Ethno-ornithology Sunday (on a Monday): bird hats

An add for bird hats from the Pariasian Hat Co. From: http://www.gjenvick.com/images/Fashions/1907/CunardDailyBulletin/Adv-TheParisianHatCo-500.jpg.
A hat adorned with what appear to be egret feathers. From: http://www.villagehatshop.com/artman2/uploads/1/the-paris-hat.jpg

This is the first of two posts that will be on the large number of birds killed for either “science” or for fashion. This one will focus on birds killed for the “sake” of “fashion.”
According to Jennifer Price, writer for Audubon magazine, “[i]n 1886 Frank Chapman hiked from his uptown Manhattan office to the heart of the women's fashion district on 14th Street, to tally the stuffed birds on the hats of passing women. Chapman, who would later found the first version of this magazine, was a talented birder. He identified the wings, heads, tails, or entire bodies of 3 bluebirds, 2 red-headed woodpeckers, 9 Baltimore orioles, 5 blue jays, 21 common terns, a saw-whet owl, and a prairie hen. In two afternoon trips he counted 174 birds and 40 species in all” (Price 2004). At this point in time hats were even adorned with small mammals and reptiles, proving just how bizarre women and “fashion” can become!
Hats were a popular accessory well before bird parts adorned them. Once “bird hats” became popular, milliners would set up “plumassiers,” where feathers were dyed and arranged before being placed on the hat (Thomas 2008). By the late 1890s hats were adorned with entire terns and pheasants, up from the entire songbirds worn in previous years. This inspired one Chicago reporter to state “[i]t will be no surprise to me to see life-sized turkeys, or even . . . farmyard hens on fashionable bonnets before I die” (Price 1999). In an effort to appease women’s “feather lust” men nearly decimated populations of snowy and great white egrets, terns, reddish egrets and roseated spoonbills. An 1875 edition of Harper’s Bazaar contained an ad discussing a new fad. "The entire bird is used, and is mounted on wires and springs that permit the head and wings to be moved about in the most natural manner." An 1892 order of feather by a London dealer (either a plumassier or a milliner) included 6,000 bird of paradise, 40,000 hummingbird and 360,000 various East Indian bird feathers (McDowell 1992, quoted in “Hats off to birds”). In 1902 an auction in London sold 1,608 30 ounce packages of heron plumes. Each ounce of plume required the use of four herons, therefore each package used the plumes of 120 herons, for a grand total of 192, 960 herons killed (Haug 2006).
This came on the heels of the first wave of bird hat boycotts. These boycotts were lead by Harriet Hemenway, a prominent Boston society woman, and her cousin Minna Hall. An 1896 description of the bloody mess hunters made of egret rookeries (nesting colonies) spurred her disgust. At a series of afternoon teas Hemenway convinced other society women to boycott the atrocious hats. Hemenway and Hall also convened a group of prominent men and women to create the Massachusetts Audubon Society. According to Price “On average, women accounted for about 80 percent of the membership and half the leadership, and almost all the "local secretaries," who organized members in each town” (Price 2004). Thus women became conservation activists, often alongside the men in the groups. Women hit the pavement, garnered support and members, organized fundraisers, etc while their male counterparts toured and gave lectures on the importance of conservation. Wearing hats with dead bird parts became morally wrong, at least in the upper class. Lower and middle class women, delighted at the new found affordability of these icons of fashion, were quickly and harshly chastised for wearing the hats. They often couldn’t afford memberships to the upper class societies, and needed to work to feed their families anyway. Still . . . this seems to have been the beginning of a good thing, twisted as it may be.
This reminds me of Hazel Wolf. Wolf was not a society woman, in fact she came from a very poor family. Born in the late 1890s she was an activist for all manner of humanitarian efforts, until she had “run out” of things to do there and moved on to environmental efforts. I love being a woman, particularly when I read about the amazing things we’ve done. I also dislike being a woman, particularly where materialism (which I know is created and encouraged by men) and “fashion” are concerned. Tune in next week for the scientific end of this deadly time for birds.

Thomas,P. 2008. Available at: http://www.fashion-era.com/hats-hair/hats_hair_1_wearing_hats_fashion_history.htm#Plumassiers.> Accessed September 29, 2008.
Haug, J. 2006. “Wings, Breasts and Birds.” Available at: http://www.victoriana.com/Victorian-Hats/birdhats.htm.> Accessed September 29, 2008.
Novia Scotia Museum of Natural History. 1998. Available at: http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nsbirds/feat05.htm.> Accessed September 29, 2008.
Price, J. 2004. “Heritage.” Available at: http://audubonmagazine.org/features0412/hats.html.> Accessed September 29, 2008.

