Sunday Morning

Greetings from Mr. Beachy and me! We've had a busy Sunday morning and now we are settling down to relax and enjoy the day. It has been raining cats, dogs, bicycles, and trucks. so much rain that Noah's Ark would be afloat by now. Mr. Beachy and I spent the early morning sweeping the water off the porch and then trying to sweep away a huge lake that was growing by the back door. We had to take down one of the bird feeders, because it was full of water. The seeds had filled up the drainage system and it was disgusting!

We had to towel Blue off 3 times before 9AM because of course she had to be right in the middle of our outdoor activities. Now she is curled up at my feet, smelling meatballs cooking in the pan. They are "grandma's famous meatballs" for spaghetti, loved by short people especially. Thought I'd make some up to put aside in case I have any dinner guest of short stature this week.

And we decided it's time for an Irish Coffee, so that is brewing, as well.

We've gotten quite addicted to bird watching since the January second bird count. I'm posting some of the photos I was able to take. Unfortunately I don't know the technique needed to arrange or label the pictures, so they'll all be in a group and you'll just have to guess which bird I'm talking about.

It seems that some days we have tons of birds passing through in flocks, and somedays we see and hear no one. One day it was pouring rain and a flock of starlings and a flock of robins were busily hunting for worms. They covered the front lawns like sheep grazing on a hill. I took a photo of one bird that was among the group of robins. It might have been a juvenile, but I think it was another type of bird just hanging out with the robins. My camera slipped, just as I clicked, and so the picture's blurry and his head is missing, but I thought it's worth while to post it in case someone can tell what it is.

The hummingbirds come to the feeder so much lately that I think they may have started nesting in the nearby laurel hedge. I'm trying to take pictures of them to see if I can start telling them apart. They are called Anna's Hummingbirds. I'm not sure if they stay here year round, or if they fly up to Alaska in the summer.

I'm hoping to become a little brown bird expert, but I'm not getting there fast. I still haven't captured my elusive little brown bird on film - the ones that are living in my brush pile and run through the grass so quickly that I think they are mice at first glance. They might be Pacific Wrens, but I have to get one to hold still for a second to study them better.

The Brushtits are here and a pair of red-bellied sapsuckers. They all came for some suet we put out. It is suet mixed with peanuts and hot sauce. I think they like the hot spices because they didn't flock to the other suet I've had in past years. Of course we've seen many English Sparrows, House Finches, Chickadees, and Juncos; so their photos are included here if I have any clear ones.

Wishing all a day of rest.

Hamster Dreams

This winter has been rough on Hammy. She's done a lot of sleeping and a couple times I've thought she might have died. If I clean her cage she is as grumpy as Mr. Beachy is on days his arthritis kicks in. A clean cage means she has to scrounge around for material and remake her bed. She also keeps a stash of nuts and seeds in one corner hidden under wood shavings. I can see it would be upsetting to dig all over looking for her stash and then find out I've dumped it. On those days I give her an apple slice and it makes up for her inconvenience.

Have you ever seen a dog sleeping and then start kicking or growling in his sleep? Hamsters do that too. I wonder what she dreams about. Her "growls" are just little chirps. Pretty cute.

This week I was sitting near her cage when all of a sudden there was a thump as she fell out of her nest and crashed on the cage floor. I got up to check and she was on her back with every limb flailing about. I thought she was having a seizure and surely it was the end of poor Hammy. I reached into the cage and grabbed her up and held her close. She was chirping, then gradually calmed down and opened her eyes really wide. We cuddled a while and she loved being held close and caressed. Last night she ran on her wheel for hours. Back to her old self after weeks of semi-hibernation.

Lucky Is Home

Just an update to let everyone know that the dog we found last week is home and happy. It was a Saturday all-consumed with finding the dog's owner. Kaliedoscope Girl and I had posted a few notices about a lost dog on-line. People would call and tell me their dog's name and I would try to call her but she never responded. It seemed like she like being called Lucky - at least that name got her attention.

So Saturday morning..... I cleaned the carpet in the little room and reassured all involved that he fireworks were over for another year. Then I folded up the back seat of the Jeep and loaded in Blue and the stray dog. Blue took her usual front seat. Captain Bogg aka Lucky needed a collar and a boost up to get into the back of the Jeep. She must be a well traveled dog because she got herself comfortable and because she is big, could watch out the window with ease.

