Today I saw

So, today was not a fantastic birding day, too windy and overcast :(         But I did get to see and hear some cool stuff.

I saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet for the first time, they are tiny cute little birds. I also saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet,

Black crested titmouse,













Cedar Waxwing


















wild turkey,













Black and white warbler, they are a beautiful LOUD little bird its in the same family as the Golden-cheeked warbler and their chipping sound they make to their fledglings is the same as the Golden-cheek, so I have spent a lot of time chasing the wrong bird!!!!













and heard a pack of coyotes!!!!! The coyotes in  Texas are huge!!!!!

I didn't take these pictures but I figured pictures make everything more interesting!!!!

Texas Update

So, I am trying to out the blog thing. Mom wants us to keep everyone updated and in touch so here's my update from the rather large state of Texas, or country of Texas (depending on who you ask). I saw my first Golden-cheeked Warblers (one of the birds I'm working on) of the season on Monday! I was so thrilled--- they are such cute brave little birds who have no problem with you hanging around. Tuesday was a rain day. I hate rain days, we don't get to go out into the field, stuck inside in Gatesville (Absolutely Nothing to do)! Yesterday was one of those fantastic day-after-a-rain-storm day's where if you don't get stuck in the mud (which we almost did) then as soon as you get into the trees you are as wet as if you just jumped into a pool fully clothed! But those days are nice and cool which is their biggest positive!!! On the way out of our research site I was checking the mud and ended up sinking above my ankles in my brand new boots! It was one of those cartoon moments when you try and move but can't and then finally you move, but your shoes stay put. And today (Thursday) woke up to a change of plans the site we were going to this morning was "hot" (military lingo for shooting live ammo) so we ended up going to a different one and with all the scrambling I got left to cover an area that three people normally cover-- with only one of the new girls to help me-- needless to say my legs are a little beat. Jogging in hiking boots is less than fun but I did cover a little over 8km in pretty good time! Plus it was a beautiful day! The hell of summer has not hit and I keep wishing it further and further away!
Anyhoo TTFN (Tah Tah For Now)
Oh yeah let me know if this is a little too much of an update!

Texas

Hey, I am out in Texas again. It's spring outside right now so its quite nice but will soon be summer and horribly hot!!! But I wanted to post some of my pictures from our very brief winter out here.

There is something about a tree with no leaves that I find beautiful. Then add a layer of snow and it becomes magical!
The snow man on the left is about 6inches tall he was my first try but the snow was getting thicker and thicker so I ended up making my first big snow man. His name is Mr. Anderson and he was about 4.5 feet tall! I had to give him a little Florida touch so I gave him some sun glasses!

Well- hope the last post wasn't too linguistically crude for my audience?

But, changing the subject. Rosie is currently in Venice, Italy, with Lili. I am hoping they will post some pictures soon and update us!
This is one of the things I am studying right now; Medievals were pretty wacked, huh?
This is from a miscelllany, a devotional book circa 1500, owned by the British Library and attributed to Carthusian monks (they were a very ascetic group-- no talking, or very liitle-- can you imagine?) So, in their spare time when not flagelllating themselves they drew stuff like this to help them relate to Christ, especially his bloody wounds. What gets me about this one is the chicken-pox effect. The little book is called  just " BL MS Additional 37049", not a proper name at all, if you ask me.

Link to rather amusing British Science blog.

L

http://www.badscience.net/2006/03/cunt-fuck-wanker/#more-228

This link to post# 228 is a discussion of the way the BBC rates words according to degree of offensiveness as reported from survey. Brits.
Here is comment # 79 on that post:

1. Pedantica said,

   March 27, 2006 at 2:24 pm
   By the way has anyone else seen the hilarious start to the US version of Four Weddings and a Funeral. In the original the first twenty or so words are ‘Fuck’ as Charles and Scarlette rush to make the first wedding. But in the US I caught a version where these had all been dubbed over with ‘Bugger’, as I remember it the dubbing itself was quite poor which added to the hilarity. It seemed surprising that buggery should be more acceptable than fucking but there you go.
   the conversation continues: Post # 89

