Poss(um)-ibilities

My San Diego family has been having some nocturnal visitors.  These visitors show their presence by leaving holes dug under the fence.  It was a possibility that the culprits were skunks - mostly due to "eau de Polecat" wafting in the morning air on occasion.

So they hired a guy to come and live-trap them - whatever they were - and relocate them to someplace else.  Cat food is the bait of choice - an irresistible delicacy to most critters who are enticed into said traps.

To their surprise - the midnight diggers were possums.  This is #5 - who was released in the same spot as numbers 1 thru 4 - several miles away by the banks of the San Diego River.

We figure that if they find their way back to the house - jonesing for more cat food - it probably won't be before 2015.

We expect...and hope...that they're having some happy family reunions right about now.

Possums have "smiles" that look rather vicious.  However - the Possum Police insisted that they are really quite friendly and docile creatures.

To prove his point - he stuck his finger in the cage and proceeded to touch the possum's toothy grin.  His finger remained unscathed - still attached to his hand.

Nobody wanted to challenge his theory.  We're all aware that there's a first time for everything.  We prefer our fingers intact - thank you very much.

But now we all have a new appreciation for that cute possum smile.

I think RS has captured the 'essence of possum' quite nicely.

I think he's been practicing...

(Not so) FAQ's #14

How did you get that scar in your mouth?

You may wonder how that question appeared in my mind on this day, July 4, 2011.  I did have to go way back in the recesses of my memory to find it.

This is a question I've been asked by every new dentist I've ever visited.  There really is a scar - on the roof of my mouth - a result of a rather weird accident on the 4th of July (I'm guessing here) 1960.

We were living in Hibbing, MN at the time.  I was on the trapeze on our swing set - holding my

pride-and-joy purchase from the 4th of July parade:  a red, white & blue wooden baton.

One end was a ball adorned in massive amounts of silver glitter.  The other end was basically a stick.

I was holding the baton in my hand - stick side up - and decided to swing strong and then jump off the trapeze.  It was something I did all the time - just never with a stick in my hand.

When I landed - my feet hit the ground and the opposite re-action was the upward motion of my arms.  The stick found its way into my (obviously) open mouth.  Net result - roof puncture! 

I clearly remember that it didn't really hurt. What started the panic was when I realized that I was bleeding.  What I didn't know at the time was how serious it could have been if the stick had gone in about 1/4 inch further. 

I was lucky.  The guardian angel of glitzy batons was watching over me that day.

It healed fine, left a scar...

...and has puzzled dentists ever since.

Button, Button...

...who'll find the button?






While reminiscing in my mind about Jane - I thought of the Button Game and this little memory....

Before I moved from Minnesota, I called Jane to see if she wanted to meet for lunch.  It had been a while since we'd visited.  She was at a shopping mall in Burnsville when she answered her cell phone.

I told her I had just one errand to do first - to go to Joann's Fabrics and buy a button.

I had replaced the buttons on a new blouse and was short one.  I had forgotten to count the buttons on the sleeves.


She started to laugh - because at that very moment she was standing in front of the displays at Joann's...yes... shopping for buttons.

So I gave her the details - and she picked up my buttons for me.

Fortuitous for me....and we thought it funny and quite the coincidence.

Jane found the button.  Thanks Jane.

Farewell to Jane...

Jane was my friend.

We first met when I went to her home to pick up my son Nate.  Nate - and Jane's daughter Laura - were juniors in high school and had met when performing in The Music Man at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.

When I arrived - Nate, Laura and some other friends were in the music room - and it was clear they had no intention of saying any quick good-byes.

So I joined Jane in the family room and saw a jigsaw puzzle spread out on a card table.



I loved doing puzzles too - so we sat down and worked on it together and got to know each other.

A new friendship was born.

There were many impromptu family dinners together, photo ops with Nate and Laura at proms and theatre performances, picnics at the Arboretum, weekends at Stevens Point and much more.

One weekend in June 2005, we drove to Stevens Point to see Laura perform in a college musical production.  I drove Jane's SUV there and back.  It was a perfect arrangement as I liked to drive and Jane liked to ride.

The following Tuesday, Jane sent out a group email explaining that she had some blurry vision in her right eye and had it checked out.  Unfortunately, a cancerous tumor was found in her eyeball.