First stop was Dove-Lewis Animal Clinic in the NW where they said they would do a free micro-chip scan. They were so very nice that I would recommend them to anyone looking for emergency pet care or for a donation destination. There was no chip to be found, but one of the clerks called several places checking to see if this dog was theirs.

Then we drove to the Washington County Animal Shelter. Portland is made up of 3 different counties. I never heard of that before moving here. I thought cities made up counties. We had to find the shelter closest to where we found the dog, hoping that that was the shelter her family would check first. And it was a l o n g drive out to the Hillsboro/Beaverton area. It reminded me of driving out Rt 125 in Cincinnati with all the businesses and car dealerships lining the road. Oh! But wait! There is a Goodwill. Must remember to stop there on the way home.

We arrived at the shelter and I took the dog in....leaving Blue with a deserted look on her face....as if CB and I were going to Graeters without her. I was filling out papers when one of the clerks came up and asked me if I was the one who had posted the lost dog photos on Craig's List. I was. Her owners had just been there and flipped through their file of lost dog notices and they were 100% sure that this was their dog. They were so excited that they took my phone number but didn't leave any info about themselves! OH NO. The shelter thought I should leave the dog there and then when these people called just tell them where she was. The only problem was that the shelter was closing until Monday in just a couple hours and who knew if I could get home in time to receive and return a phone message and if the people were close enough to pick her up in time.

It all worked out. I arrived home to two messages from the grateful owners and called them back in time. And here is what they told me. The dog is 11 years old and lives in a little country town about 10 miles from the shelter. She was frightened during the lightening storm on Wednesday night and had run "over the hill". When she didn't come back they started looking and calling and posting signs. Several people called to say they had seen her running. It turns out that a lot of the neighbors in that town had helped raise this dog and her sister. The summer she was born, the mother dog got into some elk meat left out by a neighbor and was poisoned. She left 9 puppies that had to be hand fed and even tube fed until they were strong enough to suck. The vet showed them how and because the couple worked, neighbors took turns feeding the pups every couple hours. The vet helped them find homes for 7 of the puppies and they kept the 2 sisters. The people told me that the sister dog had been beside herself without this dog. So our over-night guest was reunited and called by her real given name - "Sissy". There's more - Guess what the sister dog's name is....."Lucky".

In The Early Morning Rain

What could be better? I'm sitting on the porch on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee and a small piece of left-over pineapple bundt cake. There is a misty rain left over from last night. Much cooler than last week at this time. A-h-h-h!

This past week Kaliedoscope, SIE, and Miss Ingu ventured to the Pacific Coast for a couple days. We had a little room near Cannon Beach (that is the beach Fireling and Bikerboy visited last year). That is also the beach you may have read about in the journey of Lewis and Clark. They were camping for the winter about 3 miles north and decided to investigate a report of a beached whale. They weren't going to take Sacagawea with them. After all her help along the trip, she threw a fit and swore not to help them anymore if they didn't take her. I love to think we were standing where she did.

The 1st evening there, we flew a kite that SIE and I had made several weeks ago. He was able to get it up right away. So exciting because I've never really been able to fly a kite more than 4 or 5 feet in the air. Later we measured the string and we had let it out 154 feet!

We walked over toward Haystack Rock. That's a huge rock sticking up out of the ocean. It is covered in birds nesting - mostly sea gulls. But I got to see my 1st puffin! This was a Puffin Watch Week and they had counted 53 puffins.

When the tide goes out the area around Haystack Rock is called a Marine Garden. There are tide pools full of seaweed and all kinds of sea life and the rocks that are usually underwater are coverred in barnacles, shell fish, and anemones. It happened that Thursday morning was the lowest tide in a really long time. Someone said it was the lowest since 1907, but I don't really know if that's true. It was at -2.0. SIE and I got up early and we were able to walk out on the ocean sand almost 1/2 way around the main rock. Plus we saw lots of really tall rocks that had been hidden underwater. We saw hundred of large purple and orange starfish clinging to the walls. They were big - I guess about a foot across and they have a pattern of small white bumps on them that look like a spiderweb has been carefully spread over each one. We also saw some bright green tentacled things that looked like rubber bath toys. I'll have to look them up to see what they were.

One day we drove up through Ecola Park ("E-cula" is the native word for "whale"). We got to see 3 elk grazing really close to the road. They were big. They were a soft chocolate brown with black-brown head and neck; one of them had velvety antlers growing.

The place we were staying had an indoor pool. One morning SIE and his mom went swimming for 3 straight hours. I don't think he would have left the pool except that we promised him breakfast at a place called "Pig and Pancakes". K-girl had packed a book titled "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" so it seemed like a perfect place to eat.

As we returned home the highway takes us over the Coast Range through stands of tall fir trees and then along orchards and farmland on rolling hills toward Portland. About 30 miles from home a large border collie was weaving in and out of traffic. K-girl pulled over to the curb and openned the door. The dog jumped in without any coaxing. Poor thing must have been running and searching for his her people. She was covered in dirt and had thorny twigs matted in her long fur. Right away SIE named her "Captain Bogg" and we started calling her "Lucky". She is staying with me for a couple nights while we try to find her owners. Last night the fireworks went on for hours here and the animals were shaking they were so scared. Blue and Waylon spent the night on my bed and the stray dog slept on the floor next to us with her head under the bed as far as she could get it. I woke up this morning to find out that Lucky had properly christened the carpet in the little front room. Yuck and gag! There goes a little more purgatory off my karma.

All in all a beautiful week and lovely cool morning.

So How Do They Do That?

I know dogs can be taught a lot of things - like hunting and drug sniffing and fetch. And I know there are training classes for dogs. And I suppose some dogs just have a propensity toward something or other - like Huskies pulling sleds through snow, or bloodhounds tracking lost kids. But something happened the other day that puzzles me and I would love it if someone knows just how they do this.

SIE was over one afternoon this week. He brought his new bike (see www.jodessa.com/blog/ for pictures) and we decided to ride down to the playground near my house. His two dogs were here so we left the back door open so they and Blue could hang out in the back yard. There's a fence around the yard and I am pretty sure that Blue could jump it, but she hasn't figured that out yet. When I first got her I would put two baby gates on top of each other to try to keep her out of the room where I took care of the babies. She would jump it no matter how high and how little running room she had. But so far at our new house, she hasn't jumped the fence, or dug out, or learned to unlatch the gate.

The playground is two blocks from my house and around the back of a school. Blue and SIE and I have gone on walks through the neighborhood in every direction, but only twice to the playground together. On this day, we were down at the playground for about 20 minutes when here comes Blue with a big smile on her face. She had an expression that looked like this was just a normal occurance. I paniced because I wasn't sure how she got out or where the other dogs might be. We went home right away and there was Hapapapapa and the two dogs starting down the street to find us. He had dropped by and perhaps hadn't fastened the gate tight enough when he walked over to the store. When he returned, his two dogs were resting in the grass next to his truck. Smart Dogs!

So, all turned out well and I have just been pondering ever since. How did Blue know where we were? She's a wonder dog, but this I never suspected. Could she smell our tracks? Could she hear our voices from that far away? Could she understand when we were talking about where we were going? If anyone has an idea, let me know.

In Which Miss Ingu Says, "Whoops!"

So Sorry...I got the cat names wrong! Now I remember that Fluffy was the name of Sweetfairy Bee's cat. Smokey was the little long hair dark gray kitten from SCPA. Right? I got their names mixed up. There was also a black and white kitten we called "Kitty" who just stayed for a day or two. She was a relative of Mournful Kitter-Kat from a family on Main Street. K-girl was just a baby and allergies happened. Plus, there was the little pale calico kitten that lived with us on Broadway and was too young to live without her mother. I thought her name was Rosetree; but did we have 2 Rosetree's? I thought Rosetree and Memphis was the same cat - the tiger-like Abbysinian cat we gave to Anita B.

While I'm remembering our faithful furry companions< I'll also pay tribute to Bobby, Gretel, Hera, and dear Ayla. There was also a tiny white fluffy dog that got dipped in the toilet and only stayed the night. And there was Maud, The Intrepid Attack Bird, an amazing green parakeet. There were lots of fish, including an Oscar named Oscar who ate roaches and a goldfish named Star who grew olmost as big as the tank, and 20 little science experiment goldfish who lived and died with us one school year. A white snail who grew very large tending the fish tanks without any fanfare. A teddybear hamster named Poppy Luigie. Countless mice and rabbits. Does anyone remember their names? A rat who spent a season with us, named Linus. And our baby turtles...one was a box turtle we walked on a leash, and lastly the much beloved "Little Guy" and his young female companion. I don't think she had a name. Can you believe it...red-eared sliders are considered a horrible invasive species here! It's against the law to bring them here! That's the only thing I don't like about Oregon.

