Birding with Sarah

...in our own backyard.  Pileated Woodpeck just a tad smaller than Herself.

BTW, she has absolutely no clue as to walking on a leash.  Her training has been delayed by a wicked head cold.  Fortunately, I have been treating it with a 3/4 liter bottle of Baileys, now finished.  I expect to be able to walk Sarah down by the river in a day or two.

pb
Little Pond

Sarah Francine

She is my new companion.  I will never forget my River Dog Ellie.  When I entered the facility at Cornell, the sight and sounds made me cry for her again.

 

While treated humanely, she had spent her first 2+ years as a laboratory trials subject, living with other mini-beagles in a kennel.

 

You can bet she was incredibly surprised by snow this morning.

 

Little Sarah had never been walked or even outside, never house broken, never called by name. She is about the size of Ellie, and completely silent.

 

Fortunately, the RiverHound Frankie will have her howling in no time.

 

pb

Little Pond

Is is about shoes???

I dreamed I was helping a friend move furniture from some rooms to others.

After a while the friend turned into a former boss, who somehow had accrued enough furniture to fill a warehouse.  He owned the warehouse, too.  The work was way too much for me, for my back, and for the whole MS thing.

Then, when I was just about done, the whole scene turned into a furniture store.  I began to assist customers, when I noticed that I had removed my shoes while moving the furniture.

When I searched for the shoes, I found many, many shoes, all lined up on a wall.

Mine weren't there.  I checked around and found out that the area that held my shoes had become a shoe store.

They had sold my shoes.  The clerk showed me the copy of the bill of sale.  They had gotten $17.99 for them, worn and all.  I had paid $32.00, originally.

The shoes were spike heels, so I figured I wouldn't miss them.  On the other hand, I still needed the money back to buy a new pair of shoes.

Weird.

pb
Little Pond

Still Grieving

On a brightly sunny morning, Ellie and I returned to her favorite shore near the Gateway of the Chemung River.  Her ashes were scattered to the wind and onto the water, right where she loved to swim.  We were watched only by a lone eagle and three inquisitive gulls, who checked to see if anything good was being offered.

 

The Chemung will never feel the same for me.  And I am no longer the River Hag with her familiar, a little brindle digger-dog, hunter-dog, RiverDog.

 

Birders and Hikers:  don't give your heart to a faithful four-footed follower.

 

She'll break your heart too soon, for sure.  Far too soon.

 

pb

Little Pond

Rest in Peace, Ellie

June 1, 2002 - November 24, 2012

My Huggamutt Cuddlebum

See you in the morning, Little One.

Love GrammaDog

Happy Halloween

From a very reluctant HuggaMutt!!

Okay here.

Only minor damage here in our downtown.  We are fine; Husband RJ's mom came to ride out the storm here.  For another night, I guess.

RJ and I have a date tonight.  "West Side Story" is playing at our Clemens Center.  The first performance was last night, and the intrepid cast was rewarded by even more intrepid local residents who braved the windstorm to attend.

"West Side Story" was the theme music for our wedding. "A Time For Us" is Our Song.

I know I am going to bawl my eyes out tonight.  "We're going to rock it tonight!"

pb

FOR MALALA

So.  The Taliban boarded a school bus and shot a little girl for speaking her mind.  The worldwide outcry is still resounding, and getting louder, day by day.

And.  The Taliban says they will try again to kill her, if she won't shut up.  Of course, they probably will botch that job again, too...

And.  Muslims around the world are beginning to condemn the Taliban, and all Islamic extremists.  Finally.

So...

Wouldn't it be amazing if it turns out that WOMEN become the activists that bring down the Muslim extremists?

What can we do to support and protect such brave women?  How can we save their lives while they work for what is rightfully theirs?

I am no Quranic Scholar, but I've read enough of the Koran to come to the conclusion that Mohammed, the Last Prophet, received revelations that were intended to bring about a sort of EQUITY if not EQUALITY between the sexes.