Animal of the week

Well, I've slacked this week! I have been busy trying to get data entry done, thus my animal of the week post (started last week with rats) has been placed aside. Therefore, this is what I've got . . . it's not as in depth as I'd like to have explored, but it's what I had time for!

A picture of the baby western gray squirrel and pine squirrel eating together on our patio.

The baby gray squirrel. Can you see it's big feet? So cute!

Douglas squirrel, my favorite!

This week I’ll be discussing squirrels. Originally I was going to discuss turtles, but the baby western gray squirrel that has been visiting us lately has changed my mind! The gray squirrel has arrived on the tail of one or more pine squirrels. Thankfully, it has avoided the feeders and stuck to the ground, cleaning up the seeds that our overzealous and picky red-breasted nuthatch visitor throws out. Typically the gray squirrels also chase out the smaller pine squirrels, this one eats with the pine squirrels, as long as they don’t get too close, probably because it is young. When I say young, I mean young. This little one still has over-large paws, baby fuzz and the more rounded heads common to young squirrels.
Classification of the squirrel: Kingdom-Animalia; Phylum-Chordata; Class-Mammalia; Order-Rodentia; Family-Sciuridae; Genus-Sciurus; western gray squirrel Species-griseus .
Geographic range of the western gray squirrel: Washington, Oregon, California and a small portion of Nevada.
Habitat: woodlands and coniferous forests; elevations of up to 2500 meters (from University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web).
Squirrels in Oregon: The major species of squirrels common to Oregon are the Douglas squirrel (we used to call them pine squirrels when I was a kid), western gray squirrel, California ground squirrel and northern flying squirrel. While the dominant species used to the be the Douglas squirrel and western gray squirrel the invasion of eastern gray squirrels and fox squirrels, combined with the loss of habitat to development, has lead to a steep decline in western gray squirrel populations. In Oregon the western gray squirrel is now listed as a species of concern, in Washington it is listed as threatened. This may seem unimportant, squirrels generally all perform the same ecological function. In fact the eastern gray squirrel has virtually replaced the western gray squirrel throughout the Pacific Northwest. Currently urban gray squirrels are typically eastern, while "woodland squirrels" are typically western.
Characteristics: “The western gray squirrel is the largest tree squirrel in Oregon. They are silvery gray, with a white belly. White tips on their gray hairs give them a silvery appearance. They have a bushy, silvery gray tail with black hairs. Adults weigh between 18 to 33 ounces. They can be as long as two feet, including their tail. They have tough, curved claws and strong legs for tree climbing and leaping” (Carol Savonen). Eastern gray squirrels have a reddish tint in the summer, are smaller and more aggressive than their western counterparts. Either way gray squirrels play an important ecological function in that 100s of the 1000 or so nuts and seeds they cache are forgotten and grow into trees and plants the following year.
Mythology/Spirituality: According to Ted Andrews squirrels serve as a “strong reminder we are on the right track, laying the foundation, and making the right preparations to enable us to succeed and prosper in the future” (from the Animal Wise Tarot by Ted Andrews). So, if a squirrel appears in your life you’re on the right track, or at least it seems like that is what he’s saying. Maybe it’s a good thing we have squirrels visiting us on a regular basis. In Norse mythology Ratatoskr is a red squirrel that delivers messages up and down the world tree, Yggdrasill. This squirrel was also a messenger for Odin, bringing him news from the human world.
When we'd get in litters of squirrels at wildlife images there were usually at least three babies. According to Sara Crane (University of Michigan) there are usually 3-5 babies, with older females giving birth to larger litters than young females. Females are able to reproduce by the time they're 11 mo old with a gestation of only 44 days and a weaning time of about 10 weeks (they're slow developers!). This probably explains why there are so many baby squirrels out and about in the summer, all females born in one year are capable of bearing young the following year! Squirrel nests are generally large and occur either in trees or external to them, made of sticks and moss. Gray squirrels are also diurnal, presumably because they are quick on their feet, thus being able to easier avoid predators.
For more information on western gray squirrels in Oregon I'd suggest going here. For more information on the squirrels of Washington go here. The information I've used was obtained from the following links, the photos are from our patio.

http://www.backyardnature.net/squrrls.htm
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=834&storyType=garden
http://www.squirrelsanctuary.org/curios.htm
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sciurus_griseus.html
http://www.audubonportland.org/images/wcc_images/living%20with%20urban%20squirrels.pdf

tagcloud 5

ponderings

The indecisiveness that wracks my brain makes me impatient with myself. I LOVE research, field work and analysis (I'm often told that I am too analytical) but do I love them enough? I know that I love working with animals, getting dirty and community outreach education. I know that I love them enough to do them full-time. *sigh* This whole having to make plans for my future can sometimes be a drag!

Great-horned owl

Hoo-h-HOO-hoo-hoo
Great horned you appear, brown and gray
Like bark, to me. Owl.

