Stuff by Hope

The NBG Eagle Cam is back!!!

2012-02-01T09:12:00.003-05:00

Been waiting a long time for this.

WVEC TV Eagle Cam

Hi, my name is Hope and I'm an eagle-holic!

The male, Dad Norfolk, is on female number three now. (He lost his mate last April.) No one is sure what happened to the first two. He had been seen with a beautiful, huge female last September through December and it's possible she flew into power lines and was killed. A dead eagle was found at the garden under power lines and no one is certain if it was her or not.

Female number two was only around for a few days and the one he's with now is under 5 years old. This would be her first breeding season. There's no quarantee of eggs this year, but we're all hoping.

All these different females inspired this video:

Dad Norfolk Fooled Around

Calgon, take me away!

2012-01-24T20:45:00.006-05:00

Sometimes life just stinks.

My car is out in the garage with the engine all torn apart. Dan's truck is acting up...will start sometimes and not others. He'd been messing with it for 2 days and it started up on the first try this morning. It seemed to be running pretty good, so we headed out to get parts to fix my car.

We had to stop for gas first. You're supposed to shut off the engine when you pump gas, right? So, he shut the truck off, pumped the gas, climbed back in and of course, it wouldn't start.

So now we're stuck at the gas station in another vehicle that won't run. After sitting there for about ½ an hour and trying over and over to start it, we finally decided to call a tow truck. By the time the guy got there we were both freezing. And, wouldn't you know it, about 2 hours after towing the pick-up home, Dan went out there, turned the key and the damn thing started right up!!!!

He didn't dare take it to get the parts for fear the same thing would happen and we'd end up being towed twice in one day. We had no way to get to the parts store so Dan called one of them that delivers to shops and asked if they deliver to private homes. They don't. We sat here for a while longer trying to figure out what to do.

Finally, Dan decided to give one of his friends a call. Jason would normally be working on a Tuesday but it just so happened that he was off today and he was kind enough to come get Dan and take him to get the parts for my car. He even stayed for a bit and helped.

As they were working on the car, Dan started getting sick. I told him he shouldn't be out in that cold air while sick so he decided to come in, warm up and take it easy. He's on the couch being kept warm by Shteve!

I hope it's not that nasty flu.

Cats and Old Cars

2012-01-22T13:46:00.006-05:00

After I went to bed last night, Dan caught these two acting like friends...

I'm glad he got a picture of it. Seems they only act this way when I'm not looking.

My old '93 Beretta is getting tired. The 'low coolant' light came on yesterday morning as I headed to work. Dan checked it when I got home and found that the anti-freeze is leaking internally (into the engine) and has started mixing with the motor oil which now looks like chocolate syrup.

I figured I'd just take his pick-up to work this morning but it wouldn't start last night. He worked on it for a bit to see if he can keep it running long enough to go get parts to fix my car. No go as of this moment. He'd been up all night so he's taking a nap now. And I'm not at work which is where I need to be, especially since the cut in hours this month.

Three vehicles sitting here and not one is drivable.

*sigh*

Home Repairs and Woodpeckers

2012-01-17T23:17:00.003-05:00

Finally got the drain under the bathroom sink fixed. I had to get new parts at the hardware store and came home with the wrong size nut to connect the what-cha-ma-call-it to the pipe sticking out of the wall. I used an old nut then plastered it with plumber's putty. Not leaking yet! I believe the tub is unclogged now as well. I found some pretty good drain cleaner that seems to have done the job.

I have a beautiful male Red-bellied Woodpecker who has been coming to the suet feeder for a week or so. I got a short video of him this afternoon. I sure hope he stays and raises a family this spring. I still wonder what happened to Bella.

Winter Bluebird

2012-01-16T15:50:00.005-05:00

With the mild winter we've had, it seems some Bluebirds have stuck around. I saw this one in the backyard this morning. He pulled an earthworm from the ground then went up into the tree and ate it.

I also saw my old friend, 'Cheesehead' - the Red-shouldered Hawk:

What a Lousy Day

2012-01-14T21:35:00.003-05:00

Today was one of those days where you wish you'd stayed in bed. Got to work this morning and found out they've cut my hours. I'm down to only 3 days per week. This gave me a miserable headache and when I tried to buy some Excedrin (only thing that helps) I saw that all of it had been recalled.

Lots of slobs at the store today. I lost count of how many times I had to pick up their messes in the shoe dept.

I was exhausted when I got home so I took a nap. Steve slept with me on the couch. All of a sudden, he jumps up and goes and pees on the rug in the corner of the livingroom. I grabbed him, stuck his nose in it and yelled at him. He took off out the cat door and I haven't seen him since.

When I started cleaning up his mess I found a puddle of water under my bathroom sink. The drain has corroded (sp) clean through and the water was pouring out under the sink.

Then, I put the rug in the tub to soak with some baking soda and vinegar. When I tried to drain the tub, it was clogged.

I'm going to run away now.

All Good Things...

2012-01-12T11:13:00.000-05:00

Today is my last day of vacation. It's been a great 11 days but it's now coming to an end. :o(

I didn't do a whole lot. Made some changes on my blog, fixed a couple things around the house. But mostly, I just enjoyed not having to deal with customers, shoes or bosses!

I got a taste of retirement...

AND I LIKE IT!

Today is Save the Eagles Day

2012-01-10T01:40:00.009-05:00

This past year has been an eye-opener for me. Back in March I became interested in a family of Bald Eagles who make their home at the Norfolk Botanical Garden in Norfolk, Virginia. The garden (NBG), along with The Virginia Dept of Game & Inland Fisheries and WVEC TV have joined together to put a live web cam online so people have the opportunity to watch as eggs are laid and incubated. After hatching, it's wonderful to watch the eaglets grow to maturity and fledge.

As I've blogged earlier, things didn't quite work out that way this past season. But that isn't the reason I'm blogging about eagles today.

I've learned a lot while watching the cam and visiting the moderated chat and one thing I didn't know is the devastating effect lead has on wildlife, particularly Bald Eagles.

I want to start off by saying, I have absolutely nothing against hunting. Most of the men in my family hunt (I have a very large family). Their sons hunt and I'm not sure but probably some of their daughters hunt, too. My Dad was a hunter his whole life until he got to the age where he just couldn't do it anymore. But I remember being so proud because Dad always got a deer. My ex even hunted a few times...never was successful but he enjoyed the experience. As, I'm sure, do most hunters.

You may be wondering, what does hunting have to do with lead poisoning in Bald Eagles? Well, quite a bit actually. Most hunters use lead ammunition to make the kill and most lead-core rifle bullets fragment into hundreds of tiny pieces when they strike animal tissue. Bald Eagles are scavengers and will eat the gut piles left behind by hunters after the deer is dressed in the field. Also, if a wounded deer escapes a hunting attempt then later dies, Bald Eagles could feast on that carcass and ingest the lead fragments left behind in the meat. Sometimes, all it takes to kill a magnificent Bald Eagle is a lead fragment the size of a grain of rice.

One solution that anyone can do is to bury the gut piles after field dressing the deer. It's a simple task and could go a long way towards saving an Eagle from a slow, painful death. Be sure to bury it deep enough so scavengers won't be able to smell it and dig it up.

Another solution is lead-free ammunition. This one isn't quite as simple because the cost of lead-free ammo, particularly copper, is a bit higher.

Educating hunters is the best way to get this issue under control. If I had to guess, I'd guess that most hunters aren't aware of this issue. If more were made aware then maybe they would modify their actions to help prevent lead poisoning of Bald Eagles and other wildlife as well.

Death from lead poisoning is a slow, painful experience. Every year, wildlife rehabilitators across the country take in hundreds of Bald Eagles suffering from lead poisoning. Most are too sick to help but on rare occasions, some do survive.

Mr. Ed Clark, President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia has prepared a paper on the effects of lead poisoning. You can read it here.

Below are a couple excerpts from Mr. Clark's review that I feel are worth noting:

"...No responsible, ethical hunter wants to kill an eagle or any other raptors. Hunters who are not using non-toxic shot, or properly disposing of animal remains, probably don’t understand the issue. We must educate these hunters, not judge or condemn them. By keeping it positive, we will make a difference."

"...Hunters are not deliberately killing eagles with the lead in their ammunition any more than parents were deliberately poisoning their children with the lead-based paint used on baby furniture and around the home. Until people know about a problem, it is hard to blame them for not helping to solve it. Most hunters have no idea at all that their spent bullets and shot could be continuing to kill, long after the hunters have left the woods and put their guns away. There has been very little real education done on this issue."

Related Links:

This is a video about a Bald Eagle being treated for lead poisoning.

A hunter tells his story of an eagle rescue on the Mississippi River.

A young couple hiking in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge find an eagle suffering from lead poisoning.

Please do what you can to prevent this from happening. Even if you aren't a hunter, talk to your friends who do hunt. Education can go a long way toward saving the lives of our majestic National Symbol.

Such a Good Little Mouser

2011-12-04T19:12:00.006-05:00

Last night I was on the computer 'playing' with Paint Shop Pro when Gary decided he liked the looks of my mouse pad and thought it would be a good place to relax for a bit.

I didn't have the heart to make him move, so he stayed put.

Since I couldn't use the mouse pad I brought the mouse down to my leg and was trying to use it that way. It didn't work very well but the movement of the cord caught Gary's attention. He started grabbing at it and tried to chew the cord. Eventually I just gave up and put the mouse back on the desk and Gary 'captured' it.

I Survived Black Friday!

2011-11-28T12:41:00.005-05:00

I guess there are T-shirts you can buy with "I Survived Black Friday" on them. I gotta get me one of those.

When I was a kid I loved Christmas. I used to make up a 'count-down' calendar with the number of days til Christmas on it and cross each day off before I went to bed. It wasn't because of the gifts...we weren't exactly well-off so that wasn't that big of a deal. I remember we'd try to stay up all night Christmas Eve playing Old Maid in the attic. But I don't remember if I ever made it through the entire night. I've always loved the beautiful lights and decorations, the music of the season, always hoped for snow (Christmas day especially) and the highlight of the season was watching 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' on CBS. (I still do that.) But, I think the thing I looked forward to the most was...NO SCHOOL!!!

