I'm late getting to the party, today, but , Don, your quotes are great any time of the day or night. Continuing on Lilo's theme, you've given us lots of "food for thought".

Thank you ladies for the birthday wishes! The tree is a Nyssa sylvatica (aka Black Gum, Sour Gum or Tupelo). I have 9 of them growing on my property that were here when I bought the land. Many smaller ones have popped up since. Only a few of the big ones bear fruit. They like wet or dry woodland soil, will create groves over time, and are native to E. North America. They get non-messy blue fruit in late summer/early fall, neon red or orange fall foilage that stops you in your tracks, need no pruning unless you want to, summer leaves are deep green and glossy, and they are pest free. Down side, you never see them for sale in garden centers, but I've seen them available on-line (mostly native sites) as seedlings. You can start them from seed. (OK, does anybody want seed - if I can get it before the birds do - or maybe a small seedling, as I find them?) They are bird magnets in fruit and bee/hummingbird/nectar insect magnets in bloom. They do not grow exceptionally fast, but the wildlife value is high as a food source, if they turn out to be female trees. FTM - hope you get some great photo ops when the ice closes in - I'm excited for you (and us)! Brenda - lucky you - getting regular visits from a friendly RCKinglet! They are so pretty and like many little birds have a personality, or so it seems. Jean - those holes are huge. I've not seen them before - thanks for posting them. I wonder if any will become nest sites or are they drilling for insects and sap only? I have a pair of RBW that have drilled their nest site into the top of a broken off trunk, of what was once a double trunked oak. The big oak was hit by a small tornado or something that whipped through here a few years back and it wiped out one of the two trunks. A real big tree and so high up I can see their nest hole from afar. P.S. FTM - Yes, I agree - next poster please start a Bird Sightings 3 so it will be easier for Brenda to open quicker until the broadband fairy visits her home! I wanted to put my reply post here, rather than have it look out of context as a first post on a new thread, since I added no new photos. CT

Ryan, depending on what breed(s) of dog Lucy is, it's not uncommon for aggression toward other dogs and/or animals to show itself... this can be controlled through strict obedience. At least you know she's not a cur! :-) I have the same issues with my bulldogs, though I'd be worried if they DIDN'T show that aggression! Momma ain't raising no quitters! Mine know, however, that when I say "no", I really mean it... and they settle down. That's a very informative orchid website, and I'm shocked it's not already in my bookmarks! I must have over a thousand! I've marked it for later perusal. It looks to have some really well written information. If you're completely serious about growing orchids, or any plant type, indoors... there are lots of different lighting set-ups you could invest in. The better ones are costly, of course, but much better at emulating the sun. Consummate growers spend quite a bit on lighting, CO2 set-ups, the whole nine yards! But, they get some amazing results for their efforts and expenditures! I'm cheap, so it's warm and cool florescent shop lights for me! I've currently got a few 48" T12 fixtures hung over my alcove area, each containing one cool T12 tube, and one T8 warm tube. Supposedly, that's enough to simulate a decent amount of sunshine... plus, I keep them on a timer at about 16 hours of light per 24 hour period. So far, everything is responding very well. Down in the Seed Dungeon, I'm really pushing the envelope on growth, only giving the plants about 4 hours of darkness a night. That's probably a minimum of rest, giving them just enough time to aspirate, if I'm using the word correctly... exchanging oxygen for CO2. I finally got fans running, circulating the air... it's hopeful that will help keep any mold at bay. The basement is damp and musty from being a very old and unused farmhouse cellar. I'm doubting your hawk will nest on your balcony... it's probably just a very good place to use as a lookout post. It apparently feels safe enough to sit there, and I bet it does like your plants! If I were a large bird in a built up environment, I'd be looking for a nice oasis, too! We have a pair of HUGE owls that live in the woods across the road... I hear them every night, though they don't usually show themselves during the day. A few nights ago, they were making a ton of noise in the trees, and Larry said they were probably breeding. Everything on the mini-farm here is thinking spring, it seems! I really laughed at your captioning on your hawk series! It was perfect!

The Irish Irish, compared to the American Irish, use the language differently. My husband's family on both sides was 2nd generation Irish. A good friend of ours was born in Ireland and immigrated when he was 18. He lost his accent, but when he talks, there is not doubt, hes sounds Irish. Like the quotes and the little bit of history which peaks through.