This is for the great-horned owl that talks to me almost every night when I take the dogs for their last "potty." I hear them when I'm bird watching (at sunrise) at both EE Wilson and Finley. On the nights that I'm up, driven by an seen force to keep sowing until far into the night, the great-horned owls talk to me as well. Occasionally I want to snuggle them! While I'm on the subject of great-horned owls I found a pumpkin ale, called night owl and featuring a painting of a great-horned owl on the bottle, while we were in Eugene. It's from the Elysian Brewing Company in Seattle, WA. It's supposed to be for Samhein, but I don't know that I want to wait that long to drink it.

Photo from: www.gatorfarm.com/birds.html

Ruby Tuesday: first time around

I've decided to attempt a leap into the photography fun I've seen on so many blogs. Ruby Tuesday is the first attempt. I like the theme of red and the excuse to take pictures. You can view the host site and other photos here. The first pictures is from the Eugene, OR Saturday Market. It's a display of tomatoes that I am absolutely enamored with.






This second is a knife holder from a store in Newport, OR. The holder is called "the ex," I believe it speaks for itself.

Mabon

Greetings on this lovely Mabon holiday. I'd like to send blessings to all of you. May the coming months bring to fruition "items" you've been working on, be it physical, mental or emotional. This past year I've been given the blessed ability to get in touch with the Earth again. We've gardened, harvested and prepared fruits, vegetables and herbs and I've reveled in the reminder of how much I love these activities. These simple (time intensive yet simple) acts are a great reminder to slow down and enjoy what out Mother has to offer. I also was able to spend the summer hiking and watching birds. While this isn't an actual harvest it is similar to harvesting my goals, thoughts or desires. It has been a good year indeed. Walk forth this day into the fields and harvest the Earth's bounty (obviously in a sustainable, thankful and loving manner). One more month before the crops belong to the fey (Samhein), so get on it :)

Ethno-ornithology Sunday: falconry

Image from: http://stronghold2.heavengames.com/cpix/f-lady.jpg

I’ve been interested in falconry since about 1994, correlating with when I began volunteering at Wildlife Images. I’d had no real interest in working with raptors until I watched them up close. Even in enclosed areas they are magnificent. Undoubtedly my real interest in falconry came from assisting with the training of program birds and working with wild birds to prepare them for release (make sure they were in shape). Anyway, I was interested in falconry until I found out where most birds used come from. They’re often wild birds that are captured and “trained.” In honor of ethno-ornithology Sunday I’m delving deeper into falconry.
The North American Falconers Association (NAFA) defines falconry as “taking wild quarry in its natural state with a trained raptor." According to a PBS special on falconry, there is evidence that raptors were used for hunting in China as long ago as 2,205 BC, during the Heian Dynasty. There is evidence of falconry in Arabia and Persia dating back to 1700 BC. In Europe, falconry dates back to 300 BC. During the middle ages falconry was particularly popular, some ren-fests even have falconry displays. When the Spanish made it to Mexico they discovered that Aztecs were using falcons for hunting as well (which I find AMAZING). Finally PBS also mentions that William Shakespeare was an avid falconer, which makes me like him even more.

Photo from: http://www.claytor.com/photographs/images/picFalconryDubai.jpg

Falconry is legal, with proper training and permits, in every state but Delaware, Maryland (though I seem to find contention between a few sites) and Connecticut. Various laws regarding falconry can be found here: http://www.n-a-f-a.org/htm/about_fal/fedlaws.htm. The international association of falconry and conservation of birds of prey have great information on the history of falconry, falconry today and various other falconry links: http://www.i-a-f.org/ftoday.html.

Photo from: http://buildyourownbirdhouseplans.com/images/Gloygum31235American_Kestrel_II_800x600.jpg

Aside from the length of time and breadth of space falconry has encompassed the strata created regarding the types of birds in use are pretty amazing. Several pages describe this stratification as an Eagle for an Emperor, a Gyrfalcon for a King, the Peregrine for a Duke, the Goshawk for Yeoman, the Merlin for a Lady, the Spar (eurasian Sparrowhawk) for a Priest, the Kestrel for an Altar boy. Birds would often be trapped in the Fall or late Summer and then released again in the Spring. Apparently, this continued until about 30 years ago, when many falconers began using captive bred birds. Some, such as renaissance man: http://www.therenaissanceman.org/falconry.html still follow tradition, releasing birds once Spring arrives. Part of the reason for this is that while molting birds cannot be flown and are therefore not catching their own food. So, what would be the purpose of “hawking” (as falconry is also known) with wild birds? Historically people would eat what the birds caught, sharing what they didn’t consume with their birds. Today I believe that tradition is the main factor, though I’m sure that some people still eat what their birds catch.

