Monday, March 28, 2011

The Things We Say

Emily!  Why do I have to tell you something three times before you listen??

GULLIVER GET OFF THE COUNTER!

OLLIE!!  Why are you just wandering around meowing?

DEEEXXXTTTEEERRRRRR   Go to YOUR bed!

Pixie - watch out, honey, that's a WALL.

Really Mikey?  Really??

Did you feed her?

Has everyone eaten?  Have they been out?

WAS THAT YOU?!? (said to any of the three of us, or five pets - at any given time - repeatedly)

Dude, You are RANK (said to any of the three of us, or five pets - at any given time - repeatedly)

Want anything hun?    No I'm good thanks - Or - Yes, please I'd like a .... <> here

Get down.   Get Down.   GET Down.  GET DOWN.

Are you serious!?

Awesome.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Very Adult ...

I received a response to my Email last night .. 


Hi Amy,

Sorry for my inappropriate comments.  I guess I had a "bad hair day" down here and I was just looking for an easy out to release my aggressions.  It  know it is no excuse but, I hope you will accept my appology
Sincerely - Joanne B


This morning, I responded ..

Good Morning Joanne,
Of course I forgive the comments, we've all said or written things we regret - or haven't meant for some to see. I try very hard not to hold grudges, or hold on to things from the past - I think they weigh me down.

I hope you're enjoying your time down South, it's warming up a bit here --- buuuut we're expecting some sort of storm tomorrow.  Hopefully Sera will be home safe and warm before it hits.
Take Care,
Amy

I have a three year old child (nearly four now) that I am responsible for.  I have a three year old child, who looks to me as a role model.   To have responded the way I *really* wanted to?  Wouldn't have been productive, it wouldn't have been kind, and it wouldn't have been anything I want my child to learn.  I like to think my response was very adult.  Even if this woman is at least twice the age I am, I believe I was the adult in this situation.  Maybe not to start, but ... I finished strong.





Monday, March 14, 2011

Now that's being neighborly.

If you're on my facebook - you know my cat is missing.  You also know, that I have been out doing all I can to bring her home safely.  In addition to walking the neighborhood and standing on one of the three porches we have calling for her, and shaking food - I've also placed calls with the local animal control officers (for our town, and the neighboring two - as we're that close to both town lines) the SPCA and the local humane society - all to no avail.  She has been spotted in the neighborhood, and this morning was fed by a neighbor - hoping to gain her trust.

To let the other neighbors know she was missing, healthy and friendly - should they encounter her - I sent a mass email to our Association (which thank GOD will be disbanded at our next meeting, because FINALLY our road is public, and I won't have to deal with some of these people except in passing) ... I am completely fucking livid at the moment - pardon my language. The following is an email exchange, and a bit of history, from earlier today .... I sent an email to my home owners association:


Hey Everyone.


On Wednesday Night, around 6:30pm, just prior to the Town Meeting, our oldest cat Sera ran away. She has been seen (and fed - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!) since then, and I'm hoping that she'll be ready to come home soon.


I wanted you all to know, she is 10 years old, healthy, up to date on her shots and friendly, though she may be a bit skittish lately. Even though she is an indoor cat, she has ALL of her claws - her front paws look like mittens, because she has a "thumb" - if you see her, would you please call us and let us know? Emily misses her, and so do I.


If you are able to "trap" her and keep her safe until one of us can get there to take her home, it would be so appreciated.

We Thank you all in advance.
Mike and Amy M

(with our address and phone number)

This is a reply I got:

OK, so --- two dogs and two cats. Nice - Hope she can afford "diapers too". - Jo

This is the response I sent:

Actually - I have two dogs and three cats. We're out of the diaper stage as my child is now nearly four. Thought we were all "friends" in the neighborhood.
Anything else you'd care to say about me?

For a brief history:


Back when we first started up with this homeowners association bullsh*t - they wanted to raise the dues from 150.year to 200.year. Which doesn't seem like much - until you take into account that there were only a few houses up at the time, and of the few houses that were up - 4 or 5 of the families had children in diapers, or in daycare (neither of which are cheap) so we asked if for the time being we could keep it the 150, it was the first year, and we didn't know what to expect. 

Apparently, this woman is living in 2008, as opposed to 2011 
Thanks for caring about my kids cat you stupid wench. Hope you never need anything from your neighbors.

