Category Archives: I like to make lists

Books, I like to make lists

4, 5

17 Comments

I wish that I could report better than minor progress at #4 and 5 on this list, but the fact is that I’m just manipulating my own silly rules.

So while I don’t recall buying any new books lately, there were a couple Christmas gifts.

And I’ve been making liberal use of the local library.

Gone are the days when I could immerse myself in one book at a time. I’m not sure why, but I can’t seem to find the time to concentrate fully enough. So I’ve been reading light or hopscotching from book to book, mixing up plots and characters. Adds to the fun, maybe.

In the last couple days I finished:

Letters to Sam: A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life by Daniel Gottlieb
Gift of the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Living on the Edge of the World: NJ Writers Take on the Garden State

I’m partway through these:

Twelve Moons of the Year by Hal Borland
A Book of Days by Hal Borland
Seasons by Hal Borland
The Gate House by Nelson DeMille
Stiff by Mary Roach
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Duma Key by Stephen King
Plant Seed, Pull Weed: Nurturing the Garden of Your Life by Geri Larkin
Doodles and Daydreams: Your Passport for Becoming an Escape Artist by Bill Zimmerman – a Christmas gift to myself!
The Essential Rumi translated by Coleman Barks – another Christmas gift to me!
The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser – I’ve been reading this one since early June, I think, trying to make the fun last.

I won’t mention the books that remain untouched on the *to be read* pile. But it is getting smaller – honest!

So… what have you read lately that’s any good? Want to add to one of my lists?

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Garden, I like to make lists

Hummingbird plants

10 Comments

With each new seed catalog in the mailbox my dreams get grander and less likely to ever happen.

I love pouring over the new varieties and planning where each might fit in my garden, but actually choosing anything new over my old favorites seems an impossibility. Mostly I plant for butterflies and hummingbirds and think everyone needs to lure them into our gardens for the simple pleasure and laughter they can bring.

Hummingbirds love bell-shaped flowers and will zoom and hover from one to the next to the delight of anyone who stops long enough to notice.

My short list of easy-to grow plants for hummers includes:

Agastache – not bell-shaped, but hummers seek it out together with all manner of bees and insects.

Bee-balm – again not bell-shaped, but it smells great and a red variety has rooted itself along the border of my little pond and is a hummer magnet.

Crocosmia – only half-hardy for me, but a stunner.

Salvia – A personal favorite of mine that the hummers also seem to love in any color.

I can’t remember the name of the plant in this photo – maybe scarlet cypress vine? For years my MIL started the seeds for me and I grew it along the fence that surrounds our pond. Now it grows from any little nook and cranny. This summer it sprouted from between a couple pavers in the driveway and twined its way up the gutters of the house! Beautiful, but it blooms way too late for the hummers to enjoy before they migrate. Anyone else have that issue with this plant?

Any other good hummingbird plants you’ve had success with?

Dog days, I like to make lists, Seasons, Snapshots, Whatever

Lukamoose and favorite Xmas songs

13 Comments

Yes, he’s a ham for the camera!

Can you imagine the torture I’d inflict on a child?

He’s not knocked down the tree or lifted his leg on it. Yet. Stealing ornaments is another matter altogether.

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I’m playing along with a holiday meme I saw over at Liza’s and elsewhere to list 10 favorite Christmas songs. My favorites are mostly traditional carols…

1. O Holy Night – this is my absolute favorite carol, I think.

2. Please Come Home for Christmas by the Eagles

3. Carol of the Bells

4. Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy by David Bowie and Bing Crosby

5. Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg – I won’t admit to liking anything else by him, but this one makes me cry every single time I hear it.

6. Earth Abides by Philip Aaberg – a nicely quiet piano piece

7. Fairytale of NY by The Pogues – not one you’d ever hear on the radio, but an old favorite I was reminded of by reading other responses to this meme. Be warned… The Pogues are something of an acquired taste!

8. Silent Night – this one is all about the setting… I love hearing it on Christmas Eve, at midnight, holding a small candle in front of me at church with hot wax dripping onto my fingers.

9. Wexford Carol

10. Peace by Norah Jones

Why not share a few of your favorites?

I like to make lists, Whatever

Another meme

8 Comments

Stolen from Lynne. Things I’ve done are in bold.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (actually hiked up a mountain)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang/played a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when youā€™re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangeloā€™s David in person
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someoneā€™s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Made a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Gotten a speeding ticket

Can anyone say sheltered?