2. RW said,

   March 27, 2006 at 4:52 pm
   Superburger (74) – Kids calling each other cunts on CBBC or at 5pm? Certainly no problem for me if there is artistic or educational merit in it (highly unlikely but it would be hilarious to see the uproar if they did). Responsibility for bringing up responsible kids lies with me, not TV. Saying that writers, directors, commisioning editors and producers don’t know what is acceptable without a list strikes me as a tad nannyish.
   Would I care if I had disabled kids and someone on TV or radio referred to them as mongols/flids/spaccers, etc etc? Yes – I would view the speaker of those words with the contempt they deserve just as I do any racist using derogatory terms – the same contempt if they were to do it in front of me.
   The funniest thing about the Four Weddings opening scene was how contrived it was: “Gee Honey – look at that limey saying fuck in his funny accent”. On the other hand the implied violence of Hannibal’s statement is lost when dubbed over (badly). Personally I am more uncomfortable with the subject matter of Silence of the Lambs pre watershed than I am the language it uses.
   The best send up of badly overdubbed swearing has to be Harry Enfield:
   “And now on BBC 2, Martin Scorcese’s Badfellas, which has been specially ruined for television”
   “Did you fun my wife ?”
   “No I didn’t fun your wife”
   “Fun you, you muddy funster”
   “Suck my cake, you cake-sucker”
   “Suck my lozenge”
   And if cunt is the new fuck, what will replace cunt?
   
3. 
   

. 

What do you think, is this blasphemy-- or really nifty?

http://www.rebound-designs.com/  Caitlin Phillips makes purses from books!

   Check out her website...

 

This is an altered book artist: Thomas allen... Visit the link!

http://thomasallenonline.com/

 ' Har har
Check out his post: "The 12 Days...

Really great blog about books!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img2.allposters.com/images/BRGPOD/93878.jpg&imgrefurl=http://booksdofurnisharoom.typepad.com/books_do_furnish_a_room/2009/08/index.html&usg=__2FWLe83gl101LCt-nUmif0QZaXI=&h=450&w=337&sz=37&hl=en&start=44&sig2=xffpjf-VE-WYy32RcXsPdw&itbs=1&tbnid=xrOYHPorQm3n6M:&tbnh=127&tbnw=95&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddevtional%2Breading%26start%3D36%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=WYyGS5K9JY6VtgeO-dmhDw

Here's a bird of a different feather...

http://solitarybird.livejournal.com/19904.html

Ever wished to become a Carthusian monk? Read on...

Scottish artist Georgia Russell, and others- link to "book" artists...

http://www.funforever.net/archives/dont-try-this-at-home/

FABULOUS ART SITE!

http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/

signing up

Ok so it took me like 2 months to sign up because everytime i clicked on the link it came up in Russian. I never had the patience to sit here and figure it out. However today is a day off and im just sitting around the apartment so I figured it out lol.

Yesterday here in St. Pete it was -20 degrees. Unbelievable...

Hows everyone doing?? Anything new going on?

Happy New-ish year

Record cold in Tallahassee!!

It was a brrrrrrrr 13 degrees when I left for town and school this morning. Hurry up! don't be lulled into a false sense of winter but whip out those favorite vintage cashmere coats and fuzzy mohair hats and pile on the layers of jewel-toned sweaters. Time for the wooly fashion parade. Most years I don't even dig out 1/4 of my winter stuff. Why would I? We have seen 85 degrees on Valentine's Day. But at this moment it feels like we might have winter at least through January! Woohoo!

It's cold on the prarie!

Time for books! And tea! And soup!

Tree gone and not a moment too soon!

   OMG is this my tree?
Happy Valentine's day season... hearts and red and for some reason one of my faves. I have re-festived a bit... hard to wean away from all the glory of Christmas so I transition the red into---- hearts! I love Halloween and of course CHRISTMAS, supreme favorite, but also Valentine's has a special place with me-- Easter/Spring pretty cool. For some reason Fourth of July is hideous. Maybe I'm just not martial enough, or perhaps I don't especially care for primary red, tarp blue and white as a color combo. Plus--- who would have the energy to celebrate ANYTHING in 100 degrees with 100% humidity? I'm doing good not to drop dead in July---- and August does not bear thinking about. What about trading in August for Fofember? Fofember is the month that should come between November and December. This move would really help make the year balanced and give plenty of time between messy over-fed Thanksgiving and lovely gorgeous sparkly perfect Christmas. Can you tell I'm a fan of Christmas? Above photo shows you why it was good I took down tree. It still appeared beautiful, but as I touched it to remove baubles EVERY NEEDLE FELL OFF IN HEAPS!

