The owlets are starting to get out of the nest. Last night I was checked on the owls well after sunset. Daddy Owl was hooting way up at the top of a cottonwood above the owlets. Soon Mama Owl brought home the bacon in what looked like a gopher. She perched with Daddy Owl for a few minutes before she flew down and gave the owlets the gopher for dinner. The three-minute video below is edited down to two minutes forty-five seconds of owl video from Daddy Owl hooting to Big Baby Owl hopping back into the nest with dinner followed by 15 seconds of credits.
Being well past sunset, I could only see outlines of the owls with my bare eyes. I increased the exposure on the video by two stops which let me at least see when the edges of things looked sharp when I focused on the owls. I had to focus manually and hope for the best. Daddy and Mama Owl were backlit, so the increased exposure was able to get their details pretty well. Once Mama Owl flew down to the owlets, the background became dark. I didn’t increase the exposure further, because the picture probably would have become very pixilated in the darkness. As it is I got the video pretty well focused and you can see some details in the owlets in full-screen.
While I was looking for the video file for Bite ‘Em on the Old Shin Bone last night to make a few updates to the video before posting it, I found a video of Laurie (Laura de Corrales) and me (El Cheo) performing Alegrías with Pablo Rodarte in a show we did in the Old Church in Corrales in the mid-1990s. Pablo danced Alegrías, Laura de Corrales is the Palmera, and El Cheo accompanied on guitar. I transferred the video from VHS to m4v several years ago, so the image quality is not very good. However, the sound is not too bad, considering.
In preparing for the show, Laurie and I practiced daily, I practiced with Pablo’s other students several days each week, but when it came to Pablo’s performance our practice together consisted of 15 minutes of Pablo doing a quick run-through of each part of the Alegías a week before the show. I simply had to follow all his leads during the performance.
Laurie and I both studied flamenco dance with Pablo, and I played flamenco guitar for many of his dance classes back in the 1990s before we moved to Spain for almost four years.
The Old San Ysidro Church in Corrales
Laura de Corrales dancing Tanguillos. El Cheo providing guitar accompaniment.
Mr. & Mrs. Owl sitting in a cottonwood across from their nest.
We walked down to check on the mama owl who’s been sitting in her nest for a little over a month. She and the daddy owl where sitting in a cottonwood across the irrigation ditch from their nest. Mr. Owl would hoot at Mrs. Owl and then she would peep. After he flew, I walked around to the other side of Mrs. Owl, and I could see she had something in the talons of her her left foot, but I could not make out what it was. She finally flew over to the nest and then we could see she had a gopher for her little ones. I expect we’ll start seeing the owlets poking their fuzzy heads up over the edge of the nest to look out at all the people standing on the ditch bank gawking at them in a couple of weeks.
Below is a short video of Mr. Owl hooting at Mrs. with wind and a pesky chainsaw in the background.
You can click on the photos in the group below to see each image enlarged:
Mrs. Owl in the nest with her ear tufts blowing in the wind.
From LA to New York City Canada to the wall It’s like bad renditions Of movies like “The Fall”
So many lamentations News gives us all a fright Only sick and grave predictions We are in an awful plight
You can take your clothes off and stand naked in the rain But there’s no one to see you, now isn’t that a shame? Isn’t that a shame? Come on.
Inside can’t go out Livin’ la vida lockdown Makes us scream and shout Livin’ la vida lockdown We can’t earn our bread Enough to drive us loca Lockdowns wear us out Livin’ la vida lockdown (oh man!) Livin’ la vida lockdown (how sad!) Livin’ la vida lockdown
Woke up such a pity what a funky nasty spell We do your part to save some money But it’s like a living hell
Restless, climbing walls, all this waiting’s such a pain Now we’re all alone, and it’s driving us insane Yeah, we’ll never be the same
Inside can’t go out Livin’ la vida lockdown Makes us scream and shout Livin’ la vida lockdown We can’t earn our bread Enough to drive us loca Lockdowns wear us out Livin’ la vida lockdown (oh man!) Livin’ la vida lockdown (how sad!) Livin’ la vida lockdown
Ride a horse naked like Godiva in the rain But there’s no one to see you, isn’t that a shame? Isn’t that a shame? Come on.
Inside can’t go out Livin’ la vida lockdown Makes us scream and shout Livin’ la vida lockdown We can’t earn our bread Enough to drive us loca Lockdowns wear us out Livin’ la vida lockdown (Yeah!)
Livin’ la vida lockdown
Livin’ la vida lockdown Livin’ la vida lockdown Livin’ la vida lockdown
Lola has degenerative arthritis in her right paw. The bones got separated so the Vet splined Lola’s leg. We hope her bones will fuse back together with her paw stabilized by the splint. Lola feels so much better with the splint and she gets around really well it. I couldn’t resent writing a song for her.
