Save Civil Rights Protection in Head Start

HEAD START VOTE THIS WEEK:

OPPOSE CIVIL RIGHTS REPEAL!

In March, the Head Start reauthorization bill (H.R. 1429) passed the House Education and Labor Committee by a 42-1 vote. The committee-passed bill leaves in place a crucial civil rights provision, which has been a cornerstone protection in Head Start programs since 1972. That provision has, for decades, protected more than 213,000 Head Start teachers and staff, and more than 1,360,000 parent volunteers, from employment discrimination based on religion in federally-funded Head Start programs.

The bill is expected to be on the House floor this week and we anticipate an attempt to repeal these critical civil rights provisions through either a “Motion to Recommit,” which would send the bill back to committee with instructions to repeal the provision, or an “amendment” to the bill which would immediately repeal the anti-discrimination language before final passage.

URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO REAUTHORIZE HEAD START AND REJECT ANY ASSAULT ON CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS IN FEDERALLY-FUNDED PROGRAMS.

It is critical that this measure pass with no amendments. To send a message click here.

Kat digiscopes!

Kat and I were working in the yard--mowing the lawn, finishing planting, cleaning tools, pressure-washing the outhouse to prep it for repainting, and other things--when we saw one, and then two HUGE white birds on the marsh. Two great egrets! I tried to digiscope some shots of one of them in the Heron Tree (its new official name), but I just couldn't get at the right angle. This was my best effort:


After listening to me whine about getting my tripod tomorrow, the passing cloud that obscured the sun momentarily, the wind, the grass tickling my feet, etc., Kat finally just said, "Give me that scope." She walked to one of the fence posts, put the scope (on its little table-top mount) on the post, took the camera, and started to focus the scope! Kat was digiscoping!

Now this is a great advance in our civilization, folks. This is Kat, who doesn't really like birds because
"They're creepy."
"They have beady little eyes that stare at you."
"The little baby birds are ugly."
So for her to first admire the egrets, then start to help me photograph them, well, it's just like one small step for Delia, one giant leap for Kat-kind!

Admittedly, she didn't do too well, but her photos were actually better than anything I got. Here are the best two; she doesn't really use my camera very often, so she didn't understand about getting it to focus, or about zooming for vignetting. And I was NOT about to make any suggestions; she likes to learn things on her own. Her best results:


Not great, admittedly, but wait until we get a tripod! I then explained to her about the auto-focus, the vignetting, the fact that the camera is not optimal for digiscoping because of the external zoom -- she listened to all of it, even! Then my new assistant offered this helpful note:

"Oh! Big white birds! Flying away!"

The digiscoping was over.

We watched for them for about an hour, relaxing in the Adirondack chairs, but those birds could sense when I would turn my camera off to save the battery; that's when they'd make a little circle around what I presume is their nest and then settle back down again, hidden by the marsh grasses. Even Kat said they were just taunting me.

I thought about taking a walk into the marsh, but we had so much to do in the yard; I just didn't want to stop working on such a beautiful day.

Some birding club members are coming out here on Wednesday night to case some locations for the upcoming Birding Cup competition, so I can't wait to tell Roana that in addition to sora, Virginia rail, American bittern, and great blue heron, she might get a great egret! Boy, this marsh just rocks so hard; I love living here!

The garden grows!

My grand plan to roto-till and compost my veggie garden this weekend worked, with Nature’s grudging permission. Under a cloudy and sometimes drizzly sky, Kat and I roto-tilled until we could roto-till no more. I would’ve captured this with photos but (a) it didn’t occur to me and (b) I would’ve been too exhausted to even press the shutter. The ground was damp, but not too wet to work. Still, tilling hard ground is difficult, and Kat has a broken finger in a big splint! But my baby worked that roto-tiller until it dropped. And she dropped. And I dropped.

One of my sore arms; my right hand is still so shaky I can barely auto-focus:

Can you see the pain? Look at my blister!


But it was all worth it! Here is the (almost) final result (I still have a lot of seeds to plant):


Kat re-designed my old layout, moving the door and pulling the fence in off the lawn a few feet. To compensate for those lost few feet, we planted the tomatoes, which the bunnies rarely bother, in the bed near the house:

Once the daffodils die out and the toms grow taller, I’m hoping to stake them into some sort of obedience within this smaller space. I don’t know if it will work, but Kat’s confident, so I am too.