When I became a mother the best part of Christmas was watching my son open his gifts. One year I started shopping in September as soon as school started. That way I could get the gifts wrapped and hidden while Danny was at school. But I was too excited and I ended up giving him several of his gifts early. Then I had to get more so he'd have some to open on Christmas morning. :o)

My love of the holidays changed when I started working retail in '97. For the first time in my life I had to work Thanksgiving day. Didn't understand that...who the heck shops on Thanksgiving? Well, it turns out, a LOT of people. For the first time in my life I saw the 'real' nature of humans...and it wasn't good. I found myself literally surrounded by people who just HAD to HAVE 10 strings of icicle lights for $1.50/box. Or the collapsible 5' lighted-rope tree for $9.00. Once the mad rush was over I actually sat down on one of our step ladders and cried like a baby.

The following year I didn't even put up a tree and for each year after, until I quit the hellhole in '02, my home was Christmas tree free. Since returning in '04 I've put up a small tree that I keep decorated all year, wrapped in a huge plastic bag. But this year there's no room for it since Dan has returned home and all his stuff is taking up space.

I really hate this time of year and I dread it the rest of the year. I actually had several nightmares this past weekend that woke me right up. I loathe those 4 - 5 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas because they ARE a nightmare. A real nightmare. It's even worse now that I'm old and have to be at work by 3AM so people who have nothing better to do can get some socks at half-off.

Madness!

This past Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, I arrived at the hellhole at 3AM. Our doorbuster sales didn't start until 6AM but the store was still crowded because people come in during the wee hours of the night, grab what they want, then just wait until 6:00 to checkout. We were 'out of stock' before the sale signs were even put up! I saw a long-time acquittance shopping and it was all I could do to not tell her "Shame on you!"

All day long I had to tell people we were out of the $20.00 Caterpillar jackets. This made some people very angry. I guess they haven't yet grasped the concept that in order to get the deals you have to get there long before the sale starts.

I did get to enjoy a wonderful dinner at Babcocks. Unfortunately, my nerves got the best of me and I got sick. :o(

Black Friday morning I got there again at 3AM only to find people 'camped out' in the shoe dept on lawn chairs and lying on the (filthy) carpeted floor. They and their shopping carts were all over the place and I had work to do. Managements' brilliant idea of having us come in at that ungodly hour so we could get the stock out before the crowd shows up had backfired. Just like I said it would. Kids were running around like wild animals and I gave them my best "stop or I'll beat you bloody" look.

*sigh*

After 4 straight days of doorbuster deals I am exhausted and already sick of Christmas. Only 4 more weeks to go.

Ho - ho - ho!

Big Wig Numero Uno Dead at 91

2011-11-26T17:10:00.004-05:00

He was a nice man. His sons however, not so much.

Link

Hmmmmm....

2011-11-23T12:16:00.002-05:00

I don't think he likes it here. What do you think?

Schedule Shenanigans, Rain & Steve

2011-11-09T08:18:00.003-05:00

It seems whomever made out the schedule made some errors and mine has been corrected. Haven't spoken to the manager but when I checked online this morning my hours had been put back to what they are supposed to be. Thank goodness.

It's been raining for two days. I need to get some things done outside before Winter hits and I should have done it Monday when the weather was nice. But I procrastinated...again.

Looks like we've got another kitty. Steve has decided that this is his new home and who am I to argue with him? He really is a sweetie. And a bit of a pig.

More Good News from the Hellhole

2011-11-08T09:18:00.008-05:00

It's that time of year...the busiest period for retail and the hellhole has cut my hours. After all is said and done, I'll be losing close to one day per week but still going in the same number of days. Just two days ago we were bitched at because we can't get all the stock out and now, they cut my hours, put me on swing shifts again, take me off the stocking crew two days/wk and have me covering Jewelry on those days.

I honestly DO NOT understand that place.

It boggles the mind...

And makes me physically ill...

I need a beer!

(Shoot, it's only 9:30 in the morning.)

I Want What She's Smokin'

2011-11-06T22:29:00.004-05:00

Not facing reality may be a mechanism some people use to get through their day. Unfortunately, reality hits me in the face the second I wake up in the morning and it pesters me all day long. My manager, however, doesn't have this problem. She lives in her own little world...and she likes it there.

After a co-worker retired in March, I've been working the morning shift putting out stock. At that time there were 4 of us. Three of us start at 6AM and the 4th came in about 9AM. She was the 'shoe diva.' In June, our 'shoe diva' moved to Ohio and was never replaced. This put us stockers in a very bad position. We now had to do our work and hers, too. And since the other two stockers have much more seniority than I, the bulk of the added work fell on me. I suddenly found myself in the 'shoe diva' position which I neither wanted nor signed up for.

So now there are 3 stockers to cover 7 depts and we almost never get the stock done. Today the manager calls a little pow-wow to inform us that since we can't keep up with the stock we are going to have to try something different. Rather than coming in at 6AM, they want us to come in at 3AM so we can work the stock out without a bunch of interruptions from the customers or having to go up and run a lane. They're going to try it during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas to see how it goes.

Back in 2004 I worked on the 3rd shift stocking crew between Thanksgiving and New Years. There were many nights that we had wall-to-wall customers because they want to get there early so they can get the 'great' Christmas deals the hellhole offers. On Thanksgiving night (black Friday morning) the customers started coming in at 2AM. They were literally down EVERY aisle. We couldn't take two steps without being stopped by one of them. It was so bad that the night manager told us to get the stock off the floor and just straighten/help customers. I mentioned this to the manager at our little pow-wow. She seemed to be a bit wary about the idea but said, "Let's hope that doesn't happen this year."

I also made the mistake of bringing up the fact that since June, instead of 4 stockers, we now only have 3. She immediately became angry and said..."That's not true. I always make sure there are 4 people here to stock."

My jaw fell to the floor because that is either a bald-faced lie or she is smoking something that is messing with her head. There are only 3 of us except on some Sundays when she will schedule a fourth. Heck, when one of the other stockers was on vacation last month she never replaced her...leaving only 2 of us to stock 7 depts.

Of course, my co-workers didn't back me up, later telling me that you can't argue with her because she's always right...even when she's dead wrong. The rest of the day I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.

Do-do-do-do! Do-do-do-do!

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate that place?

Definitely not a house cat

2011-10-17T13:26:00.004-04:00

Steve came into the house the other day through the cat door, looked around the breezeway, then immediately turned around and left. Guess he's not ready to trust us just yet. He appears to be feral but does have his moments. He lets us pet him and seems to enjoy our company but every time we approach him he appears frightened at first and cries up a storm.

I didn't see him for three days last week and was worried about him.

(Just what I need) :o)

He and Gary will occupy the backyard at the same time but Gary growls at him...a lot! Steve is a much bigger kitty than Gary and I hope they continue to 'tolerate' each other. Don't want any cat fights.

Say hello to Steve!

2011-10-05T21:19:00.002-04:00

There's something about me that seems to draw in homeless, hungry kitties. They always seem to find their way here and since I'm a sucker for their furry faces, they always get fed.

This is Steve. He's been hanging around since April and has decided he likes it here. Of course, getting free food ain't so bad, either. (He loves chicken.)

Gary doesn't like him...growls at him all the time but so far, no fighting. Here's Steve looking into the kitchen window:

He doesn't let us pick him up. I tried the other day and got my arms and hands clawed pretty badly. He's a cutey.

Lady Legacy - Norfolk Botanical Garden Eagle - 2011

2011-10-05T11:04:00.002-04:00

This is a short video of the beautiful female eagle from the Norfolk Botanical Garden nest. She was struck by a plane and killed on April 26, 2011, leaving behind her mate, Dad Norfolk and their three young eaglets.

RIP Lady Legacy.

Eagle Cam provided by Virginia Dept of Game & Inland Fisheries, Norfolk Botanical Garden and WVEC TV.

Been a While

2011-09-13T16:31:00.009-04:00

Not much has been going on to post about. Work is just getting worse everyday and there's no point in blogging about that.

I've uploaded a couple more videos to my YouTube channel. One of them is a raccoon I recorded last night. The other is some hummingbirds at the feeder. They'll be gone soon. We have a possibility of frost tonight, I guess.

The Eagle family I've been so enthralled with has reached it's final chapter. All three eaglets have been released into the wild. The dad is still at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and hopefully, he will find a new mate this fall and start a new family in the spring.

Their story captured my heart. I wrote a poem about them a couple days before the release. And once the last one was re-released I made a slideshow to commemorate the season. It won't make much sense to some but the people who followed their season (they call themselves The Eagle Nation) really enjoyed it.

I haven't forgotten

2011-09-11T22:57:00.003-04:00

Fly Free Sweet Eagles!

2011-07-29T16:39:00.004-04:00

Since February I've been watching 3 baby Eagles on a Web Cam. It was wonderful to see these chicks grow from tiny, fluffy bobbleheads into the majestic birds they are today.

On April 26th their mother was killed when she was struck by the landing gear of an airliner. It was heartbreaking, especially after the Eaglets were removed from the nest and the father came back to feed them, only to find them gone.

It was believed that 3 Eaglets would be too much for the father to feed and care for, so they were taken to the Wildlife Center of Virginia to be given the opportunity to survive.

After spending 3 months at the center, the three Eaglets, NZ, NX and NV (their legband designations) were finally released into the wild where they belong. In the words of Ed Clark, President of WCV, "...As we release these birds, life as they have known it is over. But life as they should have known it has just begun."

Here's a video of the release which took place Wednesday, July 27th. I've watched it over and over and still get chills when they take off. (The first two birds released on the video were taken to WCV for rehabilitation.)

Gary, the Weather and Eagles

2011-07-25T14:14:00.003-04:00

The medicine seems to have helped Gary. He's doing much better. He's an indoor-outdoor cat but while he was sick I kept him inside. He did not like this one bit and made sure we knew his feelings. I didn't sleep much for several nights.

The weather has finally cooled down a bit. It is 84 degrees today but the humidity is down so it's not miserable out there. I opened the windows for the first time in maybe two weeks.

I'm really looking forward to Wednesday. The Wildlife Center of Virginia will be releasing the 3 Eaglets from the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. It has also been announced this morning that 2 more young Eagles will be released at the same time. They plan on streaming live video of the event and I'll be glued to the computer all day.