Lola Limp
Music and Lyrics by Timothy Price Vocals: AWB Guitars: Timothy Price Bass: Timothy Price Percussion: Assembled by Timothy Price
Lola has a nasty limp The doctor put her in a splint It’s enough to make you shiver Now she looks like she’s Long John Silver
Come on Come on Do the Lola limp with me Stiffen up one leg Like a limb on a tree Limp once forward Un pasito adelante Limp side right Shake it make it kinda funky Limp once backward un pasito a la trás Limp side left Lola limp is like a box
While people are wringing their hands, gnashing their teeth, and hoarding toilet paper over all the happenings in the world right now, our kitties headed for the sky and did some feline flying to stay above it all. Kitties know how to have fun in times of trouble.
Flying Felines
Music and Lyrics by Timothy Price Guitars: Timothy Price Bass: Timothy Price Percussion arranged by Timothy Price
Felines flying one by one
Felines in the sky today
Here they come having fun
Felines flying
Felines walking on the air
Flying up, down and all around
They found a way to fly away
Felines flying in the air
Going high in the sky
Going nowhere
They’re going nowhere fast
Felines flying in the air
Through the sky they walk on air
Felines flying in the sky
Felines in the air so fine
They know where they are going
Up with the birds in the air
Felines flying in the sky walking on air
In the air they are so fine walking on the line
I haven’t posted a parody in quite a long time. I’m sure there are many people who think it would be just fine if I never posted another parody. But life presses on, and I love making parodies, so another one has come to fruition. Besides, I could not let this opportunity for a parody pass me by.
It all started on New Years Day when Wade came over for black-eyed peas. We prepare and eat black-eyed peas every New Years Day for good luck (Laurie does most of the cooking). Wade and I went for a walk to Beaver point. Wade had never been to the river in Corrales, and he noticed the jetties along the riverbank. He commented that the river bank looked like Normandy with the large, jacks-shaped iron jetties along the edge of the river.
While I was explaining how the jetties were installed by the Conservancy for flood control, I pointed out a knot in one of the large cables that used to run through a line of jetties. I explained that La Llorona was the only one around here who had enough strength to tie a knot in a 1 1/4 steel cable. Wade asked “Who? I’ve never heard of La Llorona. Is she like ‘My Sharona?'” I said no, but realized at that moment that La Llorona was a perfect parody for “My Sharona”. You may know the song by The Knack? I was surprised I hadn’t put La Llorona and “My Sharona” together before now. It’s such an obvious fit. I wrote the lyrics and recorded the parody of The Knack’s music the next day. But it took a lot of thinking before I came up with an idea for a video.
It might have been right around Epiphany that I had an epiphany to employ Lego® figurines for La Llorona and her children. I knew we still had a lot of Legos out in the infinite shed of doom, so I plunged in and found some Lego figurines that were more than happy to play the parts. I also used photos of Muertas from Albuquerque’s annual Dia de los Muertos Marigold Parade in the video.
La Llorona
Lyrics: Timothy Price Music: The Knack Vocals AWB
Ooo, she lost her little ones, her little ones When she drowned them in the ditch, la Llorona! Ooo, then she tried to run, tried to run Turned around and killed herself, la Llorona.
Never stops looking, gave them up, crying all the time She can’t give them up, her wet embrace will break your spine Cry, cry, cry, cry-cry, woo!
L-l-l-la Llorona
Come a little closer, she drown you in the ditch Close enough to scratch your eyes, la Llorona She is a mystery, always crying, look and see Running down the ditch she shrieks on high, Llorona
Never stops looking, gave them up, crying all the time She can’t give them up, her wet embrace will break your spine Cry, cry, cry, cry-cry, woo!
L-l-l-la Llorona L-l-l-la Llorona (Yeah!)
When’s she going to give it up, give it up She’s just crying all the time, la Llorona Is it just infanticide, infanticide Or is it murder in your mind, Llorona?
Never stops looking, gave them up, crying all the time She can’t give them up, her wet embrace will break your spine Cry, cry, cry, cry-cry, woo! C-c-c-c-c-c-c-cry, cry, cry, cry-cry, woo!
Aaaaah-oooh, la Llorona Aaaaah-oooh, la Llorona Aaaaah-oooh, la Llorona
Here’s some “My Sharona” trivia: “My Sharona” was recorded in a single take in the studio and released on the album “Get The Knack” in June 1979. It sold over a half a million copies in record time for the 70s, and became the fastest Capital Record debut to reach gold since the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964.
Tomorrow is Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas. I wrote a version of the Twelve Days of Christmas using the bosque animals that starts with the 12th day of bosque Christmas. Special guest Suzette Presti was gracious enough to do the vocals. Enjoy.
The Twelfth Day of Bosque Christmas Lyrics by Timothy Price Vocals: Suzette Presti Arrangement: Timothy Price Guitar, bass, percussion: Timothy Price
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve coyotes crooning
Eleven flickers flitting
Ten finches feeding
Nine seagulls sailing
Eight badgers burrowing
Seven cats a purring
Six crows a cawing
Five beaver slaps
Four geese honking
Three cranes in flight
Two owls to hoot and
A pterodactyl in the Tangle-Heart Tree.
Laurie’s parents gave me a drone for Christmas. The above video is Spunk’s and my first go at flying it and taking aerial video. Spunk was sort of okay with the drone’s propellers spinning until it took off. Then he made a run for it as the airborne, buzzing beast followed him. The other cats were inside and didn’t partake in droning this go-round.
Off Center & Not Even 