Monday 23 February 2009

mwoods

15 years ago

That is such an important message and your quote is probably the most simplistic way of expressing it I've ever heard. One of the great things you learn as you get older ( and shame on you if you don't) is that it's pointless to worry about things that are weeks away. Things rarely occur as you think they will and so much of that worrying is pointless. Things that may happen a couple of weeks away can still make me gnash my teeth...but a month? Not any more.

krista_marie

15 years ago

LOL
Just this morning, I was DREADING making the pre-certification call to the insurance company. I imagined myself in automated phone Hades, getting soo frustrated that I wanted to whip the phone across the room.

Well, it took less than 15 minutes and the lady (a real live person!) was nice. I told her how relieved and thankful I was and wished her a wonderful day. She probably thought I was a fruitcake.

Related Discussions

Miniflora Rose List, February 2011

Q

Comments (0)

February 12-15 is For the Birds!

Q

Comments (8)

Ok, Matoad! Lets see if I can make this a little bit easier for you. Go to the link below, put in your zip code, and hit enter. Youll come up with a list of the birds that youll commonly see in your area. Thatll eliminate a whole lot of possibilities! Dont click on the link on top that says: Show this checklist with rare species included. Thatll just freak you outyou and a whole bunch of other peopleme included! Once you get to the list youll be able to eliminate a bunch of the birds, like most of the water birds, right away, and youll wind up with a pretty short list of ones you need to try to identify. If you see something and have some idea what it might be, click on the name on the list and youll come up with a picture and some basic information. Then click on Identification, and youll get a whole bunch more information along with more pictures and information/pictures of "similar species." Since youre already starting with a list of the most likely birds, its a lot easier to use than a book that has birds from all over the country. If you see something and you dont have any idea at all what it is, flip thru one of your books to get some idea of what it is, and then go back to the list with the limited choices. Since youre here in the metro area, youre list is probably the same as mine. If you have sparrows or sparrow-like birds, theres a pretty good chance youre looking at house sparrows (which arent really sparrows) or house finches (which really ARE finches!!!) Check out those pictures and Im betting it'll cover a whole lot of the birds youre seeing. Up here in Thornton the birds I mostly see are House Finches, Eurasian Collared Doves, Mourning Doves, Red Shafted Northern Flickers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, sometimes Goldfinches and a couple kinds of Juncos, and, of course, Robins. I rarely see them at this house (had them at the last house which is only a couple miles away), but I know there are Downy Woodpeckers and Black Capped Chickadees around here. Oh! And how could I forget? I also have herds of blackbirds! I do my best to keep them scared away, but sometimes thats a losing battle! Over the years Ive seen a few other things, but that list covers 99% of the birds I regularly see at the feeders in my yard. If you put out "generic" bird seed, you probably have mountains of House Sparrows too. I quit feeding millet several years ago, so they finally stopped coming to eat me out of house and home. I feed black oil sunflower, safflower, and thistle now, and though they cost more, at least its going to birds that "matter!" In winter I feed suet too. If you see something that you dont have a clue about and you can get a picture of it, post it and theres probably somebody around here who can tell you what it is. Last year I think I did it on two of the days. I just kept a scratch pad nearby and listed things as I saw them, and then just changed the number any time I saw more of any particular bird at the same time. Youre not supposed to keep track of the total number you see during the dayjust the most you see at any one time. After youve counted you just go to the Backyard Bird Count site and you go to a page which is very similar to the list youve been referring to for identification, then you scroll down to the right bird and enter your numbers. The second picture above is a male hairy woodpecker and the third one is a Eurasian collared dove. Ive never before or since seen so many, but on one of the bird count days last year I had TWELVE robins in my yard at the same timenine at the birdbath right outside of the window, and the rest on the grass real close to it. I couldnt believe it when they just kept coming and coming! I usually have a pair or two around. Hope I get to see that many at the same time again sometime! It really is easy if youre around to keep an eye out for them. I hope this info will encourage you and others to give it a try. When you have time, go to the list to identify the birds youre seeing before the bird count. Most of the birds you see will be the same ones over and over, so once you know what they are you wont need to be trying to identify them on the count day. Everybodylet us know if we can try to help you identify something, Skybird

First Mango Bloom of the 2009-2010 Season

Q

Comments (138)

Had the pleasure of a guest from this forum to my house today. Lycheeluva and I did an extensive walk thru the yard checking for new developments.....especially on the lychee front. It looks like the rest of the mangoes that have not bloomed, are almost all beginning to push their annual buds. Yes, even the miraculous Chou Anon is going to now bloom. There's no point in deliniating any further between the next to bloom. The late varieties such as Keitt, Neelum, Kent and even Valencia Pride haven't begun pushing bloom as of yet, but they will be shortly. I am also awaiting bloom on a couple of mango seedlings that I have never had fruit from. Mangoes survived the freeze very well here and we should have a very heavy crop (barring any more ridiculous Arctic oscillations). As trees set their crops I'll post pictures.

LOTTO - February 2012

Q

Comments (90)

Thank you, Kate! What a great job you are doing to revitalize this forum. It had gotten a little slow. I plan to make a quilt (queen size) for my brother and his wife. He doesn't have any from me yet. And yes, I will share pictures of the finished product! Thank all of you for the congrats! Tamie

calliope

15 years ago

Just another excellent quote. I remember that has always been Marda's mantra in years gone by. Paraphasing her words she'd say 'things seldom turn out like you anticipate'.

More than worry is anticipation, for people who work in problem solving occupations. You want a situation resolved, and you want it done immediately or yesterday. That's my issue and I'm working on it.

Fear of the future consequences is what parent's have done to kids for years. More than one mother or father have said "wait until your mother finds out", "wait until your father gets home", or "Go to your room and think about it, and when I decide what your punishment is, I'll let you know." No wonder we grow up to obsess about things in the future. LOL.

andie_rathbone

15 years ago

Yes, it's sort of like my mom telling me not to borrow trouble. You can worry yourself to death - literally - if you really try, but why live your life like that?

Monday 23 February 2009

Comments (4)

mwoods

krista_marie

Related Discussions

calliope

andie_rathbone

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US