Photo from: http://www.gyrfalcons.co.uk/IX6B1820.JPG

An interesting aspect of falconry, which I’d never considered before, is the propagation of hawks and falcons specifically for falconry. Falconers commonly use kestrels, gyrfalcons, peregrines, red-tailed hawks and other accipters and buteos. Eagles are occasionally used (though it doesn’t seem often). Owls even become falconers’ birds, though training them focuses on an audio attack, not a visual one. Eurasian owls and great horned owls seem to be the most popular, as far as breeding goes at the very least.
Finally, falconers can do a lot of good. When peregrines were first listed as endangered it was falconers that donated birds for the breeding programs. By proxy without falconers peregrines would have likely gone extinct. The peregrine fund’s site is informative, check it out: http://www.peregrinefund.org/default.asp. Here I should mention that naïve and untrained falconers can cause great damage to their birds and bird populations. Care must be taken when trapping a bird, to ensure that they survive the initial trapping. Caring for a bird-of-prey can be expensive; care must be taken to ensure the bird’s health. Additionally if a species is sensitive, capturing one, even for a few months could be detrimental to the population as a whole.

Where do I stand, now that I’ve perused 7-10 websites about falconry? Well, I used to be opposed to falconry. Some animal rights activists apparently disapprove of falconry, though I seem unable to find any websites supporting this. Therefore I’m actually feeling in favor of falconry. Maybe my feelings of approval are misguided and misinformed; hopefully I’d figure that out rather quickly. Either way, at this moment in time I see no reason why people shouldn’t be falconers, particularly with domestic birds (I’m still put off by the idea of capturing wild birds and trying to make them bond with a person). That’s falconry in a nutshell, my nutshell at least!

Some other great websites: Falconry Academy, Western Sporting, and Oregon Falconers Association.

soy

I was reading an article in Yoga Journal about soy. There are conflicting opinions about soy consumption. On one side of the issue are doctors and researchers claiming that eating soy causes breast cancer and therefore should not be eaten in any quantity. The other side of the issue claims (likely obviously) that soy actually decreases the likelihood of breast cancer. My thoughts on it are that anything in excess can kill you (nutmeg included, though I suppose this has more to do with the fact that the outer part of a nutmeg nut is used to create mace). Anyway, they go on to say that it is virtually impossible to eat enough tofu to create problems, but soy ice cream and soy-based products make it easier to eat "too much" soy because they contain condensed soy. Since the jury is still out on this one I'm going to continue eating soy ice cream. I prefer tofu to condensed soy products and therefore am not too worried about that either.

While we're discussing soy ice cream I have to divulge my horrible secret. I LOVE So Delicious (Turtle Mountain frozen treats) soy ice cream. We visited the home of So Delicious (Eugene, OR) and were greeted with an array of frozen treats, the likes of which I've never seen! Next time we go to Eugene we're taking the cooler so I can buy the Lemon Cream. MMmmmmmm. After visiting their webpage I discovered that they give a percentage of their proceeds to Sea Turtle Restoration Project. Their desserts are organic and completely non-dairy. I haven't yet met one I don't like! For their other environmental ideals go here. Ideally, we'd like to make our own soy ice cream, for the time being I'll enjoy this!

Additionally, I've been trying to get back in the daily yoga and meditation routine. It's been difficult, mostly because I'm out of the habit. I forgot how much I love yoga. While perusing the Yoga Journal I began wondering if I'm missing out on something by not going to classes. Then I realized that I live in a college town and I've seen the people that take yoga. While I believe that everyone should do yoga, I don't want to be around everyone when I'm doing it. I really am an anti-group person. Weird.

Gone coastal

On Thursday we headed to Newport, OR yet again. It was nice to be there on a day when tourist numbers were low. Agate Beach was relatively empty, allowing for maximum dog play. Moose has been doing really well with other dogs, but we had a near run in (I don't think he knew it though). These two older women and their chihuahuas were visiting the beach, the chihuahuas off leash. We realized it and noted that they weren't really being watched. In order to head off any trouble I lead Moose and Freyja in a large arc around the women. Even still the chihuahuas came tearing toward us, barking their little heads off. At first the women seemed unconcerned, even after I started walking quickly away from them. Finally they called the dogs off. I'm glad as I would have hated for Moose to have consumed one of their dogs (not that I think he actually would have, but he could have seriously injured one of them). I had some moonstones and herbs to leave for the ocean so we headed to cobble beach next. Most of the moonstones were left on a rock with a prayer said over them. The ocean claimed her gift and we headed on. Next we stopped at Quarry Cove (my favorite). I left the remaining moonstones and herbs, mostly for the harbor seals!