The unfenced feet, then, will house Kat’s flowers, two blueberry bushes, a blackberry, a raspberry, and some eggplant, which we’ll train up onto the arch. (I’ll be spraying the little plants with hot-pepper spray, to deter bunnies.)

The blueberry:

That big stick is just a marker; the tiny twig I'm holding is the blueberry plant. Er--it's gonna take a while to get established.
Some flowers:


The ever-growing compost heap, now covered with mushroom compost:

A pretty little bug on a dandy flower:

I love those little curly--I guess they’re stamens?

I hope this year’s garden turns out better than last year’s. Last year, we didn’t roto-till and I didn’t weed. I was very involved in beginning to bird and starting this blog, so I admit I kind-of paid less attention to the garden than I should have. However, I did dig the fence down after several bunny disasters cost me my lettuce and cilantro a few times. Still, it was an untidy place, and the yield was disappointing.

Going back to the archives, I found my second-ever post, entitled My Birdy Thoughts, on this blog:

What I'd like to have happen on this blog at some point:
1. photos of birds
2. a digiscoping camera thingie to take photos of birds
3. my life list
4. someone big-time like Birdchick reading my blog--even once!
5. questions for other beginning birders

I realized all these things have happened, even#4. Birdchick even chose one of Niblet’s disapproving photos for her Disapproving Rabbits book! It’s gratifying to look back and see what I’ve accomplished. My lifelist has practically doubled (which isn’t saying that much, as it’s still fewer than 100 birds), I’ve got a decent beginner’s digiscoping rig (which will be complete once my tripod arrives tomorrow by UPS!), and I’ve certainly posted lots of bird photos and questions for other birders, both beginners and experienced ones. I’m getting a little teary-eyed. . . .

So I’ll leave you with these links to two posts from August 2006, about Niblet’s experience in the weedy garden.
Part 1 and
Part 2

Condoleezza Rice is a liar

On The Week with George Stephanopoulos, Condoleezza Rice said she didn't remember seeing a memo that discounted the claim that Iraq purchased or attempted to purchase yellowcake from Niger in the late 1990s. It was the basis for Joe Wilson's accusation that the Bush administration "exaggerated the Iraqi threat" in order to justify war."

She indicated that had she known, she would have suggested the President remove those famous words from his State of the Union address.

I have a pressing meeting today, so my time is limited right now, but I want to talk more about this latter. I will close by saying it's time for all the liars in this administration to go!

Take Back the Blog!

One need only read the comments under a post below on pay equity to understand why there needs to be a Take Back the Blog blogswarm. Does anyone REALLY believe that women choose to be downwardly mobile because of their desire to find a mate? Someone named "Stanton" does.

Stanton says:

One social force which I believe shapes the pay gap (and have not seen explored) is the mating instinct. Simply stated, higher pay increases the field of possible mates for males and decreases the field for females. This exerts downward pressure on the motivations of females to increase their compensation levels and upward pressure on that of males.

Do you believe this?

Native American women face high rape rate

Take Back the Blog! A few years ago I attended a conference organized by a coalition of African American women's groups. One of the astounding things I learned was that at least 50% of African American women are raped or assaulted. When the workshop presenter ask everyone who had been assaulted to stand up, nearly everyone in the room got up. I was just blown away.
Now the Washington Post reports that one in three Native American women will be raped at some point in their lives.

The report, "Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA," noted a variety of reasons that rape is so prevalent on reservations, according to its authors.

In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled in Oliphant v. the Suquamish Indian Tribe that tribal governments have no criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians. When a crime is committed, tribal police and their non-Indian counterparts must hash out whether the suspect is Indian or not.

Tribal governments lack the funds and staffing to patrol their lands, the report said. At the million-acre Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which straddles North and South Dakota, seven police officers are on duty. In Alaska, where state and native police patrol a vast landscape, officers took four hours to reach the village of Nunam Iqua, during which time a barricaded suspect raped a 13-year-old girl in front of her siblings.

"It is extremely frustrating," said Jason O'Neal, chief of the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Department in south-central Oklahoma. "It's confusing for the victim because they don't know who they should be calling. A victim of domestic violence may call 911, the sheriff's office or our office."

The Bush administration can spend billions on a civil war in Iraq, but we don't have sufficient funds to protect women in the United States.

"It is disgraceful that such abuse exists today," said Larry Cox, Amnesty International's executive director. "Without immediate action, an already abysmal and outrageous situation for women could spiral even further out of control."

The power to end violence begins with each and every one of us. What could YOU do to make this country safer for women and girls?

Must Read: Why we need an ERA

Why We Need an ERA
The Gender Gap Runs Deep in American Law

By Martha Burk and Eleanor Smeal
Friday, April 27, 2007
The Washington Post

Some members of Congress are looking to do something long overdue: pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Recently renamed the Women's Equality Amendment and introduced by its chief sponsors, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), the amendment would grant equal constitutional rights to women -- something we have yet to achieve. This simple concept had the blessing of both political parties until the Republicans struck it from their platform in 1980, with the Democrats following suit in 2004.

Why is the amendment needed? Twenty-three countries -- including Sri Lanka and Moldova -- have smaller gender gaps in education, politics and health than the United States, according to the World Economic Forum. We are 68th in the world in women's participation in national legislatures. On average, a woman working full time and year-round still makes only 77 cents to a man's dollar. Women hold 98 percent of the low-paying "women's" jobs and fewer than 15 percent of the board seats at major corporations. Because their private pensions -- if they have them at all -- are lower and because Social Security puts working women at a disadvantage and grants no credit for years spent at home caring for children or aging parents, three-quarters of the elderly in poverty are women. And in every state except Montana, women still pay higher rates than similarly situated men for almost all kinds of insurance. All that could change if we put equal rights for women in our Constitution.

Some say action isn't needed because the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment already guarantees rights for women. It would be great if that were so. But courts have failed to hold sex discrimination to the same level of scrutiny under the 14th Amendment as is applied, for example, to race discrimination, meaning that many discriminatory practices -- barring women from certain military jobs, establishing boys-only public classrooms and schools, and open discrimination against women in insurance programs, to name a few -- are still legal.

Yes, we have laws outlawing sex discrimination. But a law is only as strong as the next Congress and president. Laws and regulations guaranteeing protection against sex discrimination can be overturned by a simple majority in Congress or by the president. Courts have narrowed protections originally guaranteed by statute, resulting in women having to campaign constantly to restore these rights when they're taken away or weakened. What's more, federal laws have usually been narrowly crafted and don't reach into many areas in which state laws discriminate against women and girls.

The history of Title IX, the law guaranteeing equal educational opportunities for girls and women, is an instructive example. Passed in 1972, it opened colleges, law schools, medical schools and athletic opportunities to women at institutions receiving federal funds. Opponents fought its implementation from the beginning, and in 1984 they succeeded in gutting the law. The Supreme Court's decision in Grove City v. Bell declared that only individual programs receiving federal funds were subject to the law, not institutions as a whole. Women's groups had to mount a four-year fight to pass legislation overturning Grove City and restoring the original intent of Title IX. With a patchwork of state and federal laws that provide only statutory guarantees and many loopholes, the job is never done. The Bush administration has also weakened Title IX through a backdoor provision in the No Child Left Behind Act that permits the creation of sex-segregated public schools for little or no reason.

The ERA was ratified by 35 states before the time limit contained in its preamble was reached. Even though it has been reintroduced in every congressional session since, there has been no action since the 1980s -- until now.

Whether the Women's Equality Amendment must be passed with a new drive for 38 states, as opponents declare, or by merely adding three states to the 35 that have already ratified the amendment (the women's movement is pursuing both avenues) is irrelevant to the central truth: We need women's constitutional equality in this country. Women are not, and cannot be, legally equal to men without it. The United States must declare that women are equal under the law, no matter which state we live in, without reservation.

Ninety percent of Americans believe that the Constitution should make it clear that women and men have equal rights, according to a 2001 poll, and it won't cost taxpayers a dime. It will benefit not only the women of the United States but also the men, in this and all generations to come. That would be a real legacy for the new Congress.

Martha Burk directs the Corporate Accountability Project for the National Council of Women's Organizations. Eleanor Smeal is president of the Feminist Majority.

Squirrel nest-building!

Kat and I were walking onto campus this afternoon and I saw a brownish-colored squirrel, rummaging around in a nest-like bunch of twigs about 20 feet from the ground, in a birch tree. I thought at first that he might be preying on the eggs of some bird; however, I quickly realized he (or she?) was building a nest!

I wish I could tell you I have some great photos or even video, but I had nothing with me to capture this magical moment! My description will have to suffice. Sorry!

