Month: February 2021

Beaker Loves Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Timothy Price53 Comments

“Where’s my blueberry buttermilk pancake PapaRATzo?”

Breaker, our 29-year-old Gold Cap Conure, goes nuts over blueberry buttermilk pancakes. He also loves Susan’s blueberry pound cake. I’m thinking that Beaker has genetic memory of his feathered forefathers going out to treetop IHOPs for Sunday breakfast or Sunday Brunch where they enjoyed blueberry buttermilk pancakes. Beaker also loves coffee, donuts, hamburgers, French fries, pizza, huevos rancheros, and similar fare, all of which he rarely gets. But still, the fact that he likes those various types of foods so much leads me to believe he has a genetic memory of a whole feathered fast food industry high in the tops of rainforest canopies.

Beaker’s pancake is the little one on the lower left side of the griddle.

“I’m still waiting!”

“About time you got my order off the griddle.”

“Yum!”

“Yum! Yum!”

“Yum! Yum! Yum! Yum!”

It’s been a few years since Laurie made blueberry buttermilk pancakes. Beaker thoroughly enjoyed his pancake as I did mine. The pancakes were delicious.

Glenda and Gwendolyn were not impressed with blueberry buttermilk pancakes. They were more interested in lying around and looking cute.

¡No Me Gustan Los Whirlybirds!

Timothy Price47 Comments

Whirlybird with a game warden looking for a coyote that attacked a runner.

Daddy Owl: “¡No me gustan los whirlybirds! ¡A mí tampoco me gustan los coyotes!“

Flicker: “Whirlybird? Is that what that thing is called?”

Mama Owl: “Stupid coyotes! Stupid whirlybird!”

I thought the doves flew up out of the cottonwood because of the helicopter.

But a second look revealed a Cooper’s Hawk had flown up in the tree where the doves were perched.

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! IT’S a WHIRLYBIRD! Stupid coyotes!”

Blow up of Mr. Cooper.

Whirlybird hovering before flying south. A crane flying north.

Mr. Cooper flew north to another tree.

Mama Owl: “That’s better now that the whirlybird has flown south!”

Clouds at dawn looking north.

Daddy Owl: “Mucho mejor sin el whirlybird.”

Like a sunset at sunrise looking southwest.

Makes Sense

Timothy Price62 Comments

The old Kress building that has been available for lease for at least 30 years got all its beautiful curved glass windows broken in last summer’s riots and was boarded up until recently. The boards were taken down, new glass installed, some of the artwork that was painted on the boards put in the windows, and the City of Albuquerque post a substandard unsafe to occupy sign on the door. Makes a lot of sense.

The new glass looks great.

The unsafe interior of the ground floor. Bruce and I think that space would make a great place for ballroom dance.

Sunset for Leo

Timothy Price102 Comments

Leo was a cat everyone would like to have had, and he was a cat for everyone. Sadly, Leo passed on today at the age of 14. The last couple of years he had to deal with a hyperthyroid, and Tristan did a very good job of diagnosing his condition and treating him with drugs prescribed by our vet. But like our Najar and Lola before him, Leo finally succumbed to his chronic condition. But his first 12 years were full of fun and vitality. Not only was Leo a super-loving kitty, he always had something to say about most everything. You can check out this post from 2012 called Leo Sez: https://wp.me/p1yQyy-102. We all loved Leo so much. We miss him greatly.

Leo puzzled over why on earth Tristan would take a shower and get all wet. Doesn’t she know to go outside, roll in the dirt and then lick herself clean?

Leo tested out the security of the door into the common area between the bedrooms.

Leo the lover boy.

Leo would listen…

Give you cute eyes…

…and then tell you what he thought about it.

Leo loved to play. Even when he was not feeling well he would not turn down a good round of play.

Confirmed

Timothy Price28 Comments

Mama Owl poked her ear tufts up.

I didn’t see Daddy Owl at all yesterday, and I still couldn’t see Mama Owl in the hole in the tree, but tonight, Mama Owl poked her head up just enough for me to see her ear tufts and the top of her head. We should be seeing owlets in about six weeks.

Daddy Owl looking pensive before he flew off to find a meal for Mama Owl.

A Frayed Knot

Timothy Price53 Comments

The state of the cats’ scratching post reminded me of a very old joke I heard last century:

A string went into a bar and ordered a beer. The bartender told the string that he didn’t serve strings. The string left the bar, tied itself in a knot, fluffed up its top, went back in the bar, and ordered a beer. The bartender looked sideways at the string and asked: “Aren’t you that string that was in here a few minutes ago?” The string answered: “No sir! I’m a frayed knot!”

The cats have enjoyed their scratching post so much they have frayed the knots.

A frayed knot

Loki

Gwendolyn

Loki

Loki and Gwendolyn

Loki

71.4% Waxing Gibbous

The Vigil Begins

Timothy Price33 Comments

Daddy owl was by himself this morning.

When I went out this evening, Daddy Owl was still alone. I heard another owl hoot not too far away, but I could not see it. Daddy owl hooted back and then flew to a tree a few hundred feet or so from where he was perched. He answered another hoot and flew over to the hole in the tree where the nest has been. He looked down into the hole hooted, looked at me, looked back into the hole, looked up behind him, and then flew off. I assume Mama Owl has started sitting on her nest in the tree, but if she is in the hole, she is laying low so I couldn’t see her.

He was still by himself this evening answering hoots.

The hole where the nest is looked empty.

After answering hoots, he flew to a tree a little south of where Mama Owl has nested in the past.

He flew over to where Mama Owl nests, looked into the hole, and hooted.

Looked at the paparazzo.

Looked in the hole again.

Checked out what was behind him before he flew off.

Blondy & The Owls

Timothy Price63 Comments

Blondy feeding on an elm tree by the irrigation ditch.

Above is a 48-second video of Blondy feeding on an elm tree. The video is a little shaky because it is handheld at sunset, and Blondy was backlit. I had to push the exposure two stops to get detail in Blondy. The video gives you an idea of how slow and deliberate porcupines are. Blondy is in some ways like a monkey and other ways like a sloth.

Mama Owl

Daddy Owl

Daddy Owl and Mama Owl