A Good Day

The weather is spectacular. The sun is finally shinning and the temperature is cool and crisp. I went to work in the garden and even Dad got out for a little while to go to the mailbox and to inspect the garden.

The tomatoes (above) are the only thing besides the corn that looks good. We planted 24 tomato plants and 21 survived. The tomatoes, peppers, and squash are planted in a little garden all to itself just west of the big garden. In the larger garden (below) the blue lake green beans are very skimpy; what came up in the two rows combined would not make one complete row. Not pictured here are the two rows of spindly potatoes.

Dad looks over the garden (above) so he can offer advice on what we need to do next.

No mail yet. Dad really enjoys his power wheelchair that once belonged to Debbie's dad. I am glad that both of our dads could make use of the same chair.

Baby? Einstien

While spending some time with Tabitha and Brayden yesterday Tabitha showed us Brayden's baby einstien dvd. I don't know if it was the dvd or the fact Tabitha has been working graveyard shifts for the past week, but she seemed to be enjoying the dvd as much as Brayden. I have to say it made me feel a little better because the first time I watched the dvd with Brayden I think I was as messmerized as he was. These pictures were taken with my phone so are not quite as good as the ones with our other camera but you still get the idea.

Another thing I really enjoyed this week was seeing Brayden find his thumb. It is so cute to watch him suck his thumb. Of course I may not think so several months from now, but for the time being it is adorable.

Blackmail Pics

Yes, we have the goods on Brayden now and we will bide our time over the next 16 or 17 years waiting for just the right time and occasion in
which to blackmail Brayden with these most incriminating and embarrassing
photographs. Oh sure, today they are just adorable photographs, but what about
when the editor of the school year book request baby pictures of all their
graduating seniors to include in the yearbook. What about then? You better be
saving up Brayden, those pictures will be very expensive.

Talking with Brayden

This week I have been helping Tabitha out by watching Brayden while she is on graveyard. Brayden and I spent the morning talking to each other. He is so adorable. We have a good time together and I enjoy every minute of it.

Missing Things

I came across some pictures of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline that Tabitha and I took on our way back to Arkansas one year. Look carefully at the NYC skyline; do you notice what is missing from the picture? The world trade towers were already gone along with the thousands of lives of those who worked in them and those who tried to rescue them. I am sorry, but that event is tattooed in my mind and heart. Given the innocent men, women, and children that died that day at the hands of these sworn enemies of America makes me just a bit callous when it comes to the treatment of prisoners that were held at Guantanamo Bay. To be honest, for politicians to be worried about the "harsh" interrogation of detainees is symptomatic of what is wrong with this country. What about the treatment of the citizens of this country? What about our men and women still on the ground in these foreign countries? I know it is asking alot, but could the politicians try to "think" every once and a while? Is it too much to ask that our leaders consider what is best for the United States and act accordingly?

Blast from the Past

While helping Dad go through the contents of his lock box, I came across an old promissory note he had signed for Debbie and me, so we could purchase our very first (used) home in the summer of 1980. Other than the color, the trailer in the pic is not much different than the one we had purchased for the sum of $6,300. Dad gave us the $2,000 down payment (he was and is such a generous person) and we made the $110 payments each month, which was not easy since our combined salaries were around $150 week.

Just one vivid memory of that trailer I can share with you is "the Spring of the Skunks." Yes, a family of skunks had torn through the insulation on the underside of the trailer and had set up house in the duct work. We could hear (and feel) them running up and down the length of the trailer just beneath our feet. Regardless of whether they had sprayed or not, skunks stink 24/7 and the odor was constant. Well, the last straw came when one of the skunks tried coming through the floor in our bedroom which had a hole in the corner covered in duct tape. His paw could be seen reaching through the bedroom floor. So I bought a steel trap and tied one end to the base of the TV antenna next to the trailer; I placed the trap itself under the trailer baited with hamburger meat. It was not long before "SNAP" and "PEEEEWWWW." The skunk was caught; it sprayed; and then ran out from under the trailer trying unsuccessfully to escape into the woods at which point I shot it. This process was repeated SEVEN TIMES before the trailer was skunk-free. Try to imagine how our trailer and everything we owned smelled! The odor permeated everything even my school books stunk. That's right, I would open my book in class and people would ask about the smell.