The squirrel would hop from thick trunk to trunk, looking for twigs. He then nibbled the twigs off, usually to a length of 10-15 inches (from what I could judge from the ground). Then he would secure the twig in his mouth, hop back over to the nest in the crook of a large branch, and weave the twig into place. I watched for about ten minutes as he did this, twig after twig. I tried to remain hidden, but it's possible that he saw me and was spooked; he hopped his way over to an adjoining oak, then disappeared.

I never knew that squirrels even built nests, much less nests in trees. But now I've seen one in construction. I just wish I'd had my camera. He was really cute.

President Bush reaffirms whiteness

Take Back the Blog!

from Crablaw.com

... [Crablaw.com] will host the April 28, 2007 Take Back the Blog! Blogswarm in support of the rights of women to participate fully in all aspects of our society, including specifically online in the world of blogging but indeed everywhere and at all times, day and night, without fear of harassment, intimidation, sexual harassment, online stalking and slander, predation or violence of any sort. This page will be modified without notice during the next several weeks to accommodate the incoming structure and content for this Blogswarm.

This is a link to the LARGE LOGO.

For additional information visit Crablaw.com.

Bush to Congress: "I'll compromise, as long as we do it my way"

As a general rule when someone says they are willing to talk out differences it implies they might be willing to compromise. Not so with the Commander in Chief!

The WaPo reports:

In a somber statement on the South Lawn of the White House before leaving on a trip to New York, Bush said he was willing to meet with Democratic leaders "as many times as it takes to resolve our differences," but he signaled no intention to compromise with them on the funding bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Democrats simply need to hang tough on this. The American people are with them. Everyone can see through the lies told by Bush and Cheney -- especially Cheney. Every time they are given an opportunity to voice their opinion, the public has denounced the administration's policy in Iraq.

Vice President Cheney and Democratic leaders traded barbs over the $124 billion emergency war-funding bill, a day after Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) described Cheney as the Bush administration's "chief attack dog" against the Democrats' plan to end the war in Iraq. Reid said yesterday that Cheney lacks credibility and has offered "wildly irresponsible and inaccurate attacks on us and our strategy."

Cheney has NO credibility, and Bush can threaten veto all he wants. If he does veto the bill, and the Republicans refuse to override his veto, it will seal the deal for Democrats in 2008. Any "thinking" Republican must surely know this.

Children, teach your parents well

What I like most about this story is that it was the kids at Taylor County High School who decided they'd had enough of segregation. They decided they no longer wanted a "white" prom and a "black" prom.

In the photo included here the students are working together to get ready for their prom. How cool is that!

Nearly 15 years before Gerica McCrary was born, recently integrated Taylor County High School stopped sponsoring a prom. Parents and students set up their own -- one for blacks and one for whites.

The tradition continued for 31 springs in this rural county of 8,800 midway between Columbus and Macon in central Georgia until McCrary asked her fellow juniors to "stand for what is right" and vote to hold one prom for students of all races.

"In the beginning, the students were afraid of change," the black 17-year-old said. "But the kids got together. The students tore down the Berlin Wall. Both sides were tired of it.

Now, if they can just share this view with their parents ... and ALL parents ... imagine how the country might change.

Taylor County High School has 420 students, 226 of them black. Nearly 75 percent of the juniors and seniors supported McCrary's proposal for one prom.

The decision upset a few parents, but only because they have a hard time adjusting to change, said Steve Smith, a high school algebra teacher who attended Taylor County schools during desegregation. He and his wife are assisting the junior class on behalf of their daughter and niece, both Taylor County students.

Public schools in the rural South ignored federal orders to desegregate for decades. Taylor County did not allow blacks and whites to sit in the same classrooms until 16 years after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which declared segregated schools unconstitutional.

The president of the Georgia Association of Educators, Ralph Noble, said the decision "truly shows that children are wiser than adults many times."

McCrary, who has a 4.0 average and participates in several extracurricular activities, said she was inspired by a classroom slogan that said: "Stand for what is right, or stand alone."

"At first, I was standing alone," she said. "Some thought it was absurd. I wanted unity, diversity, equality. Now, when I walk through the school, people congratulate me."

Good for you Gerica! Hopefully, others will follow your example.

Pay Equity - and idea whose time has come

Is anyone surprised that women STILL earn less money than men? A recent report by the American Association of University Women reveals that as early as one year out of college, women are earning less than their male counterparts. Even though most women do better in school than men.