Friday Julie and I walked to Fred Meyer. At one point the dogs took off behind me, I've gotta' get better about keeping my footing while being spun around. They were trying to get to a lovely white husky, who seemed confused by Moose's growls. When they first spun me I had the option to either allow myself to fall and maintain some control over the dogs or fight for my footing but possibly loose control over the dogs. I chose falling, but the dog kept advancing. Thankfully Julie grabbed our dogs and an argument was avoided. The most frustrating part of all was the husky's neighbor coming out and telling us that "pizza is friendly." To which I replied "he's not," pointing at Moose while smiling at the gentlemen. I just don't understand people. The husky was off leash, in town with no tags and only a harness for gripping (harnesses also get stuck to the bottom of vehicles very easily). Don't people think?

Tagcloud Thursday is here again

I like this one, CHICKENS!

"Fly Away Home"

I broke down and watched "fly away home" this morning. I try not to have the tv on when I'm the only one home, but nobody else ever wants to watch it and it's one of my favorite movies, ergo I watched it today by myself. Anyway I've never cried while watching this movie. Today I did. Why? Well because I watched the geese bathing in the water at the end of the movie and they were so happy. The developers in the movie, true to developer nature, were hoping for the opportunity to take land designated for wildlife and turn it into homes. I suppose the thought of so many people hoping to oust nature in order to make a quick buck, with ramshackle housing, got to me today. I don't want to live in a world where the only wildlife anyone sees are european starlings, opossums, raccoons, corvids and whatever other animals can find a way to survive with us. I like listening to birds singing and knowing that somewhere outside the limits of development biodiversity still survives.

We turn clean water toxic, for example the Berkeley Pit in Butte, MT. Thinking about the Berkeley Pit lead to research, and I'm more horrified than I thought possible! From the Butte, MT Convention and Visitors Bureau "the Berkeley Pit is a 1700 foot deep hole in the ground" that is three miles around and a mile across. It started filling in 1982, when ARCO closed down the copper mine and removed the pumps (which were keeping groundwater out of the pit). The pit contains 38.3 billion gallons of water with a pH of 2.5 (according to PitWatch Cola, read Pepsi and Coke, has a pH of 2.5 as well), acidic enough that life cannot grow in it (other than the bacteria that has evolved enough to now sustain life in this highly acidic and heavy metal laden aquatic environment). In 1995 a flock of 342 Snow Geese landed on the water (happy to find a place to land while migrating I'm sure) and died shortly thereafter. September 28, 2006 the EPA made a decision regarding the Priority Soils Operable Unit. The EPA has created a two step process. Phase I included the removal of waste dumps, railroad beds and other wastes that may be associated with mine wastes. Apparently children from the neighborhoods bordering the Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit have elevated levels of lead in their blood (this is from various sources including the dust from tailings) so the EPA is overseeing programs abating the lead problem. Apparently Phase II does not include removing tainted dust or soil but does include the use of vegetation, caps and warning signs to lessen human contact. Not sure what this really means for Butte residents either, its interesting either way. The dust is created when the tailings that are located in the Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond are exposed to the air, dry up and create dust, carried by the wind to the poor part of town (because as we all know people with money don't live near toxic waste fields). Additional dust may be coming from the Parrot Tailings, but they aren't mentioned a lot so I'm not sure about this theory. The pit itself is about 200 ft from the "critical level" and about 300ft from the level at which it will enter into outside water sources. Until then pumps have been installed at Horseshoe Bend, pumping water into the Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond, in order to slow the ever increased water levels of Berkeley Pit. Once the critical level is reached, water will be pumped out of the pit, cleaned and released into Silver Bow Creek. Possibly even more disturbing than the EPA and state reactions to the pit and its surrounding area is the fact that it has become a tourist attraction. No joke, there is a gift shop, picnic tables, bathrooms and a viewing area. What they fail to mention is that if you breath in the dust of the fog that rises from the lake you may be inhaling heavy metals and acidic vapors. But hey, they only charge $2, so maybe it's worth it (haha). "Pit Watch," is an organization partially funded by one of the main perpetrators, BP-ARCO (yep, you read that right) has an article about efforts being made to discourage waterfowl from landing. Read the brief article, though I warn you it isn't as uplifting as one might hope for. Ultimately I hope that you'll peruse the "pit watch" page, it's all pretty disturbing. I also encourage you to visit the Convention and Visitor's Bureau page because it is entirely amusing. There are some interesting people in Butte, MT.

"No Impact Man"

Colin Beavan of NYC started a project in August or September 2006, to try and create no net impact on the environment. He had apparently decided to "walk the talk." So, I've been reading his blog for easily an hour now. At first I was put off. He's making a book and a movie about this journey, both require a lot of energy and resources to create. So, I looked into the book and movie more. Okay, he says the publishers will be using sustainable materials. Good. The movie is a documentary, cameras follow him and his wife around. Seems better than a post journey movie deal. BUT . . . what kind of sustainable materials? Are we talking recycled paper? Good, what percent post-consumer? 20% . . . 50% . . . 80% . . . 100%? In order to appear as unhypocritical as possible it'll have to be 80-100%. I mean if Seventh Generation can make almost entirely post-consumer toilet paper, you can make a book the same way. Will the paper be bleached? Again unbleached paper will create a less negative impact, it'd look cooler too. Ultimately, creating more "stuff" for consumers seems the opposite of what you'd want to do to encourage "no net impact."