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Birds, I like to make lists, Snapshots, Travels with the flock, Wanderings

9

14 Comments

Maybe you’re all waiting for the telling of silly stories (check with Susan) or fabulous bird pics (check with Lynne) or tips for identifying sparrows (check with KatDoc) or maybe just Delia’s straight-forward way of saying things (which cracks me up because she’s such a hoot in person!), but if you’re looking for any of that tonight from me… well, I don’t even know where to begin, but to say that it was a fabulous couple of days for this member of the flock.

I’m still amazed with how easily near strangers can come together and feel so comfortable with one another. I don’t guess I should be anymore, but I am. Meeting other bloggers face to face makes me really aware of how much we tell of ourselves with the little things we share here. Anyway…

KatDoc was a life bird-blogger for me and, no surpise here, she was THE serious member of the flock. She had her moments, of course, but she made it obvious that the rest of us were just *social birders* out for a good time. KatDoc means business when it comes to adding birds to her life list. She was smiling here, on our boat trip around the back bays of Cape May yesterday, happy that she’d tallied a few new birds for her list.

These two, Susan and Delia, old friends of mine now. šŸ˜‰ It feels really nice to say that. We first met at last year’s Autumn Weekend and once since then. We only had a day with Delia this time; time for an owl prowl, birding in the rain (again!), breakfast at Uncle Bill’s and a dinner with a whole gang of people that were in town for the weekend before she had to leave for home.

Susan and me. (Laugh.) I feel almost like we’re opposite sides of the same coin, if that makes any sense. She often knows what I’m thinking and’ll say it in that way that only Susan can. I love her for that and the way she can make me laugh until my belly hurts.

Meeting Lynne… well, I think I’d have recognized her as a friend at first sight even if I didn’t *know* her from her blog. I couldn’t resist hugging her any chance I got. šŸ˜‰ Of course you all know it, but she is just the sweetest person in the world and funny in a quiet way that just tickled me. I think NJ was something of a culture shock for her and I’m just hoping that she won’t be scarred for life.

I’m hoping that everyone’s home safely by now and sorting through their own pics and memories. Really, I’m as anxious as you are to hear what stories need to be told first. I love stories.

Stay tuned…

#9 in my 38 by 39.

I like to make lists, Whatever

You gonna eat that?

5 Comments

From Liza:

The Omnivoreā€™s Hundred:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items youā€™ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

1. Venison (I’m pretty sure I was tricked into eating this)
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari (For the first time last weekend)
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (Ick. PB is much better with bananas)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans (Red beans and yellow rice is one of my favorite things)
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goatā€™s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth Ā£60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonaldā€™s Big Mac Meal (This is something of a point of pride for me)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. Sā€™mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogsā€™ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (I love good churros)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (Apple, preferably)
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare (Would you expect anything different?)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano (I made my first mole in high school)
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I’m not very daring when it comes to food, obviously… especially seafood. It was fun reading about all the food items I’ve never even heard of. Most didn’t do anything for my appetite though. I guess I’m not much of an omnivore.

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Birds, I like to make lists, Wanderings

16

4 Comments

That bit of early evening sunlight reflecting off this yellow-headed blackbird is what makes me like this otherwise terrible pic; the quality of light in North Dakota was magical and generous. Even the moonlight seemed to fill the prairie pot holes until they popped out like mirrors of the star-filled sky.

Anyway, I digress…

These were my prairie life birds:

Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
American White Pelican
Sharp-Tailed Grouse
Yellow Rail
American Avocet
Black Tern
Western Kingbird
Bank Swallow
Sedge Wren
Clay-colored Sparrow
Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Yellow-headed blackbird

I’m still holding onto most of my North Dakota stories like precious little pebbles in the pocket of my favorite pair of jeans. Every now and again I pull one out and turn it over in my hand and decide if it’s polished enough for telling yet. Most aren’t, but I’m beginning to remember and still enjoy just sitting with those memories.

Each of the birds on this very modest list has a story of its own; its own sweet memory. I’d forgotten, I think, how nice new life birds can be. A couple of them aren’t technically life birds for me, but I’m a little quirky about claiming life birds and would just as soon wait to check a bird off that list as not be able to really remember seeing it for the first time. These are all firmly set in my memory of a wonderful couple days spent wandering in the middle of nowhere.