Female - Oldest - Designated NZ (leg band)

Female - Middle Child - Designated NX (leg band)

Male - The Baby - Designated NV (leg band)

I've Got a Very Sick Kitty

2011-07-20T11:41:00.002-04:00

Gary had been coughing for several days. I was hoping he'd be able to fight it off without having to take him to the Vet. He's done it in the past but this time he just seemed to get continually worse.

Yesterday I took him in first thing in the morning and found out he has pneumonia. The poor baby. Man, do I feel like a bad meowmie. He was so good at the Vet's and he's pretty easy to give medication to. He's probably the best-behaved kitty I've ever had. I'm pretty worried about him now but at least he's still eating and drinking...that's always a good sign.

Get well soon Gary.

More Baltimore Orioles and Bald Eagles, too!

2011-07-18T12:21:00.020-04:00

Since my Bluebirds were a no-show this summer, my new favorites have got to be the Baltimore Orioles. I've always loved these birds. They're beautiful and their song is heavenly. But they usually never stayed for more than a few weeks in May and they'd disappear from my backyard.

This summer they arrived somewhere around the 9th of May and are still here. What's so great about that is, now they're bringing their babies to the feeders. It's fun to watch the dad feverishly try to feed 3 babies while they sit there screaming at him.

Here's a few photos from yesterday morning of the poor dad doing his best.

Dad is feeding one (it's hard to see in this shot) while another is waiting patiently (kinda) on the shepherd's hook.

Please Dad, I want some MORE!!!!!!!

This baby was perched in the limb above the feeders. He/she was very quiet and never bothered dad for food. Dad took off and this baby sat there for several minutes before figuring out dad wasn't coming back.

HEY! Where'd everybody go?

Since February I've been watching a live web cam of a Bald Eagle family. Here's the link. The pair that raised these 3 eaglets had been together since '03 and have successfully raised 19 younguns at the Botanical Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia. On April 26th of this year, the mom was struck and killed by an airplane at the airport that is located near their nesting tree. It was so sad...I cried for 2 days. Here's a picture of this beautiful bird.

Lady Legacy

It was decided that the dad wouldn't be able to care for the 3 eaglets so they were moved to their present location at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro. They will be released on Wednesday, July 27th and finally be able to fly free. Their dad still remains at the Botanical Gardens and hopefully he will find a new mate this fall and continue the tradition of raising his young at that nest.

I have learned so much from visiting that site everyday and will sure miss them once they're released but I'm really excited that they'll gain their freedom to soar like eagles.

Yesterday, I saw my first Bald Eagle. Two, actually. Becky & Joe have a pair that have been hanging around their area for a while now. Even though they didn't come very close to us, I was still thrilled to see them. These shots are the best I could get.

Becky has a short video she took of one of the Eagles flying right over their house. Even though it's only a few seconds, it was magnificent!!! I would have been screaming my fool head off! I told her I may have to just sit down there on their beach for days.

Just throw some bread and water my way once in a while.

I'll bring a pillow and blanky.

No matter how hard she tries, she will not be able to get rid of me. ☻

Baltimore Orioles

2011-07-10T18:26:00.004-04:00

This Summer the Baltimore Orioles have stayed longer than they ever have before. Usually they're long gone by the end of May. I'm so thrilled they've stuck around. They've also raised some young and I've seen the males chasing the Crows away from their nests.

I put a video on YouTube. You can see it here.

The Little Heathens Have Flown the Coop

2011-06-25T19:51:00.002-04:00

Seven eggs were laid but only 6 babies survived. (That's 6 too many in my opinion.) I was washing dishes last Wednesday when I saw the first baby take flight. I sat up the video camera to capture the rest. You can see the video here. The last one didn't want to leave. It took him/her about 20 minutes to take the plunge.

Exhaustion and Complete Frustration

2011-06-20T12:49:00.008-04:00

Since my co-worker Jenny retired, I took over her shifts and have been stocking for the last three months. It's hard work but I like it for the most part. About a month ago our shoe dept diva left and she was never replaced. So, for the last several weeks the shoe dept has suffered. There's no one to put out the stock so it piles up in our back room until there's no more room for it. Sometimes they will put the skids up in the storage room upstairs, just to get them out of the way. Just the other day they found one up there that had been there since March. Many of the shoes in that load was already on clearance...but I digress.

There are only 3 stockers and 4 main areas that need to be stocked. I usually start in Infants/Kids, then move on to Womens and from there to Mens if there's time. But lately I've had to go to Shoes after putting out kids stuff because the other 2 stockers work in their own areas exclusively. I don't have time to get all this stock out, cover jewelry, run a lane, help customers and answer the phones which ring non-stop. It's not humanly possible.

This past Friday and Saturday we had a huge sale in Shoes. Buy one pair, get another pair for $1.00. The sale excluded 'clearance' and 'everyday best price' shoes...which should be clearly marked with either signs or orange clearance stickers. Only problem is, no one has been working in Shoes for over a month to keep up with these things. You want to see heads explode? Come to the store on a crazy sale weekend and watch angry customers demand their shoes for $1.00!

NOT FUN!!!

The Manager had the day off on Friday but Saturday she was there bright and early. Her first priority was to get the Shoe stock out on the shelves. There were two skids (stacked full of boxes, full of shoes...taller than I am) plus 4 L-carts at least. I went to the back and grabbed an L-cart to bring out to the floor. I took one box off it, got the shoes from that box put away and then the Manager comes to me.

She pointed out an end cap that needed to be changed. There were mens running shoes on it. They had to be moved and replaced with some new womens shoes we'd gotten in days before. I grabbed my flat-top and took the mens shoes off the end cap then went to put them in their spot. I got two or three pair put away when the Manager comes to me again.

It seems the Store Director had done a 'walk-through' of the dept and pointed out some areas that needed work. So now I was to go through the entire Shoe Dept and make it look pretty. (On a crazy sale weekend...you've got to be kidding me!) And then, every half hour I was to do it again.

Now, it would take me an entire 8 hour shift, if not more, to make that disaster area look pretty...especially during a sale when slobs are opening every box, throwing the papers on the floor, leaving shoes everywhere.

Not gonna happen!

Let's recap: At this point I've got an L-cart of stock minus one box sitting on the floor. An empty end-cap and a flat-top of mens running shoes waiting to be put away. But am I allowed to finish either one of these projects? NO...I've got to straighten.

In the meantime, all that shoe stock is sitting in the back room WHERE IT DOESN'T SELL, on a big sale weekend and her top priority is for me to go behind these pigs and pick up after them.

OK!

I grab a trash bag and start picking up trash (there was plenty), start putting a million shoes back in their boxes, then putting the boxes on the shelf where they belong. I had one aisle straightened and took a break. I was gone 10 minutes and when I got back, that aisle was trashed again!!!

Futility, thy name is retail.

But that didn't matter because it seems another crisis had arisen while I was on break. Customers were losing their cool because the shoes they thought they would be getting for $1.00 weren't ringing up that way. The sale didn't include 'clearance' shoes or 'everyday best price' shoes. No one had time to mark the shoes down to clearance nor put up the 'best price' signs. There was no way for the customers to know which shoes would be included until they got up to the check lane. This made most of them very angry...and I don't blame them.

So, now I have to stop feverishly trying to make the dept look good to do clearance. We have to scan EVERY shoe style. If it comes up on clearance we then have to put a little orange sticker with the new price on the tag attached to the shoes (every pair), the tag attached to the display shoe and on the outside of every box of that particular shoe brand/style. Very time consuming.

Let's re-cap: I have already started three projects...none of which I have been allowed to finsh...and now I have to scan every freaking shoe in the dept to see if it's on clearance.

OK!

(Breathe Hope...just breathe!)

The Manager knew this was an impossible task so she got two other people to help and she herself started scanning, too. Four of us amongst all the slobs, feverishly trying to mark the shoes with the proper price so no more heads would explode at the check lanes.

I had been scanning for about a half hour when the phone rang. It was the service coordinator...she needs me on a lane.

(In....Out....In....Out) I'm hyperventilating just remembering this!

I told her I have to talk to my manager because we have a crisis in shoes. My manager called the store director and they decided they needed me to stay in shoes doing clearance. But about 5 minutes later the store director calls my manager and tells her to send me up there because there's no one else they can call.

It's so nice to be needed...NOT!!!

I go up there. Every lane but 2 are manned so I ask the store director which lane she wants me to go to. She says, "We have someone coming to lane 22 so I guess we don't need you afterall." (She didn't realize another lane was unmanned...and I wasn't going to point it out to her.)

Great, I thought and I start to walk away.

"Wait a minute," she says, "we do need you...go to lane 13."

(In through the nose...out through the mouth!)

To lane 13 I go. The first couple in my line were nice. We chatted a bit, laughed a bit about how crazy it was in there and I was actually a bit relieved to be away from the complete and utter chaos that was the Shoe Dept.

But it didn't last long. I was only up there for 30 minutes or so then I had to go back to that black hole. Everyone was feverishly scanning while all the shoe-crazed customers tore the place apart and my Manager had even pulled the other two stockers to come and help get things off the floor (my projects that I had started and wasn't allowed to finish.) Even the store director was over there helping!

Unbelievable!

I left at 2:30 and they still weren't done with the clearance.

A large portion of the stock in the rest of Fashions didn't get done and the only shoe stock that got put out was one, lowly box. There was trash every where, shoes every where and I was glad I didn't own a gun.

Does anyone have any questions why I call that place the hellhole?

I didn't think so.

Very Disappointed

2011-06-13T22:43:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the House Wrens (HOWR) and the House Sparrows (HOSP) I'd pretty much given up on having any Bluebirds to enjoy this summer. But last week I moved their nesting box out to the middle of the field, away from trees, which HOWRs like (trees, that is). I was hoping there would still be time for Bluebirds to come and raise a family.

This morning I saw a Bluebird sitting on top of the nesting box. As I watched him for a bit, he went inside then came out and flew to the pole where the box used to be. He sat there for a minute or two. Once he flew away I walked out back and looked inside the nesting box. There was the beginning of a HOWR nest inside. I cleaned it out then moved the box over to the original pole hoping the Bluebird would return.

Since that stupid HOWR had started a nest, I decided to put one of the PVC nesting tubes on the pole in the field, hoping he would leave the Bluebird box alone. Shortly after I'd put the tube up, the HOWR returned and started removing the wood chips inside it. Here's a video.

