had left, and the one that remained was almost silent, though still moving frantically from branch to branch.
I tried to get some pictures, but failed. Truffles saw that his hunt wasn't going to be a success, so with some frustrated yowls he clambered down from the tree and sat among the lilies glaring fiercely. The bluejay hung around for a while, but I think it finally realized the cat wasn't after the nest.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Mimes, a short recap, and Secretary of State: Part Two.

I started to blog on Friday. Then I got distracted. I'm not even going to try and finish that post.
In short, my last day as a 17-year-old was mostly droll until we got to church and Jessi took me to get ice cream as 7/11 because it was that kind of day. 'Twas happiness.
Thursday ran mostly ordinarily: up early, a short walk with the mutts, co-op (where I received many "happy birthday" wishes and chocolate, a locket, and a cool little thing to hang in my room from the most awesome science teacher in the world and roses from my parents), and paper routes.
Then we headed back to the church. The drama class (in which there remain only four students) were being visited by a real mime, and Mom, Dad, and I were the audience.
The first two and a half hours were nigh torturous. Not going to lie. The drama kids kept going through a few of their scripts and were being instructed and critiqued. Boring.
Then, after a short break during which we all jumped in puddles from the 10 minutes of rain we got, we finally got to see a demonstration of miming. Awesome! Absolutely amazing! And I was happy.
Home to gifts (two tea kettles, tea, chocolate, stuff for my garden, and...I can't remember what else) and ice cream and pizza.
Thus ended my 18th birthday. Each year it gets less and less exciting. Not that I'm complaining.
On Friday I watched the two sons of a missionary family in our church, as I have done for a couple months. They brought me a balloon, a cool basket, and chocolate. Some people are really smart.
I also got started on...starting the seeds for my garden. Some went into the mini greenhouses. (Including a few pepper and squash seeds I'd saved from last year's garden. I'm curious to see how - if - those grow.) The rest went into regular planters.
And that has pretty much been my week. Well, yesterday and today I "researched" for my story by planning out a detailed itinerary of my characters' road trip. (I'm sure everyone who checks facebook has heard about that.) 'Twas most enjoyable, and it got my creative juices flowing. Until yesterday, I hadn't really written in a week, probably.
Yeah, I think that's it.
Wait! On Saturday Mom, us girls, and the dogs walked a mile and a half down to a little park with a lake. (Actually, I'd call it a pond, but the pride of this city would scorn that.) I walked barefoot most of the way. My heels are still sore. Sasha pulled the entire time walking to and from, but while we were at the park she didn't pull at all. She stood or sat still when I wasn't moving and mostly stayed by my side when I was walking around. And she went into the water. Up to her chin but no further. She couldn't seem to grasp the concept of swimming. Not that I'm too upset, but I wasn't in any condition to follow her had she tried to swim. I really need to teach her to just stay close without a leash. We'd both have more fun.
Anyway, by the next morning, Sasha was so worn out and sore she could barely move, and she laid around most of the time. I fear I may have slightly injured her. Ooops. She's still a bit gimpy on the back legs.
Yesterday we had three little kids over (ages 1, 2, and 3) for the day while their mom was at a doctor's appointment. First Sasha eyed them and hid in her crate. When she did finally come out and I locked the crate so she couldn't sulk back in, she hid for a while. I thought maybe she was just nervous of such small children. Then she started making little growling noises in her throat and wouldn't look at the kids or Mom and I. She just stared at the wall. When she finally came out and let the kids pet her, she seemed to be doing okay. Then the oldest (a girl) went to give her a kiss and Sasha got defensive. So she and Hershey spent most of the day outside and the rest in the kitchen. Talk about jealous!
Okay. Now I'm done. I think.
Oh. No, I'm not.
Friday morning Mom and I went to the Secretary of State to figure out what license I need now that I am 18. We were 10th in line, and almost all of the women seemed a bit...vampiric. The nice one that Mom really wanted was kept busy with an older man who was trying to register or re-register his farm truck or something. A bunch of his papers had been mixed up and there was a lot of confusion she calmly and kindly was walking him through, but it was taking forever.
We got the one lady we really did not want. Honestly, if you're going to have a job where human interaction is a main part, you need some people skills. Yes, people are idiots, but you don't have to let them know you know. This woman didn't even need to speak for us to get the message: "I'm not in a good mood and I don't want to talk to you and I think you're stupid." At least, that's the message I got. Seriously, if it's not the job for you and you don't enjoy it, just quit. You'll make everyone's day better.
She was very brusque and rude. When she realized what we needed, she gave me a form to fill out and sent us away. Mom and I waited until she was busy with someone else to stand in the return line. We had the second-nicest lady help us the next time 'round.
I got my TIP (temporary instruction permit) with the 30-day period waived and registered to vote. Yay me!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Some times you just have to dance in the rain....

