Yes, I Had Another Garage Sale

       Today I had another garage sale as I was trying to get rid of some of my treasures. For those who have followed me for a while you know that I hate garage sales. I'm not going to go on another big whine session about garage sales.


      We prepared a number of items that we could handle without too much difficulty. So things were lined up in the living room and carefully priced. We listened to the forecast. In fact we looked at four different forecasts. It sounded like a decent day. Things were out and we were organized. Half an hour after we started it started to rain. We had about an hour of drizzle. So do I close my sale down or tough it out. We toughed it out. The weather improved and we had lots of visitors and sold a ton of stuff.


     Now you also know that one of the things I like about garage sales are the characters who come by. Today a four year old and his Dad paid us a visit. When the kid got out of the SUV I noticed that he had what looked like a sock with a weight in it. He would swing it around and I wondered what kind of toy he had. His Dad bought a couple of things. The little guy wanted to buy a board game set. By this time he had told me there was money in his sock. He also told me that he had three other socks with money in. So he made his purchase with his Dad's help to sort the money out. So it looks like it pays to "keep your money in a sock."


     There's always an interesting garage sale customer and this little guy was the winner today.


      Now my apologies for no picture. I'm not in the habit of carrying a camera with me. I'm too active and would probably go through a few cameras. Anyway that's my excuse for the missing picture.

A Rose in the Woods

      I went for a short walk in the woods this weekend and found two things I was looking for.

       First, I found the Common Wild Rose (Rosa woodsii). This plant grows abundantly around the edges of native habitat. It blooms in early June . These flowers certainly brighten up the woods. Going for a walk can make you very cheerful and hopeful.

      The second plant I was looking for was the Yellow lady slipper (Cypripedium calceolus). They grow widely here and appear to like areas of soil that have been disturbed as they like to grow in ditches. The ones I was looking for had been planted in a sanctuary. We took them from an area that was to be developed
Apologies for not having a photograph . I took pictures and when I came home I deleted pictures  that didn't turnout well. Only now did I notice that I deleted all Yellow Lady Slippers.


     Blooms are coming quickly now so the next flowers I will make sure that I keep some photos

Jack Rabbit Rock and Roll

      Two days ago there were five Jack rabbits in my yard. Three of them were fighting and chasing one another. the other two were quite satisfied to be still. The other three didn't bother the first two.


     So what was going on? 


     Well a very interesting event was taking place. The two quiet rabbits wee does that were very close to giving birth. The other three were very over anxious males who didn't want to miss out on the action. No they weren't interested in seeing the new babies. 

This little bunny is probably 5 or 6 days old.

                   Photo submitted by Duane Christianson

      When a Jack rabbit gives birth she is ready in a few hours to bred again. That's why the three males were quite agitated and fighting with each other. They growl at one another and cuff each other. We usually think of a rabbit being rather quiet and docile. At this time in their life they can be vicious fighters. So the male rabbits want to remain close so that when the female is ready to breed they will have their position established.


       I few years ago a doe gave birth in my back yard. My wife accidentally looked out the window when the birth was in progress. Since my wife has a nursing background she was not only interested but had a much greater understanding as to what was going on. Four bunnies were born. The doe licked them off and then away she went. She was ready to breed gain. The four little bunnies disappeared within and hour. My wife was quite concerned as she thought that the bunnies had been abandoned. Even thought the bunnies are scattered the doe will come back and find them and nurse them. 


      So now you may think of rock n roll as music but before rock n roll music rock n roll meant sexual activity and still does. You may have also heard "breed like rabbits" and thought that they just produced a lot of offspring but it also meant that they would breed right after giving birth.

Peregrine Falcon Eggs Begin to Hatch

       The Peregrine Falcon eggs con the Telus Tower in Red Deer have begun to hatch. The first one hatched two days ago. Since Peregrine Falcons lay eggs several days apart the eggs hatch one at a time.


      This bird laid three eggs about the first of May and has been incubating for about a month. Now you will gradually start to see some action. As the birds develop their appetite also grows. You will begin seeing the remains of ducks, pigeon,s gulls and anything else they can capture.