In Which the Mona Lisa Makes Peaches Smile

Well you may be wondering how the Beachys are doing. It seems the last few days have been very difficult for them. Soon has been awake and crying all night long. They think she has colic. They told me they walk her and pat her and sing to her all night and she doesn't stop until her cheeks are red and her voice is gone. They are terribly afraid she's disturbing Blue and me. But we haven't heard her at all. Peachy is beside herself and if she doesn't get some better sleep, Mr. Beachy and I are sure she will get the post-partum blues.

It turns out Peachy knows the exact broth to make that will soothe the colic as well as strengthen a mama against the blues. The only problem is that one ingredient is a mushroom that is not available at the market. Luckily Mr. Beachy knows where it grows up on the farm in Washington. I could not believe it, but yesterday Mr. Beachy walked all the way up I-205 to Woodland, then over to the farm, found a few teeny mushrooms, and then walked all the way back here! He could have asked for a ride...but you know those Beachys. They're just so proud.

Peaches was able to prepare a big pot of the broth and fed Soon a teaspoon. She said it helped a lot. Tonight she will give her two teaspoons and tomorrow three teaspoons of the magic broth and that should put the colic to rest.

But poor Mr. Beachy. Today his little feet were so swollen that he couldn't even put on his socks, never mind his shoes. We made him prop his feet up on a cushion and wrapped them in cool cloths. It was a beautiful day for working outside, too. But there was no way we would allow him to put his feet on the floor. He complained and complained, which, I'm sure you can imagine, is not at all typical of Mr. Beachy's temperment. I suggested Peaches give him some of the broth...they both stared at me with unbelief that I could be so ridiculous. The scowls on their faces cracked me up! They didn't think that was funny at all. "Only for Baby. Only for Baby."

So I promised to think up something that would make them laugh, too. This evening I found a video on the internet and it made the Beachys laugh so much. I wasn't able to get it to post to the blog. But maybe this will take you there: It's called "Gallery Animates Old Masters" Good Luck. I hope it makes you laugh, too. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23941372#23913975

Enquiring Minds Want to Know

Who is Mr. Beachy, you ask. I will try to tell you, but you must read between the lines and think in parallel thoughts about such questions as (1) how can someone say one thing and people hear another, (2) why does something resonate with some one and not with another, (3) if you carry a story with you long enough does it take on a life of its own, and (4) will Mr. Beachy and Miss Ingu ever have a romantic relationship? Several years ago a friend of mine told me the story of Mr. Beachy. The story may have morphed in my memory, but this is how I remember it: My friend had moved into a newly built house. He hired a gardener to help him with the landscaping. The gardener (in my imagination) was an elderly Asian man. Despite his strong Asian accent, the gardener and my friend kept up a conversation while they worked. "Where would I find a good auto mechanic?" my friend asked. "Mr. Beachy - Go to Mr. Beachy - He take care of you," the gardener replied. "Mr. Beachy, Rt.125, on corner, no miss." The next day my friend drove up and down Rt. 125 with no luck finding Mr. Beachy's. The next time he worked with the gardener, he asked again about the mechanic. The gardener spoke louder as he tried to explain how to get to Mr. Beachy's. "You no can miss. Mr. Beachy on corner. He take good care of you." Once more my friend followed the directions. Once more he seemed unable to find the repair shop. As he looked at the building on the corner, the building he was sure had to be the one the gardener sent him to, he glanced at the sign and read, "Mitsubishi". Jim R., if you're reading this, feel free to correct the story! I wonder, what if you don't even remember it!

The Lord's Laundromat

Today is the first no-rain day in this part of the Northwest since last Tuesday! That's six days of pouring rain, with the only interruptions when it turned to snow for a few hours. It felt like the washer cycle got stuck on rinse! It was unusual even by Portland standards. It says somewhere in the Bible, even before it was said by Chairman Mao,"After the rain comes the sun" And we are grateful. Some places are still flooded with farms and towns evacuated. They say on tv that some places will have power outages for a few more days. It's interesting how they seem to be making the weather reports especially for the people without power needed to run their tv sets!

