A broken heart

I've had some great times in the past few weeks, which may be why I haven't had time to blog.  But today I have a broken heart. 

For weeks, my husband and I used the garage door to avoid upsetting the house finch who was guarding her three eggs, then three fledglings in a nest she built on our front door wreathe.  

I left town for a week on a road trip, was told by my birding friends that when the baby birds left the nest they would also leave my house and I would probably not see them again.  

How wrong they were!  I found two of the babies hopping around our driveway.  They were not afraid of me...I could almost touch them.  Here is one who was pretty much posing for me.  

That made me smile the whole day.

Unfortunately, I was to learn, house finches are not loyal like dogs.  This morning I followed the mother bird (I'm not stalking her---she flew by while I was in the garden), and found that she was making a new nest in a neighbor's tree!  For shame I said to her.  Will the neighbors walk carefully to protect your babies?  Will they chronicle their births and their first flight?  I think not.

Anyway, I've got an new and unused birdhouse perched in my own tree.  I'll keep an eye on it.  Maybe she will realize her mistake.

Life is beautiful

Life can be so beautiful when you wake to the sound of three (or four) little birds cheeping out to the mama bird for some food.  That is my life now and for possibly the next 14-18 days.  

A house finch and her mate have decided to set up home in a basket of flowers hanging on my front door.  This is not a picture of the actual nest because it is built deep between the silk roses and greenery.  My husband and I can't use our front door because we fear the babies will fall out.  Mama and papa regularly dive bomb us if we get too close.  But it is all worth it when I wake at 4:30 in the morning to all that beautiful noise downstairs.  They sleep a lot.  I try to get look at them through the window, but usually all I see are their growing feathers.  One day I lucked out and saw one with his/her mouth open just like in this photo.  It was magnificent.

Life is beautiful when you are retired and have time to:

• take golf lessons and find out you can actually hit the ball pretty far and pretty straight
• take drawing lessons and realize you can look at a nude model, not get too embarrassed and actually draw something that looks like the human body
• take a road trip with girlfriends through western North Carolina and Virginia
• plan a trip to China
• create a garden
• listen to the birds singing

I hope life is beautiful for you TODAY.

Load up your rifles and meet me on the 14th street bridge!

Protesters plan on coming to Washington on July 4th with loaded rifles.  

In the words of the former Decider, 'Bring it on!'

The organizer, an Iraq veteran, says “We will march with rifles loaded and flung across our backs to put the government on notice that we will not be intimidated and cower in submission to tyranny,” Kokesh wrote on his Web site. “Should we meet physical resistance, we will peacefully turn back, having shown that free people are not welcome in Washington. . . . We are truly saying in the SUBTLEST [his capitalization] way possible that we would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.”

Yeah, this is just what I want to take place in my town on Independence Day.  THIS is why I am sick of the NRA, sick of the gun-obsessed culture.  What in the world makes this guy think that bringing 100s or 1,000s of people to town armed and loaded is a good idea?  If he is so against our government, maybe he should emigrate to a country that has a more 'open' attitude towards guns.  Maybe somewhere in the east...

I love starting my day off with the Washington Post.  It gets me just riled up enough.

Have a great day.

Immigration and my family

I really thought that I would write several posts a week.  But as a retiree I am SO BUSY I just don't get to it.  But this morning, I listened to such drivel on the radio and read such drivel in the Washington Post that I had no choice but to put in my two cents.

The Heritage Foundation issued a report today on immigration in the United States.  The report indicates that  immigration reform in the United States will eventually cost our country $2.6 TRILLION because immigrants would cost more in things like social security and medicare (in addition to various welfare programs) than they would provide in taxes and increased economy.  This hurts.  

I am the product of an immigrant who had NO high school diploma and in fact was illiterate.  My dad is the first generation immigrant who could not finish high school because he HAD TO WORK, but ended up as a business owner who paid taxes and NEVER took welfare, but served this country in world war II, and receives social security and medicare.

So then there are his six children all of whom own their own homes, have jobs, pay taxes and have never received welfare.  Yes, we will all get social security and medicare.  Should this be held against us because we are the product of an immigrant?

