It's a Bird Eat Bird World

One of the things I enjoy most about our small backyard is the trees and bushes that attract a wide variety of birds. Ever since getting a DSLR camera with a good zoom lens I have enjoyed playing paparazzi to them.

These are Eurasian Tree Sparrows. They are not native to the US but haven't spread across the entire country as their relative the House Sparrow has. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is almost only found around St. Louis.

I love the splash of color the cardinals give against the dull winter landscape. Their are a good number of song birds that stay year round here but none as bright as cardinals.

Even the usually brilliant male Goldfinch turns drab in the winter.

There are several thick trees and a large bush near the feeders that shelter the birds. I took the above picture one bitterly cold morning. How grateful that cardinal must have felt for the warmth of the sunshine after a long night! These trees and bush are also why I had little concern when I would see the occasional hawk up in the big tree. The little songbirds have plenty of safe places to hide right next to the feeders. They have as good of a chance at surviving a hawk attack as they would anywhere.

One late morning Keith and I were talking near the back door when out of the corner of my eye I saw a hawk dive into the big bush and birds frantically fly out of it. For a while it flapped around as if struggling to escape. I began to wonder how I was going to free a raptor from it.

But eventually it dropped to the ground and, to Keith and my amazement, had a small bird in its talons. It had actually got one. Keith grabbed the camera and began snapping pictures from the backdoor.

The down feathers are still falling in this picture.

I don't think I have ever had this kind of opportunity to see a wild raptor this close. It gave me a good chance to identify it, which I have a hard time doing with raptors. It was a Sharp-Shinned Hawk.

At first I thought it got a Eurasian Tree Sparrow but after looking at the pictures I think it might have been a junco. They are cute. I kind of hope it was the tree sparrow.

The whole time I had the voice of David Attenborough* in my head narrating the whole thing.

After awhile of taking pictures from the door Keith slowly made his way outside, giving the hawk a wide berth. As long as Keith kept his distance the hawk seemed okay with his presence.

Eventually it flew off to finish its meal in private.

I guess you could say that in a way my feeders feed two tiers of the avian food chain. Though I only intentionally provide food for one.

*I tried to find a link to one of Attenborough's many shows for those unfamiliar with his voice and way of speaking. There were just too many to choose from! He is most well known for his narration of BBC's Planet Earth I and II, Blue Planet and Human Planet. I absolutely love the way he narrates. Look him up on YouTube or watch an episode from one of his series. You won't regret it. (If you want a recommendation, Charlie's favorite episode is "Deep Sea" from Blue Planet. Jane likes the "Grasslands" episode of Planet Earth I, because it has zebras and elephants. If you want my recommendation I would say the "Mountains" episodes from both Planet Earth I and II, but really you can't go wrong with any of them. ;)  )

Halloween 2017

Ever since last Halloween Charlie had wanted to be an octopus and Jane a cat (just like she was that Halloween). Month after month the whole year round it never changed. So October comes and I ask Charlie what color of octopus he wants to be. Turns out that he didn't want to be any old octopus. No, he wanted to be his favorite animal, the Pacific Mimic Octopus. This octopus changes color, shape and texture to camouflage which apparently was why he wanted to be it for Halloween. When I told him that it just wasn't going to work for me to make him a shape-shifting, color-changing octopus costume, he reluctantly decided to settle for his second favorite, the Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula. It was easier than his previous request so I agreed. (As a side note: it was surprisingly easier to change his mind this year than it was the year when he was bound and determined to be one of those baboons with the red bottoms that he saw at the zoo. He thought the red butts were awesome and could not comprehend why on earth I wouldn't let him go as one.)

Jane wanted to wear the same "costume" as last year. It was pink sweat pants with a pink jacket that had a cat face on it. Not really a costume but she sure loved it! Unfortunately she had grown out of it. Jane was crushed. So we went to Walmart to see what we could find. We first went to see if there were any cat costumes still available. There weren't and I was starting to dread the idea of making two costumes, when we turned down an isle of princess costumes and Jane exclaimed that she wanted to be Rapunzel for Halloween. Done. One french braid with flowers, dress and she was Rapunzel.

The turtle is subbing for Pascal, her chameleon.

I was pretty proud of my french braiding skills.

Armed with a photo of a Mexican Red-kneed Trantula and materials to make one, I spent the next several evenings watching shows and sewing (I don't have a sewing machine so it was done by hand). It was a labor of love but seeing his face light up when he saw it made it all worth while.

One day Charlie's class wrote what they were each going to be for Halloween. In case you are rusty on your "reading 6-year old writing without spaces"skills, here is a translation: "My costume is a spider. The spider is a tarantula. Tarantulas are hairy. Tarantulas have stinging hairs. My mom is making my costume. I love bugs."

His school also had a costume parade and he was thrilled that we came to see him in it.

In the past Keith has braved the cold and taken the kids trick-or-treating while I stayed in the warmth of the house handing out treats to kids. That didn't work this year since the missionaries are supposed to be in a member's home that evening. We have elders so Keith got to stay and pass out the play-doh while I took the kids. I admit that I enjoyed it though. It was fun to see the smiles on the kids faces, the costumes of neighbor kids, people passing out candy as they sit next to a fire on their driveway. Not to mention the house directly across the street that has Halloween lights synced to music that plays in the street on Halloween night. It was a street party in the cul-de-sac! (It also boosted my ego a bit to over hear parents and kids talk about how cool and unique Charlie's costume was.)

 Two little pumpkins and our jack-o-lanterns.

Meet Molly

Last month God gave us a dog. That really is the best way to explain it because it just can't be a coincidence.

One Friday night the neighbors heard her barking and whining outside. When they went out to check they found a drenched little Yorkie with thorns in her over-grown tangled fur. They pulled the thorns from her fur and gave her two baths. She had no collar so she was taken to the vet to be scanned for a chip but there wasn't one. While she was there the vet trimmed her painfully over-grown nails.

The neighbor's kids took her around the neighborhood asking about her. They put up signs and posted her picture on Facebook all in a fruitless attempt to find her owner. There was one big problem. Although our neighbor is an animal person, her husband is not. At all. He left for work that morning making it perfectly clear that he didn't want that dog to be there when he got home.

That is where we enter the story. It was a Saturday and we were just heading out for a community event when we saw our next-door neighbor with her kids carrying a rather disheveled looking pup. We stop, she tells us the story, we offer to care for the dog until the owner is found. Keith and I both hoped that the kids...er...me... I mean us... wouldn't get too attached before then.

The poor dear was terrified for the first couple of days. It didn't help that Charlie and Jane were so excited about having a dog that they were all over her. We sat them down and walked through what we knew of her story with them. We talked about how scary it must be for her. After that they were better about giving her space and being gentle and slow around her, but they are kids so it was really hard for them. She warmed up pretty quickly though and after two days I was starting to feel guilty for hoping that her owners never called so she could be ours forever.

Jane just chillin' and picking her nose while Molly keeps watch from her perch.

The day the neighborhood signs came down and we went and bought her a collar with a tag that said Molly Merrill, I just kept on thinking that it was just too good to be true.

Between Keith's experience cutting his own hair, and my limited experience as Assistant Sheep Shearer, I think we did a pretty good job.

Here's why I thought that and why I say God sent her to us.

We have wanted a dog for quite a while now but I didn't want to have to train a puppy, especially potty training, while undergoing cancer treatments. Molly is, according to the vet's estimate, about 2-3 years old. She is completely potty trained, super mellow and doesn't chew on anything.

We also wanted a small dog that would work well in the house. Check. Keith and I both have some allergies to dogs, nothing severe but enough that we wanted a dog that wouldn't bother our allergies. Yorkies are very allergy-friendly dogs. Also they don't shed any more than a person. Instead of having fur that constantly sheds they have "hair" that is much like human hair. It just keeps on growing. That means that she requires a bit more grooming than your average dog but that is okay with me.

Molly laying in her sun puddle just like every morning.

Pretty much if almost any other dog had showed up that night and the owner never came forth we would have had to just given it to the shelter and prayed that she would find a good home before it was too late.

And then there was the timing. I had just returned home from my wonderful Sisters Trip less than a week before. The month or so prior to that trip had been a nightmare. A string of heart-breaking events followed by physically and emotionally painful decisions. I was mad at God. Through the tumor and the seizures I had never felt completely let down by God. He would some how always reassure me that he was there. But not now. Now, it felt like He had just left me hanging.

I am sorry for being so vague. As a general rule I try to not bring up things on this blog that I don't feel comfortable telling the public about. I am breaking that rule this time because I want to somehow explain what I mean when I say that God gave us Molly.

Molly snuggling up with me when I felt yucky on a chemo day.

My mom says that God has always spoken to me through animals. As I have thought back over my life I find that to be true for the most part. It is His unique way of letting me know He is there and aware of me. He used a mouse to show me he hears and answers my prayers. He used birds to reassure me of His love when I was pregnant and having several seizures every day.

And now He has comforted me by sending me Molly. I just have the strongest impression that, through Molly, He is letting me know that He was there during those terrible, heart-wrenching weeks. Even when I was mad at him.

She will forever be my constant reminder that God loves me and never truly forsakes us.

Walking home from the bust stop. Molly loves all the attention she gets from the kids there.

That makes Molly extra special.

Spring Robin Babies

Near the end of our special bunny experience, Keith discovered another nest. This one wasn't in the ground though, it was underneath the deck.


Robins!


We could watch the babies in the nest by peaking through the spaces between the deck boards. We only have gone under the deck a few times to get a better view because doing so makes mommy and daddy robin mad. They don't seem to mind when we peer through the boards though and it is neat to see the nest from only about 6 inches above it.

When we first found them there were four eggs and the mother sat on them almost around the clock while the father kept guard out in the yard.


When the eggs hatched there were only three babies. (can you find the third little beak in the picture below?) They kept their parents busy bring them food! We would see them fly back and forth almost constantly to the nest, always leaving one in the yard to watch for trouble.


One night, before they left the nest, Keith and I awoke to the sound of pelting rain, powerful wind and loud thunder. It was so loud that I thought a window must have been left open. I went out to the front room to check and Keith soon joined me for a minute to watch the lightening show. When we returned to our bed Keith promptly fell asleep. I laid wide awake worrying about those baby robins. I tossed and turned the rest of the night wondering if they had fallen out of the nest. I had images going through my mind of a cold, wet baby robin laying on the soaked ground. What if the whole nest had blown down?!? I tried to remember if there was a board at the far end of the deck that would at least block some of the wind. In my half sleep, half awake state I couldn't remember. I thought ever once in a while that maybe I should brave the storm and go check on them. I reasoned that it wouldn't do any good anyway.


I was incredibly relieved to see the next morning that they had weathered the night's storm perfectly well. Whew.

That was almost the last of the drama. A few days later we noticed there were only two in the nest.  One had fallen/gotten pushed out of the nest and had died on the grass below. :(

They have since left the nest but still spend the majority of the day hanging out in the backyard learning how to find food and how to fly. It is cute and comical to watch them from the windows hoping after their parents, randomly pecking at the grass and chirping constantly. Just earlier this evening Keith and I watched one follow it's father to the top of the neighbor's roof and slide a bit on the landing. It is fun to watch them "learn" to be robins. Jane still loves spotting the robins from the window and waving to them from the deck as she has since they first arrived. It has been fun to see the whole thing play out in our own backyard. From building the nest to leaving it.

I absolutely love spring!

Spring Bunny Babies

Spring has sprung and it brought with it some special deliveries to our house!

One day, when walking out the door on his way to work, Keith noticed something move in the grass. It was a little nest of bunnies! Yes, cottontails have a reputation of being pesky garden-eaters around here, but these were sweet, cute, soft, precious wee little babies!

Later that day we hosted playgroup. My fears came true when the bunnies got spooked by all the people going in and out of the house and scattered. Being so small and mostly blind, they couldn't get far. So after everyone left the kids and I went and gathered them back up and tucked all seven of them back in their cozy hole. During this I noticed that two of them were smaller and weaker then the others. They didn't try to hop away at all when I went to pick them up and were shivering more than the other five.