Yesterday was a very gray day. And it looks like tornado season has finally arrived here. I don't mean to say that's a good thing. I'm already enough of a worry wart without tornado season.
Despite the dismal weather yesterday, I was subconsciously determined to enjoy my day. (I say 'subconsciously' because I didn't realize how much I had done to brighten my own day until just now; hence, this post.)
I woke up to the sound of rain, and so determined to skip the dogs' walk. I should have just toughened up and walked them any way. When they miss a walk now, they glare at me for a while and Sasha is distempered all day long.
The day started slowly (I prefer sunrise at 7, not 8, and my brain doesn't work until the sun is up). Eventually, I decided to make scones. I've been meaning to for days, but hadn't got around to it, and yesterday was the perfect opportunity.
The recipe was weird and the dough stuck to my hands like nothing else and I think I made the scones too big, but they were wonderful. Add a cup of mint tea and I was on my way to feeling quite British. There was even a little salted butter left! (Mom's recently made the switch to unsalted butter. I now cannot enjoy toast because I always liked the melty buttery taste.) So I curled up under my fuzziest blanket on the couch with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and spent the drizzly gray morning in happiness.
Come Bible study time, I was feeling quite perky, even. I considered wearing my rain boots, because all day I had been hoping to find a puddle large enough to splash in, but the boots didn't really go with the outfit, so I left them behind. I kicked off my shoes as soon as we reached the church and spent the rest of the night barefoot. (I didn't even put them back on to go home.)
So I wandered outside a bit with Heather. Puddle! Okay, it was barely a cup of water, but I splashed anyway. And got mud all over my legs. So I went in search of a cleaner puddle to wash off.
I eventually found a really big puddle, ran, and hit it as hard as possible, scaring some of the Jr. High boys and anyone driving by who'd happened to be looking, and soaking the bottom half of my skirt and my feet and legs. 'Twas very fun.
We got subs for supper, instead of the regular pizza, because they were left over from the marriage seminar. Toasted subs with two kinds of cheese and meat, lettuce, onions, and mustard. I even had a cup of root beer. (My first real drink of soda in months.) Add to that our substitute teacher had a great lesson, and I was quite content.
Well, not perfectly. I'd been keeping an eye on Weather Bug since the clouds had been getting darker and learned we were in a tornado watch, and there was a brief tornado warning. That kind of put a damper on my mood.
However, after Bible study when the rain was starting to pick up, we all trooped outside to play in it, and I actually danced in the rain. Despite the fact that there were at least a dozen people watching. (Technically, it was spinning a crazy circle with two friends, but I can't do much else that comes close to "dance".)
Of course, then the rain really started coming down and the lightning and thunder arrived, so I headed inside to mope and fret like I always do at the hint of bad weather. Mom couldn't even come get us as soon as she wanted to because the rain was too bad to drive in. So I waited by the back door and watched the other kids stand outside getting soaked and then squishing and squelching across the floor in their shoes or socks, and I didn't have the heart to join them. (This is not the part where you pity me. This is where you laugh heartlessly and tell me to lighten up.)
But then we discovered ice cream in the freezer. We know it's free for all if it's been opened and used already. Bring out the chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and cool whip! The rain let up, the thunder passed, and things got better.
When Mom arrived a few minutes later, she said the tornado warning was still on. Thanks for ruining it. So we hurried home.
I guess the best way to cure myself of worry is to preoccupy my mind with something more immediate and interesting. So I joined Mom and Dad while they put on an episode of this new TV show they discovered. Zombies. Yup. The perfect way to forget about a tornado warning. (I kid you not.)
Around 9, when Sasha was begging to go out, I was reluctant to oblige. Then I stepped outside and dared a peek at the sky. Stars! All stars and dark sky and retreating clouds!
Lesson learned: stop fretting about what you can't control and make the most of the situation. In this case: don't fear the rain. Dance in it.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