The good news was that it was all-contained - and even though she would lose her eye - there wouldn't be any radiation or chemo treatments required.  It was surreal as she never mentioned or complained about any eye issues when we were together just a few days earlier.

Through it all - she maintained her positive spirit and deep faith...

...and her sense of humor.



She loved the cookie bouquet I got for her - complete with a pirate cookie with an eye patch.

Until it happened... I never knew that Jane's doctors had cautioned her that there was a possibility that the eye cancer could potentially manifest itself in liver or lung cancer within 6-10 years.

Unfortunately they were horribly right - as 6 years later cancer did appear in her liver.  It was unyielding and relentless and took her too soon.

Through it all - she and husband Don were so courageous.  Their CaringBridge posts displayed their unshakable Faith.  It was gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, amazing, and humbling, to be included on their journey. 

Jane was a woman of faith, integrity, and fun.  I will be forever grateful for her being part of my life.  I miss you Jane....til we meet again.

Jane was...and will always be...my friend.

See Jane.

Stop, Jane!  Stop!




Please don't go...


I love you, dear friend.

The Eagle was Banded

I've been enjoying eavesdropping on some eagles' nests that are located off Catalina Island.  These cameras are part of a long-time and ongoing project to help increase the once-endangered eagle population.

The Two Harbors nest has one female eaglet.  The West End nest has 3 - 1 female and 2 males.  It's been very cool to watch the nurturing done by both sets of parents - who would take turns hunting, feeding and watching the kids.

A few weeks ago they banded the single female in the Two Harbors nest.

Young eaglets are banded and numbered so they can be tracked and data gathered as to how successful they are at staying alive and well and potentially reproducing.

It may seem intrusive to some - but without the dedication of those involved - there might not be any eagles to band.

I watched the eagle-cam as the nest was visited by a Dr. Peter Sharpe and his assistant.


 

I took some photos of my computer screen - so they're not the best quality - but it shows the process of how to snatch an eaglet.


This is the eaglet's first ever glimpse of a human.

Dr. Sharpe backed slowly into the nest - about a foot each time.  With each stop he would re-arrange a branch or two and move the dried grass around.

At this point she looked very curious.

By now there's definitely some whiggage going on. 

Baby tries to "get big" to scare away the ginormous intruder.


Then she seemed to settle down - just trying to figure it all out.

He rarely looked at the eaglet - only glanced her way a couple of times.  She looks curious in this pose.

You can see how big the nest is when a man can sit in it with room for a friend.

Note the way he's dressed - a bit reminiscent of a super-sized eagle.

She started to get a little braver here and moved closer to get a better look.

Then in a flash - he reached out and snatched her by the beak!

I jumped about a foot - even I wasn't expecting that!

Needless to say - she was not a happy camper!

Look at that wingspan on a youngster still unable to fly!

His assistant came in quickly to help so the eaglet wouldn't get hurt....

...and in no time she was in the bag - literally.

They took her out of the nest for about 20 minutes to do the banding, figure out the gender and give her an overall well-baby check.

She was returned to the nest - a bit shell shocked...

...but lookin' fine in her new 'wing bling'.

The parents had been flying overhead during the banding process and returned later with some goodies for her.

If you'd like to watch the live action - the link is below.

Happy bird watching!

www.iws.org/bald_eagles/twoharborscam.html


p.s. Baby girl #18 may not always be in the nest.....she's learning to take flight! 


This one is great too!      www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles
 

Relative-ly Speaking

Lately - I've had a serious case of writer's block.

I've always told myself - as it relates to writing here - that I wouldn't do it if it felt forced.


The few times I broke that pact with myself - the end result left me feeling uncomfortable and somewhat out of sync.

I'm feeling out of sync now - but for a reason unrelated to writing.  

This past Memorial Day weekend I attended a funeral service for the best friend of a friend of mine.  Tim passed away at age 53 after a 7 year battle with colon cancer. 

I regret that I never had the chance to have known him - but I will be forever grateful to have met his amazing family.
 
I appeared in their world as a relative stranger - and emerged feeling like a Relative.

In the midst of their intense grief - they welcomed and embraced me as family.  What a gift...

In honor and memory of Tim - I know he'd like that I passed on a short public service announcement:

"Colorectal Cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer.  But here’s the good news, colon cancer is not inevitable.  It’s preventable.  In fact, it’s up to 95% preventable if it’s caught early, through screening."

So get screened...

....be a Smart Ass.