THE LITTLE BLOG

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

2008-07-02T14:46:00.000-05:00

I was sitting in the front yard watching for the Catbird to pay a visit to the Mulberry Tree or the Blackberry bushes and this little guy flew right over the top of my head and landed up on a wire. He sat up there and peeped and peeped until mom finally came over and sat by him. She made numerous trips over to the Mulberry Tree … trying to get the baby to follow her. He wasn't having any part of it!

Mom gave up on trying to teach the baby anything and brought over a couple of berries for him. She sat there for several minutes before he realized she was close by.

Then he saw her! I'm sure he was thinking …. "wow I hope those berries are for me" ;)

How sweet is that …… mom feeding him the berries. Just look at that little wing … haha
You will want to click on this image to view it larger … too cute!

Sunflowers, Cardinals & a Hummingbird Moth

2008-06-27T17:09:00.001-05:00

I took Albie out for a walk and started to come back in when I noticed a Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth on the shrub. I was surprised that he was still in the same place when I came back out with the camera (wrong lens of course). I could only get a shot of him from one angle so you can’t really see him very well.

Decided to take a few shots of the Sunflowers while I had the camera in my hands. Not very good shots as the wind was blowing .

I only have two sunflowers and they came up voluntarily from the seeds dropping out of the bird feeders …. ha!

This one just started to open up this morning.

I was standing close to a feeder and this Cardinal was not to pleased with me …. giving me the look!

FEEDLY …..

2008-06-27T13:33:00.001-05:00

WOW Feedly is GREAT! I love Google Reader but this thing is so cool. It grabs all of your GooReader feeds and puts them into a clean, streamlined interface.

Just check it out …. you’ll love it! Feedly is now my new favorite Firefox addon. And, my new start page …. a cup of coffee and Feedly at 6AM makes a super start for the day!

OBAMA … the more I read, the more angry I become!

2008-06-26T12:36:00.001-05:00

They (being the black race) don’t actually care that this man has done nothing for the good of this country. “They” only want a “black” man in the white house! Of course, that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone seeing as how the majority of these singers have the mentality of a “first grader” ……..

Sean Combs chanting “Obama or Die” …. how intelligent is that? What does that actually mean? Either vote for NOBAMA or you die?

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Barack Obama didn't attend the BET Awards, but that didn't stop attendees from talking about him.

"If we all register and vote, we will have the first black president in the history of America," Sean "Diddy" Combs told the crowd Tuesday at the Shrine Auditorium before chanting "Obama or Die" - a declarative remix of his neutral "Vote or Die" motto from the 2004 presidential election, when he attempted to boost the youth vote.

Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was just a few blocks away at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for a fundraiser with a Hollywood guest list that included supermodels Heidi Klum and Cindy Crawford, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and movie stars Samuel L. Jackson and John Malkovich. While Obama didn't make an appearance at the BET Awards - either live or on tape - his presence was felt.

As she picked up her award for best female R&B artist, Alicia Keys told the crowd that it's time for black people to erase the word "can't" from their vocabulary.

"Together we can do anything," she said, playing on the Democrat's "Yes We Can" mantra before shouting: "Obama y'all!

the rest of the article

Scarlet and Green Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea)

2008-06-21T08:54:00.001-05:00

Size: 3/8"

Life Cycle Eggs are thrust into soft plant tissues in early spring.

Saliva injected into a plant by this leafhopper blocks plant tubes essential for the transport of sap, causing the plant to wither and drop leaves.

This beautiful leafhopper is a brilliant green to blue-green, with lengthwise bands of orange-red on wings

The image below is OOF but you can still see the bubble … so I named him “bubble butt”

Great Blue Heron

2008-06-19T07:16:00.001-05:00

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

2008-06-15T10:05:00.001-05:00

These are not great images but at least I got a couple of shots of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. I’ve only seen this bird a couple of times before and was not able to get ANY shot at all. These birds are shy and elusive making them easy to overlook.

I was sitting at a picnic table eating lunch and saw this guy land in the tree … nearly broke my neck getting back to the car to get the camera. ha!

200kbps Officially No Longer Qualifies As 'Broadband'

2008-06-13T10:59:00.001-05:00

The FCC has shifted the definition of broadband from 200kbps to 768kbps, probably not as high as it should be, but a vast improvement. The agency says they'll also start tracking both downstream and upstream speeds and will scrap the zip code tracking methodology for more substantive census-track level reporting. Carriers still won't be required to release data on the prices they charge for different speeds.

Today that order officially went into effect. Broadband Reports

I had to chuckle when I read this article ….. my connection for years was a measly slow-ass “768kbps". I won't mention the name of the company that provided the service. Not once in all those years did they ever offer to increase the speeds and they charged you and arm and a leg for that awful service. So, now they are at the bottom of the barrel in the broadband world! Thanks to NewWave Communications, I'm now browsing and downloading at 10MB .... for almost half the price that I was paying for less than 1MB. The "no name" company that I'm referring to should have been run out of this rural community years ago. A small independently owned company that has been ripping off this community for YEARS!! Even though NewWave offers digital phone (comparable to Vonage), the "no name" company managed to block the service in this area! When will the people in this backwoods joint come to their senses and tell this company to TAKE A HIKE. The whole idea of a small independently owned phone company in the year 2008 is way beyond my comprehension!

Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston

2008-06-13T10:15:00.001-05:00

The book is about creating a shift on both a personal and "big picture" level. I chose the word "quantum" because I think it is the perfect word to describe making small changes and seeing huge positive results that are even more far-reaching than you may ever have expected.