After reading his blog for a while though I realized something. First, even though this guy is a megalomaniac he cops to it. Excellent. Second, he seems to be genuinely inspiring people, both to hate him and to try and follow his lead. Anyone who inspires right-wingers to hate them is probably alright with me. Third, whatever . . . at least he's making an effort. We can't all be as saintly as we'd like to be all the time.

This leads me to divulge some of my own flubs. My family lives three hours away. For a while there we were visiting them once a month. Even though I get 25 mpg most of the time it is still a LOT of gas. I rescued a horse. Plus one karma point (maybe more since I am nigh onto broke and she's EXPENSIVE) for me, minus one crunchy point because of the resources she requires (hay, grain, etc). I have two dogs. They were rescues too, so again plus karma points, but they burn up resources, minus crunchy points. What are we attempting in order to decrease our impact? Less trips home. I love little Audrey and enjoy my time with my family but it's a long drive and I feel guilty every time I make it. Huka lives in a pasture and her manure becomes fertilizer and we buy local hay and grain. For the dogs we buy "bio bags," biodegradable poop bags. We also recently bought a second hand (smells like bulk salsa once lived in it) 5 gallon bucket from the co-op. Bulk dog food now inhabits the bucket. It costs less and we don't have a giant bag to throw away at the end of the month anymore. I wish the meat center at OSU had non-basted bones so we could buy "chewies" without packaging.

Furthermore that new computer I want, so that we don't have to juggle computers at home, probably shouldn't happen. Ouch. Three people in college, two with on-line classes, one with two college classes to teach. Hmmm . . . for someone living increasingly sustainably sustainability can still be hard!

I've switched to cloth pads for my feminine woes. I know that this is something we're encouraged not to talk about publicly but I can't help it. Us ladies create a lot of waste with our disposable products, even the environmentally friendly ones still end up in sewers or landfills. So, here it is . . . This was the first month and there are a few kinks that need to be worked out. Namely ensuring that I don't use/waste more water by using them. Speaking of garbage . . . we've started using garbage bags only in the bathroom (as long as there are disposable lady products there will be a liner). The garbage bags we do use are also "bio bags." For all other garbage we have a five gallon bucket that we just dump garbage into. We're down to only about a gallon of garbage per week for three people and two dogs. Not bad. Once a month I rinse the bucket with a vinegar solution so it stays "clean."

Now if we can just figure out how to get the three of us places without driving at all. The bus system here is great, but from our apartment only goes one place we need it to, OSU. *Sigh* this is a process!

Oh rats!

We've had a rat visiting us at night off and on for about a month now. Yesterday I saw it in plain view, we had a moment before it scampered off. It is small compared to many of the rats in Corvallis, making me believe it is young, or a different species. Either way it comes and eats the seeds dropped by our bird friends.

Watching the our rat visitor I began wondering about rats. We had a pet rat as a child, there was a rat problem at the wildlife rehabilitation center I volunteered at (due to some escapees from a failed propagation program intending to create less expensive food for the animals) and I know that OSU had a rat problem last year. I also saw wood rats at both marshes all summer. Are there other rats native to the United States? No. Wood rats seem to be the only native rats, and they aren't true rats. They are from the same family as true rats, Muridae, but from a different genus, wood rats are from the genus Neotoma and true rats are from the genus Rattus.

There is also a difference between the rat implicated in the spread of the Black Plague, not-so-ironically enough the black rat. After the black rat came the brown rat, which is now the dominant species in most of Eurasia. Rats originated in Asia but spread to other parts of the world via humans (imagine that!). The Chinese believe that rats bring prosperity and material goods. Also, rat is the head of the Chinese zodiac cycle In Hinduism, rats are considered a vehicle for Lord Ganasha. At a temple in Rajastan, India, the Karni Mata Temple, rats are considered sacred. This has to do with the Hindu believe in reincarnation and a deal made between Karni Mata, an incarnation of the goddess Durga, and Yama, the god of death, turned all of Karni Mata's clan members into rats before they are reincarnated as holy men (from National Geographic, follow the link for Karni Mata above). In Europe they have a negative association, though that seems likely to have resulted from the black plague. That's a hard association to shake! Many people consider rats dirty and disease carrying but I think this is a misconception. Our pet rat was very clean and Karni Mata has never had a disease outbreak! In fact, I'd like to rescue a rat or two, though as with any other small animal I think about rescuing I realize our dogs may want to eat them.