Our neighbor, who had noticed them as well, came home just as we finished gathering them back up. He reasoned that because we hadn't noticed their mother around, and because they were pests (a point that he gently brought up several times) it would be best if he took them away. He said that he had a friend who had a rabbit cage and could care for them until they were older and release them somewhere far away. He told us he would take a few pictures of them to show us. I had a hunch that maybe the mother came at night when it was safer but I wasn't sure so I reluctantly agreed.

As soon as he went into his house to get a box, I looked at Charlie and knew that we couldn't let him take the bunnies. At least not all of them.

I knocked on his door and explained that Charlie really wanted to keep a couple. I admit that I wasn't entirely truthful with him. The whole truth was that, although Charlie had voiced some sadness with the plan, he seemed more okay with it than I was. I desperately wanted to keep those babies and watch them grow. Besides, I had my doubts about our neighbors intentions. I explained to the neighbor that two of them were smaller and weaker than the others and we would like to at least keep those. He agreed.

Charlie and I got a box with some towels and brought them inside. I got on the computer and looked up info about baby cottontails. I learned three things: first, I confirmed that they were in fact cottontails (not the much bigger jackrabbits), secondly, the mother does come at night, and third, all seven, and especially the little ones that we had, were too young to survive without their mother.

After a moment of panic, I realized that there wasn't anything to be done about the five the neighbor took. At least we had saved two. Maybe the other five would make it? I haven't had the guts to ask.

Jane was cautiously excited about them. She didn't want to hold them but giggled with delight when she got close to them. Charlie didn't want to ever put them down. I totally understood that. However, they would need to go back into the nest.

I quickly realized that the nest, which fit seven, would be too big to keep these two little ones warm, especially since the nights were barely above freezing. Charlie and I tore apart cotton balls to pack the nest with and then covered the cotton balls with dry grass and bits of the mother's fur to help camouflage it.

Keith and I kept watch that evening for the momma and she came right after dusk. My mother heart felt bad for her when I thought of her returning to find five of her little ones gone.

The next morning they were alive and well. I checked the weather forecast for that night and saw that there was a freeze warning with a chance of precipitation. I panicked. We had filled the nest with cotton balls. Every backpacker knows that "cotton kills!" I needed wool.

Keith came home to me cutting up a wool sock to replace the cotton balls. I explained the mistake I had made and he just shook his head and smiled. Like the killdeer incident of last year, I had adopted these bunnies.

We watched the mother come back that evening and first thing in the morning I went and made sure they had made it through okay. They had. :)

And so that is how things continued for several days. Watching for the mother to come each night and checking on them in the morning. They quickly grew until they were feisty little guys that no longer would patiently sit in our hands. Charlie was really sad about that.

Then one morning they were gone. They were still too small to survive without their mother, so I was a bit concerned. The nest didn't seem disturbed though so I figured nothing tragic had happened to them over night. The next day I found bits of wool sock on the driveway and around to the back of the house. I assumed the mother had realized that the current location of the nest was no longer safe and had relocated her two remaining babies once they were able to follow her.

My assumption was confirmed when the kids found a little bunny in the tall grass of the backyard. It was the same size as "our" bunnies would have been. My heart was at ease.

As a bonus, about a week later when we were roasting marshmallows out on the deck, Charlie noticed a juvenile relaxing between the house and the AC unit. It was far to big to be one of "ours" but it was fun to think that bunnies felt welcome here.

Even if they are considered pests.

Utah Vacation 2015!

A couple of weeks ago we went to Utah and had a grand ol' time. Keith's brother, (Paul) and his family were going to be there so we found ways to make the trip happen. You see Paul, Jenae and crew have been in Germany with the air force for the last four years and were being transferred to Japan. They were going to be in the US for a few weeks in between and we didn't want to miss the opportunity to see them. Well long story short, they got reassigned to Ohio at the last minute and due to air force logistical issues, didn't get to Utah until after we had left. They flew in a couple days after we flew out. Well at least they are within drivable distance now.

