JAEbugs: March 2006

Saga of a birdbrain

March 2006

It all started with a thump. I knew what it was immediately because it wasn't the first time I had heard it. However, it was the first time I heard it repeatedly. A bird had flown into the dining room window. This time it didn't just pick it self up and fly away. It perched its little brain-damaged body on the ledge and would fly up and down, up and down the length of the window pecking, pecking, pecking. This first day it randomly charged its reflection in the window for nearly 3 hours. My amusement turned to amazement and wonderment to slight irritation.

Ok, the grass is not greener inside, birdbrain.

What's a word worse than irritation? I am not sure but that is how I felt when it was back the next day at the living room window which is directly opposite the dining room window. I was in for another day of random tapping. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, the little pecker discovered the brass kick-plate on our front door.

The first time I heard it at the front door was 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning. I get confused in my sleep. My husband doesn't hold me accountable for things I say and do in my sleep, thank heavens. I don't think a court of law could hold me accountable. I am not rational or reasonable. I am groggy and confused. So when I hear the birdbrain I woke my husband up to see if the bird woke him up. (Or so I am told. I don't remember doing this.) I did however ask him later if the bird woke him up. He replied, "No, YOU woke me up." Heehee, sorry. But, you know, he should really be more aware in his sleep...

Do you believe in karma, fate or what comes around goes around? How about voo-doo dolls? I may be getting paid back for a few little stunts I pulled on my little brother. I was somewhere around 15-16 and watched Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" with my 5 or 6 year-old brother. When it was over and he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth for bedtime, I yelled, "THE BIRDS" and lobbed a stuffed animal at him. As if that weren't enough, I then stood by the edge of the door to BOO! him when he walked out. He slept with our parents that night.

He is a well-adjusted electrical engineer in Tokyo, Japan now. I guess that is far enough away from me. Although, I always thought China was the farthest away possible. Do they have voo-doo dolls in Japan? I am picturing a doll of me with a bird beak pecked into it somewhere.

We are on day 5 of bird-pecker hell. Today is the day I am going up to the attic to dig out the last of the screens that the former owners inexplicably removed. Someone suggested that may cut down of the reflection of the bird. Were it not pouring rain, I'd cover the kick-plate with newspaper. That may have to wait for sunnier days.

You know, now that I think of it, where was my mom on that fateful night? Why was she letting a 5-year-old watch "The Birds"? Mom, this is all your fault.

Gardening

Last year we planted potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, onions, eggplant, misc. peppers (pablano, banana, jalapeno and habaneros), and probably more. My tomatoes plants grew so much that this year (2006) I am going to space them out more. I say that every year then cram in as many as I can. Stay tuned to see if I honor my promise to myself...

Just a few pix of last year's garden progression:

