It's that time of year again! The Great Backyard Bird Count is going on all weekend - and this year it has gone global! The online submissions allow birdwatchers to enter their data no matter where they observe these feathered wonders! Unfortunately, there was a mess of snow and rain in my backyard today, and not too many birds ventured out into the miserable weather. Hopefully, the sun will come out tomorrow... (were you just singing? LOL)... and the birds will flock to the feeder! I even added a birdbath basin under the tree (the squirrel kept knocking off the pedestal, so I put it on the ground). It hasn't attracted any new species to the hub, but my regular visitors seem to like it.

In other news of my cheap hobbies, I have been successful with My Little Crochet Shop on Etsy.com. I have crocheted lip balm cozies, dishcloths, scarves, shawls, coaster sets ("mug rugs").. and now I am working on an amigurumi design for an alien doll. I gave upcycled tshirts to my nephews for Christmas in the form of "ugly dolls" - free form monster dolls with button eyes and crude embroidery mouths and stuffed with poly-fill. They LOVED them! .. I should make more! I can make monsters faster than I can crochet! LOL

All right, you guys (and gals!)... It's 1am and I promised myself I would not stay up until 3am (again!). So, I am off to dream of springtime when I can get back to panning for precious yellow flakes buried in the sand. Until next time.....

Happy New Year - 2013

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Well, well, well... and I sincerely hope you ARE well! Thanks for reading! - Today is January 1, 2013... the first day of the new year... time to revisit and revise the bucket lists.. the short term and the long term lists.

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

One thing that keeps popping up on my list: SAVE MONEY... as in "PUT MONEY IN SAVINGS" ! That should get crossed off at least once, one would think? Somehow, I maintain a level of pent-up demand such that when I do acquire (earn or receive) a bit of cash, I can immediately find a use for it! Nothing goes to savings, or at least, not for long. So, today, I began reading personal finance articles online to realign my thought patterns with a savings attitude. I learned a few things...

(1.) It is totally possible that I sabotage my savings attempts! There are multiple vices at work, including but not limited to procrastination, weak goal-setting, and lack of accountability.

(2.) I am hoping for a miracle... lotto, Publishers' Clearing House Sweepstakes, super job opportunity, gold strike, etc... when what I really need to focus on is securing a steady income.

(3.) I don't have a budget. Well, honestly, I shunt responsibility on this one, claiming that without a steady income, budgeting is impossible... yet, I still have bills to pay like car insurance and cell phone!

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

What to do? I have a nice little crochet business going on Etsy.com. I even call it My Little Crochet Shop.  I have one, maybe two, textbooks I can sell on Amazon... might rustle up a few items for eBay, but those are only short term shots. With a steady check, those extra shots could go to savings... did you notice I said "could" ... phooey. Am I still not on board?

So, my most promising hobby right now, until the US government again makes it unlawful to do so, is gold panning. It produces only a little every day I pan (no where near an ounce per week), but with patience, practice and persistence, those little bits will add up. Location is not the limiting factor, oddly enough... but self-discipline.

I just had that AH-HAH! moment... when I've finally put my finger on the problem... I need an accountability partner!

Gossip travels fast!

Ha ha! You've heard "a little bird told me?" Apparently, gossip travels at lightning speeds even in the avian world! Yesterday's post included a fictitious script about a chickadee who will have to rebuild his nest or move to a new location, "Honeysuckle Downs," which is based on an actual rosebush and honeysuckle bramble in my backyard. (yesterday's post here: http://ankhirasfirstblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/bird-gossip.html)

Today, as I escorted my dog around the backyard, "Honeysuckle Downs" was all a flutter with activity! More than two dozen sparrows were crowded into the brush, and immediately began chirping and tweeting upon my arrival! So, I acknowledged them (because I talk to animals), and their tweeting became even MORE animated and they were all chirping at once!

I have no idea what they were saying! I said I talk to them, I did not claim I to understand them. I can only surmise the sparrows were upset about the rumor that a chickadee was planning to build his nest among theirs. What else could it be? I filled the feeder this morning and the flat pans, and even put a few peanuts on the table.   Nothing out of the ordinary... so, what else got the sparrows all stirred up?