Missing them didn't keep us from having a great time!

The first day there Keith found these old wagon wheel hubs that he used to play with growing up. We took them for a spin. Although Keith was the most skilled by far, I could still hold my own even though it had been several years since I had done it last.

Charlie had a blast! Jane just liked running around with the stick.

Left: Grandpa with his bonsai tree in progress Right: The family (minus Grandpa Joe who is taking the picture)

We also took a trip down to Mona to visit Grandma and Grandpa Lowe (Bonnie's parents). It is always so nice to see them. Unbeknownst to me, Grandpa has had a long standing interest in bonsai trees. He was given some supplies and a couple instruction books for father's day and has dove right in. He mentioned at one point that he doesn't know why he has been fascinated with them for so long. Perhaps it came about from the time he spent in Japan during the war? Grandma is doing well and is always sweet to remember to have some treat that Charlie can have. For only seeing us once or twice a year she sure has a good memory! It touches my heart and always makes Charlie excited to see that there are "low-phe" foods for him. Good people.

The next day (Tuesday) was the long awaited Dinosaur Museum day. Charlie has been really into dinosaurs lately. He knows more about dinosaurs than I do (which isn't saying much, but still!). At night he will ask us to tell a story about a (fill in an obscure dinosaur name) and we have to ask him to tell us about it first.

The museum is big and wonderful. I went with my geology class back in my undergrad years and had a blast. Charlie, of course, wasn't as interested in the details as he was in the big displays of dinosaur skeletons. He actually correctly identified quite a few of them.

Near the end of the museum there is an extensive sand and water table the wove around the room like a river. It was steeper in some areas than others to create different water speeds. There were also a big collection of plastic dinosaurs to bury and uncover. When I came with my class we were supposed to create different types of river shapes and flow patterns, but this time it was much less technical.

When Keith and I joined in the fun we became focused on making a turn in a river that would uncover the dinosaur we had buried in a strategic spot along the bank. That was until Charlie rushed over and gathered the sand into a big volcano, into which he stuck a large plastic triceratops and made it explode.

Stegosaurus!

and...

Triceratops!!! Charlie's absolute favorite dinosaur.

We, of course, had to take a picture in front of the prehistoric shark (megalodon?). Charlie was willing to cooperate at first (picture on left) but quickly wanted to move onto see what exciting things were waiting to be discovered in the next room.

Later that night Keith and I slipped away to go to the temple and dinner and Cafe Rio (yum!). On the way back we picked up some desserts from P.F. Chang's (yum!) and took them over to Dan and Becky's place. You know the kind of friends that you can be apart for months or years and when you get back together it is like you saw each other just last week? Yeah, they are that kind of friends. A trip to Utah just wouldn't be complete with out visiting them.

The third day we spent at the updated natural history museum on the BYU campus. It is always fun to see places I know so well be appreciated so much so that they are upgraded to be so much more than they were before. Even though the "before" was pretty cool too. The new and improved museum attracts a lot more people which I always love to see happen with a museum. Especially a natural history one.

They have done a great job with entire place and it continues to be improved upon. This is a part of the upstairs which is still in transition.


I love that they put two of my favorite quotes regarding our role in conservation on the walls of the museum.


My professors would pull out these versus of scripture (and others like them) frequently. And can I just say that I love, and never get tired of looking at that painting of Christ? I really want a copy someday. (hint, hint)  ;)

After the museum we went home (where Granny B had kindly stayed with a napping Jane so we could go to the museum with just Charlie) and got some lunch. Charlie really hates loud noises. Like planes taking off, loud flushing toilets, blenders, etc. Jane doesn't mind though. Monkey see, monkey do.

Left: Beaver swimming center of the photo. Top left: That big pile of sticks kind of covered with plants is the beaver den. (yeah, Charlie couldn't see it either) Bottom left: the trail walkers, complete with Jane walking the stroller. Of course.

