I'm guessing the current nest next to the office window makes our sixth bird family (unless the cardinals in the front bushes are the same parents over and over, then we'd have just three bird families making six nests).
Although they're cute and sweet, I'm getting a bit tired of wondering what the new noise is (until I learn to recognize their sounds), because at first I'm afraid they're baby mice squealing LOL. Also, our indoor cat goes crazy running and bouncing off any and everything in the house when he hears them. And having to http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifuse the backdoor all the time as not to upset the cardinal family in the front bush gets a bit old too, especially if we forget and then feel guilty for upsetting the birds haha.
So I'm thinking of growing birdhouse gourds this spring to hang from the oak and pecan trees, in the hope that the birds will prefer the gourds hanging from trees instead of next to our doors and windows. Here's a nice pictorial on how to Making Bird Houses from Your Gourds in case they grow for me. And here's one article from a site that has many useful links to setup and run birdhouses: Cavity-Nesters, Which Birds Will Use A Nest Box?
Anyone have a handful of birdhouse gourd seeds? Of course I'll pay ^_^
Corn Meal vs Polenta; Cornbread Leavened without Gums
Self-Reliant Living's Preparedness Radio had an awesome podcast interviewing Carol Deppe, author of The Resilient Gardener, and boy does this lady know a lot about corn! All this time I thought the biggest difference between cornmeal and polenta was that I thought polenta was nixtamalized. But after listening to this podcast, I've learned there's SO much more to learn about corn.
Carol explained why she was so driven to learn about corn is that she suffers from Celiac disease, and that because of all the sweetening, alternative baking mixes were acceptable, but she couldn't stand the taste of bread baked from alternative Gluten-Free flour, but did enjoy the taste of cornbread. She even stumbled on an older way of making cornbread that doesn't require adding gums to the cornflour and baking powder, yet is still leavened, which she explains in pretty good detail for a podcast.
She explained the corn anatomy (I'm not sure I'm using the correct term haha), so learning what she explained would help us to make better tasting polenta, as well as baked goods. So whether you're a foodie, gardener, or prepper, I think you'd really enjoy this podcast (first link above has the downloadable MP3).
Not only will I be listening to this long podcast again (it went overtime), but I'm also going to buy her book. The podcast host announced he'll be interviewing her again soon about potatoes, so I'll be waiting eagerly for that, since instead of a bumper crop of blue potatoes, I grew a handful of blue marbles. But at least that one meal of blue potatoes tasted pretty good ^_^
PS: I caught one of the neighbor's bunnies finally! I almost had another one, but he wiggled out of the cage bottom before I could close it and I was afraid of hurting him.
The bunny I caught today ate from my hand yesterday - she was still in the old neighbor's backyard (they travel back and forth between the yards through the dug up tree root along the fence - they know morning feed time too LOL!)
UPDATE: I went to check on her and bring her some lettuce and carrot, and she was running around the yard - I think she blew me a bunny-raspberry as she hopped past me.
Carol explained why she was so driven to learn about corn is that she suffers from Celiac disease, and that because of all the sweetening, alternative baking mixes were acceptable, but she couldn't stand the taste of bread baked from alternative Gluten-Free flour, but did enjoy the taste of cornbread. She even stumbled on an older way of making cornbread that doesn't require adding gums to the cornflour and baking powder, yet is still leavened, which she explains in pretty good detail for a podcast.
She explained the corn anatomy (I'm not sure I'm using the correct term haha), so learning what she explained would help us to make better tasting polenta, as well as baked goods. So whether you're a foodie, gardener, or prepper, I think you'd really enjoy this podcast (first link above has the downloadable MP3).
Not only will I be listening to this long podcast again (it went overtime), but I'm also going to buy her book. The podcast host announced he'll be interviewing her again soon about potatoes, so I'll be waiting eagerly for that, since instead of a bumper crop of blue potatoes, I grew a handful of blue marbles. But at least that one meal of blue potatoes tasted pretty good ^_^
PS: I caught one of the neighbor's bunnies finally! I almost had another one, but he wiggled out of the cage bottom before I could close it and I was afraid of hurting him. The bunny I caught today ate from my hand yesterday - she was still in the old neighbor's backyard (they travel back and forth between the yards through the dug up tree root along the fence - they know morning feed time too LOL!)