I never saw the Bluebird return today.

I'm fighting a losing battle but there's no way I'm letting another HOWR make more babies in my backyard. The 7 babies in the other nestbox are about 1 week old. Here's a pic of the little devils...

Why I Have No Bluebirds This Year

2011-06-06T11:37:00.005-04:00

These are baby House Wrens. There's 7 of them and they are about 1" in size. Their parent(s) destroyed 3 Chickadee eggs in one of my nesting tubes then tossed them out on the ground. The Chickadees moved on and the House Wrens have taken over every nesting box/tube in the yard. I believe they're the reason I have no Bluebirds this year. Once they're gone I'm taking down all the nesting boxes/tubes.

I have really grown to hate these little beasts. They're mean and nasty and they sing all day long. It's not a pretty sound, either. I had thought about destroying the eggs before they hatched but couldn't do it. I wish I had now. The last thing I want around here is more House Wrens.

The last 3 weeks most of the desired birds that were here last summer and early in May have moved to greener pastures because of the dozen or so Grackles that come all day long to the feeders. They have taken over the backyard...I hate them, too. They will eat a suet cake in one day and chase all the other birds away. I almost never see anything but Grackles and House Wrens. I've tried to shoot the Grackles with an old BB gun of Dan's but it doesn't have enough power to penetrate.

And to top it off, I have House Sparrows now. I can't remember ever seeing them here before.

Time to get a pellet gun with some power.

Sad News

2011-05-10T22:39:00.006-04:00

I was mowing the lawn today and found 3 tiny, broken Chickadee eggs lying on the ground at the base of the pole the nesting tube was on. It must have just happened because the yolk of the eggs was still in liquid form. I'm afraid a House Wren destroyed those eggs then tossed them out of the tube. After taking the nesting tube down I opened it up only to find a beautiful but empty nest.

I cleaned the tube out and relocated it to a different spot in the yard. I guess one nice house isn't good enough for those darn House Wrens. They are very territorial and very persistent. Here's a video of a House Wren taking baby Bluebirds out of their nest.

It upset me so much that I decided to go and remove the stick nest in the bird house out back but when I looked inside I could see the female has already started getting it ready to lay her eggs. It's illegal to destroy it at this point. House Wrens will build 'dummy' nests to discourage other birds from using a nesting box, even if they don't plan on using that box themselves. But once they've chosen a particular box, the female finishes building a nest, then lays her eggs.

I'm not so happy about the Wren House any more.

Great Time for Birding

2011-05-09T21:34:00.013-04:00

It's been fun being a bird-brain these last 8 days. A lot of birds have returned after the long, cold winter. The Hummingbirds are back and so are the Orioles.

I had a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak visiting off and on all day today.

And a beautiful Indigo bunting...

A new visitor which I've never seen before stopped by to check out the Bluebird nesting box. I didn't know what he was. My first guess was some kind of Swallow. I posted a request online for an ID and it turns out he's a Tree Swallow.

I guess they are cavity dwellers also. I hope he doesn't decide to build a nest in there. That's reserved for my Bluebirds! Maybe I should put up a sign..."Bluebirds Only...All Others Keep Out!"

The little House Wren has finished his stick nest. This morning he was sitting on top of the house singing his little heart out calling to his mate. She finally arrived to check it out. At one point he was sitting on top and she was inside. I tried to get a shot of it but they had left by the time I was ready. I don't believe I saw them again the rest of the day. Maybe she didn't like it.

Looks like he needs to remove a few sticks

The White-crowned Sparrows have made a come-back, too. I've seen at least 7 of them out there several times this past week.

Had a one-time visit from a White-throated Sparrow...

And first-time visits from some Chipping Sparrows...

This Eastern Towhee came a few days ago but he hasn't been back. Must have just been passing through.

I still get the regulars. There's never a shortage of finches...both House and Gold.

It's been at least two weeks since I've seen Bella, my Red-bellied Woodpecker. I hope she's okay. It's tough having to worry about all these critters!

Speaking of worry. Yesterday when I got home from work I saw a dead cat on the shoulder of the road in front of the neighbor's house. It looked like Gary. My heart rose in my throat. Dan and I went to check and it wasn't him thank goodness but it's still very sad. I buried him in the back yard under the pine tree...near Dipstick.

Hummers, Wrens and Other Flying Things

2011-05-05T17:08:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I saw my first Hummingbird of the season. It's so good to see them back. I hope they stay warm enough. It got down in the low 30's overnight. The crop duster is also back. He sprays the blueberry fields just up the road. I'm always glad to see him because it means Spring is in the air...even though it doesn't feel like it right now. View video here.

The House Wren continues to build his nest. I put up a video here. Sometimes he sits on top of the bird house and just sings away.

He's Back!

2011-05-03T22:23:00.004-04:00

One day last November I saw a Northern Flicker at the suet feeder just as I was heading out the door for work. I didn't have time to get a shot of him and I never saw another Flicker again...until today.

Sure wish I had a good camera so I could get nice pictures of these beautiful birds. The Northern Flicker is very striking and this pic doesn't do him/her justice.

I'm just amazed at all the different birds who have come to my backyard. The woodpeckers are among my favorites. Now, if only I could see a Red-headed and a Pileated I'd be thrilled.

Checking Out the New Digs

2011-05-02T17:44:00.008-04:00

A little House Wren stopped by today to take a look at the new bird house I put up. Looks like he/she may stick around.

Hmmmm. This looks promising

Nice View from the front

Has plenty of room for the kids

Construction begins

Earlier this morning I saw what I thought was an Eagle soaring in the sky. Later this afternoon I saw it again but there was another bird, the same size, soaring along with it. I watched them for a couple minutes and I now believe they were Turkey Vultures looking for a dead carcass to feast on. My feeble attempt at capturing them in a photo resulted in a nice picture of the cloudless, blue sky. Thank God for sunshine.

Yesterday there were Chickadees coming and going from one of the nesting tubes I made. Here's a link to a short video. I also saw my first Brown Creeper. I tried to get a shot of him but he was too fast for me. I really need photography lessons.

Follow-up part deux

2011-04-18T14:35:00.004-04:00

The guy from the snow plowing service didn't show up this weekend. Surprise, surprise. I can't finish cleaning up the mess because I've got a bruised or cracked rib that isn't getting better. There's no way I'll be able to mow because of all the gravel and crap.

I'm in a very foul mood.

Follow-up

2011-04-13T08:24:00.005-04:00

I received an email from the snow plowing contractor this morning. He said he'd come this weekend to look at it. Problem is, I work weekends.

Anyway, after giving my back a rest yesterday I went back out there and worked on the mess for a couple more hours. Here's how far I got after shoveling, raking and hauling wheelbarrows full of dirt and gravel.

All the gravel is still spread throughout the grass and there's still a large berm of it on the neighbor's yard. I worked until my back gave out. Just couldn't rake/shovel any more.

Which is Worse?

2011-04-12T09:17:00.025-04:00

Shoveling snow or shoveling dirt and gravel? Hmmmm. I can't decide right now.

Although it was nice not to have to worry about keeping the driveway clear of snow all winter, I really didn't bargain for this. Most of the gravel that was in my driveway is now in the neighbor's yard, along with all the top soil that used to be my lawn.

The red dotted line represents my property line. Most of that huge pile of dirt and gravel is on the neighbor's property.

This used to be grass.

That mound just below the red x is about 2 feet high.

The only thing that stopped them from pushing it further into the neighbor's yard was the neighbor's tree. Just looking at this pic makes my blood boil. I've never seen such a horrid mess!

My new lawn!How the hell am I supposed to get all that gravel back into the driveway?

They removed so much top soil in some places that the ground level is 6 or more inches lower than it used to be. There was grass here last summer.

Lovely ain't it?

The area outlined in red is the back-up section of my driveway. Since there's no longer any gravel in that area, my tires leave trenches when I drive there. As you can see, all the gravel is now in the lawn in the forefront of the pic.

I went out there at 7AM this morning and worked on it for two hours. I barely made a dent and hurt my back in the process. It's hard to judge depth in this pic but the new ground level (foreground) is approximately 6" lower than it used to be because all the grass and top soil is in that huge berm.

I looked over the contract I signed with them and it states that I must, in writing, report any damage within 48 hours of it happening and that they will repair any damage that is properly and timely reported. It's been months since they tore up the place but I sent them an email anyway. It wasn't until I actually went out there to start cleaning it up that the scope of the damage was realized.

Was Today Groundhog Day?

2011-04-05T23:25:00.002-04:00

This groundhog definitely saw his shadow today...two months too late. Maybe Spring will finally arrive in this God-forsaken state. The sunshine is very deceiving. It's still cold as heck out there.

A Pic of Bella

2011-03-30T18:53:00.002-04:00

Just when I needed them most

2011-03-29T23:05:00.002-04:00

Just before sunset I saw a pair of Bluebirds checking out the nestbox. Wish I knew if they're the same pair who raised 5 babies here last Summer. I didn't get any pics because it was fairly dark and they didn't hang around long.

I'm so looking forward to warmer weather and some younguns again!

I Wonder if the Ground is Frozen Solid

2011-03-13T23:32:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow I think I'll see if I can erect a pole to put at least one of the Chickadee nextboxes on. I don't like where either one is. I can't see them from the kitchen window and that's the best place to shoot a video so I don't bother the little critters too much. It looks like some birds have been removing the wood chips. I wouldn't know which birds, since I can't see the darn things!

I also need to fix my mailbox. It's leaning a bit (actually, a lot) to the left. The snow banks have been keeping it upright all winter but they're just about gone now.

I really can't wait til Spring. I'm getting a bit tired of the same old birds and hope to see some new 'lifers' during migration. 'Cheesehead' hasn't been around since I shot that video of him sitting on the Bluebird house. I miss the Bluebirds, the Orioles and the Hummers, too.

How to piss off a customer 101

2011-03-10T02:02:00.002-05:00

This has been eating away at me so I thought I'd get it out now.

Last Sunday I was working stock in Infants & Kids when the jewelry diva brought me her phone so she could take her lunch. I hate covering the jewelry counter with every fiber of my being. There were 2 other co-workers there but she always brings me the phone when it's time for her breaks. Grrrrrr!

