Say "Hello" to my little friends...
They come up out of the Tenmile River back in the yard several times a day looking for snacks. I always toss them a few handfuls of sunflower hearts along with some shelled peanuts which they go, well, nuts over. If they haven't seen me for a while, or whenever they tire of eating worms and slugs, they come right up on the porch and chortle, quack and let out with what sound like loud, insane, laughs to attract my attention. If I don't come out with food right away, they've even been known to peck at the door. RtC (Rhiannon the Cat) loves that...
There were well over 30 in the flock at the end of summer but about a third of them are no longer around. The other morning, I discovered one of the probable reasons why. I was lying in the hammock, sipping coffee and reading my (Kindle edition) New York Times, when the ducks in the yard and on the river suddenly freaked out. I looked up just in time to see one of the local Bald Eagles, talons fully extended, diving into the middle of the flock. The ducks all escaped the attack and the eagle then made several more quick passes, all of them unsuccessful as well. He ended up perching in the tree right next to my birdfeeders, glaring down malevolently at the ducks in the water. Then he flew away. The entire episode took only a minute or so and, unfortunately, I didn't have either my camera or my phone handy to capture any of the excitement. Maybe next time.
There's not a great deal of other news to report. I came really close to buying a Hearse a couple of weeks ago. I've wanted one, off and on, since back when I was in school (one of my friends had a really nice one) and I thought that I'd finally found one that would fit the bill. The price was right, it looked good and it was the right type (an older Cadillac model) but mechanically, it was a wreck. Too bad - it would have been perfect for extended winter road trips and a lot of fun in general!
The Tenmile River - when the trees still had leaves
My replacement DVD drive is lost somewhere in cross country shipping limbo so I've watched no films this week.
The migraines are getting much less intense and I'm actually headache free much of the time but I still have't really felt like going out anywhere. Thank goodness for books!
I'm currently reading Mary Karr's Cherry, a memoir of the author's teenage years. Karr is a poet, and in every single sentence she makes that abundantly clear. Lyrical and funny(!) - an extremely enjoyable read and a stunning achievement.
I finished yet another novel by Jonathan Lethem. Lethem = Genius. Enough said.
I've gotten back into the wonderful medieval Celtic - fantasy world of Katharine Kerr's Deverry saga, read two more of Simon R. Green's fun, fast moving and infinitely entertaining Nightside novels and enjoyed the second of three books in Robert J Sawer's Neanderthal Parallax trilogy.
Here's the list
Agents of Light and Darkness - Simon R. Green
Nightingale's Lament - Simon R. Green
A Time of Omens - Katharine Kerr
As She Climbed Across the Table - Jonathan Lethem
Humans - Robert J. Sawyer
The History of the New Croton Dam - Mary Josephine D'Alvia
Well, Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and, as always, best wishes for good health and much happiness to all! Take care...
They come up out of the Tenmile River back in the yard several times a day looking for snacks. I always toss them a few handfuls of sunflower hearts along with some shelled peanuts which they go, well, nuts over. If they haven't seen me for a while, or whenever they tire of eating worms and slugs, they come right up on the porch and chortle, quack and let out with what sound like loud, insane, laughs to attract my attention. If I don't come out with food right away, they've even been known to peck at the door. RtC (Rhiannon the Cat) loves that...
There were well over 30 in the flock at the end of summer but about a third of them are no longer around. The other morning, I discovered one of the probable reasons why. I was lying in the hammock, sipping coffee and reading my (Kindle edition) New York Times, when the ducks in the yard and on the river suddenly freaked out. I looked up just in time to see one of the local Bald Eagles, talons fully extended, diving into the middle of the flock. The ducks all escaped the attack and the eagle then made several more quick passes, all of them unsuccessful as well. He ended up perching in the tree right next to my birdfeeders, glaring down malevolently at the ducks in the water. Then he flew away. The entire episode took only a minute or so and, unfortunately, I didn't have either my camera or my phone handy to capture any of the excitement. Maybe next time.
There's not a great deal of other news to report. I came really close to buying a Hearse a couple of weeks ago. I've wanted one, off and on, since back when I was in school (one of my friends had a really nice one) and I thought that I'd finally found one that would fit the bill. The price was right, it looked good and it was the right type (an older Cadillac model) but mechanically, it was a wreck. Too bad - it would have been perfect for extended winter road trips and a lot of fun in general!
The Tenmile River - when the trees still had leavesMy replacement DVD drive is lost somewhere in cross country shipping limbo so I've watched no films this week.
The migraines are getting much less intense and I'm actually headache free much of the time but I still have't really felt like going out anywhere. Thank goodness for books!
I'm currently reading Mary Karr's Cherry, a memoir of the author's teenage years. Karr is a poet, and in every single sentence she makes that abundantly clear. Lyrical and funny(!) - an extremely enjoyable read and a stunning achievement.
I finished yet another novel by Jonathan Lethem. Lethem = Genius. Enough said.
I've gotten back into the wonderful medieval Celtic - fantasy world of Katharine Kerr's Deverry saga, read two more of Simon R. Green's fun, fast moving and infinitely entertaining Nightside novels and enjoyed the second of three books in Robert J Sawer's Neanderthal Parallax trilogy.
Here's the list
Agents of Light and Darkness - Simon R. Green
Nightingale's Lament - Simon R. Green
A Time of Omens - Katharine Kerr
As She Climbed Across the Table - Jonathan Lethem
Humans - Robert J. Sawyer
The History of the New Croton Dam - Mary Josephine D'Alvia
Well, Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and, as always, best wishes for good health and much happiness to all! Take care...
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
stampedeofworms:
Oh, yes. All I wanted my first year of college was to teach Shakespearean Lit and wear tweed for the rest of my life. I was at a little college and I had a great great professor, later I transferred to be closer to my ex wife and ended up at liberal revisionist U. I still read some Henry V and Hamlet out loud to Luvamoose some times.
wsoxfan:
Thanks. Not to belabor the point and I won't mention it again concerning the following. You've aroused my curiosity about what you were going to say to me a few days ago, but then decided to delete. I have a feeling it may have been important for me to read.