Conversations with a Big M

Me: Sitting on the floor attempting to play with Mia
Melissa: Jumps on my back piggy back style
Me: "Melissa why don't you go find a toy to play with"
Melissa: continues jumping on my back
Me: "Go get a toy to play with"
Melissa: continues jumping on my back
Me: "Go get a toy or something"
Melissa: "You ARE a toy."


Me: What do you want to do today Melissa?
Melissa: mmm Lets go for a walk
Me: Its rainy and cold outside
Melissa: Well we can take umbrellas
Me: What about Mia?
Melissa: You can put her coat on
Me: What else do you want to do today?
Melissa: Go to the park
Me: What do you want to do today at home?
Melissa: pasues looks around the house, "hmmmmmm, (eyes light up) play outside"

Birding with a Big M

I've always loved spring, but Spring seems to be magnified in Omaha, (but that is the subject for another post). Spring means migration. Oh I LOVE the spring migration in Nebraska. As the trees and the flowers come alive so do the birds, and the birding community. And it gets me twitching. Especially because spring also means finals. Finding time to do all the birding I want or even some birding and balance the needs of my family is a challenge. I sneak off now and again, an evening drive to Lincoln here, and an early morning back by 10 quicky there. And then there is trying to bird WITH the kids.

Earlier this week I took Melissa. I didn't really plan on it, but at the last minute I took her. We drove out to Lincoln to see the Pine Warbler. I thought the chances of seeing it with my attention divided were minimal, but 5 min after leaving the car there it was. I not only saw it but had great looks of it, heard it sing, and was able to relocated it twice. After satisfyingly watching it for a few minutes I was able to throw pine cones in the lake with Melissa, took her to the play ground, and the nature center. It was a spectacular park and I had THE BEST time there. I had so much fun with her and the park and the birds. It was a wonderful day.

And then I got cocky.

I figure it worked out so well I would try it again. But this time I had both kids. I had it all planned out, we were going to go for a hike down at Fontenelle, and sit and wait for the woodpecker to come to us. After arriving it took me forever to get the baby in the front back, the back pack full of water, treats, snacks, diapers, wipes and other mommy essentials, on my back, binoculars in hand, and ready to leave when Melissa insisted we look at the horses first. Then informed me she had to pee. There are no bathroom anywhere NEAR where we were. Since I had just gotten ready I did not want to load everything back up into the car: but that is exactly what I should have done.

I thought I could talk her into peeing in the woods. After convincing her there were no bathrooms around which was no small feet we started on the trail. I then tried to get her to go off the trail a little way to go. But she got bonked with the binoculars, and then got into some prickle bushes, and they hurt really bad. Now all she wanted to do was go home, not that I could blame her, but I didn't want to leave on such a negative note. So I convinced her to keep going (by saying we were on a loop and the car was up the trail which wasn't a Total lie). She started having fun but would not leave the trail for fear of more ochy plants and we never did take care of the other problem. I'm sure by this time you can guess the end of the story and no, the mommy backpack did not contain an extra pair of pants, underwear or socks.

On the upside, I gave Missa her own pair of binoculars and she thought that was so cool, and she look stinky cute looking through them the wrong way, we heard a barred owl at 2:00 p.m. and Mia cooed at the trees.

Ah the misadventures of the birding mother of two adorable kids. Maybe one day I will learn but I doubt it.

My M&Ms: Growing up

Melissa: She craves social interactions. She is such an extrovert**. She gets so much energy from playing with kids, it amazes me. She LOVES to play with other kids, and considers any person younger than 12 to be a 'friend'. The other day she begged and begged to go play outside because some other friends were out. I really didn't want her to because it was late, and cold out, but I finally caved. I stood by the back door and watched her play. She is growing up. She isn't my little toddler anymore. Watching her interact with her friends I realized how much she is growing into her own person. I want to say slipping away from me, but its not really, as she is just becoming herself. But at the same time I see that others are starting to influence her. She is picking up on what other people say and do. I'm not really sure what to think and feel about that, and I know that it will only increase with time.

She is also very independent and strong willed. Two traits that run deep in the women of my family (including myself), but nonetheless exasperating at times. She is a great helper and is the only one that can get Mia to laugh on command. I love watching her interact with Mia. (most of the time). I am amazed at how articulate she is and how quick to remember stuff. She is constantly singing. You never have to wonder what she is thinking because she just lets you know. She loves talking on the phone. Sometimes I swear she is 3 going on 13.

**Side not: An Extrovert (as I have learned it) is someone who is energized by social interactions. A introvert is someone who is energized by being by themselves. For example if two people had to do a challenging or intimidating task like speaking in public, afterward an introvert would read a book or surf a computer, an extrovert would call a friend, or go out with a social group. Being the introvert mother of a energetic extrovert can be exhausting.