#16 in my 38 by 39.

Birds, I like to make lists, Wanderings, Wildflowers

Adirondack round-up

4 Comments

Our last day in the Adirondacks (three weeks ago already!) was the best weather-wise for a visit to Whiteface Mountain. We’d waited around for a couple hours for the clouds to clear, visited a few favorite bug-infested spots, and then made our way to the toll road entrance at the bottom of the mountain. The weather board didn’t have very promising news: zero visibility and a balmy 52 degrees at the summit.

Many years, the little stone building there has a wonderful collection of moths in attendance, including Luna moths, but there were none this year. I’ll never forget the time we watched a little chickadee carry off a Luna twice its size.

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The views of balsam and spruce going up were lovely; we’d stop every couple turns around the mountain, add a layer of clothing, listen for birds and pile back into the vans.
Scott found a nice patch of Clintonia for me, also called Bluebead Lily. A poor picture of a very pretty little wildflower.
The higher we went, the more the clouds encroached on us. At this point, some of the group hiked the rest of the way to the summit; us really bird-oriented people stayed behind and listened for Bicknell’s Thrush.

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Our view from the summit: somewhat disappointing considering how far one might see from this spot. I did manage to spot a speck bird that turned itself into a Bald Eagle; that was nice to add to the trip list!
The obligatory group photo at the top of the world.

Trip List (compiled by Scott):

Birds (1st # indicates the # of days recorded/2nd # indicates highest daily total or estimate):

Canada Goose (4/30)
Wood Duck (2/4)
Mallard (4/6)
Ring-necked Duck (1/2)
Hooded Merganser (2/8)
Common Merganser (2/2)
Ring-necked Pheasant (1/1)
Ruffed Grouse (1/3)
Wild Turkey (3/3)
Common Loon (1/1)
American Bittern (1/1)
Great Blue Heron (4/15)
Black Vulture (1/2)
Turkey Vulture (3/x)
Osprey (3/2)
Bald Eagle (1/1)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1/1)
Cooperā€™s Hawk (2/1)
Broad-winged Hawk (2/2)
Red-tailed Hawk (3/2)
Am. Kestrel (1/4)
Killdeer (2/5)
Ring-billed Gull (4/4)
Herring Gull (2/1)
Rock Pigeon (4/x)
Mourning Dove (4/x)
Chimney Swift (4/18)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (3/4)
Belted Kingfisher (2/2)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (2/12)
Hairy Woodpecker (2/3)
Black-backed Woodpecker (3/3)
Northern Flicker (4/5)
Pileated Woodpecker (3/2)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (1/2)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (2/2)
Alder Flycatcher (2/2)
Willow Flycatcher (1/1)
Least Flycatcher (2/5)
Eastern Phoebe (3/2)
Eastern Kingbird (2/2)
Blue-headed Vireo (3/12)
Red-eyed Vireo (4/15)
Gray Jay (1/1)
Blue Jay (4/x)
American Crow (4/x)
Common Raven (4/3)
Tree Swallow (2/4)
Barn Swallow (4/12)
Boreal Chickadee (1/2)
Black-capped Chickadee (3/6)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (3/20)
House Wren (2/2)
Winter Wren (3/12)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (2/10)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2/4)
Eastern Bluebird (4/6)
Veery (2/2)
Bicknellā€™s Thrush (1/5)
Hermit Thrush (2/10)
American Robin (4/x)
Gray Catbird (2/4)
Northern Mockingbird (1/2)
European Starling (4/x)
Cedar Waxwing (4/14)
Nashville Warbler (3/20)
Northern Parula (3/14)
Yellow Warbler (1/2)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (3/5)
Magnolia Warbler (3/10)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (3/6)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (3/15)
Black-throated Green Warbler (3/8)
Blackburnian Warbler (3/12)
Pine Warbler (3/4)
Palm Warbler (2/3)
Blackpoll Warbler (1/4)
Black-and-white Warbler (1/2)
American Redstart (2/2)
Ovenbird (3/8)
Mourning Warbler (1/3)
Common Yellowthroat (4/10)
Canada Warbler (1/2)
Scarlet Tanager (2/2)
Eastern Towhee (1/2)
Chipping Sparrow (4/x)
Field Sparrow (1/1)
Savannah Sparrow (2/8)
Grasshopper Sparrow (1/2)
Song Sparrow (4/x)
Lincolnā€™s Sparrow (2/5)
Swamp Sparrow (3/15)
White-throated Sparrow (3/x)
Dark-eyed Junco (3/10)
Northern Cardinal (1/2)
Indigo Bunting (2/3)
Bobolink (1/4)
Red-winged Blackbird (4/x)
Common Grackle (4/x)
Brown-headed Cowbird (2/x)
Baltimore Oriole (1/1)
Purple Finch (3/5)
Red Crossbill (1/1)
American Goldfinch (4/x)
House Sparrow (4/x)
105 species