Anyhow, almost immediately I get a call that someone needs help up there. This did not make me happy because I only had 1½ hrs left on my shift to finish the stock in Infants/Kids and I had already been pulled away from it to run a lane and to put a skid of shoes out earlier. It was a short 6 hour shift to begin with and being constantly pulled away to do other things makes it impossible to get your work done. But up to the jewelry counter I went.

Before I could even get to the counter this woman, who was dressed in dirty, nasty clothes, was saying something. I'm pretty much deaf so I had no idea what she was saying. I figured she'd repeat it once I had gotten within speaking distance of her. When I did, I asked, "Did you need some help?"

She was immediately pissed and gave me this catbutt-face look. "I would rather be served by the other woman!!!!!"

Me: "What?"

She starts looking around for 'the other woman' and is ranting about something but because she's not facing me, I can't hear what she's saying.

Me: "What on earth did I do? I just asked if you needed help?"

She finally stops turning back and forth and says, "I asked if I had pulled you away from something and you completely ignored me."

*sigh* (Note to self: asking if someone needs helps = ignoring) "Sorry. I didn't hear you."

The wench finally settles down then wastes the next 40 minutes looking at diamond engagement rings for a friend who plans on asking his girl to marry him.

(Note to self: when needing an engagement ring, send a stinky old woman to find one for you.)

She looked at every ring we had. She wanted to know if the prices were going to go up and if so, when. (I have no way of knowing that.) She wrote down the UPC number for each ring, the original price, the sale price, the weight of the diamond, whether it was 10k gold or sterling silver...then left without making a single purchase.

Forty minutes wasted!

Did I mention I hate the jewelry counter? Don't like people much, either.

I hate that place!

Home Sweet Home

2011-03-08T22:57:00.013-05:00

I put up the second PVC Chickadee nestbox this afternoon and within 10 minutes, two little Chickadees were checking it out. I grabbed my camera and went back out to try to capture them at the box but they didn't like me being so close.

Looking closer at the lilac bushes in this image I can see buds.Spring is on it's way!

The first PVC nestbox I put up is way out back, about 300' feet from the house. I packed both of them full with wood chips so the Chickadees can excavate their own holes. I walked out there to check on it today and I could see that some of the wood chips have been removed. I haven't been able to see any birds at that box but it's so far away that it's hard to see.

There's also window screening inside each box so the parents can climb up to the hole to get out and the babies can climb up to look out until they're ready to leave the nest.

As the birds remove the wood chips they usually carry them away from the nest to drop them so they won't call attention to predators. I hope both these boxes will be used this Spring. It'll be fun watching them. I'll try to get some videos.

Haiku

2011-03-02T19:25:00.001-05:00

Depression sets in
The hellhole is calling me
I don't want to go

Bluebird Wannabe

2011-02-23T13:10:00.008-05:00

My Red-shouldered Hawk, who I've named 'Cheesehead' stopped by this afternoon to check out the Bluebird Nestbox. Ya think he'll fit?

I just love this guy!

Last week I had put up the first PVC Chickadee nestbox I made. To see if any birds were showing interest in it I decided to take a video. While doing that, 'Cheesehead' showed up in the backyard. I got lucky and caught him on video.

Here's a link to the video: Bluebird Wannabe

Enough already!

2011-02-22T14:36:00.003-05:00

Last week we had temps in the 50's and most of the snow melted. Sunday night we got another 8 inches or more. I've had enough of Winter. Even though February is the shortest month of the year, it sure seems to drag on and on.

I finally got around to putting a new door knob on the back door of the garage where the 'would be' thief broke in on Christmas night. I put in a dead bolt lock, too. Next week I'm going to install a motion detector light back there. Hopefully if someone is nosing around again, a light coming on may discourage them.

I had a bit more PVC pipe leftover so I made another Chickadee nest box. Can't wait til the weather gets warmer so I can put it up. Hopefully the Chickadees will like it.

Forever The Man...forever a fan.

2011-02-20T18:53:00.002-05:00

MISS YOU DALE!

Warning...very long rant ahead

2011-02-14T01:43:00.012-05:00

If I could I'd walk out those front doors and never step foot inside that hellhole again. EVER!

Perfection is what the new store director wants. Everything must be perfect and MUST BE DONE TODAY. The thing is, in order to get everything done YOU NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE THERE TO DO THE WORK!!! Instead, she cuts hours to the bone, runs us ragged, then bitches when things aren't perfect.

The fewer hours we get, the better she likes it. That way we don't qualify for health insurance, vacation pay, holiday pay, paid days off, under-employment or unemployment should we lose our jobs. And the fewer hours she uses to run the hellhole, the bigger her bonus.

Yet they expect loyalty!

Here's your loyalty...

A couple weeks ago our clearance prices dropped which means we have to go through and re-price everything that's on clearance again. We cover 7 depts...SEVEN! There are thousands of items that need to be marked down. It's very time consuming and impossible to get done in one day, even if all of us were scheduled. Especially when you're constantly interrupted to let someone in the fitting room, change a watch battery, do a price check for a cashier, show a customer where somethings is, put away returns, answer the constantly ringing phones, go up and run a lane and on and on and on.

When I walked in that day I was immediately told that we were marking our clearance items down and that it HAS TO BE DONE TODAY. I know that's impossible but I said, okay. With 4 of us working we didn't even get through women's. My manager worked at least 15 hours that day and was still at it when I left. We never even got started in jewelry, active wear, men's, infants and toddlers, shoes or kids.

This past Friday one of my co-workers came in for about 4 hours then went home sick. No one else was scheduled until 7PM. I ran around there like a crazy woman trying to get everything done, even stayed longer than I was scheduled because there were hours to spare since my co-worker left early.

When it came time for me to go I couldn't find my 7PM co-worker anywhere in the dept so I called him. I had to give him the phones and leave before I'd get into overtime. (If you get overtime you are written up.) He had been summoned by the Service Coordinator (head cashier) to take a shopping cart full of food and put it back on the shelves. Number one...we were already short-handed and that IS NOT OUR JOB. Number two...there was bacon and other 'cold' products in that cart that should NEVER be returned to the shelves. I don't care if it does "still feel cold." It needs to be thrown out!

The closing manager saw him with the cart full of food and asked him what he was doing. When he told her she said, "Oh no, no, no!" and got on the phone. I had to leave so I don't know what happened but I hope she took care of the situation properly. Otherwise, I don't want to buy their bacon or anything else that should be kept cold ever again.

The next day I'm confronted by my manager who gave me 'what-for' because the place wasn't straightened to the store director's satisfaction. The toys down the baby aisle were messy and the underwear in women's wasn't pulled to the front of the pegs.

You've got to be f*****g kidding me! I'm one person and I DO NOT WALK ON WATER!!!

Today upon my arrival I get, "We have inventory in mens dept tomorrow so the stock HAS TO BE DONE TODAY." Then, they proceed to pull both myself and another co-worker up front to run a lane.

But that's not the worst of it. I was working stock when I received a call from the service coordinator to come up on lane 21. Now, the service coordinators are not managers. They are peons just like me but they think they can use us to do every little thing they think needs to be done...and they do. When they call you to come up and run a lane they seem to think you can just magically appear at the lane immediately. They don't stop to consider the fact that you may be helping a customer on the floor or have something else you need to take care of first.

I was in the middle of picking my cardboard up off the floor when she called. "I need you to come up to lane 21."

I replied..."ah..."

Before I could tell her that my cardboard had fallen on the floor and I need to get it out of the aisle she said, "I have to go...get up on lane 21."

So, I picked up my cardboard, went to find a co-worker so I could give her the phone then started toward the front. As I walked away from said co-worker the phone rang. She answered and it was the service coordinator.

"ARE YOU ON YOUR WAY????????????????????"

Two minutes, tops! She can't wait two #$@&!%*# minutes?

Since I didn't magically appear at the lane immediately the bitch calls the store director and tells her she called me up to run a lane and it was like pulling teeth to get me up there. All I said to her was "ah" and I got up there ASAP. To say I was pissed is an understatement!!!!!!!

Later I confronted the bitch and asked her what her problem was. She then contacts my manager who then gets after me for sticking up for myself.

They pulled me up there three times today. Needless to say, the stock did not get done. I know of no one who can run a lane AND stock at the same time. And like I said before, I DO NOT WALK ON WATER. Oh, and that same co-worker who went home sick Friday called in again today. So, I had to do her work also.

Another time I was helping a customer at jewelry and had another customer waiting. I got a call to go up on a lane. I told her I was with a customer and had another waiting. She said, "Find someone else to help those people and get up on a lane." She actually expected me to walk away from a paying customer so that I could go help the other, obviously more important customers at the check lanes. And to make sure I did, she came over and started hounding me to "Get up there...get up on the lane...come on, get up there!!!"

The look on my customer's face was utter shock, then anger as I walked away from him, apologizing. I hope he wrote a letter of complaint to corporate.

Unreal...the place is just unreal. Sometimes I can't believe what goes on there.

God help me, one of these days, I'm gonna lose it.

I Can Has Mac & Cheez

2011-02-06T01:49:00.006-05:00

I've always put out table scraps for the Crows. This morning I tossed out some leftover Kraft Mac & Cheese in a path I'd shoveled out back, then went inside to start getting ready for work. A few minutes later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw some activity near the spot where I'd put the goodies. I looked out to see two Crows bouncing around like Tigger. I wasn't sure what was going on but they didn't seem to be too happy.

All of a sudden, peeking up from behind the 'wall of snow', I saw this:

My first thought was...that's a BIG crow! Then my eyes adjusted and I realized it wasn't a crow at all. I couldn't get a full-body shot from the bathroom window so I went out to the garage and snapped this pic.

Red-shouldered Hawk

After the hawk finished his snack he flew up into a nearby tree and sat there for a minute or so. The crows were in the same tree, hollering at him for eating their food.

This is the closest encounter I've had with a hawk. Pretty exciting! Why does this kind of stuff have to happen when I gotta go to work? I either have to stop looking at the birds in the morning...or quit my job!

More Birds

2011-01-24T20:54:00.005-05:00

This little guy doesn't care how close I get to him.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Nor does this guy.

White-breasted Nuthatch

I wish the hawks would be as fearless. Can't get close enough to one to get a nice shot because as soon as they see me, they take off. I watched a Red-shouldered Hawk today who was busy chasing something on the ground. I couldn't see what it was after and I don't know if he caught it or not. He disappeared behind the neighbor's shed for a while so he may have been eating then.

