Birdwatching Bonanza

Spotted during walk along the trail this afternoon:

• 1 barn own (it flew directly overhead and landed in a stand of cottonwoods near the creek)
• 1 black phoebe
• 1 lesser goldfinch
• 1 California quail
• 1 zippy little lizard with short, stout legs
• 2 downed saplings and a big pile of wood chips (the beavers are back in the neighborhood pond -- maybe we'll see some kits soon)
  

Novel's Early Promise Stalls

I'm not quite halfway through Gil Adamson's THE OUTLANDER (not to be confused with OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon), and suspect I've stalled because the book is a bit slow. Premise is great -- "In 1903 a mysterious young woman flees alone across the West, one heart-pounding step ahead of the law. At nineteen, Mary Boulton has just become a widow, and her husband's killer..." -- but the promise of a great adventure remains unfulfilled.

I am hopeful, however, as the character called The Ridgerunner has just come back on scene, implying he and Mary will again get together and stir up a little action.

Happy Earth Day!

Okay, I'm a day early, as Earth Day doesn't actually arrive until April 22 -- but I've got two commitments tomorrow and may not get a chance in the morning to post this link to the Peregrine Fund Webcam.

The peregrine pair laid their first egg in this nest box in Boise, Idaho, on April 10; their second on April 12; their third on April 14, and their fourth (and last) on April 17. I just took a peek, and the female was standing over the eggs and then she gently sat and took her time settling in. Her back is to the camera as I write this, and I'm hoping she'll turn a bit so I can see her face. (If she's not moving when you click on the link, don't worry -- she's alive. Just check again later.)

Little feathers clinging to pebbles are waving in the wind, and every now and then a car passes by in the upper left-hand corner.

She just poked her head up!

Grover Hot Springs Here We Come!

Made our res this afternoon for our annual trek to Grover Hot Springs (our favorite camping spot), just a few miles west of Markleeville. We'll take our bicycles and our bathing suits, as there are lots of great hiking/biking trails, as well a pool, fed by six hot springs. Ah, heaven. Can't wait for a campfire, coffee, and melted marshmallows on a stick!

(Photo by Gary O'Toole)

Focus on Writers Contest 2009

Focus on Writers Contest 2009, sponsored by Friends of the Sacramento Public Library, is accepting unpublished manuscripts between May 1 and August 1, 2009. Categories include:

• Short Story (2,500-word limit)
• First Chapter of Novel (3,000-word limit)
• Poem (Two-page maximum, per poem)
• Non-fiction Article/First Chapter of Non-fiction Book (2,500-word limit)
• Book/Article for Children, Fiction/Non-fiction (1,000- or 2,100-word limit; see rules)
• First Chapter of Book for Young Adults, Fiction/Non-fiction (3,000-word limit; see rules)

Prizes awarded in each category: First ($250); Second ($150); Third ($75). Winner will be notified by September 15.

World's Greatest Irony?

This month's Vanity Fair features an advertisement from American Spirit, a tobacco company featuring "100 percent additive-free natural tobacco cigarettes." In other words, organic. Yes, you read that correctly -- no fertilizers or pesticides (at least those prohibited by the USDA's National Organic Program) are used in growing this tobacco -- although, apparently, the nicotine is still somewhat problematic, as there are no fewer than eight (count them, eight!) boxed warnings that the absence of additives in their tobacco products "does NOT mean a safer cigarette."

Yep, they're pretty sure you'll agree: Natural Tastes Better. Oh, and here's a bonus: the advertisement was printed on 30 percent PCW recycled stock.

Crazy.

Oh Joy! Rapture!

The poppies are in bloom!

Candyfreak

I'm reading Steve Almond's "Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America," a sort of memoir/walk down candy memory lane, and finding it wholly entertaining. The first chapter of Almond's book brought to mind my own favorite candies, which I bought at The Variety Store (walking distance from Arden Park), some 90 decades ago.

I remember the store well -- its high ceilings, dark linoleum floor, and sundry offerings from sunglasses to Slinkies to lined notebook paper -- as well as the set-up of the candy rack, which rested on top of a glass case, near the cash register. Penny candies were arranged in slotted boxes on the bottom row, within arm's reach, but the pricier candies -- full sized bars, which cost five cents each -- were lined end to end, filling four tiered rows of the candy box, so that a kid could lose his mind while making a decision, sometimes buying a Sugar Daddy out of sheer desperation and wildly regretting it later.

Too, I remember my favorites, as well as the proper method of eating to achieve premium enjoyment. In no particular order they include:

• Candy Cigarettes (bite tip off end and blow imaginary smoke while simultaneously chewing candy)
• Peanut M&Ms (separate colors, eat reds first, check hands for chocolate-residue)
• Payday (pick off peanuts, eat peanuts, save caramel nougat for last)
• Jujubees (a movie favorite, although choking is sometimes a problem)
• Good 'N Plenty (shake small amount into palm, toss directly into mouth)
• Burnt Peanuts (delicious little toothbusters; ingest with caution)
• Boston Baked Beans (boxed candies quite good, but better if purchased from gumball machine with twisty metal handle; often available in tire repair shops, and at your dad's local mechanic)
• Ice Cubes (available for purchase in 1967 for two cents each; now cost $39.99 for tub of 120, making them 33 cents each; that, my friend, is a travesty)
  

I would giddily devour any and all of these candies today, and can only imagine how much fun I'd have with a pack of cinnamon toothpicks. Ooh, and a Chick-O-Stick. Yum.

Soar with the Eagles

Bald eagle, Klamath Falls, Oregon
Taken April 2, approximately 3 p.m. (photo by Steve)

Bald eagle, Klamath Falls, Oregon
Taken April 2, approximately 3 p.m. (photo by Steve)