Category: Clouds

Madge The Badge Is A Model

Timothy Price25 Comments

Sandias at sunset

We ran in David, one of our ditch bank buddies, on the way down to check on the owls. We saw him again on our way back, and he mentioned that he saw Madge the Badge and attempted to talk to her, but she slipped into her hole. When we got to Madge’s mound, we said, “Hey, Madge! It’s us. Are you coming out?” She popped her head up immediately, crawled out of her hole, and posed. Laurie asked her if she was a model, and she was like, “Duh! Isn’t it obvious?” She recognized our voices and came out to visit. She’s very intelligent. If you are wondering how I know Madge is a female. I don’t know what her sex is. I’m gendering her as a female because I like the name Madge the Badge.

“You called?”

I thought Madge was talking to us without making noise. But when I processed the photos, I could see she was chewing on something.

A Black Headed Grosbeak (top) and a female Western Tanager (bottom)

Black Headed Grosbeak

Female Western Tanager

Western Bluebird

I’m not sure what Osric Owl had in his talons, but it could be the tail feather of a Cooper’s Hawk.

Nora Owl was on her favorite perch.

Willa looked disgusted that Water was nowhere to be seen.

We hadn’t seen Wile E. in a while.

Walter Gets His Wings

Timothy Price41 Comments

When we checked on Walter and Willa tonight, all we could see was Willa. She was high in the tree, looking all around, hopping from limb to limb, climbing the trunk of the tree. She wore herself out, and Walter was nowhere to be seen. Willa laid down on the broken branch we first spotted her on, exhausted from her efforts. Then Walter flew in from another tree, all proud of himself. He was hopping and flying around, looking for Nora. They were ready for dinner.

Willa: “Hey, Paparazzo, do you see Walter anywhere?”

Walter flew in from another tree.

Willa: “Mama! I need dinner!”

As we were walking back, the badger made a mad dash from one hole to another hole. We stopped, and it came back out and listened to us for a bit. We were so close to it that I had to take a few steps back to get enough distance to focus on the badger.

Sunset

Tail In A Box

Timothy Price47 Comments

Spunk has been watching Vintage SNL Shorts with Justin Timberlake on YouTube and got the idea to put his tail in a box.

Our guard hummingbird is vigilant.

Søren: “I handled the drive into town better than you did, stupid, impatient, cranky paparazzo!”

Søren went to the vet today. He had an irritated and swollen eye last Wednesday, but after I got the appointment and paid the deposit for the appointment, his eye was normal by Friday and is still normal today. The vet could see where he had scratched it. She gave us some ointment to put on his eyelid. That will be fun.

Since he is neurotic and doesn’t like change, we thought the drive into town would stress him out. Turns out I was more stressed out with all the stupid, slow drivers than Søren was with the car ride. He was saying, “Hello!”, making noises, and then laughing at me getting after the other drivers. My original plan was to take him to work with me when I normally go early and then take him to the vet. Since we had decided it was best for both of us to take him to the vet, I didn’t mention my idea of taking him to work with me until we were in the car and I was yelling at traffic. Laurie asked Søren if he would like to go to work with me, and he said, “No!” He was much more entertained by my getting mad at other drivers.

Søren was proud of himself after we got back from the vet. He did good.

Nora was in her favorite spot tonight before taking off to find food for Walter and Willa. We did not see or hear Osric tonight.

Willa on a branch far away, peeking over a twig at us.

Walter on a branch about six feet below where Willa was perched.

Walter

Willa flapping and hopping her way down to Walter.

Willa eagerly looking for Nora to bring her dinner. Walter just looking.

Willa

Sunset

¡Hasta la Vista! Babies!

Timothy Price44 Comments

Walter’s tail among the tatones in a different tree from yesterday.

We couldn’t find Walter and Willa in their cottonwood tree this afternoon. And for good reason. They were not in it. They had both flown to the tree to the west of their tree. It will be very hard to see them at dusk from now on.

Nora napping way up high in the cottonwood west of the tree she nested in.

Willa sacked out after making the flight to the new tree.

Western Tanager

Swallow, House Finch, Robin

Mother’s Day Flowers

Silver napping

Marina’s Incognito Pear tree has become rather sculptural.

Sunset

Teagan Does Metal

Timothy Price97 Comments

Dawn

Night To Day. Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price. Vocals by Teagan Riordain Geneviene.

I played an unplugged version of Night To Day on my freshly restored Elvis Presley Harmony guitar in my farewell to 2023 video on New Year’s Eve. I later recorded the metal version and asked Teagan if she wanted to sing it. She wasn’t sure about singing metal, but Teagan is a good sport, and she is adventurous when it comes to art and music, so she dove into the metallic pool and nailed it. Her ethereal voice is perfect for the ghostly theme of Night To Day.

