Why do I try to bird with the girls? Why, I say?

Flood plains at the Oxbow
Look at the color of that sky…yummy!

The Oxbow, Inc.
American Coots

I actually thought the girls would get on board today and be good while I birded. Silly, silly girl.

We picked Mom up and headed down to the Oxbow. The fields were flooded, so there were limited areas to get into, but the day was beautiful and I was optimistic.

We saw plenty of American Coots, which were nice, but already on my list.

Then Mom pointed out a small, diving bird out on the water.

A Pied-billed Grebe! Hooray!

(Check that one off!!!)

A cute little thing, it was.

Well, I had a solid 3 minutes of birding before the girls started chanting “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”

Sigh.

Then Lorelei started to cry and yell for Daddy.

Then Isabelle started yelling at Lorelei

and asking at the top of her lungs, “What are doing here, anyway?”

Double-long sigh.

Back at Mom’s house, we got the pleasure of watching a male Northern Pintail fly over!

(Check that one off, too!)

All in all, I got two life birds, but along with that I also got high blood pressure and a nervous tic.

The Oxbow

I’m heading out to my Mom’s house today in Indiana, and I read that the Oxbow is filling up with some nice birds, so maybe I can convince Mom to go over with me. Hopefully I can get some nice pics to share.
If you would like to learn more about the Oxbow, go to www.oxbowinc.org. It’s a cool place that is being protected, thank goodness.

I’m livin’ on the air in Cincinnati…

Cincinnati, WKRP.

That theme song must have run through my brain 1000 times last night. I’ve never stayed in a hotel so close to Cincinnati before. It was like vacationing at a neighbor’s house…weird.
Did anyone who lived outside of Cincy watch that show? They must have…it was on for how many years? (Watch, Geoff will know the answer to that.)
Gordon Jump will always occupy a special place in my heart…

Anyhoo:

Thanks, Shannon! Have fun in Gatlinburg! Say Hi to Dolly for me.

Forgotten Ohio

I found a fun website recently and wanted to share it with all of you.
It’s www.forgottenoh.com and it’s all about Ohio’s haunted houses, abandoned buildings, ghost towns, neat old stories…even a bit about Cincinnati’s “subway” system…it’s down there, collecting dust, while traffic builds and builds up on I-75 and I-71.
Lots of fun facts and things that make you go hmmm…

Girl’s night out Part Deux

I have the best friend ever. Shannon came up to our room after work and took us to dinner at the Revolving Restaurant at the top of the hotel. The restaurant actually rotates slowly so your view changes as you enjoy your meal. It takes 1 hour 15 minutes to make a complete circle, so we weren’t breaking any speed records. The girls liked it, but they kept insisting on standing on the part of the floor that doesn’t spin, and they would gradually rotate away from our table and I would have to go retrieve them. They thoroughly enjoyed the bread, but ignored the rest of their meal.
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Isabelle news: Today was her first dentist appointment. I am so gosh darn proud of her, I could burst. She was PERFECT. She sat still, she didn’t complain, she obeyed directions, she sat through a fluoride treatment and thorough cleaning and scaling. She got a “plaque grade” of 95%…she only had a little plaque on the bottom front teeth and no tooth decay or alignment problems. Boo yah!!!!!!

After dinner, we put on our suits and went swimming in the heated, indoor pool. Ahhh……
The girls have just fallen asleep. The swim really tuckered us out. Isabelle had on water wings, and she did a great job with “swimming” but Lorelei was not getting into the water and just sat on the steps and pretended to swim. I haven’t SWUM? SWAM? SWIMMED? in a long time. Anyone want to help me out with the proper form of “swim” for that sentence?

Girl’s night out

The girls and I are giving Geoff a break and a night of no distractions by spending the night at a local hotel. My best friend works at the Radisson Riverfront, so she found us a nice room and here we are!

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I’m a sucker for these things

Okay…I got this from Cousin Cathy’s blog, and I just couldn’t resist.

First grade teacher’s name: I think I killed that brain cell.

Last word you said: No!

Last song you sang: Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show

Last thing you laughed at: Isabelle being a goof

Last time you cried: Talking to Rita at the hospital

What’s in your cd player? Mixed CD

What color socks are you wearing? White

What’s under your bed? Some of Geoff’s research papers

What time did you wake up today? I never actually fell asleep last night

Current hair: Reddish brown, long with a ponytail and bangs

Current outfit: Black sweat pants, long-sleeved T-shirt

Current annoyance: Bush Administration

Current smell: Nellie’s dog smell

Current longing: To bird more

Current desktop picture: A male cardinal

Current favorite music artist: Jamiroquai

Current book: My bird field guides

Current worry: Bird flu, war

Current hate: George W. Bush

Current favorite article of clothing: jeans jacket

Line from the last thing you wrote to someone: They are the size that they are. I didn’t change anything. How big of a photo spread are they doing? You’re not going to be the size of a billboard, right?

