Saturday, April 26, 2008

Uhhh...

I'm having a hard time coming up with something I want to talk about this week. Maybe it's the boring work week or the light at the end of the tunnel for school, but I just can't think of anything to say. So, I decided to write about a few things I'm thankful for. I know it's not Thanksgiving, but shouldn't we be thankful year round? First, I'm thankful for my husband. Not only has he been putting up with my constant yammering on about school, but has been DVR'ing all my favorite shows so that I can catch up with them when I won't have to worry about homework. Thanks Scott!

I'm thankful I have the resources to go to school. Car, money, time, family and friend support, and a lifestyle that pretty much lets me do as I please. Yeah, that job thing gets in the way, but I'm still thankful for that too because without it, my life would be very different. It's not the worse job I've ever had, but I am ready to give it up. That will have to wait until I'm done with school, however.

My health. We all know how much more difficult life can or could be without having good health. My home (even thought we are looking for a new house). To have a secure place of comfort is priceless. Material possessions. Let's face it, we all like our stuff. And the freedom to enjoy all these things.

I guess what is spurring this, is my artifact. I found in my father's scrapbook from his early twenties a personal accounting of his reaction to V-E Day in Europe. But, he wasn't in Europe, he was driving a 6X6 truck on the Ledo-Burma Road. I never knew this letter existed until last weekend when I was going through the scrapbook. I knew of the scrapbook, but never had the opportunity to go through it until after his death in October of 2002. Even then, all I could stand to find were his Honorary Discharge papers to prove he was eligible for a Military funeral.

Time has a way of tempering grief and I was able to really look through the book. At the end, in a well used manila folder was the letter. In reading it, I realized that I have so much to attribute to not only my father, but to all the Veterans of our Country. Crossing the Burma road was perilous, dirty, stressful, uncomfortable, and lonely. His description of sleeping in the cramped cab of the truck, with his knees doubled up, and comparing it to a feather bed makes me really thankful that I have a comfy bed, with plenty of quilts and blankets and climate controlled perfection. I don't think I could have survived what he went through, not just on the Ledo-Burma Road, but WWII in general. Which makes me very thankful for the life he gave me.



Blog for the week of April 21st.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Bluebirds in the Spring

I realize that birds are not always interesting to everyone, but I do want to write about one of my favorites, the Bluebird. Specifically, in Wisconsin, the Eastern Bluebird. When my husband and I first moved to Random Lake, every once in a while I'd see a flash of blue zip through the yard. Before I became a bird enthusiast, I really didn't know that this was a unique opportunity. Bluebirds are very picky about their habitats, and if you have one cruising through your yard there's a very good chance you can get them to raise a family if you put out a nest box.

According to NABS (North American Bluebird Society),Bluebirds were very common in Wisconsin during the 1800's until 1875 when Old World Weaver Finches or House Sparrows, took over after being introduced to this country from England in 1850. House Sparrows were mistakenly believed to help with insect control of crops and gardens, but the obnoxious birds actually harmed the crops. They also began displacing native birds, especially the Bluebird. Cavity nesters; the Bluebird relied exclusively on Woodpecker holes to raise their families. House Sparrows were so aggressive in not only defending the holes, but killing the already nesting Bluebird parents, eggs and babies. Bluebirds are docile, but I have noticed in the past few years that they are becoming more willing to defend their nest sites and babies. The first few years of putting out a nest box in my yard I never had problems with Bluebirds dive-bombing me when I would check the nest and babies. However, the last few years, both parents have defended the nest when they had eggs or chicks in the nest box. At times actually touching my hair or hitting my shoulder.






I'm not going to go into the whole history of how Bluebird trails were started, or the finer points of one nest box over another, but during the 1970's, a movement was started to save the Bluebird. Here's a link to the history of NABS:

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/nabs%20history.htm

Because of all the hard work of people who want to see the Bluebird survive, the bird has been brought back from the brink of extinction by the use of proper habitat and trails of nest boxes in those habitats. But, it doesn't come without cost. Getting rid of House Sparrows is a time consuming and frustrating job.

Here is a link to pictures of House Sparrows if you don't know what they look like.

http://www.sialis.org/hospphotos.htm


or here's a close up of a male House Sparrow. My thanks to Bet Zimmerman who took the photo and gave me permission to use it and the link to her website.




I have two nest boxes in my yard and have seen first hand what House Sparrows will do with not just Bluebird eggs, but any eggs or adult bird, and I have no sympathy for the sparrow. I found a dead Black-Cap Chickadee lying on her smashed eggs because the sparrow had killed her while she tried to defend her eggs and nest. Then, the sparrow didn't even use the nest box. He just flew on to be a pest somewhere else. Mostly, after killing the bird already nesting, they will just build their nests on top of the deceased. Doesn't make for happy birding.

If you want to learn more about Bluebirds, these are two very good websites:

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/

and

http://www.braw.org/

If you have a large yard, with lots of flat-cut grass land, please consider putting up a nest box and monitoring it. The above websites have nest box designs, finished product for sale or you can buy the wood ones from Fleet Farm.

Here's a link to buy nest boxes on line too:

http://www.sialis.org/bluebirdstore.htm#nestboxes

Just make sure you don't let the House Sparrows nest in there, otherwise you've done no good for the birds you are trying to help.