At the time, the Koran was very, very (in fact scandalously) progressive in that respect.  Women are expected to learn and practice their religion, and we must facilitate it.

So...

The Taliban is sinning against the Koran, handed down from Allah by the Angel Raphael to the Last Prophet Mohammed.  It is the birthright of all Islamic women to right this wrong.

And it is our duty, especially in our own homelands, to honor, protect, and assist these women--and girls!--in their fight for the right to learn to read and write and practice their religion.

Is the Muslim world up to it?  Are we?

We can begin by honoring the Hijab (veil).  I am against laws that prohibit the wearing of the hijab.  Here in the U.S.A. we allow and respect veils on our Catholic nuns, yamulkes for Orthodox Jews, both veils and hats for Hasidic Jews, not to mention the caps and hats worn by Amish and related sects.  Is it so hard to include hijabs and turbans?

So.  Come one, America!  Freedom of religion, or not?

Honoring the Hijab is an easy step.  Try it.  Rather than stare, ask about it.   Some will be happy to instruct you, others may be too shy.  At least respect it.

I was raised to respect priestly and monastic habits. 

It's not much of a stretch.

pb
Little Pond

 

I've been looking for a lovely, red tree to show you this fall.  Unfortunately, a long hot, dry summer and a damp, warm fall has given us a lackluster leaf-peeping season around these parts.  Our yard is surrounded by rock maples, and they turn yellow.  So yellow we got!

 

Could be worse.  Last year we didn't even get much yellow

If you absolutely must have red, here are some shots of bittersweet vines down by the river:

 

 

 

 Honestly, we are mostly browns and yellow this year. And the RiverDog is terribly arthritic, so trips are limited to sunny, warmer days for now.

 

pb

Little Pond

Pink belly again

Last year we were puzzled and concerned about our cat DeeDee.  The vet told us she was overgrooming and gave her anti-anxiety drugs.  She got huffy and refused to eat or keep them down.

 

This year we are trying a different approach.

 

She loves it.

 

pb

Little Pond

Fall update in Little Pond.

Better, thanks.

My litttle buddy is a bit better.  She walks the river in short trips.

She also walks around the block, resolutely avoiding the noisy little kids who love to pet her.

Now her little gray face matches her grumpy disposition.

I still love her.

pb
Little Pond

Safe Haven. Not!

I honestly thought I was safe when I parked in front of the little trees on Second Street,  Elmira Westside.  One block from home.

I survived, as did all Elmira residents.

But most property took one or many more hits.

pb
Little Pond

From the "redneck" branch of the family...

Drought kill your apple tree? 

No worries!  You can always decorate it for the summer, winter, heck, maybe even Christmas.

MammaDog and her man have found a place for all those non-returnables that they've been accruing.

Of course that gives away the whole game.  Any rednecks out there to see the clues?

pb

Little Pond

Manicuring the trees

Our walk on Foster Island out behind the Water Board yielded signs of DEC property management.

Here,for example is our favorite Alder Tree.  It has been crudely chopped, to keep back the canopy and to prevent squatters from camping under the boughs.

I have often seen them tenting among the overgrown patches of knotweed, but as you can see, that also has been mown.

Now, in Europe, trees like the alder would be carefully "manicured" to allow for an aesthetically pleasing form.  This would begin while the tree is young and continue during its entire life, making for a straight and strong bole, and lots of smaller branching coming directly off the top.  The result is a stately looking tree, perfect for wide avenues in a place like Paris, France, Europe.

Ahhhh, but not in Elmira, New York, USA...

I am not certain of the species of this tree, but I can tell you it would not do at all for the Champs Elysees.

It has been butchered.  And while I laud the rather belated care given to it, I have to mourn what might have been if it had been propery manicured.

pb, snob

Little Pond

Hot dog in a cool dip.



Frankly, I wouldn't drink it, but the HuggaMutt is fainting in the heat.