Come on, conservative republicans.  Did your families all come over on the Mayflower or are you Native Americans?  What makes you think that today's immigrants are going to be any different than those that came before them?  Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, and others came here to find a better life.  What makes you think the newly arrived will be any different?

If the problem is Social Security and Medicare, then work on that, but don't blame those who seek a better life in this country with those problems.

Don't Over Schedule!

Yes, it HAS been over two weeks since I've written anything here, but I am SO busy.  I retired sort of early, so I can't say that I need to slow down, but I think I've over done it with activities and projects.  I'm so busy I just can't get to the blog.  As an example, in the past two weeks I've attended three government meetings (2 half day and 1 full day) to take minutes and write reports.  Doesn't sound that bad, does it?  But this means getting there, attending the meetings, getting home, deciphering my minutes and writing a reasonably readable report.  Add to that on all other days either Body Pump, Body Flow or biking AND golf lessons and art lessons.  Add to THAT completely building a large garden, visiting friends, and numerous phone calls home about mom and medication.  Whew.  I am getting tired just writing this.

Guns.  The Boston marathon bombing was all we've been hearing about, but I'm still hopping mad about the Senate voting down background checks for gun purchases.  I almost laughed the other night when a gun show attendee said that we had enough laws ..."criminals and the mentally ill are not supposed to buy weapons already".  Great.  I'm sure that criminals and mentally ill people won't buy guns because they are not supposed to buy them.  Don't forget to pick up your assault weapon before you leave the show.

Sequestration.  Are these congressmen/women nuts?  They cut the budget across the board, but they don't seem to want any changes in the levels of government provided.  You can't have it both ways then you make cuts in this ridiculous manner.  I haven't written much about this because I am sure it will make some folks mad, but if they want to cut the budget they need to take hard looks at things like weapons systems that we don't want and don't need.  But their attitude is "not in my district."  I wonder why the defense industry builds weapons systems, airplanes and ships that require one piece to be provided from somewhere in every state?  HINT HINT - then the Congressman from that state doesn't want to vote against the system, plane, ship - even though we don't need it--because it will mean jobs in his/her state/district.  Same goes for closing down military bases that we don't need any longer.  Hey, Congressman!  Budget cuts have to hurt somewhere.  Why does it only feel good if that hurt is the federal worker who by the way has no say so in how YOU spend the money.  HMMM.  I think this is why I haven't been writing.  I'm just so fed up.

Let's change the subject to the more positive.

Spring.  winter, summer, spring, winter...weather in our nation's capitol can't make up its frigging mind.  I'm dying to plant and to take my plants outside but everyday is a crap shoot. One great thing, though, a robin has made a nest in a flower basket hanging from my front door!  I love it, but also fear for the poor eggs soon to be fledglings.  Mother robin flies away from the nest every time I open the door.  Even if I go out the garage, she flies away.  I've been doing some reading on robins and believe that the baby birds will be in the nest for over two weeks before they are ready to leave it.  Right now it is just 4 eggs, but how am I going to protect those little babies from falling out the swinging door.  I can't move the nest because the mother bird won't recognize it as her own if it is moved.  This is too much a responsibility, but I think I can handle it.

What about this great idea for a bird nesting house?  This is an old drawer and a teapot.  I've got the teapot and as soon as I get a drawer this baby is going up in my new garden.  Maybe mother robin will move over here and free up my front door.

Golfing.  Friend and I have completed three of six golf lessons.  So far, I've learned to putt, chip and have gone to the "range" to hit balls with a number 7 iron.  I think that is pretty impressive and I am pleased that I seem to have a pretty good aim, although I don't control how far I hit the ball very well yet.  My biggest problem so far is that my arms inside from above the elbow to below the wrist HURTS at the end of each lesson and our practice sessions.  Who would know?  It looks so damn boring on TV, but it is hard work and really kind of fun.  We have three more lessons and then I guess the real test will begin.  Am I too cheap to PAY to golf?  More on this as the story unfolds.

No one but The Lass gets my humor, but I just have to post one more of my favorite Get Fuzzy comics.  Let me set the scene.