He eventually landed in a tree and sat there for quite a while. Then, just 10 feet away from him, a little squirrel was scampering up and down the trunk of another tree. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. That squirrel must have a death wish. But the hawk never attacked...perhaps he had already eaten.

Burrrrrrrr!

2011-01-24T00:47:00.002-05:00

Don't think I'll be having a picnic any time soon.

The 'experts' tell us this is due to global warming...uh huh!

Nature is Wonderful!

2011-01-18T13:54:00.006-05:00

It's a good thing I don't have a dish washer because if I did, I wouldn't get to see a lot of the birds and critters I've seen in my backyard lately. Once again, while washing dishes, a commotion outside the window caught my eye. A hawk was chasing a mourning dove and in the process, he scared off all the other birds from the feeders.

Sharp-shinned Hawk
He didn't catch the dove but landed in the pine tree and sat there for a bit. In the meantime, these two were frozen in place, trying their best not to be noticed by the hawk.

Female Hairy (lt) Female Downy (rt)

Some People!

2011-01-15T02:39:00.003-05:00

The hellhole has sliced and diced our hours worse than ever. Corporate never seems to miss an opportunity to prove that their only concern is the almighty dollar. I actually had a co-worker ask if I would give her some hours. She was only scheduled 12 but I only had 14½ hours myself this week. What the heck???

It's time again for the 'employee satisfaction' survey. (mandatory) They offer lots of questions about the hellhole in general and specific questions about our boss, management, etc. You also have a chance to give your own feedback. They tell us it's anonymous but we all know it's not. We have to enter our employee ID number in order to take the survey...we didn't have to do that when they first started this.

Regardless, I answered it honestly this time. The place gets worse every year and all you need to do to see if your employees are content is look at their miserable faces. These surveys are a waste of time because nothing ever changes for the better.

I really hate that place.

E.S.P. (Especially Silly Person)

2011-01-10T11:03:00.011-05:00

Ever had one of those moments when you just know something is going to happen and then it does? I have. Quite often, actually.

Well, this morning I was standing by the kitchen window washing some dishes at the sink. As I glanced out the window at all the little birds, I began thinking about Hawks and how much I'd like to see one so I could get a good picture of it. The thought popped into my head that I would see one today.

Guess what?

Mature Red-shouldered Hawk

(Still not the best picture...but it's getting better.)

I put left-overs out for the crows. This Hawk took off after one of the crows and chased it into the trees. A few seconds later it came back out to the edge of the tree line and sat for a while. I watched it for a few minutes through the binoculars and debated whether or not to go get my camera. I was afraid it would be gone when I returned.

What a beauty!

He came back an hour later. Here's a view from the back!

I Never Get Tired of 'Hairy'

2011-01-08T14:24:00.001-05:00

A Lucky Break...maybe?

2010-12-29T13:01:00.004-05:00

Sunday night Dan came to look through his tools and nothing is missing. I'm convinced the thief was still here when I got home. He probably heard the garage door opening and high-tailed it out the front door in the breezeway. I found footprints in the snow that indicate he went out that way. And since nothing was missing, it appears he was in a big hurry to scram!

What an awful feeling though. I don't know what I would have done if I'd seen him...probably freak! I can't believe I didn't see or hear him but I'm so oblivious to my surroundings most of the time. It's a coping mechanism which I've developed over the years working in retail. If you ignore everything around you...it'll go away. Right???

I'm gonna have to either get a gun or a great, big Rottweiler with huge jaws.

Hey! I could name him Jaws.

I love dogs!

Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men, eh?

2010-12-26T09:31:00.004-05:00

Sometime yesterday while I was celebrating the birth of our Saviour, some creep(s) broke into the house. I got home from Dan's at about 8:30 and when I pulled into the garage I found the breezeway door wide open. Not only did the creeps break-in, they left my door wide open which means the furnace was running non-stop for who knows how long.

They came in through the back door in the garage...broke the lock. I found footprints in the snow coming from the front of the house to the back door but couldn't see any going back the other way.

So far I haven't found anything missing in the house. There's nothing worth stealing in here. But Dan's tools he used for his job are out in the garage. They're worth thousands and I don't know if anything is missing. The top of the toolbox was open and the contents all messed up. He's been sick all week so I don't know when he'll be able to come and check on them. A report will have to be made if things were stolen.

I'm hoping they were just thinking they would find some nice Christmas presents to steal but I had taken all the presents with me when I left earlier in the day. There's no cash in the house so they were disappointed there, too. This is the fourth time since I've lived here that thieves have helped themselves to what isn't their's. The other 3 times they didn't come into the house, though.

Merry Christmas indeed.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

Sure hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Just One More Day!

2010-12-23T23:23:00.003-05:00

The last minute shoppers were out in full force today. It was very busy which helps the time go by faster. Just one more day of this madness. I can't wait til it's over.

Nice Customers

2010-12-21T01:21:00.003-05:00

So far this holiday season I haven't encountered any crabby customers. (Except the idiot in the shoe dept who can't tell the difference between the colors black and brown.) As usual, the Jewelry diva had this past weekend off. For some reason she gets every Friday and Saturday off during the busiest time of the year and that means I have to cover jewelry.

Have I ever mentioned that I hate covering jewelry? I mean, I hate it with every fiber of my being. Having to stand up there for 8 hours and answer the same questions over and over and over, really grates on my nerves. I don't even like jewelry. I have no interest in jewelry. As far as I'm concerned, it's a huge waste of money and the junk we sell isn't worth half what people pay for it...but I digress.

Last Friday, after having been at the counter for several hours, a lady approached and said, "Don't laugh at me but...I asked my husband what he wanted for Christmas and he just suddenly disappeared. He returned a few minutes later and handed me this."

She placed a piece of paper on the counter with a picture of a Timex watch on it. Her husband had gone online and found the exact watch he wanted and printed out a picture of it for her. It was quite large, too.

"He was very specific that this is the exact watch that he wants. Do you have it?"

I wasn't sure if we had that exact watch but I told her we should be able to find one with the same features. I mentioned that this was the kind of guy who would be easy to buy for. He knows exactly what he wants and even provides pictures. We had a good laugh.

As we were looking, a co-worker came up and asked what we were laughing about so I showed her the picture. She knew exactly which watch it was and brought one up to the counter.

Another satisfied customer.

Stupid Questions

2010-12-11T23:05:00.003-05:00

I've been asked some really ridiculous questions during my stint at the hellhole but this one has quickly gone to the top of my list of stupid questions.

Pretty much everyone knows that it's two weeks before Christmas, everyone except a woman I checked out at the register today. The store was packed with shoppers. Lines were backed up into Fashions. The softlines lead wanted me to take some people with small orders at the jewelry counter and ring them up.

This woman only had 5 or 6 items and as I began scanning them she came up with this brilliant question..."Why is it so busy in here?"

What do you say to someone so clueless?

In case I haven't mentioned it before...I hate this time of year.

13 days and counting!!!

Let it Snow

2010-12-01T23:55:00.005-05:00

We got our first significant snow of the season today. And just like they promised, the plowing company came and plowed the driveway even though there was only 2 or 3 inches of snow at the time.

I feel sorry for my feathered friends having to be out in this cold weather. Took a few shots of some of them in the snow.

Mourning Doves

Male Northern Cardinal

Common Starlings in Winter Plumage

Kinda slow for a big shopping weekend

2010-11-27T23:36:00.010-05:00

Except for Thursday morning, this has been the slowest, quietest Thanksgiving weekend sale I think I've ever seen at the hellhole. I guess Michigan's economy is really hitting hard this year. I don't pay any attention to the things we advertise as the big draws but whatever they were, it didn't work this weekend.

Our back room is full to the rafters...literally. The lack of crowds hasn't helped to get rid of any of the overstock either. I found two carts of stock back there dated Nov 10th and Nov 11th. It was buried so far back that no one knew it was there.

Since the hellhole opened in 1990, the overstock for toys and Christmas stuff always went outside in the Garden Center under the tarps. Our new store director doesn't want it out there so it's crammed into the back room, leaving very little space for anything else.

The other day someone stacked two rows of 5, fully-loaded skids right next to our Fashions area where we keep our new stock and backstock. Those skids were so high that they nearly touched the ceiling. This morning my co-worker was back there getting some new stock to take out to the floor when those two huge piles of skids came tumbling over, just barely missing her. If they had landed on her she would surely have died.

Another co-worker was there with her when this happened. She immediately called the store director who was too busy to deal with it and instructed the co-worker to call the hardlines manager. She was also too busy. Those skids stayed like that for hours, teetering on the stock below it. When I left at 6PM, they still hadn't been attended to.

Says a lot about how management views us peons, doesn't it?

On a happier note, the guy that's going to be plowing the driveway came by tonight to put up some markers and to discuss the contract. I'm so excited about this. It's going to be wonderful not having to worry about shoveling before work and after work. I'm almost looking forward to the snow. Almost!

Thanksgiving...a day late!

2010-11-26T19:14:00.004-05:00

A week or so ago I received a gift from the 591st Engineer Co. Veterans Association for the website I've kept up for them. It was completely unexpected and so very nice of them.

With winter just around the corner I've really been worried about whether or not I'll be able to keep up with shoveling snow out of the driveway. Well, I don't have to worry about that now. I used the gift the Veterans sent to contract someone locally to come and keep the driveway plowed. They'll even shovel the sidewalk and de-ice it if necessary.

I'm so excited, so grateful and so happy that I don't have to worry about having a heart attack in 20 degree weather. I'm also not dreading the snow as much.

Thank-you 591st! Love yas and Welcome Home!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T20:05:00.008-05:00

Had to be to work this morning at 6AM. That's better than last year. I think I went in at 4:30AM. Anyway, the place was crazy busy and I was told that people were sleeping on the floor in the shoe dept all night. There is NOTHING in this entire world that I want bad enough to cause me to sleep on a dirty, filthy, puked on, pooped on carpet in a retail store the night before Thanksgiving. These people are sick! I seriously think there's something wrong with them.

Go home and eat turkey, you turkeys! Maybe if you'd stay home on Thanksgiving, so could I.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to ruin someone's Christmas by telling them we've sold out of the item they waited in line for 6 hours to get. It's always the highlight of the season when people go all ape-shit over stuff like that. (Can't tolerate Black Friday shoppers, either.)