Butterflies:
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Pink-edged Sulphur
Summer Azure
Great Spangled Fritillary
Atlantis Fritillary
Silvery Checkerspot
Northern Crescent
Question Mark
White Admiral
Viceroy
Northern Pearly-eye
Common Ringlet
Monarch
Arctic Skipper
European Skipper
Indian Skipper
Long Dash
Hobomok Skipper
Common Roadside Skipper

Mammals:
White-tailed Deer
Woodchuck
Snowshoe Hare
Eastern Cottontail
Eastern Chipmunk
Red Squirrel
Gray Squirrel

I like to make lists, Whatever

22

22 Comments

A big can of crushed tomatoes… nice olive oil… sweet onion and lots of garlic… fresh parsley… a bit of red wine… and I had sauce! That I cooked! Without setting the kitchen on fire!

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Really, it’s not as bad as that, but I did have to wait for the DH to come home and open the bottle of wine. What is the matter with me that at 38 I still don’t know how to use a corkscrew?

You should know that actually having a corkscrew in the house is an improvement. There was an occasion when my dad was living here and wanted wine with his spaghetti dinner. There were plenty of dusty bottles of wine around, but no corkscrew. If you could have seen the two of us and the mutilation we inflicted on that cork with a knife to get at the wine.

Silly.

A co-worker who lurks here had pity on my culinary skills and emailed me his recipe with nicely detailed instructions. Which I promptly deleted in one of my *clear-the-inbox* frenzies. So Tony, would you send me that recipe again, so I won’t have to improvise the next time I feel like spaghetti? Please?

It was pretty nice, btw. Needed something though.

If anyone has a nice, easy recipe they’d like to share, that would be fun, too. I need all the help I can get.

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#22 in my 38 by 39.

I like to make lists, Whatever

Meme on Thursday

6 Comments

Feeling lazy… perfect time for a silly meme.

1. Over 21? Yes
2. Danced in front of your mirror naked? (Laugh)
3. Ever told a lie? Yes
4. Been arrested? No
5. Kissed a picture? Yes
6. Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes
7. Held an actual snake? No
8. Ever run a red light? Yes
9. Ever drink and drive? No
10. Been suspended from school? Yes
11. Ever been fired from a job? No
12. Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No
13. Sang karaoke? God, no
14. Done something you told yourself you wouldnā€™t? Yes
15. Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
16. Ever gone ā€œunder the knife?ā€ No
17. Driven cross country? No
18. Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
19. Kissed in the rain? Yes
20. Sang in the shower? No
21. Sat on a rooftop? Yes
22. Been to a foreign country in which you didnā€™t speak the language? No
23. Thought about your past with regret? Yes
24. Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? Yes
25. Skinny dipped? No
26. Shaved your head? No
27. Blacked out from drinking? No
28. Had a gym membership? Yes
29. Been in a band? No
30. Fired a gun? No
31. Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes
32. Played strip poker? No
33. Been to a strip joint? No
34. Donated Blood? No
35. Liked someone you shouldnā€™t? Yes
36. Have a tattoo? No
37. Been to jail? No
38. Have or had any piercings? Yes
39. Made out with a complete stranger? No
40. Had a one night stand? No
41. Caught someone cheating on you? Yes
42. Felt like dying? Yes, when I had my wisdom teeth out
43. Regret any of your exā€™s? Yes
44. Been to a rodeo? No
45. Been to a NASCAR race? God no
46. Been in love? Yes
47. Met a celebrity? No
48. Been on TV? No
49. Know how to cook? (Laugh)
50. Like motorcycles? No
51. Bungee jumped, skydived, based jumped, etc? No
52. Slept outdoors? Yes
53. Spent the night in a snow cave? No, sounds fun though
54. Thought you were going to drown? Yes
55. Play an instrument? Yes

Um… I think maybe Susan needs something to do.

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