Photobucket
Come home soon Sera, you're missed .. even if the douchebag up the street doesn't realize pets are important too.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

More on the Birds

While I am still 100% addicted to Decorah Eagles web cam on UStream - I thought I would take the 50 minutes and watch the PBS Documentary on this particular pair of bald eagles.


Within the first 9 minutes and 12 seconds, I am in tears.  Sitting in my office, weeping.  Such a sad start to this legacy of this pair, as well as the history of the Bald Eagle, and the perils they face.


On 20 June, 1782, our Continental Congress adopted the bald eagle as our official national symbol, after much debate among the members. Thomas Jefferson jokingly suggested that the wild turkey should be chosen, but ultimately the symbolic power, strength and freedom associated with the bald eagle won out.


Typically, Bald Eagles mate for life.  However, if one of a pair passes away, the remaining bird may take on another mate - as this male did in 2008 after his first mate passed away from unknown causes during a snow storm.  


Bald Eagles reach maturity around 4-5 years of age, and can lay between 1-3 eggs, with 3 being rare.  This pair has a 100% success rate with eggs to healthy Eaglets.  It takes 35 days for incubation, and the eggs are so fragile - they can freeze in under a minute.  Healthy Eaglets will "fledge" in 10-15 weeks.  


They hunt anywhere from 50-100 miles away from their nests - and are more opportunists, than killers.  Live prey is actually last on their list of preferred meals (excluding of course fresh fish).


Bald Eagles are very good swimmers, however it is not uncommon for an eagle to misjudge and latch onto a fish that is too heavy, or large, for it to fly with, they may swim a distance to shore and drag the fish with them to eat it.  There have been cases of bald eagles drowning, or succumbing to hypothermia.


A Bald Eagle can eat up to 1.5 lbs of meat per day, and as little as 0.5 lbs.  However, after a gorging, they have been known to fast for up to 9 days before needing to feed again.


These two sites are among the best I've found for answers:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/www/critters/eagle/826572782.html
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/eagle/ExpertAnswer06.html

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

My love of birds.

If anyone knows how to turn off this stupid HIGHLIGHT feature, PLEASE fill me in, I can't find it - it won't let me select "none" .. Damn Tecnology!   ANYWAY:

Now, I Love Birds.  Of all kinds - mostly the larger, predatory type birds - but as a rule, if it has wings and flies I Love It.  (Okay, I love Penguins too!)

It's an obsession that I've had for as long as I can remember - and something I'm passionate to learn about.  I used to have a bunch of "bird books" but I'm not sure where they ended up (totally sucks right??).  I'm constantly trying to learn new things, specifically about Bald Eagles, Owls and Falcons, and other larger species.

Last night my dad emailed me a link - to a live video feed of a pair of nesting Bald Eagles in Dechora, Iowa.  They have been in the same spot since 2007, and have been monitored ever since.  They are not banded, just watched, and enjoyed.  Together they have successfully hatched and fledged 2 eaglets in 2008, three in 2009 and three more in 2010.  Currently, they are incubating three more eggs - the first one was laid the 23rd of February, followed on the 26th by number two and then on the 2nd of March by number three.  

I am hoping these three eggs all result in three successful, healthy and happy eaglets, that will eventually enter the wild and live long lives.

For those interested here is the link - be warned ... I've been on it all day, and have been typing this short blog for 6 hours.  true story.  It is incredibly addictive, and just so magnificent to watch ... even if they don't do much more than fluff the nest, rearrange a stick or two, roll the eggs, and switch spots - it's still marvelous for me.

For those that want to know more about bald eagles (since that's what this video is) you can find tons of information, just by googling ... oooooor you could scroll down a bit, click any of the links I provide - or read my quick list of facts .. either way, happy learning!

OH RIGHT -- there is another pair of nesting bald eagles in Norfolk at the Botanical Gardens, they also have some eggs incubating, these are a week or two ahead of the Dechora Eagles, and could hatch any day (if I'm right), you can find THAT video - here, if you're so inclined.

Bald Eagle Wiki Page (I know Wiki isn't the MOST reliable source, however, it does have a ton of information and it can easily be cross referenced.)

For those of you that want more than Eagles - there are cameras out there for the Peregrin Falcons of NY, There is an Owl Camera (complete with a family of 7 newly hatched babies) out of California, and many many more.   Most of these cameras, are run off of donations - and are privately owned and operated, many are non-profit.

I was able to see Bald Eagles in the wild - twice - and only twice in my life time.  So far.
Once at my parents house, on the lake - and the second time - I had my camera Handy, and I was unbelievably lucky, to have captured these shots.