Ah yes, the good ole days. You can't buy memories like those. But we were happy because we didn't know any better; we just thought life was all about being poor and stinking!

Bird Flu strikes Florida Trailer Park.

Secret Hiding Places

A few days ago I went into my tool shed to retrieve some pots only to notice an unusual pattern was forming in the clump of Spanish Moss I had left in a hanging basket last fall. I had to go back in the shed today and here is what became of that clump of moss. I think these might be bluebird eggs; I haven't seen the owners on the nest yet.

Trouble Brewing in the Shrubs

Adult Sawfly
My infestation

Well if it is not the overabundance of rain, it is the insects. It is a really hard year for gardeners in my area. I don't think it will every dry out enough to plow our garden at my Dad's place. As for my little backyard garden, I have conceded the loss of my strawberries to the slugs and the fungi due to the constant rain. Now my container shrubs are under attack by what appears to be Loblolly Pine Sawfly (Neodiprion taedae) caterpillars or one of the other nearly 100 species of Sawflies.

New Blog

My bird pics have been crowding our family blog site, but I know some of you have expressed an interest in these bird pictures soooooooo . . . I have created a new blog just for my bird pictures. This new blog can be found at www.bismarckbirding.blogspot.com so feel free to view and please leave any comments or questions. Or better yet, email me your pics with any information you want to include such as where and when the pic was taken and I will post your entry along with mine. My email address is braytroy@gmail.com. I know VA and RI must have some really neat birds that I don't see down here, so be sure to email me some of your pictures.

Killdeer, the bird that named itself

Yes, the Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) got its name from the sound it repeats. The two neck bands are a dead give away when it comes to recognizing an adult specimen (a juvenile only has one). I can remember these guys as a kid. I can remember that they would build their nests on the ground and if you got anywhere near these nests the birds would run off acting like they had a hurt wing in hopes of distracting you or any other predator. Killdeer are monogamous and can live to be over 10 years old. Killdeer are highly successful with a range that stretches from Alaska to Peru. These birds will eat about anything, but prefer insects and crustaceans.

The Many Faces of Brayden

While babysitting with Grandma today, Brayden treated us to a display of his many expressions. Each expression showing a different side of his personality. What a deep and complex person.

More Faces of Brayden

Kite flying

While planting roses for my mother yesterday (early mother's day gift) I noticed a raptor in the top of a large dead Sycamore at the corner of my parent's property. At first I thought it must be just another Red-shoulder or Red-tailed hawk, but its silhouette against the gray sky just didn't seem right. It was odd; something I had never seen before. It definitely had the look of a hawk, but was the size of a crow. So today I brought my camera back to mom and dad's since Gary and I had work to do in the garden (hoeing, tilling, exterminating, etc.). Now there were three of the raptors in this same tree and I took many pics. After editing the pics and doing some checking, I discovered these birds were Mississippi Kites (Ictinia mississippiensis). Doing some further investigating, I learned we are on the absolute edge of their breeding range so it maybe they are new to this area. Well, all I can say is "welcome to our neck of the woods."

Three in the Tree

They're Back!

It has been a couple of years since I have seen the Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks (Pheucticus ludovicianus) at my feeder. These are some of my favorite birds. I just love the color combination in this bird. It has always amazed me how nature is so color-coordinated; unlike with me, she never has a problem with color clashes.

Another new species

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father (Mat. 10:29).

Yes, God is a birdwatcher as well. Sparrows were (and still are) very common and overlooked birds, so much so that they were a perfect illustration of how overlooked and ignored God's children can be in this world. However, if God takes note of the loss of a single sparrow, what does that say about how much He watches over and cares for us (Mat. 10:31). Here is a new species of sparrow that visited our backyard; it is a white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys).

The animals are arriving two by two

We have been experiencing one deluge after another for the past week. The lastest was this morning which sent the DeRoche Creek out of its narrow banks and over the highway at one point (see pics above). Dad's land is on the north side of this bridge and the fence is underwater. You would think with a daughter and son-in-law working as metereologists at the National Weather Service, they could do something about all this rain (like save some of it for the normally parched and steamy month August). Come on guys, help us out. . . enough is enough.