Playing catchup

I think I'm caught up on blogs for now. If I didn't comment, it's not because I didn't read, but even the short time we were gone made me get behind!

Well, in reading the Yahoo message board for the Godfathers, a guy from Detroit posted that there was indeed an after-party backstage. I was just heartsick about it last night, but like Ken said, there's not much more we could have done. Everyone we asked at the Metro seemed absolutely clueless (I think Ted might have put it better when he said they were idiots), and no help at all. I was really down about it last night, but I'm snapping out of it. It really was a great show, a chance to see one of my favorites...of course, it would have been even cooler to hang out with them a little bit! You know, the thing I think I hate the most about it is that I would have liked a chance to say thanks for coming to the States for one show, and thanks for all the great music over the years. Peter thanked the fans for their support, but I wanted to say thank you to them, too. I'll be sure to write and tell them so, because I think they would probably appreciate that. And who knows? Maybe they'll stick together for a while, and I'll get to see them again here in the States...or maybe even one day in London!

And you know what? If I do get to see them again, I'll freakin' kick in the backstage door if I have to! [grin]

Anyhoo...onward and upward!

I'm sorry to report that the Great Backyard Bird Count of 2009 was really a bust here at Nutwood. I counted again this afternoon, but the little bit of snow we got on Sunday melted today, and there is mostly bare ground out there. Very little action at the feeders. One bright spot was that our pair of red-shouldered hawks showed up, so I got to count them!

When I was working out today, I was reading Good Housekeeping, and there was a recipe for Harry Connick, Jr's Jambalaya. Harry, honey, if you're cookin', I'm eatin'! (Doesn't everyone love Harry?) It did get me hungry for some New Orleans food, so I'm just going to do a Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice with some sausage tonight, and make some cornbread. I'm thinking I'll try Harry's recipe, though. It calls for a little ham, and I don't think I've seen a Jambalaya recipe that calls for ham. Sounds pretty tasty and easy, and I think I just might have some chicken thighs down there in the freezer. HEY! Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to shout, but I just realized that I've got two big turkey thighs in the freezer that would work perfectly for that, and I know I've got some andouille sausage. I think I'll be making us some Jambalaya this week! Mardi Gras is coming up next week, so it seems like a good time to do some Cajun or Creole food. (Mmm, Shrimp Creole, there's an idea, too!)

Gee, do you think I'm hungry?

Bird Addendum

A few of you have expressed interest in doing the Great Backyard Bird Count, and that's so cool! I should mention, though, that you need to be able to identify the birds, and you should have a book handy to help in identification. (I have several, and my favorites are a book specific to Indiana, and the Audubon Eastern edition.) I've been at this since we moved to Nutwood, so I've got a pretty good handle on ID'ing birds, but they do want an ID, and ask you not to count a bird if you are unsure of its species.

I've printed out my five page checklist. Many are water and shore birds, which we don't generally see here...although I looked out one day to see a Great Blue Heron standing in the back yard, and one day I saw a Little Green Heron perched in a tree...I said, "What the heck are you doing here?!" But I'm ready to go! If you don't feel comfortable doing IDs this year, maybe I've planted a seed so you can start to think about it for next year!

Bird is the Word

12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count

February 13 – 16, 2009

COUNT FOR FUN! COUNT FOR THE FUTURE!

It's that time of year again: the Great Backyard Bird Count! Yippee!

For my fellow birders out there, it's a chance to do a little "citizen science," and you can even do it from the comfort of your own home. At some point over the four days of the count, take a minimum of 15 minutes and count all the species of birds that come to your feeders, or that you can reliably identify in the trees. Enter the information on the website, and you've just helped ornithologists track migration patterns and trends in population! Millions across the country participate, and it's been an invaluable source of information for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Audubon Society, and for conservation in general.

Since we'll be in Chicago much of Saturday and Sunday, I plan on doing a couple of hours on Friday, and a couple of hours on Monday. I put out all kinds of food, watch the birds come and go, and tally them up on my little checklist. I've done if for a few years now, and I look forward to it every year. It's even resulted in a couple of new sightings for me: a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker in 2007, and a Common Redpoll in 2008. Who knows what I might see this year? Maybe an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker! (A little birding humor, haha.)

Visit the website for more information (you can also click on the picture above), instructions on how to count (I know you know how to count, but how to count so that you don't count birds more than once!), and to print out checklists for your area.

Happy birding!