UPDATE: I went to check on her and bring her some lettuce and carrot, and she was running around the yard - I think she blew me a bunny-raspberry as she hopped past me.
Chickens, if we can catch them
The neighbors are still dropping by to tend to the animals, and caught a female chicken and the duck in a medium sized pen/cage - just big enough that I can't maneuver it onto our dolly. So DH and I made a deal: If he brings over the pen/cage with the duck and chicken, I'll make him pumpkin waffles and muffins.
Meanwhile, one of the younger female chickens (sorry, don't know chicken terminology yet) has escaped from the bigger coop. I carried over DH's human trap and sprinkled chicken scratch on the trigger thingee, but the young chicken hasn't triggered the trap yet. We still haven't caught anymore of their rabbits other than the first one (they weren't penned/caged when we learned the neighbors had moved).
Meanwhile, one of the younger female chickens (sorry, don't know chicken terminology yet) has escaped from the bigger coop. I carried over DH's human trap and sprinkled chicken scratch on the trigger thingee, but the young chicken hasn't triggered the trap yet. We still haven't caught anymore of their rabbits other than the first one (they weren't penned/caged when we learned the neighbors had moved).
I'm not into politics, but here's my thoughts on Rick Perry as my Governor
The main things that pop into my mind when I think of Rick Perry as Tx Gov:Tx Gov Rick Perry & TS Rita Mass-Evac
During TS Rita's mass-evac in 2005, a local radio station reported that Gov Rick Perry had heard about the evac highways becoming parking lots, because many were running out of gas. Supposedly -- according to the radio DJ's that I'm paraphrasing from memory -- Gov Rick Perry asked "why more hadn't gassed up before leaving".
We filled up BOTH of our dual tanks before leaving -- including a few 2 gallon gas cans -- and still had to refuel both tanks before we got out of gridlocked freeways! Most people don't have dual tanks, so if they got stuck in traffic moving 1-2 MPH, they're pretty much STUCK! It's not like they could turn off their engines to conserve gas, because the traffic occasionally moved forward a few feet every minute or so.
If Gov Rick Perry didn't want millions using up so much precious gas while approximately 3 million Texans evac'd, why did it take SO VERY LONG for DOT to setup contra-flows, when it had been obvious for many, MANY hours that all main SE Tx freeways were gridlocked?
- Did Tx Gov Rick Perry not have enough clout to get DOT's heads out their behinds?
- Maybe Tx Gov Rick Perry's mind wasn't able to connect the dots: Non-moving traffic uses up gas!
- Or was it that Tx Gov Rick Perry just didn't care to lean on DOT to help break up the gridlocked evac?
I don't know the answers to any of those questions, but it made me question Gov Rick Perry's ability to lead a large population during a disaster. (Yes, I realize that Houston's Mayor Bill White didn't help when he announced that anyone scared should evac - I'm paraphrasing from memory again.)
- Google results for keywords: trans texas corridor rick perry
- Google results for keywords: trans texas corridor eminent domain
- Google results for: rick perry texas corridor eminent domain
But I'm not big on Palin either, undecided about Romney, and plead no-comment on Ron Paul. So I guess the way things look at this time, it'll come down to Obama vs Perry - yet another "lesser of two evils" decision, IMO. At least they're both attractive, unlike the last big election ^_^
Tx Gov Rick Perry & TS Rita Mass-Evac
During TS Rita's mass-evac in 2005, a local radio station reported that Gov Rick Perry had heard about the evac highways becoming parking lots, because many were running out of gas. Supposedly -- according to the radio DJ's that I'm paraphrasing from memory -- Gov Rick Perry asked "why more hadn't gassed up before leaving".We filled up BOTH of our dual tanks before leaving -- including a few 2 gallon gas cans -- and still had to refuel both tanks before we got out of gridlocked freeways! Most people don't have dual tanks, so if they got stuck in traffic moving 1-2 MPH, they're pretty much STUCK! It's not like they could turn off their engines to conserve gas, because the traffic occasionally moved forward a few feet every minute or so.
If Gov Rick Perry didn't want millions using up so much precious gas while approximately 3 million Texans evac'd, why did it take SO VERY LONG for DOT to setup contra-flows, when it had been obvious for many, MANY hours that all main SE Tx freeways were gridlocked?
