Year End Stuff as Christmas Nears
Hi all,
Now this is my kind of post! I get to write about all the stuff and loose ends that comes with this time of year... Onward!
CapeCodAlan
Now this is my kind of post! I get to write about all the stuff and loose ends that comes with this time of year... Onward!
- First, as we do every so often, yesterday the wife and I went on a genuine birding-blog hunt. Not the casual, "Oh, let me take a look here..." sort of thing. We're talking about a first-rate blogging bender. Results? We added a few new blogs to our blogroll... But more than that, I noted the fact that virtually all of the truly successful bird blogs offered insight into the personality and day-to-day lives of the bloggers themselves. And that's a problem for me in that I'm as boring as a door knob at a dust party... Still, I'll do my best to be more open in the coming year... See below.
- An update on that little bit of attempted price gouging I mentioned in the "Squirrels, Clams, and Price Gouging" post... Gordon, your chowder is on the way. You should have it early to middle of this week. And to "Mr. Soulless Zombie Highwayman"... I finally shipped by the good old USPS at extraordinary savings. No muss, no fuss... (I wish I could mention the name of the international shipping company "Mr. Soulless Zombie Highwayman" works for, but I won't... I'm simply hoping that he's an aberration.)
- What next? Speaking of clams and clamming... I was seriously thinking about going quahogging today, but I missed the tide. That's a bummer. No kidding, that's a
real bummer. We're in the midst of a cold, rainy nor'easter with gale-force gusts and 6" of mushy snow on the ground. There's absolute solitude and peace out on the flats
in these conditions. It's impossible to describe. Anyway, to give you the slightest of ideas concerning the conditions, below is a picture of the end of our driveway and a few
pictures of unhappy mourning doves, chickadees, and a rather damp downy.
- Take note from some posts ago... Even if you aren't a football fan, it's worthwhile to watch the New England Patriots... Simple history in the making.
- Christmas is now 8 days away... (What follows will no doubt give the boss reason to pause and wonder if he shouldn't get a more politically-correct blogger. Here goes...) I hate Christmas... The hassles, the running around, the patently-stupid, over-expensive gifts... (I've received such treasures as a "Dancing Santa" doll, a corduroy suit made in Poland, and a framed picture of a corpulent, slimy slug on a stick... If I'm a lyin', I'm a dyin'.) My suggestion is to buy an eBirdseed.com gift certificate online, and then go do something else like bidding on a "Bah Humbug!" hat. (See what I mean by being "more open"?)
CapeCodAlan
Comments
The storm you are going through reminds me of several things...
One, the reason I moved away from New England (yeah, it's a balmy 40 degrees outside "Tranquility Base" here in Clearwater Florida as I write this).
The second, however, is that before I left, I never did find the answer to a question that has long been cause for head-scratching: When you are experiencing a Nor'easter, we humans hunker down with some hearty home-made beef stew, roll and butter coupled with a libation of choice.
But what do your fine-feathered friends do? They don't have the same options we have (too bad, I make a mighty good stew), and unless you are kind enough to put up a bird house, they have no shelter from the freezing rain, snow and, perhaps worst of all, wind chill factor.
Now I imagine the birdhouse-to-bird ratio is far short of desirable. My question, then, is what do all the birds do to survive during storms? Where do they find shelter? And, unless your New England based readers order some of your fine bird-seed, how do birds find the food so necessary to winter survival?
Oh, and as for what to include in the upcoming year's blog? I'll be pleased with more of the same. Maybe a guest interview with someone from one of the local Audubon groups or other local bird groups that might shed even more light on your local bird scene.
Other than that, I like this blog just as it is: It's very informative to this new-comer and it doesn't talk over my head. That's probably one of the biggest draws for me. Some bloggers want to dazzle us with their brilliance. Hey, I just want to learn more and read of interesting experiences from you and your readers. You (and your readers) "keep it real" for me (I hate to use a hip-hop phrase like that, but it fits).
This blog is like my most comfortable pair of shoes: When I wear them, I'm in my comfort zone. When i take 'em off, there's still that comfort in knowing they'll be right where I left them waiting patiently. And so it is with this blog.
So, sometimes, "Keep up the good work" means "Don't change how you do what you do all that much and I'll remain happy."
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you at e-birdseed and your readers!
Posted by: Gerry Ashley | December 18, 2007 2:38 AM
Alan,
You're not in trouble with me regarding Christmas.
For a short time my wife and I fell into the trap of "we MUST find the perfect gift for our children!" I think we are past that now.
I find that the part I enjoy most about Christmas is just hanging with friends and eating good food. In the end, it is the relationships that matter... the upsurge to Christmas is, no doubt, out of control.
Gordon
Posted by: Gordon | December 18, 2007 12:49 PM
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings!
{Same to you Kathryn!
Alan and Suzie...}
Posted by: kathryn | December 19, 2007 7:41 PM