At least my whole day didn't suck. After work I picked up fixins for burritos and went to Dan's apartment. Got there in time to see the Lions lose...again. Dan made the burritos (he's a good cook). I stuffed myself then fell asleep on his couch. What can I say. I only slept about an hour and ½ last night.

One down, 29 more hellish shopping days til the nightmare ends. I don't know if I'll make it til the end. :o(

One of these days...

2010-11-24T19:35:00.005-05:00

...I'm going to get a decent shot of this beauty. I see him often but he doesn't stick around long enough to get a nice picture. This was taken through two panes of glass and a screen. He was in the tree in my backyard just above the feeders and appeared to be looking right at me. After I clicked the shutter, he took off.

I originally identified this bird as a Cooper's Hawk but after doing some research, I now believe it to be a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. It was smaller than a Cooper's and has a squared-off tail.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

This is a new visitor to the backyard feeders.
Pine Siskin
He was hanging out with the Goldfinches. There were at least 32 of them at the feeders, on the ground or in the tree. Some day they will take over the world.

Hey You!

2010-11-23T20:42:00.005-05:00

You gonna feed us or not?

Thank-you!

Guess Who's Got Herself a Bo?

2010-11-23T00:37:00.008-05:00

It's always exciting to see a new bird. This handsome fellow came by today and it's the first time I've seen him. He prefers the suet while the female always seems to go for the peanuts. You can tell he's a male because the red on his head goes all the way to his beak.

Both of the Red-bellied Woodpeckers were here at the same time. I was getting ready to take a shot of them when a Blue Jay scared them off. Those Blue Jays are beautiful birds but they're mean and I wish I knew how to keep them out of my backyard.

Here's a White-breasted Nuthatch striking a pose.

Just some random shots

2010-11-20T23:17:00.009-05:00

Black-capped Chickadee

House Finch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Cooper's Hawk

2010-11-17T21:52:00.003-05:00

The saga of trying to get a good shot of my neighborhood hawk continues...there is some improvement but I must keep trying.

This morning I saw this guy land in the tree just a few feet above the bird feeders, scaring off all my feathered friends in the process. My excitement almost took over but I remained calm enough to grab my camera which was just a few feet away on the table. But, by the time I turned it on and got it focused, that ornery cus took off.

I ran outside and watched as he landed in a tree about 300' away. He sat there only long enough for me to get this image of him.

Northern Flicker

2010-11-13T20:51:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, just before heading out to work I saw a Northern Flicker at the feeders.

At first I thought it was the Red-bellied Woodpecker but on closer inspection, I could see the difference and knew what it was. Unfortunately, it was dark by the time I got home but this afternoon I got out of work early enough to watch and see if he/she returns. No luck. I won't give up though.

Here we go again. The nightmare known as the 'holiday shopping season' has officially begun. They have Christmas music playing already at the hellhole. If I remember correctly, this is the earliest I've ever heard it played.

Another change this year is the amount of stock we're getting in. It's unbelievable. There are skids and skids of new stuff everywhere in the back room. So much crap that you can't get to your own stock to put it out. Today, a co-worker had to climb over several skids of dog food to get a crib mattress for a customer. The aisle in the backroom is almost always blocked so you can't even get through with your load.

God help me! I hate this time of year.

Freedom Isn't Free

2010-11-10T23:29:00.005-05:00

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Author ~ Kelly Strong

I'm just wild about Hairy...

2010-11-10T13:31:00.007-05:00

...but he's not so wild about me.

At least he doesn't take off as soon as he sees me anymore.

I love the Downy Woodpeckers, too. They don't care if I'm 5 feet away from them. They'll just continue to eat.

Here's a sweet female Cardinal.

Love This Weather

2010-11-09T12:50:00.006-05:00

Looks like we're having Indian Summer this week. It's supposed to get up to 65 degrees today. Love it.

I thought I had seen all the new birds I could expect to see this year what with winter on the way, but today I actually saw two new species. One is a European Starling which was on his own. They usually travel in large flocks. I hope he moves on and doesn't tell his friends. They are aggressive, ugly and will clean your feeders out in a matter of hours.

But this beauty was wonderful to see. She is an Evening Grosbeak.

She sat on the branch, pretty as a picture, for quite a long time. Eventually she made her way down to the feeder to eat. Unfortunately, she didn't get to eat much because a Blue Jay came and chased her off.

I hope she has a male companion. I looked at some images online of male Evening Grosbeaks and they are gorgeous.

Rain, rain go away

2010-11-04T22:10:00.008-04:00

It was a cold, rainy day but that didn't stop the birds from eating at the feeders. This beauty is quickly becoming my favorite. I usually hear her before I see her. I just wish she'd come around when we have a nice sunny day so I could get a good shot of her. This was taken through the glass because if I open the window, she takes off.

She really likes the peanuts!

This female cardinal wasn't gonna let a little rain get in the way of her meal.

Her companion was camera shy.

Masked Bandits

2010-10-30T00:44:00.010-04:00

I've lived here for over 24 years and during that time I've had problems with raccoons. I've had them come in the house through the cat door and eat the cat food. I've caught them several times. I had two openings for the cats. One was in the back door of the garage and the other came through the garage wall into the breezeway.

One day I heard some crunching out in the kitchen. Both cats were with me so I knew it had to be a raccoon eating the cat food. Dipstick was lying on me so I put him down and walked into the kitchen. Dip following behind. I flipped on the light and sure enough, there's a raccoon munching down on 9-Lives.

Dip just sat down to observe. The raccoon looked up at me and slowly walked right past me, out into the breezeway and out the cat door into the garage. I followed him out there and he seemed confused as to how to get out. By this time he was spooked and literally started climbing the walls.

The 2 x 4's are exposed in my garage and that crazy raccoon was climbing them. I opened the back door, grabbed a broom and poked at him a few times but this just scared him even more. He jumped off the wall and waddled way back in a corner underneath a small garden tractor trailer that was built for my Dad by my ex-hubby Rocky. After poking at him some more and telling him to 'get on outta here' he finally found his way out the door.

Years ago I used to feed the birds but after getting up every morning to find my feeders on the ground, sometimes destroyed, and always empty of their contents...I gave up. I would put out a suet cake and the next morning the cage would be on the ground and the suet gone. So I bought a shepherd's hook thinking that would do the trick but the next morning the suet cage was once again lying on the ground empty. I even tried squeezing the S-hook tightly around the shepherd's hook thinking the raccoons wouldn't be able to pull if off the hook. Well, they couldn't pull if off so they slid it up and over the bend of the hook and then just let it fall to the ground.

*Sigh*

This time around I've been bringing the feeders in at night. It's a pain but at least I'm not feeding the raccoons anymore. I really would like to attract some more woodpeckers to the backyard. So, last night after work I bought a peanut feeder and some peanuts. I particularly want to get some Pileated Woodpeckers (Woody Woodpeckers) to visit.

Becky & Joe have a beautiful Red-headed Woodpecker that comes to their feeder which hangs right on the eaves of their house. I figure raccoons won't be able to get to the eaves so I hung the peanut feeder out after I got home. Here's what the feeder looks like. (It's about 11" tall.)

And this pic shows where I hung it...not on the eave but just above the kitchen window:

Around 10PM I heard some thumping and scratching outside the kitchen window. At first I was scared! Then it dawned on me...a masked bandit was after my peanuts!!!

I grabbed the flashlight, threw open the window and there he was, less than 2 feet away from me, sitting on the pump house enjoying his snack. He had ripped the top off of the feeder, dumped the peanuts out and just helped himself.

The feeder had been out there less than 3 hours.

Guess I have another feeder I have to bring in at night. :o(

Girls ONLY!

2010-10-26T18:37:00.006-04:00

I don't even want to admit how long I sat, camera at the ready, to get this short video of my visiting Red-bellied Woodpecker. Okay...4 hours alright???

Anyhow, the first video I shot turned out very blurry so I waited some more and finally got this:

She was calm enough to share the feeder with a female Cardinal but it was a little, bitty Chickadee who scared her away!

(If the video disappears again, you can watch it here.)

She's Baaaack!

2010-10-25T15:47:00.004-04:00

The Red-bellied Woodpecker has been a regular visitor to the backyard for the past several days. I've been able to see it clear enough to tell that it is a female. The red on the male's head goes all the way to his beak. The female's head is red only on the back and neck.

I zoomed in a bit to try and get a closer look at her belly so I could see the reason why she's called a Red-bellied Woodpecker. The wind was blowing the feeder to and fro but you can see a bit of the red between her legs.

Herring Gulls

2010-10-24T20:42:00.003-04:00

There are always Gulls flying around the parking lot at the hellhole. I don't know why but they seem to like it there. I feel rather fortunate that one of them has never pooped on me while coming or going from the store.

Yesterday I decided to bring my camera with me to work so I could get some shots of the Gulls during my lunch break.

I saw two new birds today!

2010-10-20T17:03:00.006-04:00

The weather is very cold, cloudy and windy so these pics were taken through the window glass. The first one is two different angles of a Purple Finch.

This pic is even worse. It's a Red-bellied Woodpecker ( whose belly appears to be white but his head is red. Just sayin' )

Woah...I'm still shaking!

2010-10-19T12:00:00.003-04:00

I was sitting at my kitchen table organizing some paperwork and happened to glance outside at the many birds happily eating at the feeders. Suddenly, a hawk came roaring by like a bat outta you-know-where, causing all the birds to disperse...quickly!

You know I've been trying to get a picture of a hawk that I've seen several times. (I'm only assuming it's the same one.) But this was so fast and so unexpected. I have no idea if he captured one of my feathered friends but he sure tried.

I grabbed my camera and ran outside. He was in the lilac bushes along the property line but the sight of me scared him further away, up into the hickory tree out back. I managed to get this shot but you can barely see him.

Chickadee-dee-dee

2010-10-18T16:10:00.007-04:00

I've been trying to get a nice close-up of one of these little guys for the longest time. I was about 10 feet away when he came to the feeder and this time he stayed long enough for me to capture him.

I was looking towards the sky hoping to see a hawk in flight when this thing flew overhead. It was heading east.

Speaking of hawks, here's one I took last week.