Photobucket
Gorgeous - isn't he?

Closure.

It's been quite a while since my last blog, and while - no I haven't started the renovations to my room yet - that will come, soon - I have something else I wanted to share with my handful of readers.

Sometime back (around 8 months or so, but whose counting?) my "best friend" sent me a message on my face book, stating we had grown apart, and should go our own separate ways in life - to which I responded, if that's the way you feel - I wish you well in life - followed by a prompt deletion from my friends list and a quick add to my blocked list, I was angry.  For a long time, I was angry.  And hurt.  And who wouldn't be?  10 years of friendship, and that's the way she chose to "end" it.   The kicker was, it's not the first time she'd "ended" our friendship - specifically via electronic mail.   It was, in fact, the fourth.  I know, color me the dense one.

The difference this time?  I let go.  I didn't fight, I didn't call, text, email, message - I didn't try to make amends, I didn't try to understand - I just let her go.  This time, I saw what was happening, and knew I was worth more.  

It took me a while after, right around I'd say - 4 months, if that - to come to grips with my new life without her, and her entire family, in it.  I was finally able to think about her without anger, or hurt even.  I was able to start remembering (though, not often) the good times with a smile, instead of the hurt of not being able to ever "top" a memory.  I had finally moved on, completely, and I was - am - okay.  

Now, nearly 8 months later, in the midst of a family thing (no worries, I'm okay), I find out she has reached the point of "Crap, I effed up" (as she usually does) ... and clearly, realized I have her blocked - yet tried anyway.  Okay here's the latest - and I'm beyond proud.  For real.

Saturday, on the way to the store, Mike had told me  he was having a "sad day"  and didn't really know why, he attributed it to the nasty weather (rainy, and cold) that we were having.  A few hours later, while I was getting ready to attend my Uncles services, he decided to tell me why he was so sad.    Not wanting to add any further stress to my day, he was trying to wait until the following day to share with me what was on his mind.   Me, being the "stubborn, hate waiting" kind of a person, told him - you're stressing me out by NOT telling me what, but that you have somethingbothering you.   This is what he shared.

"I want to show this to you, but I don't want you to be stressed"
(last names have been removed for privacy .. I'd hate it if someone - anyone - posted my name, attached to anything on a blog that I knew nothing about, without my permission) 

Hilary  
March 5 at 12:46am
Hey, mikey! I know you don't want to talk to me, but I just wanted to say that we miss you guys. I think of you often and wonder how you all are doing. How's Emily? How's Amy? How are you? And everything else. 
I wish we could fix this, but I don't think we can, can we? 
I do hope this finds you all doing well.
Much love, 
Hil
 
Right, as soon as I saw her name - my heart stopped.  Literally - ceased to beat - for approximately 30 seconds, my breath caught, and my hands started shaking.  Per usual, there is no apology.  No accepting responsibility for her own actions, her own words - just a feeling the waters sort of message, to see how badly she had in fact messed up.  (and you know?  That message she sent - that I responded to?  Yeah, I JUST deleted that the other day ...)

When I got my breath back, and processed what she wrote - I read Mike's response.

Mike 
March 5 at 7:26am
I miss you guys every day. You were my best friends, but your right, I don't think this is fixable. It seems like you are too willing to give up our friendships and every time you do it hurts both me and Amy, and I can't let Emily get that close to some one and then have them not want us in their lives. We both love you guys and wish nothing but the best, and we are still bound thru John and our past so in a way we will always be in each others lives. Good bye. Mikey

I could not have said it better myself.   I am so proud of my husband, and the man he is - you have to understand.  That family, has been in his life - for the better part of 25 years.  No joke, no exaggeration, they were like a second family to him.   So, to have her do this to his wife - not once, twice, or even three times - but FOUR TIMES - over the course of 10 years, was devastating to him.  I could understand, after reading those messages, why he was having such a sad day.  He, being the amazing father and husband he is, put us first .. I know he's dying to see her girls, as I am.  I know he's dying to get Emily over there to see his "second family" - as I am.   Or - at least ... was.

Had this message come 4 months ago?  5 months ago?  The out come may have been different - I may have rolled over, HE may have rolled over .. This way?  Mike got the closure he needed, and in a way, so did I.


** I have edited and reposted this blog 3 or 4 times, and I can't turn off the effing highlight crap.  If you know how, please share!! **