Ethno-ornithology Sunday: Urban chickens

The reasons behind the recent urban chicken "boom" vary. Some of the main reasons given by urban chicken fanatics are getting back in touch with nature, raising their own food and the joy that watching chickens in their yard brings them. And why not? "Farm fresh" eggs have become a popular food item at natural food stores, roadside stands and growers/farmers markets over the last decade. A similar trend is urban/backyard gardening. It seems natural then that chickens would come next. Chickens are good cultivators, their scratching aerates the soil. They eat "pest" insects, for example beetles and grubs, they're great composters and their feces is good for fertilizing backyard gardens. In fact many people are now employing "chicken tractors," portable pens that allow chickens to scratch, consume and poop to their hearts content, in their gardens. Most chickens produce between 200 and 320 eggs per year, though some lay an average of slightly more than one egg per day. Finally, chickens are fun to watch. Their personalities vary as much as any species and they come in a wide array of colors, sizes and productivity. Additionally many breeds make great pets, they enjoy being held, scratched, kissed and otherwise loved on.

To my utter delight many urban cities across the country allow the keeping of backyard chickens. Some of these cities include Ann Arbor, MI, Seattle, WA, Portland, OR (Corvallis and Eugene too!), New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Missoula, MT and Albuquerque, NM. Ordinances vary, for example Missoula allows up to six (Missoula, MT draft ordinance 12/07) while Seattle only allows up to three (Seattle Tilth 2007). If you're interested in raising chickens in your backyard contact your local animal control officer or city hall to look up city ordinances.

In researching all of this Seattle has become an even more amazing place to live. Seattle Tilth offers City Chicken 101 and 201 classes plus an annual Chicken Coop Tour. A story co-created by Seattle Times writer Paula Block and Pacific Northwest magazine photographer Harley Soltes highlights some of the greatest coops I've ever seen in "Custom Coops." Another Seattle Times article, "Chickens in the city: a tightknit brood" by Nicole Tsong, discusses the increasing popularity of chickens, featuring a coop built with sustainability in mind. As with most cities roosters are not allowed, predominantly due to the level of noise they create.

Missoula, MT is a perfect example of how contentious farming in the city can be. Apparently there is no law regarding urban chickens (so they aren't either legal or illegal, just something in between). The video "Missoula Squabbles Over Urban Chickens" gives an excellent synopsis of the situation and its funny to boot. If you choose to watch it be warned that it does take a little while to load, even with high speed internet, its worth the wait though!

Some of the arguements against urban chickens are that they carry disease (predominantly false, they aren't more likely to carry disease than any avian pet), they smell (also predominantly false, if their coops are cleaned regularly they don't smell bad), chickens belong in the country (no! they make excellent house pets!), people are uncomfortable knowing where their food comes from (some neighbors don't want to think about it) and chickens are noisey (I won't argue that one, they can be quite talkative).

I discovered the "Urban Chickens" blog that is pretty delightful. For more information you can also go to http://urbanchickens.org/. To look at species of chickens you can go to the American Poultry Association. I love these people because they are crazy chicken enthusiasts! They also have an article for raising chickens in the city limits. You can also find a table of breeds, egg colors and other information here.

As with every other aspect of ethno-ornithology and natural resources we don't realize what we have, miss, need, etc until it's gone. We move away from the country to avoid farms, work, etc only to decide that urban farms are the next trend in sustainability and yuppiedom. Personally, I'm glad to see chickens raising to this level of fanatacism because I think they make great pets. Urban chickens back-up my point that birds are the best way to get people connected to nature. Birds are everywhere, creating a connection with nature through bird feeders, backyard chickens, birdwatching in Central Park and watching red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons nest in New York, NY. City chickens are a prime example of human's innate need to be close to nature, close to where our food comes from. Ultimately these chickens also provide their humans with the opportunity to create ever grander, ever more imaginative and increasingly sustainable coops to share and show off to their friends neighbors and other enthusiasts. So maybe I'm giving urban chicken "farmers" too much credit. Maybe urban chickens are just a way for some to feel more concerned, more holy, than thou. Eh, either way I'm loving the recent love for urban chickens, sustainability and creativity that results when the two are combined!