Tika and Ninja

Penny

Gracie Mae

Emma Kate

Abigail

Lisa

100 Things About Me:

1. I didn't get a cavity until I was 31 years old.
2. Jumping out of an airplane was the most thrilling thing I have ever done.
3. I don't nor have I ever smoked.
4. My beautiful grandmother died of emphysema.
5. I knew how to spell "emphysema".
6. On my ACTs, my English score was 4 times my math score.
7. While growing up, we had a pooch that I named Fluffy.
8. Creativity has NEVER been my strong suit.
9. I have never been bitten by a dog.
10. My sister has a scar on her hand in the perfect shape of Pi from Fluffy.
11. My sister has been bitten by two different dogs. She doesn't like dogs.
12. I love dogs.
13. Many years ago, I taught school. Well, I taught children stuff at school.
14. I blow really big bubblegum bubbles.
15. I am certain I could break the Guiness Book record for bubblegum bubbles.
16. The urge isn't there to be a world-record holder.
17. "Driven" does not describe me.
18. I got one C in high school. Computers, not math.
19. When I saw my husband, it was love at first sight.
20. We met and married in the same year.
21. I was 21 years-old.
22. While not gifted in school, I did well because I tried.
23. My son is in a talented and gifted program. He hardly tries.
24. I was born and raised in Idaho.
25. Moving back to Idaho is a fantasy of mine.
26. In 6th grade, I was reading at a 12.9 reading level.
27. I still prefer reading to almost anything else.
28. I have a brother who is an artist.
29. My daughter is a talented, artsy girl.
30. My parents are brilliant.
31. My sister and brothers are brilliant.
32. I grew up well-loved.
33. Flickr is my favorite website.
34. My in-laws are lovely people.
35. December 28th, 2005 was my 15th wedding anniversary.
36. I have touched a fistulated cow.
37. Not many people know fistulated cows stink when opened up. I do though.
38. I worked at Tidyman's during college.
39. I graduated from h.s. in '87, college in '91 and grad. school in '93.
40. My folks are proud of me.
41. I have a little blond girl who cracks me up every single day.
42. People notice the little blond girl.
43. I have been to 30-some states, Canada,Mexico and Japan.
44. If given a blank map of the U.S., I could write in every state correctly.
45. I shop at thrift shops.
46. I have been knitting for 26 years but I took off 24 of those years.
47. Crocheting is harder for me than knitting.
48. Glass fusing is my latest hobby.
49. My hobbies are costly.
50. Thankfully I have a hard-working, intelligent husband.
51. Diet Coke is my drink of choice.
52. Margaritas are good too.
53. I am a list-maker.
54. I forget about my lists and lose them a lot.
55. Grocery shopping is fun to me.
56. Clothes shopping isn't. Never has been...
57. In high school I got 2 piercings in my left ear and 1 in the right.
58. I have 2 holes in my left ear and one in my right. still.
59. I would like to pierce my eyebrow or nose for a daintly little jewel.
60. If I could weld, I'd make giant, junky yard art from scrap metal.
61. As a child, I collected every piece of scrap metal I found on the street.
62. If I never have another job in my life, I will be forever relieved.
63. If I could own any car it would be a '67 Mustang convertible. or a 65,66,or 68.
64. Or a brand-new Mustang convertible.
65. Or a lime-green Volkswagen convertible.
66. I will keep the cars I have now for when my children are 16.
67. Then I am getting a convertible. maybe one of the aforementioned convertibles.
68. Or maybe a two-seater convertible.
69. I had a bi-level in high school.
70. In college I had really, really big bangs.
71. My husband and I are both left-handed.
72. All three of our children are right-handed.
73. My parents always made sure I had left-handed school supplies.
74. I don't have one single complaint about my childhood.
75. Well, maybe just moving to Gooding, Idaho from Boise in middle school.
76. I grew up Catholic.
77. I am no longer Catholic.
78. I think my mom says novenas for me.
79. Novenas don't really work. I have tried them.
80. I want to be cremated when I die.
81. My dad does too. He wants to be useful after he dies.
82. We are going to split up his ashes and store them in our trunks.
83. In case we ever get stuck in the snow.
84. I think he suggested that.
85. My blond daughter has my dad's sense of humor.
86. I have my mom's beautiful blue eyes.
87. My kids were all lucky enough to inherit blue eyes.
88. My dog trainer called my dog Gracie "stubborn and sneaky".
89. We call my dog Penny "big, ugly dog" but she is beautiful.
90. She thinks we are complimenting her.
91. I hope there are no spelling errors in this. I am not going to proof-read.
92. My mom is the best proof-reader I have ever met.
93. My husband works so I can play.
94. Thanks, Brad!
95. He doesn't seem to resent this at all.
96. He can't afford to divorce me.
97. I drive a Camry and sometimes an Expedition.
98. I love my family with all my heart. my growing-up family and my in-house family.
99. This was fun for me and took 30 minutes.
100.I could do another 100 easily.

Brad

This is me and Brad on our Florida trip. His whole family went to spend a week in Clearwater Beach. We had so much fun!

Brad is a very hard worker which keeps us all in comfort. He started out after all the schooling was done by working at a feedlot. He was their nutritionist but somehow managed to help all over the feedlot. His boss told him that his Ph.D. stood for post-hole-digger. He worked there for 5 years and now has a job using his brains more than his brawn.

Brad is quite handy around the house too. He saves us a lot of money by being the plumber, electrician, handy-man, painter, grounds-keeper. Here is a picture of him installing our dishwasher: