Great Horned Owl Nest Building by Human Hands at Red Oak House

We're birders.  We have a lovely and large city lot which is roughly in a pie shape with the bulk of it being the back yard and a number of mature trees including three large blue spruce, two smaller blue spruce, two Ponderosa pine trees, a clump of aspen trees, several crapapple trees, a Burr Oak tree, a birch tree, a large green ash tree, and the largest Red Oak tree in Bismarck/Mandan (an unusual species to central North Dakota, transplanted by Dr. Smeenk and his family all those years ago from Minnesota as a sapling, now about 50 feet tall -- hence The Red Oak House we call our home).

We get lots of bird activity here in the center of town on the Missouri River and we encourage this with feeders.  Sharp-shinned hawks perch in the blue spruce and wreak havoc on the feeders -- a carnivorous accipiter species of hawk that feast on hapless songbirds.  I also regularly hear eastern screech owls and we have a house wren home mounted on the fence bordering our back patio, a source of great joy in the summer months here in North Dakota.

Like so many, I find owls to be a particularly interesting species and thrill to see them perched in our trees.  Our friend Dr. Alan Van Norman is perhaps the foremost expert in Bismarck on owls.  The other day I mentioned to him that I had great horned owls regularly perched in my trees and he could come and photograph them and his retort was "you should place a basket in your tree to get them to nest in your yard."   Well, that was a terrific idea in my mind so I brought it up with my friend Mike Jacobs, one of North Dakota's best birders and we brainstormed.  Following that lunch conversation, I researched this, found some information, and hatched a plan to build my own.

A trip to Hardware Hank and I was all set.  Only my partner-in-crime AKA my husband is laid up with a bad back so I needed to enlist some other helpers.   Luckily our great friends Jeff and Linda Weispfenning are also retired and up for the adventure.   They showed up today and we went to constructing nests.   Jeff had decided against putting one into his trees for various reasons including that they had nesting Cooper's Hawks last year and wanted to give the hawks "right of first refusal".

About halfway through this process, Mike Jacobs showed up, and we were happy to entertain him with our labors.  I filled mine with sticks and twigs I'd gathered last fall for our kindling box.  Shown here are Mike's nest without the twigs as well as the extra one we made for another friend, Clay Jenkinson.

Now it was time to place the nest in the tall green ash tree in the backyard where I regularly see the owls perch.   Jeff got the ladder placed really tight against the tree and up I went, nest in hand, while Jim and Linda stood by as witnesses.  Fortunately I do yoga, so I have good balance and I'm okay on a ladder so long as someone is holding it firm down below and I am careful about not looking down too much.  I wedged that nest into the crook of some branches and then wired it to the branches in about six places to secure it from the howling Dakota winds we get on regular occasion.  There were some jokes about the deep snow being something I would bounce on if I fell off the ladder, but all's well that end's well.  Mission accomplished.   Now I wait for the owls and hope I didn't get it up this year too late for their nesting which has already begun.  I'm hoping to not only observe the owl family, but also benefit from the predation of rabbits in my garden.  Certainly my neighbors wonder what the hell we were up to today, and they might be grateful that we're not out there cussing at the rabbits so damned much.  I'll keep you posted.

Jon Stewart's latest

Jon Stewart's latest on The Late Show

Chelsea's new IT equipment and her gift to her Grandma

To close the circle on my GoFundMe campaign for my daughter's Chelsea's new IT fund, here is the final chapter. 

Her new laptop and printer are up and running. She also had enough money for new speakers, a charger for her new camera, a new Kindle and a few miscellaneous things like spare ink and a couple of shirts for her new parttime job at the Dollar Store. Finally, she paid it forward by gifting her 84-year-old Gram, Marian Crook, with her old laptop, Gram's very first computer. All in all, a heartwarming story. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart friends, for your generosity, and for renewing our belief that there are good hearts all around us in this life.

 Note Chelsea's new T-Shirt I bought her that says "Meanwhile she Purrsisted".  I love her smile and her cozy apartment.  p.s.  We did some cleaning while I was there.  I took Lizzie with me and she cruised around harvesting some crumbs off the floor before she settled into a spot where she felt comfortable to crash.

Marian Crook with her new gmail account in her Edgewood Vista Mandan apartment.   Like a kid with a new toy or a teenager with a new tool.  Baby steps.   Eventually we'll get her on Facebook.  

Missouri River at Bismarck

Late winter Missouri River Bismarck

My Grandma Lillie's Quilt and My Mother's Bedroom Furniture

In the smaller bedroom of our master bedroom suite at Red Oak House, in the winter, I have as a coverlet the quilt made by my namesake, my Grandma Lillie, probably sometime in the mid 1960s.  My mother, Marian, can still tell me about each piece of fabrics' original use, the dresses and aprons and shirts, which were re-purposed by my frugal grandmother into this quilt.  The bedroom furniture was a gift from her parents to my mother when she turned sixteen.  I've refinished it.  Quality pieces last many lifetimes.  I think I sleep better on long North Dakota winter nights under this quilt.  I love the color yellow.  On the walls seen in this picture are the posters of noted North Dakota artist Walter Piehl for a real mix of early twentieth century and late twentieth century North Dakota arts.  The book of daily Tao meditations was a gift from a great friend Steve Robbins, of Kansas.

 In this picture Lizzie, our endlessly amusing Springer Spaniel, snores away on the floor rug, a frequent barrier to our to-ing and fro-ing.   She's had a rather boring winter so far and doesn't give one wit about Tao meditations or quilts, but when we leave her home alone, she does like to jump up on the bed and take a nap, so I try to remember to close the doors to this room when I leave.  If there is a reincarnation, I want to come back as Jim's Springer Spaniel.

Dylanfest West

At Dylanfest West with lots of good friends for the perfect antidote to cabin fever.

Maragritas with walbys

Margarita time with family