I've had a fabulous turnout of migrating warblers, etc this fall! Or maybe because I'm too pooped to do anything but sit at the window and stare, I'm seeing more this year. I still have hummers, even a few males although it's mostly females and younguns. Around here they say to leave your feeders up until end of November, that it won't keep the ruby-throats from migrating and there are more and more sightings of west coast hummers who end up on the east coast in late fall and early winter. There was an Anna and a rufous hummer in Ohio in the last two years. One showed up in December and stayed until the middle of January. Nobody is quite sure why there is an increase of these hummers but there are more and more reports each year. It would be fun to see a hummer in December but I'm afraid I would worry myself sick! Most of my summer birds are still here. The wood thrush no longer sings (sniff, sniff) but I still hear his little "Pip, pip, pip". I've seen both the summer and scarlet tanagers in the last week - both had molted into their winter colors -why can't they show themselves in their pretty summer attire? I've added two new yard birds this fall - a warbling vireo and a yellow-bellied flycatcher which is one of my rarest yard birds. I've had a nice variety of warblers so far - american redstarts, bay breasted, black-throated green, black-and-white, blackburnian, black poll, blue-winged, canada, cape may, chestnut-sided, magnolia, ovenbird, prairie and tennesee and vireos - red-eyed, warbling, white-eyed, and yellow-throated and a swainsons thrush. I also had a juvenile rose-breasted grosbeak, not sure if it's a migrant or from the pair that I saw this summer. I do love see the fall migrants but I am really going to miss summer ... and the mosquitos and the heat and the drought ....

ahhhh....Autumn is in the air! From here, 3 miles north of Lake Thunderbird (NE Norman) all the sumac has turned a bright red to burgundy. The persimmons are also red. With all the damp, drizzly days we've had...lots of people here along Franklin Road have been burning brush piles the last couple of days so although I don't have a fireplace anymore...I can still smell the wonderful aroma of wood burning. The redbuds that are thick on our property have started dropping their leaves...so I can see more of the road in front and to the west. (I don't really like that so much.) All the hickory trees over at the In-laws are brown too....but so far, haven't heard the familiar ping of the nuts dropping on Pop's garage metal roof. Maybe the squirrels are getting them first?! And about the wildlife - this morning over the FAA I watched 5 or 6 geese flying Northwest. What's up with that? I wondered if they were just following the flight pattern of Will Roger's runways. They were HONKIN'!!! The deer coats are all turning gray and they're beginning to "herd" as DH calls it. Tonite laughed at The Twins we've been watching all summer. The Fiesty One decided to check out my jalepenos...and he didn't like what he smelled! Yes, we've already taken down the deer netting for the year. That also means that the deer have been feasting on my fall crop of green beans...but I can't deny them. They're tasty! As I watched the tails of The Twins & Momma trail off, I noticed one last lone straggler of a hummingbird at the feeder on the pecan tree out front. Made me feel better I'd filled the feeder and left it out. The migrators need food too! And Moni - Arthur decided he had to visit me too this past weekend. Guess that's what I get for thinking I'm still young enough to dig 6 large holes for the new blueberry bushes! But hey....they're gonna be worth it! We've got to get thru this season so we can get to next spring & next years garden! Paula

I am having a similiar problem here is my situation. I live a apartment complex and been there for 16months, I just renewed my lease two months ago. I have two neighbors on the top floor. About two months ago we started to smell a very strong odor coming from our main bathroom. This happened atleast once a day. Then it started to happen frequently. Then the ordor would be coming from our other bathroom as well. Well both bathrooms are on the same side of the apartment and on that side we have one neighbor, so we know its coming from their home, plus they just moved in two months ago. So we kinda have a idea of who is smoking what in their bathroom cuz their bathroom is lined up with ours. So me and my wife are figuring out the best approach into how to handles this problem cuz it gotten to the point that our entire apartment was filled with the smell. I have three small children and am very angry at this whole situaiton. So we decided to contact management, they informed me that there is nothing they can do that, if is bothering me that I should contact the Police. Well my thought at that point was well your mangagement you should call the police. Or take measures to prevent that smell from coming over to my side of the apartment. So a week past and I come home and as soon as I open the door I get hit with the smell. So I politely walk over and knock on there door and when they open the door you can see smoke coming out and the smell is very strong. The person that opened the door you can tell he was having a good time, his eyes were red and glossy. So I tell him can you please not smoke what ever it is your smoking in your bathroom because we can smell it and it is filling up my apartment and he said ok no problem. As I leave that place I realized that he may be doing other stuff besides marijuanna in that home becasue people are constantly in and out of there veryday and they have a infant child that lives in that home too. So a couple of days go by and all day the smell was in my home. My wife and kids where there at the time, so as soon as I got home I called the police.I told the dispatch aobut the situaiton and they said they will send someone over. I called around 8pm that night and waited 830 came and gone, then 930 came and gone, 1030 came and gone. I called severly times only to hear that someone is on there way. 1230 came and I was like you know what cancle my call dont send anyone obviously your not going to do anything. One time the dispatch said that is a non emergency that is why it is taking longer for someone to get over there, and I was like and this is not a emergency, she was like well is someone hurt, are your kids hurt, I said no they are sleeping but it is still a emergency, the Dispatch then said someone already went over there and talked to the tenant.I told the dispatch how is that when I didnt even tell you which apartment it was to begin with, so then she said well I dont know what exaclty happened in the report and also they cant really go and talk to the tenant without probably cause, then I said exactly that is why I called the police so that they can come to my apartment and smell what I am smell and there is your probable cause. she then said do you want me to resend the officer out there and I said yes send them now. So thirty minutes later a officer shows up and I said come in and he immediatly said whooah yep some is smoking somewhere. So I take to both bathrooms and it is twice as strong there. he then said I will be back,I am going to talk to the neighbors. well thirty mins pass and officers are coming atleast 7 squad cars showed up and people started coming out of that apartment in hand cuffs. One officer came over and got a report from me. I asked did find some drugs there his reply was there was drugs everywhere. So my biggest concern now is the neighbors know it was me that called because I went over to ask them to stop cuz my complex could not do it themselves. I fear for the safety of my family while I am at work. So I call the next day to speak to a manger about the situaiton. I asked what simple questions such as what is the protocol for this problem, I am worried for my famliy safety. He was sarcastic and said well we cant put a cop at your door step 24/7 to make sure your safe, well I didnt ask that I wanted to make sure that they will not return. He then said if they show up knocking at your door to call the police, and I am like I know that already, so we argued and he told me to mind my own business and that they are handling it. So now I dont know what direction to go with my problem. Someone please help!!!!!!!!!

I have been a lurker here forever...never posted. I know how hard it is to quit smoking. I smoke for over 20 years about 2 1/2packs a day. I quit 5 years ago. I had tried to quit several times but always went back. I quit by picking a date.I told myself that it was going to be hard but every day would be easier. I also read that when you quit smoking your body is over the withdraw from nicotine 48-72 hours after you last smoke. I told myself the first 3 days would be the hardest and after the 3 days it is all a mind game. I really believe that is what help me stop smoking is knowing that my body did not need the nicotine, that it was my mind. i did take a mini vaction from work, some people say they get very tired from not smoking.... The first 6 months are hard....you will give yourself every excuse to smoke again...it has been 5 years and once in great while i will still get the urge to smoke...I know I cannot smoke or even try to smoke...because I will be right back where I was. I wish you the best of luck