- Did Tx Gov Rick Perry not have enough clout to get DOT's heads out their behinds?
- Maybe Tx Gov Rick Perry's mind wasn't able to connect the dots: Non-moving traffic uses up gas!
- Or was it that Tx Gov Rick Perry just didn't care to lean on DOT to help break up the gridlocked evac?
I don't know the answers to any of those questions, but it made me question Gov Rick Perry's ability to lead a large population during a disaster. (Yes, I realize that Houston's Mayor Bill White didn't help when he announced that anyone scared should evac - I'm paraphrasing from memory again.)
Tx Gov Rick Perry's Pet Project: "Imminent Domain Highway" aka "Divide the Nation"
For reasons unknown to me, Tx Gov Rick Perry has been championing a super-highway from Mexico to Canada. Too bad many family farms and ranches are in the way - too bad for the families that is! This eminent domain/highway stuff is NOT new - I've been aware of it for at since before the last Tx elections - the main reason I voted against Tx Gov Rick Perry.- Google results for keywords: trans texas corridor rick perry
- Google results for keywords: trans texas corridor eminent domain
- Google results for: rick perry texas corridor eminent domain
Mandating New (UNproven) Vaccines for Children
- Google results for keywords: rick perry mandate HPV vaccineBut I'm not big on Palin either, undecided about Romney, and plead no-comment on Ron Paul. So I guess the way things look at this time, it'll come down to Obama vs Perry - yet another "lesser of two evils" decision, IMO. At least they're both attractive, unlike the last big election ^_^
Preparedness Podcasts - a first time listener's thoughts
I found quite a few preparedness type podcasts at Blog Talk Radio, so I signed up with BTR so I could sub to their preparedness talk shows:
I'm listening to my 4th preparedness show right now, having skipped* a show I just plain grew tired of listening to. Right now I'm listening to an Emergency expert talking about the wildfires in Texas, which of course interests me, since I live in Houston and have family near Waco (SW of Dallas), and many of my high schoolmates have moved to different parts of Texas and are posting their Texas Wildfire experiences on Facebook.
Another preparedness type show I enjoyed (and can't figure out which "feed" it came from) was about learning how to navigate with compass and maps, and talked a bit about how people have become too dependent on GPS, which isn't always accurate. IMO the show was very interesting, even though I didn't understand all the terms at first, they explained enough about the terms for me to have a general understanding, and inspire me to learn more about how to navigate with a compass and a map. IMO, if a show inspires me to want to learn, it was a good show.
I'll wait until I've listened to the rest of the shows before blogging about my thoughts on preparedness podcasts, even though the last two "networks" put out a LOT of shows (too many?) compared to the other networks.
- Chicken Whisperer
- Prepper Broadcasting Network
- SHTF Radio
- Preparedness Radio Network (PRN)
- Preparedness Radio Channel 2 (PRN) (I'm guessing these last two shows are somehow related)
I'm listening to my 4th preparedness show right now, having skipped* a show I just plain grew tired of listening to. Right now I'm listening to an Emergency expert talking about the wildfires in Texas, which of course interests me, since I live in Houston and have family near Waco (SW of Dallas), and many of my high schoolmates have moved to different parts of Texas and are posting their Texas Wildfire experiences on Facebook.
*At this time, I don't feel comfortable blogging about the show I skipped, because I used to enjoy their blog a great deal. But, like many preparedness blogs of late, have - IMO - changed their focus to selling books they and their friends have written, or promoting $tuff they've partnered (commissions) with, or other kinds of self-promotion (some is ok, just be balanced).
While I enjoy unbiased product reviews, and understand to a certain degree about making money to offset the time they blog (to teach others about how to prep), there's a balance. And unfortunately IMO, a few of my former favorite preparedness blogs haven't been as balanced lately - meaning they're promoting books and products much more than they're inspiring and teaching.
So that's the reason I'm hesitant about blogging why I skipped that second show - the blogger USED to be such an awesome source of valuable educational posts, but recently has turned their focus to self-promotion IMO. Of course I have hopes they'll return to their roots, so I won't blog negative feelings and just keep my fingers crossed for them.
