Dec 29, 2010

Today, I was out taking pictures of the kids sledding, and luckily, I kept my camera on me while I went to bring the trash to the dumpster. While I was there I heard the crows going mental. I assumed that they were harassing what looked to be a hawk, but when I looked through the camera lens, I realized it was an owl. There is something really cool about seeing an owl in the day time, in nature. The crows must have been attacking it while it was in flight because some of its feathers appeared to be mangled, and they were not touching the owl while it was in the tree. There must have been 6-8 crows all vocally harassing the owl while they had it surrounded in the tree.
I am no ornithologist, but based on my wikipedia research, it appears to be a great horned owl. They are territorial when mated, and December through February is mating season for owls. It also says that an adult owl has no real predators, but may get into confrontations with eagles, snowy owls and other great horned owls. It looked to me that these crows were giving it a pretty hard time too. Hopefully, this is its territory and we will get to see more of him (I am assuming it is a him, because the males are smaller than the females with the average height being 18-27in, and he was no bigger than the crows).

Dec 27, 2010

I have to be honest, I had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year, right up until Christmas eve. It just didn't feel like Christmas yet, even though the radio stations started playing Christmas music the day after Halloween, and there has been snow on the ground for the past week. Maybe, it was because I procrastinated everything until, just about the last minute.
Anyway, we ended up having a great Christmas this year, we had Chris's family over for Christmas dinner, and it was the first time we had cooked for a holiday meal. I have to say, it turned out pretty well. You can't really go wrong with a 23lb ham....salt & fat...mmmmm! Deason got some MORE legos, and I got a new tripod for my camera. We played around and took some family photos. Thanks Nana & Grampa!

Dec 13, 2010

Aaaahhhh...Florida! While this isn't exactly beach weather, it is still nice to be able to go outside in flip-flops. Yesterday was nice enough to go swimming in the pool, at least for Deason and Dahlia. I just took pictures, but my feet went for a swim, and they decided for me that it was too cold. The hot tub was nice though.

Today, we went to the Naples Zoo. It is a great little zoo! There are tons of big cats (which are my favorite), giraffe, kangaroos, and of course large alligators. The only thing I don't really care for is the animals living quarters seem kind of small, which is sad for the animals, but on the flip side you can always be guaranteed to see them really well. They do appear to be very well cared for, and their homes while small are very cozy, they are not on cement slabs. Although, I am not really a good judge, because naturally, I am not a wild animal that lives in captivity.

Dec 10, 2010

Deason and I got to check out some model railroad trains yesterday, and we also got our Christmas tree. We had to make all new ornaments, since we abandoned our old ones when we moved. It cost less than $35 for the tree and all the decorations, and it looks pretty good too. I paid $1 for a big bag of shells and hot glued some ribbons to them...ta-da.... ornaments! I can't take credit for it though, I stole the idea from a woman at work. The hardest part about the whole Christmas tree thing, is making sure the ornaments stay on the tree, Dahlia likes to put them on and take them off, and they don't always make it back on the tree.
The kids and I leave for Florida tomorrow, we needed a reprieve from the cold, plus the tickets were dirt cheap and couldn't be passed up. Chris will stay behind to make sure the tree gets watered and doesn't die. He will be sorry he choose to stay behind when it starts to snow! He will be missed!

Dec 4, 2010

I can't believe it is December already. Come on summer, your just around the corner! It's pretty obvious, I am trying to deceive myself.
I did the coolest thing the other day....Kristin and I went trapeze flying! It was terrifyingly awesome! They have you practice on the stationary bar...once, then they demonstrate for you...once, and then they expect you to fly through the air with the greatest of ease!! In all honesty it is kind of easy, the hard part is shutting off your brain and allowing to do what they tell you to do. The first time, you swing from the landing, hook you knees over the bar, release your hands, return to hanging from your hands, and to dismount...tuck your knees up and flip backwards to the net! It is completely disorienting, and most of the time I had no idea where I was in relation to the ground, but you have to trust the instructors and let go when they tell you and hope it all works out. That, and trust in the safety harness they hold to prevent you from falling on your head. By the end, Kristin and I were being caught by the other trapeze guy. It was awesome! And thanks to Deason we have some great pictures too!
Today, I am sore in places I didn't know existed. It was worth it though! I already scheduled another lesson, and got the third one free!
I know I used the word awesome too much in this blog, but it was....awesome!