Later that evening we packed a picnic dinner and headed up the canyon for a walk along the Provo river trail. Charlie saw his first wild beaver and Keith saw his first kingfisher, which he has always wanted to see. I am pretty sure that I wanted Charlie to be able to see that beaver even more than he did. Ama (Gramma) gave him this book of animal homes and he loves the pages about beavers and how they build their dens. Shortly after we got to Granny B and Grandpa Joe's house Grandpa Joe gave Charlie a little pair of binoculars for him to use while we were there. He pretty much took them everywhere including on the trail.

That night, after we had laid Charlie down for the night, we went upstairs to play boardgames. During a break we found Charlie asleep on the stairs. He must have been curious about what was going on upstairs but too tired to stay awake on the stairs. He had a long day.

Thursday was zoo day!

Keith and I hadn't been to Hogle Zoo since Valentine's Day 2009, the year we were married. As an unrelated a side note, that was the first Valentine's Day that I didn't celebrate as SAD (Singles Awareness Day). Thanks Keith for being my first, and only, Valentine. ;)

Okay, enough with the lovey dovey memories and on to the fun.


I have never seen a giraffe bend over to drink. In all the documentaries they have always splayed their front legs out keeping them straight. I think someone should pay me to go around to a bunch of zoos, and then to Africa to compare how giraffes drink in the wild versus in captivity. Think I have a chance?

Right next to the giraffe enclosure was the ostrich at which Jane kept on yelling "duh!" (duck). Not quite.


It was a hot day! Even the elephants were feeling the heat. Interesting factoid (at least to me): swimming doesn't seem to be an automatic thing for elephants. The grandmother (who has passed away since our visit) and mother weren't born and raised around water so they won't get in to it to cool off. The daughter (and granddaughter) however was born at the Hogle Zoo where there is an elephant sized pool and loves playing in it.


The life sized dinosaurs (temporary exhibits) around the zoo fascinated Charlie. They moved and roared! He was especially entranced by the mommy and baby triceratops. He also had fun getting sprayed by the velociraptors.


Again with Charlie's funny faces for the camera. Love it.


Lion spotting.

We took a break to eat our lunch next to the carousel. Charlie made a bee line to the poison dart frog.




Taking the train ride around a section of the zoo.


Charlie our navigator; on the job even while riding on Dad's shoulders and obstructing Keith's view.


Don't ask what is going on with Jane's skirt, because I don't know.

Charlie's favorite was without a doubt the crocodiles.


Jane's favorite was definitely the seals and sea lions. I felt absolutely terrible when we needed to leave them. Oh how she wailed as I pealed her off the glass!

Back home Jane quickly went to her favorite spot at Granny B's and Grandpa Joe's.


I love this: Grandpa Joe discussing bird feathers to an enthralled audience.

Friday was the 24th (Pioneer Day, which is in fact an observed holiday in Utah)

Since we knew that practically anywhere we would want to go would be super crowded, we decided to spend a fun filled day chillin' at home.

We broke-in the new wading pool and Charlie, at least, spent the vast majority of the day in it.

No, not sleeping. Just taking a short break before returning to important matters: like childhood.

Saturday we toured our old stomping grounds.

The new life sciences building is AWESOME, but it is still a sad to see a big hole where the building was that held so many happy memories.

Jane takes walking very seriously while Keith and Granny B take a more relaxed approach.

Left: When this duck grabbed the bread right out of Keith's hand Jane freaked, almost leaped into his arms, and wouldn't let Keith put her down until we were well passed them.

Walking along the south hill updated trail was great. It is lovely and I was happy to see that they preserved the section where we would have our plant id tests. It was so much easier to identify the living plant as opposed to the ancient museum specimens that were used for the majority of the tests. I still remember late depressing nights spent, in the building that is now gone, studying those old dried plants. The janitor would come by and let me know that he was locking up the building and as he left my will to keep going would leave as well.

Anyway... The next day was Sunday and we took the brief walk (yes, you read that right) to church. We had fun catching up with people and Granny B and Grandpa Joe had fun showing off the grand kids.

Then just like that, the week was over and were back on a plane headed back to Fargo. It was so fast but oh so good.