In other news, I need to buy more peanuts and black sunflower seeds. I read that I can entice even more species with pieces of fruit. My friend gave me larger pine cones to make feeders.  That's my weekend project for this week...the weather here is scheduled as rainy and nasty all weekend.

Cold and Blustery Day at the Birdfeeder!

"What? No more sunflower seeds?"

Hello, all! I hope you are enjoying my happy chatter about my birdfeeder. It ain't much to look at, but the birds seem to be happy. My father has taken a slight interest in our daily visitors, and he has loaned me a better camera for stalking them. It's a Canon Rebel XT (EOS) with a six-inch zoom lens. A little different than my Canon Powershot A720 IS, but I think I can figure it out.

Last night we had a lot of wind come through. I had to reset the pan under the pine tree! Good thing the hanging feeder didn't blow down! The cold wind persisted through the day today, but I did sneak a few pictures this afternoon. Northern cardinal, Carolina chickadee, and an American robin. I hope to meet the "Breakfast Club" in the morning. :)

American Robin

Cardinal watches a little bird rummage under a seed-filled log 

Staying steady...

Staying steady...

SparkPeople.com is a great site for nutrition and fitness information and support. I enjoy the articles and the nutrition/fitness trackers. Probably the best part is the community. There are teams for every interest, but if I wanted to start a new group, I CAN!! It's great to communicate with others who are tackling the same challenges as I am, whether it is weight, nutrition, balancing work/family life, learning new skills, relearning old skills.... it's all here!

In the blog I posted on SP (that's what we insiders refer to the site as), I ramble off a few thoughts on anorexia, personal finances, recent fitness challenges, and nutrition habits. I hope you will look around on the SP site and consider becoming a member (YES! IT'S TOTALLY FREE!!), even if you aren't weight-challenged, you can get a lot out of the site. Come see, and enjoy!

Am I really so techno-illiterate?

I cannot find my way around on Blogger.com! Seriously! I want to add my friend's blog to my reading list... I have to use Google Chrome to even be able to comment on blogs or see my stats! (Bullies!) I look all over the pages trying to find the link back to my 'dashboard'... so I can start over without logging out and in again!... grrr! Is it really this confusing to get around? I need a Tom-Tom just to blog? Seriously? ... or is it me? Am I too out-of-touch with the whole blog hysteria that I missed a few lessons on navigation? To be fair, Blogger isn't the only site I have had difficulty with... but it is by far the most challenging at the moment!

Shucks, I found images and taxonomy detail for 7 (count! seven!!) insects I have collected over the past two weeks and needed to identify.... and I cannot get around the blog site I use?... I don't believe it's all on me. I think Google could make Blogger, Blogspot, whatever... more user friendly!

What's a blog for anyway?

Hi, again! I'm definitely glad you stopped by! I am pondering: what's a blog for anyway? It seems that a lot of people (and I do mean A LOT!) are posting their personal ramblings (not that there's anything wrong with that!).... and, it's me included... because.. why? There are other people using their blogs to generate income (imagine that!)... now some of those "smart" ones are writing how-to articles, DIY stuff, financial self-help, inspirational devotions.... so, my question to myself is: what do I know about that I can start a "smart" blog? ... Let's review:

1. Rocks... I've got rocks in my head!
2. Mars (?)... I want to know all about the Red Planet...
3. Crochet.... I do crochet everyday, and knit at least a couple times a week... nothing fancy yet
4. Mistakes... especially other people's mistakes... I would make an excellent proofreader! Let's explore this one!

Two things I hate in this world: thieves and liars... true, but that's not where I was going...
Two things: misspellings and poor grammar!
I can't tell you how many times I have picked up the local newspaper and cringed at the cut-off sentences and blatant misspellings. I thought the editor was supposed to proof the articles before they go to print? At least, in this world of cut-and-paste, the reporters could run their pieces through 'spellcheck' before submitting them for publishing? A few years back, I attended one of our regional universities. The campus newspaper was atrocious. Not only were the spelling and grammar leaving much to be desired, but the content was sometimes inappropriate for their diversified audience. I did write to the editor on that note, because I was embarrassed to share the newspaper with my friends and family (it was that bad!).