Blog for the week of April 14th

Friday, April 11, 2008

Phobias

We all have them to some degree. Phobias. Whether it's spiders, or heights, or closed in spaces, or the number 13, chances are good that at some point in your life you are going to have an irrational fear of something. I have a few, and I'm willing to admit it. I try very hard to over come these fears when they raise their ugly heads, but sometimes it's not all that easy. This time of year is sometimes difficult for me because I don't like thunder and lightning. Rain is ok, but the storm part sets me on edge, especially if I'm outside. I have never liked the noises that go with storms, even as a kid. I remember my mom trying to tell me it was the Angels in heaven bowling that made all that noise. I didn't believe it then, but she kept telling me that anyway.

I don't like storms as an adult because I know what havoc they can produce. I was living in Jackson in 1981 when a tornado went through West Bend killing three people. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, my mother was the Disaster Chairman for the West Bend Red Cross chapter, so within an hour after the twister had gone through the family was packed up in the car, headed to West Bend to set up a shelter for all the people whose homes had been destroyed.

In 2005 I received a secondary lightning strike which was incredibly painful and terrifying. My husband and I were in Indianapolis for the Star Wars Celebration III convention. We were done for the day, and I volunteered to go get the car and pick him up because we had bought a bunch of stuff that we didn't want to get wet. It was raining steadily, but at the time wasn't thundering or lightning. The car was two blocks from the convention center and when I went to cross the three intersections leading to the parking lot it REALLY started to pour. And thunder. And lightning. I pressed the button for the walk signal, the lights changed, and I crossed the street. As soon as I got to the other side, I turned and looked from where I had been standing and a bolt of lightning struck the signal light I had just touched and been standing next to. Because there was so much water in the street, the electricity fanned out from the pole, came up through me and out my arm holding the metal umbrella.

It pushed me backwards several steps and scared the crap out of me. I have never run so fast in my life to get to my car. I thank God to this day that there was no traffic coming because I bolted into the street like a blind horse being chased by a wolf. I didn't look; I don't remember taking off, and all I know is that suddenly I was at my car with my arm numb and my hand feeling like there were millions of angry spiders crawling inside of it.

My other phobia is basements. Well, specifically bad basements. I think it has something to do with claustrophobia as I'm not too fond of closed-in spaces or large packed-together crowds. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem except, as I've mentioned before, my husband and I are house hunting. If I don't like the basement, the house is a NO. Especially since the laundry room or my sewing room will probably be down there. My husband is a saint about this, because he doesn't have problems with basements. He's got height issues, and I don't make him live in a loft type house where the upstairs is open to the whole floor plan. Back to basements though. Have you ever noticed in horror movies that the proportion of evil is directly associated with the nastiness of the basement? And why on Earth do people run into the basement, WITH NO EXIT, and think the bad guy won't find them there? Run outside you idiots!!!! Scatter to the four winds!!!!!

As I write this, a thunderstorm is passing overhead and I realize that at some point this spring there's a chance I'll have to take cover in the basement from a bad storm. Talk about your maximum overload of phobia damage.



Blog for the week of April 7th.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Long Live the Malibu

Our 1998 Malibu has roughly 278,000 miles on it. Yes, that is correct. It has also had a long list of normal repairs and several repairs that should never have been needed (three transmissions, but we only paid for one. It's a good story, ask me and I'll tell you about it sometime). Today I took it in for an oil change, and lo and behold, the Mighty Malibu has a broken rear spring on the left side. I'm guessing it's from the massive amount of pot holes and giant crevasses that have plagued the area since the end of winter. Both my husband and I have come to the conclusion that we probably won't fix it again. It also needs brakes soon, has a leak in the head gasket and a leak in the steering pump. I travel with a box of every fluid that the car could possible need in the trunk. The AC has been broken since 2000, so summer commutes have been miserable. I think we have gotten our money's worth out of this car, and it is time to let it go into the light.

So, what kind of car to get? We absolutely need high gas mileage. I'd love to get a hybrid, but we do mostly highway driving so we wouldn't be able to take advantage of the electric half. I love our Matrix, but my husband doesn't, so we won't be getting another one of those. It gets 35mpg on the highway, and as I do the majority of the miles that car will probably become my car. We have had only one car for the first 16 years of our marriage, first a Cavalier that we sold to my sister when it had 252,000 miles on it (she drove it until it had 325,000 miles on it), and then after that, it was the Malibu until Nov. 2006 when we got the Matrix.

Anybody have any suggestions? We are thinking about a Hyundai Sonata, and also like the new Impalas. It must get above 30mpg minimum and have enough horsepower to let us merge onto the freeway easily.

We are still carpooling when we can, as we both work in Milwaukee, kind of in the same area. When class schedule allows, or if he isn't going to work late or have a meeting. I am still adapting to the whole two car thing, and I know that's the norm for almost everyone these days, but Scott and I have been "green" before it was fashionable. It also allowed us to save a considerable amount of money that wasn't spent on a second car payment, extra insurance, extra gas and extra wear and tear. But, now that I need to go straight to Sheboygan on Mondays and Wednesdays, we need two cars. And, once you have that luxury of two cars, it's really hard to go back to one. Especially when both people need the car at the same time in different directions. I'm also at the age where begging for rides from friends and coworkers all the time is somewhat embarrassing.



Blog for the week of March 31st.