I'm bored...'what's there to do?' ---

WEDNESDAY Nature Notes & Wild Birds...

Thanks to Stewart hosting WBW and Michelle with Nature Notes [see sidebar links]

With boredom overtaking me the other day;  a day filled with rain, I took out my sketch pad. This time, a Yellow Billed Cuckoo [often heard but rarely seen]...

...Like the Black-billed Cuckoo, the young Yellow-billed Cuckoo develops very quickly. The entire period from egg laying to fledgling leaving the nest lasts only 17 days. On day six or seven after hatching, the feathers of the young burst out of their sheaths, allowing the nestling to become fully feathered in two hours. Read more...

On the island at Packery Channel's Oak Motte, I spotted one that flew into a small tree sapling a good distance from the gazebo. Tho I zoomed in on it as best I could, it still is quite hidden...

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

Thanks for our host, Joyce, for these questions this week [see sidebar links]

1. What's one thing that's still the same about you as when you were young? Well, I've never had a blood transfusion, does that mean my blood is still the same?  Probably not, but it's still the same blood  type ---oh, and my eye color. Still Blue the last time I checked.

2. What's more important-history or science? Why? I've always argued with Bud about History. Written History that is. In my opinion, composed History is closer to fiction than we think!!! It's true!! Just read anything in your History books, and or newspaper articles from years ago at your library...or even go to LDS and check out any record of families. Names wrong, dates wrong, other things that were written have been proven incorrect in recent times. A reported article is only through the eyes of the columnist....take a story that was witnessed and have it circle around the area and come back to you....it's totally different than from the beginning. But you asked what's more important----I'd say Science. Altho Science is an experimental 'history' of trials, look what Science has done for just about everything you do and use in today's times ---from health issues/cures right down to the everyday things you utilize --i.e., washing machines, dryers, light bulbs...even toothpaste. My opinion.  Oh, and by the way...history states that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb when in actuality, he didn't... they'd already been in existence for years prior to Edison's patent date.  So you see, history shows he was the inventor, when in all instances he was the first to PERFECT the bulb some seven decades after  its invention.   Read more...

3. Lima, kidney, string, garbanzo, black or pinto-your favorite bean? I like 'em all actually. My favorite way of serving them I guess it would have to be string beans --- With bacon bits.

4. What's something people come to your town to do? The biggest attraction would probably be....surfing. Or Deep Sea Fishing.

5. When was the last time you were in a meeting? Sum it up for us in five words or less. Business, years ago, at work!!!

6. What special event would you like a VIP pass to attend? Here's one I've been thinking of a lot lately [with our governmental mess these days]...what I'd like to see, and be a witness to, would be a change in our way of electing president/vice president. Centuries ago, the man with the most votes was 'elected' president. The 2nd highest votes was then vice president...no matter which party!!! That means you could have a president that was let's say...Democrat. And then the runner up could be a Republican...I think things would change for the better going back to those 'olden days'. And I would like to be there for that change to witness the signing of this event!!

7. What's one piece of advice you'd give a writer? Never give up?!!! And hire an editor that actually can READ and KNOW proper grammar. So many times, reading...there are typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. That bugs the heck outta me. And I think today, them 'editors' rely on spell check! LOL Question: Did you see the grammatical error here? And Spell Check didn't catch it!!

8. Insert your own random thought here. Color me excited!! Sunday Bud and I went birding, and we spotted, [and I got two great photos of the bird before it flew off to areas unknown] - a 'rare' bird!!! Yay!! I have the photos on my camera card still, but plan to get them uploaded and re-sized so I can get it published/posted on my birding photo blog soon!!! It's a beautiful [male]...tiny bird!!  Did I mention it is a rare bird in these parts?  Rare, not seen through the whole of USA..... except, according to the habitat map, breeding in AZ [only ONE confirmed report] and parts of Texas [less than a dozen confirmed sightings since records have been kept].  But, for the most part, the confirmations of Texas are reportedly only in the Southern Rio Grande Valley...about a three hour drive from home.  Their habitat range is Old Mexico and South America.  Yet, Sunday, Bud and I only drove 15 miles to a birding area just outside town here, and spotted one.  Cool beans!!