I am happiest when: The girls are playing nicely

I feel lonely when: The girls would rather be with Geoff

Favorite authors: Anne Rice, Stephen King and Geoff Williams

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Scotland

Famous person you have met: Rev. Jesse Jackson, Anthony Munioz, Boomer, Richard Simmons (I used to work at the airport)

Do you have any regrets? Yes

Sex or love: Love

Favorite coffee: Caramel Frappuchinos!!!

Favorite smell: Babies fresh out of the bath

What makes you mad? Racism, stupidity, BUSH

Favorite way to waste time: blogging

What is your best quality? Great in a crisis

Are in currently in love/lust? Oh yeah…Geoff’s totally hot

What’s the craziest thing you have ever done? Got thrown out of a Waffle House for dancing on a table….I was YOUNG AND DRUNK

Do you find it hard to trust people? Yes

Last thing you bought yourself: A salwar kameez outfit from India

Bath or shower? shower

Favorite season: Spring

Favorite color: green

Favorite flavor: chocolate

Favorite time of day: Nighttime

Any secret crushes? Yes, but if I tell you, they won’t be a secret!

Do you wear a watch? No

Favorite stores: Hobby Lobby, Kohl’s, Bird stores!

How big is your closet? walk in

Ever spend more then $200 in a store? Yes, at the grocery all the time

Do your friends know everything about you? Only Shannon…and SHE’S NOT TALKING!!!

What do they tend to be like? Fun, smart, tolerant, kind-hearted

Can you count on them? Absolutely!

Can they count on you? Absolutely!

Last book you read: Wicked

last movie you saw: don’t remember

movie you saw on the big screen: TransAmerica

show you watched on tv: LittleBear

song you heard: The theme song to Little Bear

thing you had to drink: Coke

thing you ate: snack…Goldfish crackers shared with Lorelei

time you showered: this morning

time you smiled: a few minutes ago

time you laughed: A few minutes ago

person you hugged: Nellie…wait, do dogs count?

person you talked to online: Geoff

person you talked to on the phone: Geoff’s friend Mike Johnson

Do You?
Smoke? Not anymore! Hooray!

Do drugs? No

Drink? Very rarely

Sleep with stuffed animals? Yes…Geoff

Have a dream that keeps coming back? no

Play an instrument? Yes, the alto sax

Read the newspaper? Only if Geoff makes me

Believe in miracles? No

Consider yourself tolerant? yes

Like the taste of alchohol? No

Go to church? no

Have any secrets? hell yes

Have any pets? Have you READ my blog??

Have any piercings? 6 holes in each ear

Have any tattoos? Yes, on my arm

Hate yourself? Not usually

Wish on stars? When Isabelle wants me to

Like your handwriting? No

Believe in ghosts? No, but I’m scared of them

Believe in the tooth fairy? No

Sing in the shower? No

Before I fall asleep…

I leave you with a few thoughts boinging around in my head:

For no good reason, my favorite line from The Princess Bride came into my head:
“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

Which somehow linked itself to this line from another favorite movie, Monty Python’s The Holy Grail:
“I’m French! That’s why I talk in this ridiculous accent!”

I really need some sleep.

Did you miss me?

I have been post-less for two days, if you can believe it.
And here’s why:

She’s fine now, but Rita, my mom-in-law, was in the hospital this weekend, because we thought she had a stroke. She got a terrible headache and suddenly couldn’t remember important things, like whether her father was still alive or not. (He’s not.)

After 24 hours in the hospital, it was revealed that she had a special kind of migraine that can cause short-term amnesia…not kidding!
She will be home tomorrow and all is well. Boy, that woman knows how to scare a person.

After rushing up to Middletown to see her, we went to the in-law’s house to take care of their dog and cat, and we then decided to take their dog home with us so that Jim wouldn’t have to leave Rita’s side to worry over the dog.

This morning, before taking Roxy the wonderdog back, I had to run by my cousin’s baby shower, explained all the stuff that was going on and zipped back home.

On the way back home, I saw two dogs lying in a field near the road, side by side and not moving. Oh, God. I saw collars, so I turned around and went back. They were alive, thank goodness, so I popped them in the car and took them home. They had invisible fence collars on. Lot of good that did!

I called the number on their collars, but there was no answer. So Geoff Googled the number and we got an address, and I was off in the car again with the dogs. The woman didn’t even realize the dogs had been missing…nice dog owner. If I ever see the dogs out and about again, they are STAYING. The woman also lived in a million dollar house, and I think she can afford a real fence.

Then, I grabbed Isabelle, Lorelei and Roxy the wonderdog and booked it up to Middletown. Dropped off Roxy at Jim and Rita’s and went to the hospital, found out that Rita is fine, and then came home.

Geoff’s book is due Friday, and he is still in the middle of changing the format. It’s 99% written, but we all realized that the information needed to be presented differently, or no one would be able to follow it. He really needed this weekend to finish by Friday, but it’s getting tighter and tighter. I can’t wait to get my husband back. He doesn’t even see me half the time, even if I am standing right in front of him.
So, that was my weekend. We will return to regular blogging tomorrow.