But how would I turn this obsession with correct grammar and passion for eradicating spelling errors into a fruitful blog?... I would definitely need to title a new blog.  (See that definitely? It means "without question." It is rooted in the word finite, meaning "bounded, limited in magnitude or expanse." If I had a nickel for every time I 've seen it posted as "definately" I could already pay for grad school! DEFINITELY... definitely... Definitely.... no A's people! It looks funny now, doesn't it?

I'll scan the recent posts on Facebook for more grossly overused misspellings. I will forgive the cyber jargon (maybe?). It won't take long... please watch for a new blog title from me. I think I have found my niche! LOL :)

Need Readers and Followers.. heh heh

Don't you love it? Everyday people going on and on about what they are doing, have done, and would like to do, in a public forum where no one interrupts? It is great, isn't it! You are right now reading the meddlings of a 40-something year old in North Carolina, USA.... let's see if I can entertain you:

So, today, I managed to stay asleep long enough to have two VERY strange dreams! I first dreamt I was in my room at my friends house, refusing to get out of bed (dark, comfy, depressed, and trying to have a wonderful dream about a certain man I happen to think is AWESOME!).. ok, in my dream, my friend comes into the room to bring a Christmas card that is ACTUALLY a flyer for a local barbecue. It is still dark in the room, she steps over stuff in the floor to turn on the TV. Then her daughter comes in and they lounge on the bed to watch a static-y black and white program on TV. Annoyed, I decide to get up and take a shower. I can't find my robe in the mess. I get to the bathroom. The light doesn't come on. I notice my friend has been working on replacing the switch. I decide to take a shower in the dark, but the tub is filled with water and has shredded cardboard looking stuff in it! I might have to use the daughter's bathroom. The toilet and a second bathtub are also filled with water, and when I pull the plug on the main tub, the second tub starts overflowing. I holler out, and my friend comes to see what the problem is. The water in both tubs is draining now, and my friend gestures to a 4inch pipe in the middle of the floor. She talks about "that's what happens when [you] don't get the styrofoam out." She doesn't mean me.

Okay, so if THAT dream was not enough to encourage me to abandon hopes of a romantic interlude, I then dream that I am with my older sister, her oldest son, and a fair-haired, good-looking man who (apparently) has known the family for a long time. We are at my grandmother's house (mom's mother). The well water has been running ruddy. The old iron pipes need replacing/repairing. The man and I are sitting at the kitchen table. My sis is on the phone and is standing by the kitchen sink. I poured Pepsi from a single-serving bottle into my plastic cup with ice. The man is talking about his disappointment or disapproval of my sister when, several years ago, he noticed that she was paying her phone [bill? new phone?] while I was "having to take money out of the bank." Apparently, his thoughts were that family should look after one another financially and if one was comfortable and another in need then the former should alleviate the burden of the latter. I was explaining how our family does not operate as a socialist group, and if one is financially burdened, that one needs to get off his bum and go to work.  I go to the freezer to get more ice for my cup. The icemaker is making dirty ice because the water is not clean. There IS clean ice in some icetrays. I look at the dirty chunk I just put in my cup and show it to the man and my nephew. There is a tablespoon sized chunk of soil with green moss on it frozen in the ice. I am thinking there must be a serious pipe burst not far from the well. I go to the living room to find a place to throw away the dirty ice cube [because there is a sink in there?] My sister motions for me to bring it to her and not throw it away. I ask why she wants it. "Why do I ever want anything?" came the reply as she sat on the floor and set the ice on top of three small nandina sprouts she had uprooted while still on the phone. (the answer to the question is: because Mom wants it). My sister then tells me that Mom told my nephew that the water would settle after a couple of hours (it has been a little longer than this already). I took a glass from the dish drainer by the sink and filled it with cold water from the tap. I set it on the soap dish that is attached over the faucet. Two larger glasses of water were already placed there. My addition caused the dish to tip, threatening to crash the dishes into the sink. I try to rebalance them as my sister talks.

SO NOW... I give up on dreaming and get up and take a shower in my well-lit, no plumbing problems bathroom. I watched a Christmas movie (A Miser Brothers' Christmas) with my goddaughter and went to Walmart for yarn (for her gift) and packing supplies (for eBay) ... oh, and batteries for my camera! ... If you want to, I would love love love to hear your ideas about what these crazy dreams mean... I did have a good one last week I didn't tell you about. Involved the awesome man I mentioned in the beginning... except for the "things not as they seem" theme running through it, it was all right....