AAUW suggests the difference is due to sex discrimination. Again I ask, is anyone surprised?

New research released today by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation shows that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field. Ten years after graduation, the pay gap widens.

In the report, Behind the Pay Gap, the AAUW Educational Foundation found that just one year after college graduation, women earn only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall further behind, earning only 69 percent of what men earn. Even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings, the research indicates that one-quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained and is likely due to sex discrimination. Over time, the unexplained portion of the pay gap grows.

The research also shows that ten years after graduation, college-educated men working full time have more authority in the workplace than do their female counterparts. Men are more likely to be involved in hiring and firing, supervising others, and setting pay.

"By looking at earnings just one year out of college, you have as level a playing field as possible," said AAUW Director of Research Catherine Hill. "These employees don’t have a lot of experience and, for the most part, don’t have care-giving obligations, so you’d expect there to be very little difference in the wages of men and women. But surprisingly, and unfortunately, we find that women already earn less — even when they have the same major and occupation as their male counterparts."

The AAUW research also shows that this pay gap exists despite the fact that women outperform men in school – earning slightly higher GPAs than men in every college major, including science and mathematics.

To my sisters reading this, it's time to bring pay equity back to the top of our list! TAKE ACTION

In Memoriam - Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald

Ellen R. Malcolm statement on the death

of Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald

“A leader and relentless advocate for women, Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald had a tremendous impact on the women of the United States. Her sudden loss to cancer will be deeply felt throughout California and the nation.

“Rep. Millender-McDonald was an EMILY’s List woman in every sense of the word. She worked tirelessly to promote the advancement of women in politics and business while encouraging women to use their vote to enact change in their communities.

“This outstanding woman knew firsthand how important it is for women to participate in politics. A teacher and school administrator, she started her political career 17 years ago when she ran for and won a seat on the Carson City Council. She served as mayor of Carson City and as a member of the California State Assembly. Finally, in 1996, her ambition and passion helped her win a hotly contested special election for the United States House. For 11 years in the House, she championed policies to strengthen communities and protect families. Rep. Millender-McDonald held her seat with dignity and enthusiasm.

“Rep. Millender-McDonald’s aptitude for leadership was immediately recognized during her tenure in the California State Assembly and continued during her years in the United States House. She served as the Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and as a regional Democratic whip. A trailblazer, she became the first African American woman chair of the U.S. House Administration Committee when Democrats reclaimed control of Congress.

“From her work on behalf of women and families in the U.S. to her contributions to international justice and human rights, Rep. Millender-McDonald was a voice for those who truly needed an advocate. To lose such a strong and likeminded ally so suddenly is a considerable loss for the EMILY’s List family. She will be deeply missed.”

Wiccan Pentacle approved -- it's about time!

Bush Administration Agrees To Approve Wiccan Pentacle For Veteran Memorials
Settlement In Americans United Lawsuit Comes After Discovery Of A Pattern Of Bias Against Minority Faith

The Bush administration has conceded that Wiccans are entitled to have the pentacle, the symbol of their faith, inscribed on government-issued memorial markers for deceased veterans, Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced today.

The settlement agreement, filed today with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, brings to a successful conclusion a lawsuit Americans United brought against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in November.

The litigation charged that denying a pentacle to deceased Wiccan service personnel, while granting religious symbols to those of other traditions, violated the U.S. Constitution.

“This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation’s veterans,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “It is a proud day for religious freedom in the United States.”

From Americans United for Separation of Church and State (full story)

Happy Earth Day

Save Small, Independent Magazines like Ms.!

The future of independent magazines like Ms., Mother Jones, The Nation, etc. is at risk with a massive new postage hike!

The U.S. Postal Service has accepted a Time Warner proposal that would significantly increase postage rates for smaller magazines, while reducing costs for the nation's largest publishers like Hearst and, you guessed it, Time Warner.

Ms. is working with Free Press, a national non-partisan organization working to reform media, and the Media Consortium, including Mother Jones, The Nation, American Prospect, The Progressive, In These Times, and other independent media to send a massive number of letters protesting this unfair postage hike. But we must act now - we only have until April 23 to respond!

Please take a minute now to cosign a letter demanding that the rules are changed.

Time Warner's plan was chosen - with no public input - instead of another proposal that would have imposed a mostly equal increase (approx. 12 percent) for all magazine publishers. If implemented, the Time Warner plan could force many smaller publications out of business.