If you have trouble viewing the video, you can listen to the song on SoundCloud.

Night to Day


Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price
Vocals by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

[Verse 1]
I saw Sun crash to the ground
It threw colors far and wide
With yellows into reds consumed
Swallowed up by ravenous blues

[Pre-chorus]
Dusk sang dirges to the dark
Clouds ignited a fiery show

[Chorus]
See the darkness
Nighttime’s falling
Time to slumber,
But ghosts are calling
Feel the darkness
Your skin starts crawling
Who can sleep when ghosts come calling

[Verse 2]
As embers meander through the night
Shadows creep under bright moonlight
Dawn wakes colors that light the sky
Painting darkness red, yellow, blue

[Pre-chorus]
Defeating darkness that’s Eos’ way
She breathes life into one more day

[Chorus]
See the light
Ghosts dissolving
Time to rise
A new day’s calling
Feel the light
Your skin stops crawling
When you’re up to see ghosts dissolving

[Bridge]
Night to day. Day to night
Flesh and spirits, in a moment, fight
For the right to live or die
Trading places, one sacrificed

[Outro]
See the darkness
Nighttime’s falling
Time to slumber
Ghosts come calling
See the light
A new day’s calling
Time to rise, see ghosts dissolving

Rio Samba

Altissimo

Guard hummingbird en garde

Spotted Towhee in the tree. House Finch lands in the same tree. Spotted Towhee chases House Finch away.

Spotted Towhee was all proud of himself.

Nora Owl flew over where I could get better shots of her this afternoon.

Walter and Willa were in the top of the cottonwood huddled up together and dozing on and off.

Osric Owl was trying to sleep with the wind blowing his ear tufts.

We have had persistent high winds since Thursday night. Several thunderstorms blew through this afternoon dropping a quarter inch of rain, and pelting us with marble sized hail.

Solar Storm

Timothy Price47 Comments

Dawn

Flower storm

Sunset

Hint of the solar storm at 8:30 PM

When I walked out at One after 9:09, the lower part of the sky looked clear to my naked eye. But through the camera, I could see the solar storm.

The sky was purple, looking north.

The sky, looking west.

Sasha and Silver were impressed

Devilish Similarities

Timothy Price72 Comments

Dawn

I am getting so frustrated with WordPress’s constant idiotic changes I am ready to stop blogging. The issues the developers introduce are not worth the frustration of trying to comment, reply to comments, and put posts together. I just don’t need the added frustration right now.

Like the rest of our house, where there is little difference between outside and inside, so it goes with the temperature.

Yes! That is a badger about 15 feet from me listening to what I have to say.

When it first saw us, it hunkered down, but then as I talked to it lifted its head up to listen.

I got close to the minimum focus distance of 11 feet for the Bazooka lens on this shot. The badger looks like, “Yeah! Yeah! Ahuh! You’re so full of crap, paparazzo!”

Sunset

Sandias and Rio Grade at dusk

Sliver moon in the clouds.

Flowers, Skies & Owls

Timothy Price35 Comments

Nora Owl in on of her favorite spots. She was not hooting a grocery list to Osric tonight.

Meanwhile, Osric was hanging out on his gate when he got the urge to upchuck a pellet.

Walter was chilling and giving me Maddogs on a lower branch.

Willa was hanging out near the end of a branch about 10 feet above Walter.

Sunset

It’s aLiVe!

Timothy Price60 Comments

Dawn

As. you can see and hear in the above video, I got the Frankenguitar wired up and working. I adapted Frankenfurter’s “Sweet Transvestite” from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” for the song. I recorded myself playing and singing live and added effects in post-production. That’s why the solo is iffy since I only had one take to play it. You will notice in the credits at the end of the video the guitarist/singer is named “Teem.” Teem comes from telemarketers from foreign countries who call the office and ask for Teem. A trivia question: Can anyone tell me what Narazeth, PA, has to do with guitars?

It’s Alive
Adapted from Sweet Transvestite
The Rocky Horror Picture Show

How d’you do
I think you’ve met
My Frankenstein guitar
I’m a little brought down
Because when you knocked
I thought you would bring me a cigar
I’ve got it all strung up, come and look
Don’t judge the guitar by my cover
It’s not much of a guitar by the light of day
But by night, it’s one hell of a strummer
It’s my blue Frankenguitar
From Nazareth, Pennsylvania

Willa and Walter did not want to get up this morning. Walter finally gave me Maddogs for rousing her.

Iris

White iris and bumblebee

Morning sky

Marble lounging

Spunk, Glenda, and Loki lounging

Sunset