So now I have new theme... Including a red lace square dance petticoat on table base--- why not?

But I must say that glass Christams balls are the single most beautiful man-made thing on earth. Really- !

I have plastic-ed up the Sugar Plum Fairy who reigns over Christmas and folded her away into sparkly sleep. She's really our Marmee, though she looks like Jean Harlowe, and her three little angel-clones are us three girls. Santa is waving goodbye...

More Christmas You tube...

Two different takes on feminism:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXySpVFasFI&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfVKWhhdum8&feature=related

Tree Down Day

Well, it is really shedding now. I guess it's time to say goodbye. Goodbye little sacrificial tree from somewhere far away! Your innocent green life  cut short, chopped off that we might receive a woodly ambassador in our home. Thank you little Christmas tree! I wish you could remain with us always and your glowing presence make  faerie light upon our plebian endeavors such as coffee making, (Click this link to see How-to!!!!)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Vq4LitXeA&feature=related floor mopping and cat throw-up removal. Here's "Dad" doin' it, cortesy of You tube where else----! go Dad. Does he make housecalls, I wonder? And now here's Tom, recovering from by-pass surgery working away with infinite patience at Lego-central. He has set himself the task of re-organizing all the Legos we have somehow scrambled over the years. Chasing down that last knife, or red-haired mistachio-ed guy, or cobweb and spell book-- for multiplicitous sets, which formerly coagulated as themes: Ft. Legorado, pirate ship, rocket ship, Egyptian tomb, Harry Potter, King Arthur, Robin Hood and his Merry Men, etc. using spec sheets (wisely saved!) as roadmap... a fabulous occupation for someone who is not supposed to move around much and needs to be nevertheless accomplished anyway. Go Tom! Especially since we have about fifteen gallons of Legos!

HAPPY 2010!

OK- so it's a brand new year and the Christmas tree is still up at my house. I know- but I'll take it down this weekend... it's shedding needles but still so Wow! My favorite thing is the way lights and ornaments blur and reflect on shiny surfaces. I love the play of color on  random objects and so, I will drain the last drops of the festive assertion, the over-the-topness provided by this faux-transplanted tree, my pretend candy forest miracle-of-nature.

Don't you wish trees really looked like this? Lights twinkle and wink  unexpectedly ... everywhere you turn, really.
                                                                 I'll miss Christmas and do already.
As with every year that just-passed season feels like the dress rehearsal--

NOW I'm ready to have Christmas. This year was even more busy and fragmented and blurry-fast than usual, wasn't it?. I had my head down, focused on tasks and now it's over! Can I resolve to keep my elvish activities going this year so that next year I am ready? Only, many million-degree days will intervene between now and the next fast Fall, the waiting Winter. Hard to cheerfully fabricate north European folk traditions in 100% humidity...
Right now my resolve is strong because this FREEZING! weather is conducive to thoughts of sparkling ice and delicate traceries of frost and Alpine landscapes and hot chocolate imbibed while wearing  brightly defiant woolies! Here's to 2010! May Christmas live all the year.

It's a silverscape...

 

Mantle decor at Roz and Rachel's

random Christmas cheer...

Tallahassee Festival of Lights Christmas parade

Mary and I walked in the parade Friday night! That was fun. We were wearing books on our back and she passed out pencils. the Magnolia School bus was decked out in giant renditions of childoood faves-- Clifford, Green Eggs and Ham, etc. They did a fabulous job! I think Tiggers like parades now, but only as participant. There is no claustrophobia when one is boldly parading down a broad street-- normally jammed with cars--- and there's plenty of elbow room out here with the crowds conveniently penned behind a fence. I kind of liked it!