The Quest for Ambidexterity

Who needs weight lifting when you have dogs that pull like they're in a sled race and lots of fun games on an X-box Kinect?
Since I started walking the dogs (I know, that's all I seem to talk about lately), my left arm has gotten considerably stronger, because I hold Sasha's leash in that hand and she pulls. Constantly.
And then Wes pulled out his Kinect (the one that's "like the Wii but you don't use a controller") and let us girls play it. I tell you what, the javelin throw and discus are amazing! And I think I pulled a muscle in my arm playing them yesterday. That and Fruit Ninja really throw my wimpy limbs for a loop.
Over the past couple of months (maybe the last year), I've developed a new goal/dream for myself: to become almost entirely ambidextrous. (Y'know, both sides of the body being equally strong and agile.) Why? I don't have a clue. Maybe it's this deep-set fear that one day I'll break or lose my right arm and I'll be completely useless because my left hand can barely hold a pen, let alone use one, not to mention lift things and open things and all manner of other activities that are commonplace for the right hand.
I don't know what prompted the creating of this goal. I'm totally uncoordinated, and very right-hand dominate. If both hands are equal in strength, will that make me more or less coordinated? (Knowing me, the answer will be the opposite of whatever it logically should be.)
Perhaps I want to be ambidextrous (that's such a fun word!) because I'm sick of my right arm getting tired stirring some thick batter but not being able to switch to the left hand and make much progress. (Then again, that might be because I'm kind of a weakling when it comes to arm strength.) Maybe it's because, deep down, I'm jealous of individuals with the tenacity to write with both hands! What a great way to prove me innocent if I'm accused of a heinous crime! ("No, the suspect was clearly right-handed. Look at her! She uses her left hand!")
Whatever the reason, I have a dream. I don't know if I will ever achieve said dream, but it's there to keep me going when I want to throw the discus with my right hand alone. And the fact that I can get a higher score with my left hand makes me feel awesome.
That's it, then. I desire to feel awesome. Ambidexterity is a completely understandable reason to feel like I had skill.
(Let's face it: how many ambidextrous people do you know? Lefties are closer because a lot of things are made that require the use of the right hand, but how many of them even are truly equally balanced? That's what I thought.)

Friday, March 9, 2012

Cheesecake. That's about it.

Cream cheesey desserts are amazing. Not going to lie.
Why do I say that, you ask?
Because I had to blog about something and, at the moment, that's what's on my mind.
"Let me 'splain. No, there's too much. Let me sum up!"
There's a marriage seminar going on at our church this weekend, and I was called upon to make some desserts for tomorrow. A while ago I accidentally deleted my upwards-of-100-bookmarks for recipes, and....
That's not summing up.
In short, I went on a hunt for easy but delicious recipes to offer, and the end results were cheesecake cupcakes and cheesecake squares. I would have done brownie tartlets, but I couldn't find a recipe. I was also going to do scones, because I personally love them, but decided it didn't really work and I had enough with the other two recipes.
I told my youth pastor's wife (who had recruited my help in the first place) what my plans were, and she was very pleased to hear about the cheesecake. Which just confirms that first statement at the beginning of this ridiculous post.
I'm in one of those food moods. I don't know how most of this dessert will make it to the church tomorrow....
If I had a job (and I'm hoping that might be soon, because I have an application to fill out) I plan to use some of my new earned money to experiment with and try new recipes.
Now that I think about it, I might just make the scones anyway, so I can have them with some tea and feel totally British.
See? This is what happens when I have nothing whatsoever to blog about. Lesson learned: keep to the plan or everything fails, or at least results in personal embarrassment.
Well, I blogged. Now I should probably go make that dessert....

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Returning with Nothing to Say

Hi.
Yeah.
So, at first I was thinking it hadn't been very long since I'd posted. Then I realized it'd been over a week. And then I kept holding it off and holding it off because I really had nothing to say.
I feel like such a bad person.
Honestly, though, not much has happened. And I hate recaps, so I'll skip the details on the nothingness of my life. :) (Yeah, it's a little early.)
Mom was away for a little over a week, so I got charge of keeping the house under control. I'm getting pretty good at grocery shopping. Until the family starts yelling at me to hurry up, or one of the girls starts asking for something expensive that would mean we would have to sacrifice three other meals. There was a time when I could block this stuff out if I wanted to. Granted, I usually had a book in my hands or was right in the middle of writing a death scene, but....
Okay, I'm really rambling. Sorry.
Mom got home last night, which makes me happy. And now Hershey can stop moping, which makes everyone happy!
In an effort to encourage some positive habits in my life, I've been trying to take the dogs on a walk every morning (minus Sunday). It certainly has helped to improve their attitudes, though I still can't get them to walk properly. Sasha has been limping off and on for the past week, and I'm starting to think the pads of her feet might be sore from all of the trotting around on sidewalks and pavement.
Also, she's getting BIG. Still in the 40lb range, but she's now as tall as Hershey. Not as big and muscular, but as tall. She's going to be a beautiful dog when she's full grown.
Rambling again.
I really can't think of anything to say. This is quite irksome.
Bother.
Well, my twice a week schedule worked for a while. Guess I need to try, try again. Clearly, it also helped improve my style of blogging. (Or so it seems to me.)
I rearranged my room yesterday, reached 20,000 words in my superhero story (finally!), am spending far too much time on facebook (and considering taking another break from it, because it was so refreshing, but I'm not sure how I would continue to post my story there for some friends to read), and am not really liking this spring weather this early in March. It might mean puddle jumping for my birthday, but I would still rather have snow.
Yeah, I'm going to go now. I'll come back tomorrow and try again.