Another preparedness type show I enjoyed (and can't figure out which "feed" it came from) was about learning how to navigate with compass and maps, and talked a bit about how people have become too dependent on GPS, which isn't always accurate. IMO the show was very interesting, even though I didn't understand all the terms at first, they explained enough about the terms for me to have a general understanding, and inspire me to learn more about how to navigate with a compass and a map. IMO, if a show inspires me to want to learn, it was a good show.
I'll wait until I've listened to the rest of the shows before blogging about my thoughts on preparedness podcasts, even though the last two "networks" put out a LOT of shows (too many?) compared to the other networks.
Audiobooks, Podcasts, and Old Time Radio Shows
After a few years of using DH's MP3 player on and off, I finally bought an MP3 player - not an iPod -- I won't use bloated iTunes. I've been listening to podcasts and audiobooks; I have one Il Divo song on there too LOL.
IMO, most of the comedy podcasts out there have LOTS of swearing and/or adult content, but NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! - The Oddly Informative News Quiz - is very funny (despite having Kyrie of Memo listed as a panelist) and the one podcast I've listened to was very clean. I've also subbed to quite a few How Stuff Works podcasts, and NPR has a great podcast directory by topic (lots under Science and Health), and some have been quite interesting.
I haven't setup Overdrive yet, so for audiobooks I've tried a few Podiobooks, but I'm limiting my searches to completed books so I won't be disappointed if a writer gives up half-way through -- the Podiobooks name their MP3's really stinks though. I've listened to the first section of all the books I signed up for, and Origin Scroll (book 1 of 3 of the Targa Trilogy by Richard S. Tuttle) is the most intriguing one so far - and it says it's family-friendly (although maybe a bit scary for young ones).
I've queued up some Old Time Radio shows from Archive.org. I filtered that search link so that it shows the highest average ratings from listeners, in the hopes that the better shows will come first in the list.
I've already noticed I get up and do more away from the PC now that I have portable entertainment ^_^
IMO, most of the comedy podcasts out there have LOTS of swearing and/or adult content, but NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! - The Oddly Informative News Quiz - is very funny (despite having Kyrie of Memo listed as a panelist) and the one podcast I've listened to was very clean. I've also subbed to quite a few How Stuff Works podcasts, and NPR has a great podcast directory by topic (lots under Science and Health), and some have been quite interesting.
I haven't setup Overdrive yet, so for audiobooks I've tried a few Podiobooks, but I'm limiting my searches to completed books so I won't be disappointed if a writer gives up half-way through -- the Podiobooks name their MP3's really stinks though. I've listened to the first section of all the books I signed up for, and Origin Scroll (book 1 of 3 of the Targa Trilogy by Richard S. Tuttle) is the most intriguing one so far - and it says it's family-friendly (although maybe a bit scary for young ones).
I've queued up some Old Time Radio shows from Archive.org. I filtered that search link so that it shows the highest average ratings from listeners, in the hopes that the better shows will come first in the list.
I've already noticed I get up and do more away from the PC now that I have portable entertainment ^_^
Pavlov's bunnies ^_^
Early this morning, our older girl cat wanted out, since our inside boy-teen cat was bugging her, but I wanted to check the backyard to make sure that dog hadn't returned. First I peeked out the backdoor window, and saw movement! After bobbing my head up and down with my trifocals, I finally focused on the movement, and it was the neighbors bunnies (they've moved out, but the father still returns everyday to tend to his bunnies and poultry until we can capture them and bring them to our yard).
So I hollered to DH, who was getting dressed for work, that the neighbor's bunnies were in our backyard again - maybe that's why the dog hopped the fence last night. I also opened up the backdoor so I could peek around the corner to make sure there wasn't a dog.
Backstory: I bought a string of mini-bells at the Renaissance Festival many years ago, and they've been hanging on the backdoor ever since. I don't even notice them ringing anymore - most the time anyway.
But a split-second after I opened the backdoor - and the bells rang - I see two more bunnies still in the neighbor's yard running towards our yard at FULL-SPEED! What a coincidence LOL
So now there's four neighbor bunnies in our backyard, and all are headed towards our rabbit cages (hanging from the old boatshed rafters). DH usually feeds our bunnies before he goes to work at sun-up (during DST). Maybe the neighbor bunnies running towards our yard when hearing the bells wasn't a coincidence after all ^_^
I feed our bunnies since I'm already out there, and I notice I have company haha, so after I finish feeding our bunnies, I find an old, dented biscuit pan and put out some rabbit kibble for the new bunnies.