     I have had a link at the beginning of my blog. Some readers have been using it . So if you're interested click on the link and it will take you to the webcam. Watching the Peregrine Falcons grow up is an interesting learning experience. I hope you enjoy what you see.

Crossword Puzzles are Awesome.

    Yes, I do really like crossword puzzles. When it comes to crossword puzzles you're either a rabid fan or you hate them. No inbetweeners. 


    I started with crossword puzzles after I finished high school. I could take them or leave them. Later on it became absolutely necessary to do the daily crossword puzzle. I've also been know to do a crossword puzzle book or two. 


     Crossword puzzles give many benefits. First I find crossword puzzles very relaxing. You have to concentrate so your mind leaves the things that stress you out. You have to have some basic knowledge of definitions, general knowledge, history, art, performing arts and more. Most puzzles throw in something from another language so if you have a background in another language it comes in handy. 


     I like a crossword puzzle that is of medium difficulty. Too easy..I don't do them. Too hard and I'm not that patient. I don't like mammoth puzzles. I like something that is short enough to finish in 20 minutes or so. I sometimes will come back and finish later.


    There are many varieties of puzzles to keep everybody's interest. Some topics can be very obscure as in plants.


    I have tried online crosswords but haven't got to like them. You can't work at it for awhile and then drop it. only to pick it up later. 


    On some occasions I used crossword puzzles with my middle school students. I had a book of easy crossword puzzles. We would do one as a class with everybody hollering out answers. Then they got to work in partners to do a second crossword puzzle. So some of the kids really liked the puzzles and others hated them just the same as adults. 


     So at this stage of my life you will find me doing the crossword puzzle right after breakfast since we get our paper in the morning. You have to get your day off to a good start. 

Crime Update

     My last post was about a break in three doors from my house. There has been some development in the case since then.


     The two dirt bikes were found in another subdivision. A woman was checking her garage and found two dirt bikes  that didn't belong to her. She asked her son if he knew anything about them. He said he was keeping them for a friend for a little while. His mother pressed him for more details and finally said that she wanted more info or she would phone the police. So she phoned the police. Meanwhile the kid took the bikes to a school yard and ditched them. 


    The police picked up the bikes and asked my neighbor to come and identify them.


     The police told my neighbor that they know who the guy is who stole the bikes and that they have a description of him.


    So progress has been made. Hopefully the shock of such an event will fade.

A Crime Too Close for comfort.

     At 2:00 AM last Friday morning thieves took two dirt bikes and a quad from my neighbor Barb's  garage.


     Now for the rest of the story!


     We have a security light at our front door. It goes off and on during the night for various reasons. Seldom do we get up to see if anything is amiss. At 2:00 AM last Friday morning my wife did get up to look out. She noticed someone standing at our corner. The guy appeared to be looking around as if looking for something. My wife came back to the bedroom to get me to look out. By the time I got there the guy had disappeared. We also noticed that the light was on in Barb's garage. So my wife said the guy looked clean cut. We debated phoning the police but somehow thought that it was unnecessary. I also said, "Well Barb probably forgot to shut the light off." So we went back to bed. 


     On Sunday morning I asked another neighbor if he had seen anything early Friday morning. He hadn't seen anything but he told me then that Barb's garage had been broken into. 


    The bad guys had found Barb's car window down a tiny bit. They entered the vehicle and took the garage door opener and so entered the garage and took the loot. 


    On Friday Barb didn't go to her garage and didn't drive her car.. After supper she was going to go to the store and found a mess in the front of her car. She couldn't understand why the mess. Then she noticed the garage door opener gone. She checked the garage but didn't notice anything missing. The bikes and quads belong to her son and the bikes and quad went in and out of the garage. Just to be sure she phoned her son on Saturday. He said that the bikes and quad should be in the garage. 


     So the wheels turned very slowly and finally more than 24 hours later it was discovered that there was a theft.


    Meanwhile my wife and I felt very badly that we hadn't reported the person on our corner. Just maybe he or his friends may have been found and questioned in the area.


    So this was a crime that was close and so far away in many ways. There are the what ifs? There's the feeling of being too trusting. There's the feeling that it could have been me for some strange reason.


    So it's a wake up call for our community to join together and be much more aware of what is happening in the neighborhood.