Mia: She is officially six months old. Holy cow when did that happen? She is such a delight and happy soul. She has discovered that her vocal cords can go down as well as up and makes a growling sound. Melissa can make her laugh pretty much on cue, me she just looks at me, as if to say 'I know you are trying mom, but you just look dorky'. She finally figured out how to roll over from her tummy to her back. And we started feeding her rice cereal, and other sorted baby food. She can sit up on her own for a few brief moments before toppling over. I love the 6 month baby stage we they are so adorable and their personalities really start to shine, but still babies. And no matter what I do, her hair still sticks straight up, but I love it.

Moon Rise

Written on Aug 5th 2009. This is one of the posts written in my head and on paper that finally prompted me to take the plunge into blogging, but this one never got posted, till now.

SO... When I was a kid I remember reading in a book characters talking about a moon rise, and how it had all these colors, reds, orange, yellow. It was an off hand comment in the book but I was confused by it cuz I had never seen a moon rise with colors and was confused by what it meant. Ever since then I have sub-consciously and sometimes consciously watch as moons have risen. I have never seen one with colors.

Yesterday on my way home from young women’s I notice a full moon just coming up over the horizon. It was big and full and beautiful and red. I realized that it was red because the sun had just set on the other horizon and there were still reds in the western horizon. The moon was sharing the light from the sunset. As this realization happened I remember the book from eons ago and my long forgotten fascination with moonrises, and I wondered if that was what they had meant. I then had another realization: I figured out a reason that I had missed the reds and oranges of all of my previous moonrises.

If my assumptions are correct, in order for a moon to be red as it is rising it needs to be rising with the sunset. It has been a very long time since a learned anything about the moon cycle, but if memory and observation serve me than that alone takes some timing. Because the moon and the sun do not always rise/set at the same time. The moon can rise at various times of the day. Even with the right timing, Mountains (more specifically a valley) also prevent this unique color sharing between sun and moon, or at least dilute it. By the time the moon peaks over the mountains it is high enough in the sky for the colors to have faded. The moon rises I have seen have been beautiful, but the moon has been clear and white. What’s funny is I’ve noticed red moons coming up before but have never made the connections between my long ago book, or the lack of mountains. It is another wonderful thing living in the Midwest has given me. How grateful I am for small moments like this in life. As much as I love the mountains, and miss the people there I love the chance to live someplace different.

I found this website that had a great technical explanation of a colorful moonrise, and an awesome picture.

Yard Birds

After months I finally have bird seed for my feeders. And in the couple of weeks that I have had bird seed out I have seen 9 species at my feeder. Which I think is pretty good considering I have no yard, and I live in a very urban area. My list includes:

1. Black Capped Chickadee
2. House Sparrow
3. House Finch
4. Northern Cardinal
5. Blue Jay
6. Downy Woodpecker
7. American Robin
8. Dark Eyed Junco
9. Mourning Dove

Bushtits in Nebraska

March brought the Bushtits to Nebraska.

I admit that I am at a loss for words about our birding adventures. Not because I didn’t have fun, or immensely enjoy the company for my friends and fellow birders. Nor is it because we didn’t have many a sorted tells to tell, which as always were many, and included missed flights, almost missed flights, lost luggage, NOT getting the car stuck in mud, 40 mph winds, bacon glorious bacon and the like. I think I’m at a loss for words because I don’t know how to describe what I experienced. I have never been very articulate and sometime struggle with understanding my thoughts, and emotions, not to mention my lack of writing and creative skills. So Please read this awesome post which says everything I want to say and says it much better than I can.

But here are a few of my own thoughts to add. When I thought about what birding adventure could bring the girls to Omaha I didn’t think Nebraska had that much to offer. Not in the traditional sense anyway. Traditional birding trip sense that is. Usually trips evolve around seeing new species. (most birders obsessed compulsively about new species) We try very hard not to be the typically listing birder, but we are what we are and new species are usually the main goal. But Nebraska did have one unique thing to offer and that was Sandhill Cranes. Sandhill Cranes are not a new species, and they are actually quiet common. However hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes gather along the Platte river in central Nebraska during spring migration. Hundreds of thousands of 3 foot tall birds, whose single call can be heard for miles, typically roost in the same 5 miles stretch of river. Five miles seems big, but as we explored the area some we realized how small that really is. It is quiet the spectacle to behold, and nothing can quiet describe it. My favorite part is the sound.

It was different to play host as well as birder. I believe it’s the first time, to stay at a fellow bushtits home. But it was enjoyable to have visitors. As planner you always fret over the details. You fret about the weather, and if the birds will show, and that it wasn’t ‘peak’ time (which was okay since at ‘peak’ the tourist can outnumber the birds and we prefer to be by ourselves), and where to find the birds, and should we call the outfitter to see the prairie chicken leks. Of course nothing cooperated as you would have liked and of course no one cared.

My favorite part of the trip was their excitement over one of my favorite places Fontenelle Forest. I wish we would have had time to take them to Hitchcock Nature Center. I know they would have loved it. It’s no Rocky Mountains out here but I have found a lot of beauty in the Midwest and it was fun to share it with them. Even though it was still winter and the leaves weren’t on the trees, the bird life was slow, and a million other details they could still see the beauty there. “All places contain innate beauty but not all can see it.” I love that they can.

If you are having a bad day, maybe this will help.