Bucky Katt has a feud going on with Fungo the Ferrett who lives next door.  In this series of strips, Fungo has walled up the door to Bucky's closet.  All Bucky knows is that his closet door is gone, so he has called Rob, his "owner" at work to find out if he has seen it.  But what made me laugh was the last panel....poor old Satchel Pooch just wants to know what Rob can smell.  This is so much like a dog.  Look at that face....I see it everyday with my own pooch.  So happy just to smell who has been around the neighborhood, who has peed and where.  So happy in the car when I turn on the heat or air condition and the air from outside comes in through the vent.  He is in heaven figuring out all the great smells.  What a life and what a life to share with me.  Goodnight, Irene.

Elder Care - Great new discovery

Elder Care.  If you are lucky enough to have your parents around when you retire, elder care will be one of the activities that will keep you busy.  In my case, each trip home starts with a day of sadness and crying, but so far, ends with feeling happy that I've was there.  Each time I feel like I dodged the bullet.

I am lucky.  Both parents still living, and in pretty good shape.  But like many of you will find out, both are a bit less able to handle some aspects of their lives.  For mom, it is organizing and taking the appropriate medication at the appropriate time.  For the past many months, my nephew has been my eyes and ears, but as he gets busier with college, I am worried.

So, if you've not heard about this great FREE service, I've got to spread the word.  Walgreen's Pharmacy has teamed up with a company called DailyMed to provide medication pre-packaged  by the day, date and time it is to be taken. I just signed my mom up for this.  DailyMed liaisons with my mom's physicians and insurance, gets the prescriptions, and packages each day's dosages in small pouches that come to my mom in a box.  The pouches pull out from the box like wax paper.  Each is labeled with the day, date and time of day to take them (e.g., morning, noon, evening).  If something changes, we call the company and alert them.  They even package up her aspirin and any vitamins, too.  If this works (and I'll be posting about it), it will be a god save!  

Becca's Briefs

My friends at the Post comic section didn't let me down.  Two good laughs for today.

In regard to my little contracting jobs, this cartoon says it all.  You will weep when you pay your taxes!

AND....to my lost youth.  It's so true.  Thriller.

I'm Back

I'm Back is the title of this post.  I zipped it out because I was thinking that I am back to writing the blog after a few weeks.  Then I realized I am also BACK to WORKING!  I had my first day at my old office yesterday.  Had I know for sure who was going to be in the meeting, I would have worn my Groucho Marx glasses, nose and mustache, but I was afraid there might be some high level people I did not know.

It wasn't rocket science.  I am attending a high level meeting, taking notes and developing a draft set of minutes--but they are due the very next morning.  STRESS.  I think I did okay, though.

I'm also attending as series of meetings for the Dept of Education and eventually writing a report for them.  That will start next week, so actually, next week I'll be working two whole days.  It seems the money is rolling in.

It is also rolling OUT.  The Silver Tongued Latin Lover and I are working on a new garden and patio.  I've spent many hours this past week re-potting my current outdoor plants, digging up English ivy, and laying out what I hope will become an English garden in the plot of land next to our house.  It's not our property, but our home owners association is allowing me to cultivate it.  So as much money as I make from these jobs, it is being plowed (literally) back into the garden.  Pictures will follow soon.

The Latin Lover is building a brick wall, which will feature two windows with window boxes for flowers.  He is installing a brick patio, lights and two fountains.  This building of the Taj Mahal has been going on for about five months, but now that the weather is good, it should go much faster.

Becca's Briefs - Washington Post, April 11

John Kelly's Washington  Each year Kelly runs a week of squirrel articles.  Lovers and haters of our squirrely neighbors contribute. 

Today's was just priceless.  He reports that Kelly Foxton of Boca Raton, FL runs a company that features her pet Squirrel, Sugar Bush.   She makes her living dressing Sugar Bush in various costumes and posing him/her in various settings that are featured in the news....Fidel Castro in his sick bed, Yasser Arafat in kaffiyeh headdress, Benazir Bhutto in hijab in front of the Pakistani flag....Her latest effort is the life of Jesus.  

Says Mrs. Foxton, however, it is not always easy.  "It's very difficult to work with a squirrel (don't I know!)"  Actually getting a squirrel to climb up a hill with a cross on her shoulder is not easy."  Try working at the Pentagon!