By now, DH has left for work, and it's actually almost chilly this morning - first time this year, yay! So I decide to do a bit of yoga while in the backyard. Milady - our inside/outside cat LOVES to help me do yoga, so the new bunnies come closer to check us both out. I'm stretching my arms backwards while Milady is tapping my shin, and the bigger rabbit comes ONTO THE YOGA MAT so he can smell Milady - I'm only one foot away from this rabbit, and he came to us! The new bunnies are much tamer than our bunnies!
I'm going to try to talk DH into fencing off the old boatshed so the bunnies can roam around instead of being stuck in a cage, but we're visited by dogs occasionally, so he might argue that against fencing the boatshed. But since the neighbors also gave us their chickens, I could counter with that, since we've seen bunnies and chickens penned together.
PS: There's a duck we're supposed to bring over too.
So I hollered to DH, who was getting dressed for work, that the neighbor's bunnies were in our backyard again - maybe that's why the dog hopped the fence last night. I also opened up the backdoor so I could peek around the corner to make sure there wasn't a dog.
Backstory: I bought a string of mini-bells at the Renaissance Festival many years ago, and they've been hanging on the backdoor ever since. I don't even notice them ringing anymore - most the time anyway.
But a split-second after I opened the backdoor - and the bells rang - I see two more bunnies still in the neighbor's yard running towards our yard at FULL-SPEED! What a coincidence LOL
So now there's four neighbor bunnies in our backyard, and all are headed towards our rabbit cages (hanging from the old boatshed rafters). DH usually feeds our bunnies before he goes to work at sun-up (during DST). Maybe the neighbor bunnies running towards our yard when hearing the bells wasn't a coincidence after all ^_^
I feed our bunnies since I'm already out there, and I notice I have company haha, so after I finish feeding our bunnies, I find an old, dented biscuit pan and put out some rabbit kibble for the new bunnies.
By now, DH has left for work, and it's actually almost chilly this morning - first time this year, yay! So I decide to do a bit of yoga while in the backyard. Milady - our inside/outside cat LOVES to help me do yoga, so the new bunnies come closer to check us both out. I'm stretching my arms backwards while Milady is tapping my shin, and the bigger rabbit comes ONTO THE YOGA MAT so he can smell Milady - I'm only one foot away from this rabbit, and he came to us! The new bunnies are much tamer than our bunnies!
I'm going to try to talk DH into fencing off the old boatshed so the bunnies can roam around instead of being stuck in a cage, but we're visited by dogs occasionally, so he might argue that against fencing the boatshed. But since the neighbors also gave us their chickens, I could counter with that, since we've seen bunnies and chickens penned together.
PS: There's a duck we're supposed to bring over too.
"Wild" dogs in populated areas
Heard another noise outside my window (it's night), grabbed flashlight and almost ran smack into a somewhat large dog running at me (guessing around 40-45#). Since I haven't been able to run in over 10 years, I panic easier than when I could run, so I can't say for sure I was in actual danger - I didn't hear any growling, so it's possible the dog might have thought I was friendly, until I let out a piercing scream and limp-ran into the house).
DH woke up and grabbed the pellet gun, while I grabbed a knife, but we couldn't find it thank goodness. I brought the inside/outside cat in for the night. Bunnies are fine.
I live in a suburb, so I'm not used to having to grab a weapon each time I hear critters outside - mostly they're possums, racoons, occasionally a rat, stray cats, so I haven't felt the need to weapon up in a few years (we had a small pack form a few years back, that got a few of our rabbits, even though they're in big cages, some hanging from chains a few feet above the ground!)
I'm working on an Amazon order, so I'm going to see about a mace/pepper spray since I can't find mine, duh!
DH woke up and grabbed the pellet gun, while I grabbed a knife, but we couldn't find it thank goodness. I brought the inside/outside cat in for the night. Bunnies are fine.
I live in a suburb, so I'm not used to having to grab a weapon each time I hear critters outside - mostly they're possums, racoons, occasionally a rat, stray cats, so I haven't felt the need to weapon up in a few years (we had a small pack form a few years back, that got a few of our rabbits, even though they're in big cages, some hanging from chains a few feet above the ground!)
I'm working on an Amazon order, so I'm going to see about a mace/pepper spray since I can't find mine, duh!
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