In my experience and from what I've observed, the path to wellness is made up of small, easy to take steps that anyone can take. These steps have not only a positive impact on our personal and spiritual health, but on the environment around us -- this is the quantum leap that is implied! It's an approach that is personal AND big picture and I think that is the key: that we look beyond just "me" as we try to make improvements. Every choice we make effects others. The sooner we start looking at ourselves as part of a bigger whole and making - for example - purchasing choices that positively effect others, the sooner we can start to feel our spirits lift.

I wrote the book because I realized that wellness is not just a matter of being physically healthy. You can be physically fit as a fiddle, but if you have emotional issues, you simply don't feel "well". If we want to feel happy, whole and free, we have to address our wellness in a multi-dimensional way, tending to body, mind and spirit. The way we treat animals who are raised for food, the way we have exploited the environment, and the way we are at war with each other is not sustainable. If there is going to be a change - a healing - it has to start at home, with us as individuals. I do believe that healing ripples out and creates a shift in a cultural way.

What role do you see pets and animals playing in a person's overall wellness?

continue reading this article at PET TRENDS

Healthiest Supermarket Foods

2008-06-12T14:08:00.004-05:00

Interesting ... I've never heard of half of these products but that is because I live in a "god-forsaken" rural community! I wouldn't exactly call them the "healthiest" foods either.

The 125 Healthiest Supermarket Foods in America

The only trouble with this site is that you must click on each item to view the product unless you are using Cool Iris Previews An easier and faster way to browse!

FireFox 3

2008-06-12T10:00:00.001-05:00

The official date for the launch of Firefox 3 is June 17, 2008

DownLoad Day

Wild Roses

2008-06-11T18:23:00.003-05:00

Took a quick drive thru the country and found lots of wild roses.

Post Turtle

2008-06-09T07:24:00.001-05:00

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old Texas rancher, whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our President.

The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Obama is a 'post turtle'.'

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was. The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'.'

The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain.

'You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there,

he doesn't know what to do while he is up there,

and you just wonder what kind of an idiot put him up there to begin with.'

Oh that silly "wabbit"

2008-06-07T15:19:00.003-05:00

This little guy thinks he lives in my yard. He usually comes over late in the evening, eats all of the birdseed that is on the ground and then stretches out for a rest. I looked out the kitchen window about an hour ago and there he was .... all stretched out in the middle of the afternoon! I don't know where his buddy is today .. they are usually together all the time. The other rabbit is pretty shy and timid but not this guy. I can walk within 4 feet of him and he just looks at me :o)

The "Hoity-Toity" folks ....

2008-06-01T09:03:00.001-05:00

I wonder what these people are hiding in their "private" community?

Google did remove the images from their "street views" .... silliest thing I've ever heard of. These people should be banned from using any Google applications on their computers.

North Oaks tells Google Maps: Deep out - we mean it

Butterflies

2008-05-30T18:18:00.001-05:00

Just playing with a little program that I have had for awhile but never checked out all of the options. Actually, it's a cool photo editing program ..... Photoscape And, it's FREE

Ted Kennedy

2008-05-20T12:32:00.005-05:00

While the Democratic party is sniffling and boohooing over old Teddy boy and his brain tumor, I wonder if they remember the "Chappaquiddick Tragedy". He should have been in prison years ago! In other words, MONEY TALKS.

The media is all over this breaking news concerning old Teddy but not once have they mentioned the incident in which he killed Mary Jo Kopechne.

If any of you have forgotten what a drunken slob this man has been all of his life, read this article.... CHAPPAQUIDDICK:
A Profile in Cowardice

Further reading .... Mary Jo Kopechne Biography

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

2008-05-05T16:11:00.004-05:00

The GBH is my favorite big bird. He is so graceful when he flies over the water ... he is also very beautiful. My mother thinks they are awful looking with their long neck and long legs. She calls him "old ugly" .. ha!

I shot this one several times and they all came out decent. You can view the other images in my PICASA WEB ALBUMS

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)

2008-04-23T15:24:00.003-05:00

This image was taken last year. I'm waiting for them to show up .. they should be here any day now ... YaY

American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)

2008-04-20T12:23:00.005-05:00

I'm posting these "Goldie" images just because I like them :-)

5.4 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Illinois

2008-04-18T06:20:00.003-05:00

DAMN ........ what a way to wake up!! Everything was shaking and swaying for almost a whole minute.

I actually thought my roof was gonna cave in ... scary stuff! Lot of things in the bathroom and kitchen fell over but other than that everything is fine. A good example of how the earth was rumbling and swaying is Albie's water bowl. The water was not in the bowl, it was all over the floor, however, the bowl was not turned over.

Hopefully, the rest of the day will be better with no more QUAKES!

OMG It's TAX DAY

2008-04-15T09:47:00.003-05:00

His expression is telling me he forgot to pay his taxes!

I had to laugh when I saw this image. Can't believe I got him with his eye closed. These are my least favorite birds .. it's time for them to leave

MeerKat Manor

2008-03-30T13:00:00.002-05:00

I've watched all three seasons of this wonderful show. I'm hoping there will be a season four. I cried my eyes out when Flower died. I'm not sure that the show could ever be the same without her.

Seagull Reflection

2008-03-20T19:53:00.003-05:00

Shot this Ring-billed Seagull at the river last week and thought it turned out nicely.

RIP .... Sweet Little Munchie

2008-03-11T16:47:00.003-05:00

You will always be in our hearts

You were such a sweet little dog Munchie. Albie and I are very sad but we know you are at the "Rainbow Bridge". We love you very much.