Sunday, May 13, 2007
Roger's journal entry: "Because I said so" and other bits of wisdom
Margaret and I just got back from taking my mom out for a lovely Mother's Day lunch. To help commemorate the event, each of us made a list of bits of wisdom that Mom has passed down over the years. Mom said it was fine to share them with you, so here they are.
Roger: Everything I know I learned from my mom.
- No breakfast until the bed is made.
- "Because I said so" is a perfectly valid reason.
- Prices can almost always be negotiated. And when they can't, it doesn't hurt to try.
- Don't fall asleep on an airplane. You don't want to miss out on the free soda and pretzels.
- Before you cook the broccoli you harvested from the garden, be sure to soak the heads in water so the worms crawl out.
- If you drink liquor from your parent’s liquor cabinet, replace it with water.
- Although they look dangerous, snow sharks only attack mail boxes, never little boys.
- I know a game is a game, but Rupert really should have won.
- Ground beef fat and other grease never, ever, EVER go down the drain.
- Some species of animals live only on the side of the road. For example, the flat-adillo and flat-rabbit.
- Some things are better left to the algebra teacher.
- A tablespoon of cold water is the most effective alarm clock in existence. In fact, after it is used once, the mere threat of it is just as effective.
- If you lie and get caught, the punishment is worse than if you told the truth in the first place. Therefore, you better come up with a damn good lie.
- If you work long and hard at hooking worms, you’re sure to eventually become a master-baiter.
Margaret: Everything I Know about Surviving in the Midwest I learned from Marti.
- Always close the fridge door when you’re not using it. You don't want to let the penguins out.
- Sleep in at least until the sun quits shining on the dining room floor. Otherwise you won’t be able to resist the urge to get out the vacuum.
- Real Wisconsinites can make it to Thanksgiving without turning on the furnace.
- Never, ever EVER paint oak. Or if you do, don’t tell Marti.
- Even if you absolutely hate something all you need to say is, "I don’t care for it."
- Never pass up an opportunity to give someone a hard time.
- If somebody says something is "interesting", there’s a good chance they don’t like it.
- The floor is not filthy. The dust bunnies are getting ready to attack.
- When you can't convince your husband that you're right, tell him to go ask his mother.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Roger's journal entry: Ten brave baby wood ducks
Margaret and I have four wood duck nest boxes scattered around our yard, and this spring a pair choose one of them to start a family. Starting in late March or early April, the female lays about one egg per day for two or three weeks and then starts incubating them. After a couple weeks they hatch.
Now here is where it gets crazy. Within 24 hours of hatching, the mamma jumps out of the nest box and calls to her babies from the ground below. Now this particular nest box is six feet off the ground, and some are as high as twenty feet. The little fuzzballs aren't even a day old yet, and they can barely hold their head up, much less fly out of the nest. But nature has a way of dealing with such obstacles. Their legs are surprisingly powerful and can propel them up in the air about a foot or so to the hole at the top of the box. From there they get their first glance at the world around them, and promptly jump, tumbling and free falling to the distant ground. They are so light and fluffy that don't gather enough speed to hurt themselves. Once they are all on the ground, mamma leads them to the nearest lake, pond, or river, where they immediately start a feeding frenzy on insects. They never return to the nest box, except possibly as adults to start a family of their own.
Few people have witnessed this event, but I was lucky enough to capture it on video! On May 15, I noticed mamma woodduck leaving her nest in the middle of the day, so I took the opportunity to peak in the nest box to see how the eggs were doing. Lo and behold, the eggs had transformed into a bunch of feeble, helpless ducklings that looked like they had just been born. So the next morning I set the video camera on a tripod and aimed it at the nestbox. When I checked the nest box two hours later, the ducks were gone!
I checked the tape and there it was at the one hour and twenty minute mark. Mama jumped up to the hole and looked out for about four minutes, carefully surveying the land and the sky for predators and danger. Then she flew to the ground, and all ten ducklings jumped out within sixty seconds!
I cut out most of the four minutes where mama was looking around and ended up with a 1 min 14 second video:
Wood ducks leaving nest (hi-res, 9.8 MB)
The above link requires the Microsoft Silverlight plug-in. If for some reason you have trouble or do not want to install the plug-in, you can download the video directly here (hi-res, 9.8 MB).
I think you'll find the music track appropriate.