This proposal unfairly hurts smaller, cutting-edge publications like Ms., at a time when we need independent media more than ever. You can count on Ms. magazine, not "big corporate media," for the real story on the issues affecting women in the U.S. and worldwide.

Don't let Time Warner and the corporate media win - please cosign a letter demanding that Congress step in to stop the unfair postage hike and save independent media!

For A Strong Feminist Media,

Katherine Spillar, Executive Editor
Eleanor Smeal, Publisher

Sunday Funnies

Focus on the Family

No, don't worry; this is most definitely NOT the Colorado-based, super-far-right, anti-choice, anti-anything-but-right-wing-weirdos Focus on the Family. (No, I'm not linking to it, either!) This post is a focus on our family, or more precisely, our kitties and bunny. It all started because I got probably the best photo of Clawsie ever taken today (she doesn't even look like she's going to scratch your eyes out!) so I figured I needed to post it right away! Then, of course, everyone wanted equal time, so we'll start the roll call. I'll even include all their various nicknames!

It took about ten minutes of coaxing, petting, snapping pictures, and luck to get this shot of Miss Kitty Claws, aka Clawsie, aka Miss Nasty Face. Here, though, she looks positively exorcised of her usual evil:


I was even lucky enough to catch all the kitties sitting on the Little Tower of Kitty Power today. Of course, they were all bird-watching, as is their habit:

From top to bottom, Sweet Kitty Kisses, aka Kisses, aka Sweet Girl; Sweet Sugar Cookies, aka Cookies, aka The Little One; and Clawsie, aka The Fat One, aka The Little Bear.

Finally, here's little Niblet, aka Nibble, aka My-Little-Son-Moon-and-Stars, aka Nibbelette doing a funny little pose:


Kat's not about having her pic on the blog, and you've already seen me at Cape May, so that is the end of the show!

Graduation night, birding morning

Coming up with titles for these posts is sometimes difficult, but the one above covers the signficant events of the past 24 hours, so there it is.

First, Kat and I, Joche, Kelly, and a friend's two children Ben and Sarah attended Kat's Lavender Graduation. This is an intimate, special ceremony held at PSU to honor LGBTA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allies) graduates. (Kat finished her first M.S. (in Human Development and Family Studies) in August; she still has the PhD to go, of course, plus another M.S. in Applied Statistics. Yeah. Insert confused expression here.) It was a really neat graduation ceremony--certainly far superior to, say, my high school graduation where we had to endure a woman singing "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music, followed by the hours-long parade of about 700 students across the stage. Oy vey.

At Lavender Graduation, there is a dinner (all vegetarian!), then a Significant Other Award ceremony, where the graduate goes up and reads a dedication to someone (or someones) who helped him or her succeed. There were parents, best friends, partners, and children. Kat pulled me onstage, gave me a rose, and said,

Because you have nourished my body, spririt, and soul... because you give me serenity in knowing that things will happen as they were meant to happen... because you walked the line carefully between our desires and my needs... because you have shared the joy and pain of every exam, every deadline, and every sentence misplaced... because you never complained about reading another draft... because even when you lost my keys, you found them again... you are my significant other."

Oh dear, the keys... Let's just say that more than once, I've had to had to make a special trip home to give Kat her keys, which mysteriously found their way into my pocket and went to work with me....

Anyway, then there was a speaker, then the grads walked across and were presented with a really neat stole and a degree certificate. It was really neat; even the kids (12 and 7) enjoyed it and were perfect little angels during the entire 3-hour affair.

This morning, then, I woke up about 8:30 with Clawsie in my face, demanding breakfast. Once that big bear gets in your face, you really have to get up; otherwise, she's knocking things off the nightstand, gently gnawing on exposed bits of skin, biting your hair, and generally being a nuisance. "She's always hungry. She always needs to feed."

So I listened to the morning songs of the birds and as usual, heard so many songs I was overwhelmed. Let me describe a few for you, because even though I went out with binocs and camera, confident I could find the source of the calls (they sounded so close by!) I didn't see any birds making these noises! That's so frustrating to me; I'll hear the sound, I'll scan in the direction, sure I will see some warbler or thrush or whatever, and NOTHING! I think all the brown birds just mix into the very brown background of leafless trees or something.

Here's a view of where a lot of the birdsongs were coming from; this is the view across the street:

I saw a bunch of American goldfinches, but they were too fast for my camera. They're in full breeding plumage now, and I saw males and females. We usually got a lot of them, especially in the summer when the thistle is in full bloom across the road.