Oregon's prized Sitka Spruce blew down. It was 220' tall and 700 years old - the biggest Sitka Spruce in the Nation. There's still 75' of trunk standing. That's a Big Tree! I'm glad I got to see and hug it once on a trip out to the Coast.

The road into La Center from the highway crosses a small bridge with fields on each side that are set aside as a nature habitat. The fields are now basins of water that stretch out like a huge lake. Do not worry. Miss Ingu, Mr. Beachy, and friends are safe and sound. The birds are rejoicing: the trumpeter swans, cackling geese, sandhill cranes, and hawks were making a loud noise unto the Lord today. It was so loud it would have drowned out St. Boniface's organ!

Birds of a Feather

Now that winter is near I think most of the summer birds have left for warmer climates. I've noticed only a faithful few at the bird feeders. There's a group of chickadees that you can always count on to be here. It's an integrated group: black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees and an occassional mountain chickadee (like the Eastern ones but with a white eyebrow). I don't say flock of chickadees, because I think these are just the same seven or eight birds that come to the feeder. There is one male red-breasted nuthatch that hangs out with the chickadees. They're called red-breasted, but they're really a buffy yellow color. This one has gotten darker chest feathers as winter has approached. They all look like a Christmas card!

There's also a pair of Stellar Jays. These are about twice as big as the Blue Jays in Ohio. They are dark, dark blue with black blue heads and the blue jay crest. They are wicked birds - very territorial and sound like high-pitched crows when they call. Still, I like to watch them. They let me know when a strange bird is around.

And because the Jays were off busy chasing hawks the other day, I got to see my very first ever red-breasted sapsucker. It is a robin sized woodpecker with a totally red head and chest. This one had black wings with just a thin white streak down his side, and his beak was yellow (not black like in the books). He was out on one of the back apple trees that I can see from my window. I've looked for woodpeckers back there often because this tree and one other are covered in little holes that look like someone took a paper puncher and punched a zillion evenly spaced, uniformly sized holes all up and down the trunk. I've been told these trees are over 100 years old. It's really strange to look at this tree up close. And the bird was such a beautiful red. I miss cardinals! Nothing like them out here!

I Spy ...

1. I have a dog, and her name is Blue; betcha 5 dollars she's a good dog, too.

2. pink sky at night, sailors' delight.

3. a thousand cranes for peace.

4. and Little Red Riding Hood ventures into the woods.

A Blustery Day

A storm hit the North West early this morning and today has been chilly, cloudy, windy and wet. I'm still getting over the cold SEI gave me last week so this is a good opportunity to stay snuggled up inside next to the heater. Blue was very put out at me this AM when I wouldn't go out for a walk. Later in the morning her friend, Champ came by to play and she poked her head out only long enough to say "hi". Champ was drenched.

Champ lives on the farm north of here. We call him Brownie, because we met him before we met his master. He was a pup when he showed up wanting to play last year, just a pinch smaller than Blue. Now he's huge - a big chocolate lab and still acts like a goofy teenager. Blue loves running with him and playing. She can out run him which is lucky because he is very oafish and clumsy. I fear for my life (not really, just for my hips) when I'm outside with them. He could just plow me down without a blink.

Champ lives with 2 other dogs, Zeus and Molly. I was told about them when I first came here because they like to block the road and look furocious. When I first encountered them I was able to speak to them by name and they've never given me any trouble. Zeus is an old black lab with a graying muzzle. He's never so much as barked at me, but he doesn't hang around much. I think he just comes over here to poop! Lucky us! Molly is a really old sweet dog - I don't know what breed she could be. She's big, and thick and brindle brown with a beige patch on her chest and four bright white socks. How those socks stay so bright white is very curious. She has a drooly smile and runny eyes and smells so-o-o-obad. The first time I petted her, my hands smelled for hours - couldn't wash off the stink. And she just longs to be petted. I keep thinking I should find a pair of gloves to wear when she comes over. Actually, that is SEI's idea. Isn't he smart?

The dogs have a path worn through the field between their farm and here. I can't see past the trees that edge the property. I'm not sure if they are kept outside, or in a mud room. Sometimes Blue goes over and comes back as if she can't find them. And often Champ or Molly come to our door and scratch. Blue hears them before they even scratch and sometimes she scares the bejeebers out of me by letting out a loud bark greeting them.

That's the action here today!