Pathetic, ain't it? LOL

Nature is not always nice.

2010-10-13T17:22:00.007-04:00

While washing dishes I noticed a female House Finch sitting on the bird's watering dish outside. She stayed for over half an hour so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some nice shots. I could see that she was 'fluffed-up' and wondered if she was ill.

Once I uploaded the images to my computer I got a good look at her eye. After doing some research online I found information on a disease that is common to House Finches, mycoplasmal conjunctivitis (pink eye). Unfortunately, she will eventually go blind and will be unable to fly or feed herself. The poor thing will starve to death.

She kept rubbing her eyes on the side of the watering dish and on branches in the trees. Pink eye is very contagious to other birds. I'll have to keep the feeders as clean as possible and hope the rest of my feathered friends don't contract it.

More Feathered Friends

2010-10-12T03:03:00.007-04:00

This is a female Eastern Towhee (pronounced toe-hee). Her back is a dark cinnamon color. Her male counterpart is black on his back.

And a White-Throated Sparrow. Note the yellow patches on his head.

I think I'm a handsome bird

2010-10-11T03:27:00.010-04:00

Some may say I'm a bit on the chunky side but that just means there's more to love.

I'll let you be the judge. Do you like my right side?

How about my left side?

Here's a view from behind...

Oh! Look up there. What's that?

Sorry. Got a bit distracted. Here's a shot of my impressive white crown.

So. What do you think?

These little guys are pigs

2010-10-10T01:29:00.003-04:00

I think I need a few more perches...

Or a bigger sock...

It's always my fault

2010-10-08T21:10:00.001-04:00

Since the threat of a grievance being filed against my manager was lurking in the background, my schedule had been done according to seniority...until a couple weeks ago. I took some much needed time off to just get a break from the hellhole. While I was gone, they scheduled a person with less seniority earlier/longer shifts for two days. I wasn't there to see it and correct it, so I was stuck with the lousy shifts.

The next week they did it again. My manager had the day off so I went to her supervisor and asked for the earlier shift, which I was given. Problem is, she didn't change the shift of the person below me so we both came in at the same time, leaving 2nd shift one person short. That day was today and of course, because I had the gall to stand up for my rights, my manager blamed me for the mix-up.

It seems to me that if they would just do the schedule correctly in the first place, this wouldn't happen. I just don't understand what is so hard about following the contract and scheduling people with more seniority the earlier/longer shifts. What is it with these people? I never had this problem when I worked in Pet & Garden.

I hate that place.

The Bluebirds were back today

2010-10-06T23:09:00.007-04:00

There were at least four of them. This image isn't very good so I circled the ones that were sitting in the tree.

They kept going in and out of the nestbox and I watched one of them eat some poke berries.

They stayed for quite a while checking things out.

The picnic table:

The Swing:

Sure wish I knew if these were my babies!

It's a 'Hairy' Situation

2010-10-04T11:57:00.010-04:00

I finally got a few shots of the Hairy Woodpecker. He's been coming to the feeder every day but by the time I'd get the camera and get it set, he'd take off. These pics were taken through the kitchen window pane. I didn't want to open the window and scare him away.

In this last picture you can see the difference in the size between the Hairy Woodpecker and the Downy Woodpecker. Look at that beak on the Hairy! The Downy is about the height of the suet cage which is 5 inches tall.

Just a sidenote about comments. I've been getting spammed so I made some changes in the comment options.

New Sightings

2010-09-29T20:01:00.010-04:00

With migration in full force I've seen a few new birds this week. Besides the Hairy Woodpecker and the Invisible Hawk, this White-crowned Sparrow was here yesterday. He's more than likely headed south.

And today I spotted this Eastern Towhee who is also on his way out of Michigan. Sure wish I could go with him.

A bluebird also stopped by this afternoon. I wonder if he will stick around.

What a Great Day!

2010-09-28T22:55:00.014-04:00

The weather was perfect today. Beautiful blue skies, not too hot and no humidity. I wish we could have this kind of weather year-round. I took advantage of it and finished doing some work in the backyard.

While I was whacking the weeds I glanced upward and saw a hawk soaring high in the sky. I grabbed my camera to get a shot of it. You've heard of the Incredible Hulk? Well, this is my Invisible Hawk!

He had gone behind the tree before I could capture him.

I'll get 'em next time!

Two years ago Huey cut down the huge willow tree that had caused me so much grief over the years. Along with the mess it made in the yard, the roots would completely block the pipe or inlet into the septic tank and about every 6 months or so I'd have problems with every drain in the house and the toilet wouldn't flush. I've dug that damn septic tank up at least 3 times over the past 24 years. I am too old to be doing that now. But since the willow tree has been gone, I've had no problems with drainage whatsoever.

Anyhow, the stump is still there. I've been burning it slowly but surely and it's getting smaller and smaller with each burn. Since I don't have garbage pick-up anymore I burn my paper trash in the stump. Also, my neighbor has a huge brush pile out back that is from a poplar tree they cut down years ago and some pine branches they've trimmed. I've been grabbing big pieces of that to get a nice rip-roaring fire going on my stump.

Today I even cooked hotdogs over the coals. They were delicious!

While I was sitting by the fire eating my dogs, the birds were eating, too. They didn't seem to care that I was there nor did the smoke from the fire bother them. The Downy Woodpeckers came on a regular basis. I was less than 10 feet from them when I took these pics.

Female:

Male:

Yesterday I saw a Hairy Woodpecker eating at the suet cake. They're very similar to the Downy but quite a bit larger and have a bigger beak. The one I saw was at least 11 inches long. He didn't stick around long enough to get a pic. I also saw a Red-Breasted Nuthatch...a first-time sighting for me.

So, at the end of the day my yard work was done, my belly was full, I was tired, dirty and smelled like a camp fire...but I was happy as a lark!

Winter Coats

2010-09-26T21:39:00.010-04:00

Even though I've been looking forward to fall this year, mainly because it's been such a horribly hot and humid summer, it's still a bit depressing. The Hummingbirds left two weeks ago. The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are gone. No more Orioles or Cedar Waxwings (which I never got a decent shot of) and I haven't seen any Robins in a while.

There's no shortage of Chickadees and Goldfinch, though.

And I see a lot of Tufted Titmice.

The male Goldfinch are no longer a bright yellow like they were during the Summer months. They've put on their winter coats and look almost as drab and dull as the females.

I was out working in the yard today and could hear gun shots. I couldn't tell which direction they were coming from but I believe it's illegal for people to be shooting in a residential area. They'd better not be shooting my deer!

It was close enough to scare Gary. He high-tailed it into the house.

Thinking about photography...

2010-09-21T16:51:00.005-04:00

I need to branch out and go somewhere else to get some more shots. Too bad I don't have a camouflage outfit I could wear so I could blend in with my surroundings and get better close-ups.

Maybe something like this:

And for Winter shots, this:

For a mere 7 grand, I could get one of these:

I'd definitely need a tripod to reduce noise and blurring from my shaking. This one's a steal at $599.00:

And of course, I'd need a telephoto lens:

I'd better start saving my pennies now. Maybe by the year 2020 I can afford the camo suit!

(Something tells me even I could take great shots with that kind of equipment. What do ya'll think?)

More Birds

2010-09-19T01:05:00.018-04:00

This little Black-capped Chickadee looks like he's got a mouthful.

The Downy Woodpeckers are still around and I've seen them fighting over the suet cake. It's usually the females who go after the males. I don't think they like to share.

This male was being chased around and around the tree before he finally got a chance to get a nibble or two.

Seems all my feathered friends do is eat, since all the pics show them at the feeders. So, here's an American Goldfinch just sitting on a small branch...not eating!

Boy, do I feel ridiculous!

2010-09-18T00:09:00.005-04:00

I've had such an enjoyable time watching the birds and taking pics of them with my new camera, some of which I thought were pretty good. That is until I saw these pictures.

Wow! That's all I can say.

I wonder...

2010-09-15T12:27:00.006-04:00

I was watching the birds at my feeder hoping to see something new, maybe a bird migrating south for the winter, when I noticed this little guy land on the bluebird nestbox. My eyesight isn't good enough to see that far so I grabbed my binoculars to see what kind of bird it was.

To my delight it was a bluebird. Could this be one of my babies who has come back home? I'd like to think so. He hung around for a while and sat on top of the swing frame for a bit. At one point I believe he was flying with one or two other bluebirds in the field out back but it was hard to see.

911

2010-09-11T19:53:00.008-04:00

There are no words. There is no song. Is there a balm that can heal these wounds that will last a lifetime long? And when the stars have burned to dust. Hand in hand we still will stand. Because we must.

In one single hour, in one single day, we were changed forever, something taken away. And there is no fire that can melt this heavy stone, that can bring back the voices and the spirits of our own.

There are no words. There is no song. Is there a balm that can heal these wounds that will last a lifetime long? And when the stars have burned to dust. Hand in hand we still will stand. Because we must.

All the brothers, sisters and lovers, all the friends that are gone. All the chairs that will be empty in the lives that will go on. Can we ever forgive? Though we never will forget. We believe in the milk of human goodness yet.

There are no words. There is no song. Is there a balm that can heal these wounds that will last a lifetime long? And when the stars have burned to dust. Hand in hand we still will stand. Because we must.

We were forged in freedom. We were born in liberty. We came here to stop the twisted arrows cast by tyranny. And we won't bow down. We are strong of heart. We are a chain together that won't be pulled apart.

There are no words. There is no song. Is there a balm that can heal these wounds that will last a lifetime long? And when the stars have burned to dust. Hand in hand we still will stand. Because we must.

Listen to the song here performed by Kitty Donohoe.

We must always remember.

Oh deer!

2010-09-09T20:40:00.011-04:00

It's been a couple of months since I'd seen the doe in my back yard but tonight she returned and brought two fawns. They're so cute!

Beautiful

2010-09-08T21:24:00.004-04:00

Last night the sky looked quite ominous but the sun was peaking out enough to make the trees across the street look as if they were ablaze with flames. The leaves on these trees are all still green but you can't tell it in these images.

Plant Identification

2010-09-07T00:19:00.005-04:00

I have been noticing a very pretty flower growing out behind my neighbor's yard. I don't know what it is but it's so beautiful. The stems remind me of spider legs.

There's also a very large bush that I believe is pokeweed: