Alrightnowyoutellme (3 reveal)

It is now time for the reveal. The snake was a Fox snake. I know that my hint might have been a little lame but I mean really, aren't all snakes a little sneaky and sly? They do not have a lot going for them otherwise, it's not like they are going to get up and chase down a rabbit on two legs, so they slither and slink silently until they strike.

Thank you to everyone who responded back about "Frankie the Fox Snake". You know he is the one who doesn't have a lot going for him he just slinks around and...writes his blog... oh Good grief.

Pages from my 40 year old, "Reptiles and Amphibians" Golden Nature Guide

Honkey Man (revisited)

Last night after I had fallen to sleep I heard this soft but slowly swelling sound interrupting my sleep; it was after midnight. The car horn! I jumped up ran out to the garage and gave the steering wheel a jerk and the sound stopped. So I went back to bed and really hoped that it would not happen again, after all I have been driving the car for days and not one beep. I was awakened again by my wife telling me it was happening again, but even before she spoke I could hear the droning of the car horn slowly building to a scream as I was being dragged from a restless sleep by the sound; for crying out loud it is after 3 AM.

So with a little encouragement I took matters into my own hands and fixed my car today. It was cold so I used my heater to warm up the garage. I unplugged the SRS airbag fuse, no deployment, so waited to work up more courage. I took a star tipped screwdriver and loosened the screws (there was quite a bit of horn honking while I did this) and removed the airbag unit. The quarter was lodged all right but I got it out. No more warm fuzzy nostalgia for me. I put everything back together and it all turned out fine, so I replaced the fuse and turned on the ignition and the airbag light went off. Now the car is fixed. Mary is happy, which makes my life a little more manageable, and I wont need to give the mechanic $130.00 after all, so I am happy as well.

A B-eagle

The joke goes like this.
Q. What do you call a sick bird?
A. An illegal (an ill-eagle). You know something that is unlawful...get it? I know it is a bad joke.

So
Q. What do you call a big bird?
A. A Beagle (a big-eagle). You know a big......oh forget it. Hope you like the picture.

This eagle was found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, along Hwy 45.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

My plate my cookies...yumm

I was over at my mom's house today, helping her however I could. It is pretty hard to watch your one of your parents or both of your parents get old. I remember one day, well before my dad passed away, looking at him and realizing that he got old at one point and I did not see it coming. Just yesterday it seemed he was helping me move and working around the house. But one day I looked across the table and saw an old man looking back; sort of like when I look in the mirror. My dad passed away a little over two years ago, it was very difficult to let him go.

My mom lives in the same house that I grew up in; I mean really I lived in the same house all of my childhood. One night, when I was spending the night at mom and dads house after they had both gone to sleep. I was still awake listening for someone to wake up or get something if they needed it. While sitting in the semi-darkness of the living room, I heard the same sounds that I had grown up with. The train down the street and cars going down the avenue right outside the  front door, it was sort of strange.

Well anyway I was at mom's today and getting sort of restless just waiting around to do something so I decided that I would make some homemade bread and some fresh cookies. So I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Now, I am not a big fan of peanut butter cookies, but they are soft enough for my mom to eat. She had about 3 bags of chocolate chips in the cupboard so I made PBCC cookies.

My mom loved them and they were pretty simple so here goes, and I am all about simplicity in cooking and baking.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1     Cup     Soft Butter
1     Cup     P.Butter (crunchy if you like)
1     Cup     Sugar
1     Cup     Brown Sugar

2    Eggs
1     tsp       Vanilla

2 1/2   Cups     Flour
1 1/2    tsp        Soda
3/4      tsp        Salt

1      bag      Chocolate chips

Mix well the butters and sugars, then add the eggs and beat until it starts to get sort of fluffy looking. Add the vanilla and mix. Last add all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Scrape the bowl and make sure that there is no gooey unmixed stuff on the bottom of the bowl. Scoop out any size cookie dough ball that you like. I press my cookies down with a fork and criss-cross the cookie top, just like my mom and grandma did. There are a few variables to consider when baking, like the type of cookie sheet and the oven's personality; but you know your oven and your cookie sheets so have at it. I baked mine at 370 for 10 mins, (give or take).

enjoy

Alrightnowyoutellme (3)

I know it is another snake, I do not mind snakes that much, as long as they are on the road and I can run if I feel threatened. I took this photo in Wisconsin. It seems to have a smaller head than what you might expect I am guessing that this snake was well over two feet long. The photo was taken a couple of years ago but I am sure that they are still around. Here is a clue to help you name the snake; "he seems rather sly".

 Alrightnowyoutellme a couple of things that you have found out about this sssssnake.

Maybe you can find some info here...or not.
http://goofysmartkids.com/index.html

Joseph Campbell

We had the great pleasure and blessing of having Joseph Campbell live with us for a couple of years while he went to school in St. Point for music. Joe is a very talented musician, and a very easy to get along with sort of guy, he has a lovely fiance' and comes for a large family. Joe grew up in southern Wisconsin just outside the city of Milwaukee.

Joseph had his senior recital last Sunday afternoon. Wonderful singing and music. Way to go Joe.

Joseph

 Bethany

Pileated Woodpecker

We had a Pileated Woodpecker on our deck this last week; awesome! We get this type of bird every year and it is always a treat to see him, especially so close to the house. He is a very large bird so you can't miss him. As you can see he likes suet. Suet is a very important supplement for birds in the winter because they rely on the fat in the suet to maintain their bodies heat in the colder weather.

Go down the store and pick up a block of suet and a wire holder and see what happens.

Honkey Man

The craziest thing happened to me yesterday. I was sitting in my car while I was waiting for Mary to go inside the school to get our grand-daughter from pre-school. I get sort of restless waiting in situations like that so I decided that I was going to sort through the change that I keep in my cup holder; a little boring maybe but safe, or so I thought.

First I started looking for wheat pennies, and found none. Then I started checking for the dates on nickels, dimes and quarters, and really found nothing very interesting except for a 1978 quarter. I got a little nostalgic as I recalled a few of the things that happened that year; 1978 was the year that I got married to my first (and current) wife, Mary. So I slid the quarter into the crack between the steering wheel and the part of the steering wheel that actually honks the horn; a perfect fit...NOT. The quarter slipped down in inside the steering wheel and it makes noise when I drive: no big deal right...NOT.

I went to Wal-Mart after we picked up Olivia but on the way we stopped at a stop light and you guessed, the horn started to honk; loud and long. I could not get it to stop until I turned the wheel to make the turn. So I got on the interstate and was headed to Wal-Mart, at least the horn stopped blowing. As I was pulling into the parking lot there was a little confusion (there always is at Wal-Mart) as to who was turning where and who had the right of way, but no big deal, until my horn went off again. Loud and extra long.

I am slapping the steering wheel trying to get the horn to stop, while motioning to other drivers that something was wrong with my car, and hoping at the same time that I would not activate the air bag and ruin my otherwise handsome face with a broken nose. I parked the car, the horn shut off and went into the store. All the way home it honked whenever it felt like honking; Help me Jesus!

It still is not fixed and the horn still goes off at times when you turn the wheel, and the dealership said it would only cost about $130.00 to fix; all because I wanted to save a quarter.

I am glad that summer is done, I would not want to be stopped at a stop sign behind a motorcycle gang, and have the horn go off.

Assinins, MI and the Indian Cemetary

This 1881 orphanage complex, now in ruins, once housed 900 orphans and other children whose parents could not support them. Only about half were Indians.

A photo we took at the cemetary

Assinins was the last mission Father Frederic Baraga, the "snowshoe priest" from Slovenia, established before becoming bishop of the Upper Peninsula. He came here in 1843 and used the mission he built as a base for missionary work elsewhere on the Keweenaw Peninsula, often reached by snowshoeing.

Father Baraga came to the area at the request of Chief Assinins, who was the first to be baptized here. The little school here was built under Father Baraga's direction; the nails used seem to be the ones he arranged to get from Europe. The partly rebuilt school was one element of what The school was the first element of what became an extensive mission center. Its biggest building was an orphanage, more benign and not so destructive to Indian children's sense of themselves and their culture as some, to hear local people talk about it. Many orphanage children were non-Indians, too. If one parent died, the other might have to leave the children at an orphanage for extended periods of time while the parent worked elsewhere.

Today Assinins consists of some homes and the cemetery along the high road that parallels U.S. 41, the mission school, the Most Holy Name of Jesus Church, and a former convent that serves as its parish hall. Mass is at 6 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday. A crucifix and white statues of Father Baraga and an Ojibwa man and girl can be seen from the highway.

Orphanage photo and story are from "Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula".      http://hunts-upguide.com/assinins.html

The Black Capped Chickadee State Birds (week 9)

Wow I can hardly believe it is Friday already. I have not posted the state bird for this week so I better get it done now. The Black Capped Chickadee (or Titmouse) is my favorite bird; at least that is what I am thinking today. The Chickadee is a friendly little flyer that swoops into the feeders, grabs some seeds, and heads off to his branch where he cracks the shell or simply eats his seed and does it all over again.


The Chicadee is the hero of the woods; there are courage and good nature enough in that compact little body, which you may hide in your fist, to supply a whole groveful of May songsters. He has the Spartan virtue of an eagle, the cheerfulness of a thrush, the nimbleness of Cock Sparrow, the endurance of the seabirds condensed into his tiny frame, and there have been added a pertness and ingenuity all his own. His curiosity is immense, and his audacity equal to it; I have even had one alight upon the barrel of the gun over my shoulder as I sat quietly under his tree.- ERNEST INGERSOLL.


The Chickadee is the state bird for two states, both of which are on the east coast; Massachusetts, and Maine. The Chickadee is a pudgy little bird with a black cap, black bib and white cheeks. The males, females, and the juveniles all look the same, the only exception is that the males are a little larger. Their primary food sources are insects and seeds. The will gladly eat from feeders that you have set out and are around all winter.


Black Capped Chickadees are cavity nesters, which means that they will live in the cavities  of rotted trees or even in the holes that woodpeckers chip out. They will also nest in Bluebird houses, but will not sit on top of the house and let all of the other birds know that this is his property. If a Chickadee chips away at a crevice to make a home he will carry the wood chips away so his dwelling is not obvious to other birds. Have you ever seen a tree that a woodpecker has chipped at? There are wood chips all over the ground underneath the cavity, the Chickadee will clean up his mess.


Chickadees live year round in the northern half of the U.S., most all of Canada, and into parts of Alaska. They are very sturdy little birds that are able to withstand the cold by lowering their body temperature at night to conserve energy. In what seems like the cold silence of winter this cheerful little bird has a very welcomed song; "chick-a-dee-dee-dee". When Spring is approaching they will sing their Spring song; "fee-bee, feeee-beee".


I love this bird, it makes me happy.


Check this out:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/id