Now back to the songs, or at least my transcription of what I heard:
1. PER-doo-dee-PER-doo-dee-PER-doo-dee: This sound had the rhythm of a witchety-witchety or a teakettle-teakettle, but it really didn't sound like either of those.
2. dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee all on the same note, then shifting up about a fourth to repeat on that note: this one was really strange; first time I've heard it here. I would've thought "Sam Peabody-Peabody-Peabody" but it wasn't like that at all. It was a monotonous sound, same kind-of flat note, then shifting up to a higher note.
3. two notes that sounded almost like a wolf whistle, only less leering and more like a “hey there” whistle. But not a phoebe.

There were millions more, but these are the ones I was able to isolate and transcribe. It's so frustrating to me that I can have a great ear for music (I taught myself to play guitar by ear, and I was a monster clarinet player in school), yet bird songs somehow just escape me.

The guy at work who's a birder, Hillel, told me that it takes a lot of time to train your ear for bird songs and that I just have to be patient. But it's hard! Those of you who've read my blog from the beginning know that I am NOT a patient learner; I just seem to expect myself to start something, learn it quickly, then master it just as quickly. That's how I roll--in most things. But birding is by far the most difficult thing I've undertaken in a long time. I guess that might be why I love it so much.

(There's a mourning dove right outside my window, just pecking for seeds and hanging out. The cats are mesmerized. Such good birders they are!)

So--I didn't get photos of these songbirds. However, I got some other photos on my little walk around the house, so I'll show you those.

I stepped out to find a benneh next to the fence:

Chet Baker would've freaked!

Then I found a mysterious hole just right up against the front of the house:

Who made this hole? A bunny? Look at the footprints. Maybe Science Chimp will help out here. So is this guy living under my house now? Perhaps I should check the basement....

I watched several birds flitting around in the yew tree beside the house; I didn't get any good pics though. But I did find some unfortunate nest issues:


Did these blow out of the tree? Did some picky female judge them inferior and demand a do-over?

We planted these little white flowers last spring, but then prompty forgot what the heck they were called:

Anyone? Anyone?

By now I'd rounded my way around the front and the side of the house, to the backyard. I have a pine tree back here that doesn't look so good. Part of it looks like this:

But part of it looks like this:

Should I be concerned? It is awfully wet back there, on the fenceline next to some sort of drain-looking structure:

No idea what's going on here. This house was built in the 1830s, and in the time since then I imagine there have been many tenants, each of whom had their own little ideas about home improvement. As a result, there are a lot of things I don't understand about the house and the grounds. But back to the tree--do you think it's okay?

Somehow, this egg looks like it was the victim of a predator; it looks like the yolk and white were not quite entirely sucked out:


I found this whole cracked egg in the old veggie garden. Sad. It had obviously developed past the yolk/white stage:

Oh dear.

But enough sadness. I saw a white-throated sparrow; I thought these guys had all gone farther north already, but I guess not:


The marsh today, still rather brown and dead:


Is this a turkey vulture?

Luckily, he was just flying over and didn't find anything to interest him here.

Daffodils, photographed in too much sunlight:

The promise of beautiful purple irises:


The flowering bush in front of Neighbor Ed's house:


The turkey-tail mushroom out on the stump:


And look at this!

I planted these onion sets last year, harvested only a few small onions, and suspected the rest had just frozen and died! But not these onions. Looks like I'll be able to make fresh home-grown salsa again this year!

That does it! I'm going to the plant nursery! I can't wait any longer! Au revoir!

Thanks for the tip, Blue Gal

What Classic Actress Are You?

Katharine Hepburn.She is an icon but beyond that, she was one of the most highly respected and talented actresses in film history. Unconventional, Independant, Intelligent, Feisty You are never afraid to speak your mind and make no attempt to conform to other other people's demands or social norms. You might be seen as haughty and demanding at times but you just want to make sure you do your best on your own terms. Whenever your capabilities are questioned, you end up proving your critics wrong. You have the brains and the brawn to be the alpha-female in a man's world, always holding your own. Go, you! Take this quiz!

This is quite an honor!

Scissorheads Rock!

It Must Be Friday Evening


Because some officials in the White House just said
Abu G should step down.



















Posted by Morse, at one of my favorite blogs ... Mock, Paper, Scissors!