Greetings Lords and Ladies

Today we ventured to the 13th annual Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire in Kings Valley, OR. We had a grand time yelling "Huzzah" as we watched knights jousting. There were many vendors, sadly most were selling non-handmade goods. A gypsy man was selling his 72 diesel "gypsy mobile." He completely decorated and designed the interior on his own, if we had $10,000 I believe we would have bought it! There were several "stages" and areas roped off for various guild performers. One group consisted of a group of Scots, another was the Shire Reaves (we bought a lovely triple horse tapestry from them). Interestingly enough there were educational fliers at many of the booths (the Greyhounds of America for example), at the entrance and at the guild areas. Many of the vendors were in character, bringing great joy to my heart. The best booth? The McGilly Sassparilly, a booth selling home brewed sarsparilla, cream soda and birch beer (among other things). The beverages are fantastic, the pourers amusing and you get to keep the groovy bottles. So, my first ren-fest was nice, I probably would have had more fun if I'd been part of it, though maybe not. Julie has suggested I take up sewing with wool felt and then trying to sell stuff next year. Hmmm, probably a lot of work for a two day event. It would be funny though.

This all makes me ponder why we humans feel the need to dress up. I suppose the actors make some sense, they perform something they enjoy and educate faire goers, at least on some level. The plethora of individuals that attend in garb is what really makes me think. Some of them were really into it, others were just dressed up, wandering around and looking "cool." Why do we glorify that time period? There was a lot of misery, a lot of disease and death and a lot of really messed up goings on. Eh, I don't know. Ultimately it is good for people to have something to be interested in, something to be amused by. Being amused by a period of time when peasants hardly had the time to raise a family if strange to think of (though not non-understandable).

Praying mantis vs. Garden Spider

My favorite variety of spider is the garden spider. This is due, in part, to the large number of them we've found in our garden, because they have cool webs and we used to feed one that lived near our front door as a kid (we even incubated her egg sac). Nature tales has a great blog about spiders, including garden spiders. I also am fond of praying mantises as well. There were mantises everywhere at both Finley and EE Wilson. They're lovely in flight and when I stopped to talk to a green praying mantis at EE Wilson it stared at me and kept tilting its head, similar to Freyja's "what?" look.

Yesterday there was a show-down between these two insects. A large brown mantis had flown into a large garden spider's web. The garden spider had partially wrapped the praying mantis's head and front legs. Amazingly the mantis was putting up a fight, causing the spider to bite it and then walk away. As we watched I was filled with a mix of awe, at the spider's ability to catch and hold something as large as a praying mantis, and horror, at the mantis's obvious distress. Though I suppose another way to look at it is that the mantis put up a valiant fight, the spider was just too large.

Final day of surveying

Finally, the vegetation surveys are done. I'm a little sad, but the excuse to stick to trails for awhile is appreciated! We found remains of one of "my" northern harriers, I believe the female. I know that death and consumption are a "fact of life" but it still makes me very sad. The harriers have worked their way into my heart this summer. They've mowed out there too, cut down a ton of the black hawthorn, I guess they're going to burn it again this year. It's probably a good thing I'm not looking at getting into management of this sort, the policies I've seen this summer make me crazy!

I called University of Washington today, to request an admissions packet. The woman I talked to was very friendly. Another phone call was placed to John Marzluff, the professor I want to work with for my graduate degree. Hopefully I'll hear back from him soon.

Tagclouds

I forgot to post the tagcloud from last week so here it is:












This week's tagcloud is also here:

Vegetation Surveys day 2

We are done at EE Wilson. The vegetation surveys went smoothly today, probably because we didn't have to hike very far to, from or between sites. We watched a juvenile red-tailed hawk for quite some time. It's interesting because we saw it in the same site that I always see a juvenile red-tail in. I wonder if the hunting is ideal, due to the abundance of grass, berries, on not-too-dense forest (meaning the hawk can get in between trees easier). One thing I've come to realize about marshes is that they are blooming and vegetated year-round. There are these tall purplish flowers blooming that weren't there two weeks ago. In most places the heat is killing plants while at EE Wilson things just keep "popping" out of the ground. Amazing.

After we finished the vegetation surveys we decided to pick blackberries. While looking for berries I led us past some prune trees, wanting to see if they were Italian prunes like I'd been suspecting all along. They were indeed Italian prunes, little tiny ones, edible in two or three bites. Being at the peak of ripeness they were quite tasty. Julie and I picked enough to fill my cargo pockets. Funny thing about fresh picked ripe prunes is that putting them in your pockets can make quite a mess! I think we're going to juice them to make either fruit leather or slice and dehydrate them (I LOVE dried prunes). We also picked a large container of blackberries, for either baking, smoothie making or fruit leather making. I love living in the Willamette Valley, there is so much "wild" fruit available for harvesting. In fact we found ripe and plentiful huckleberries downtown (along the water front) the other day.

One more day of vegetation surveys, then Shrewsbury, then my last class of the summer, one more week of "vacation" and then back to school.

vegetation surveys day one

Thanks to my assistants, Julie and Jan, things went quickly and smoothly today. We performed 20 vegetation surveys, hiked at least four miles (possibly closer to five) and had fun doing it. Well, I had fun and they seemed to as well. Anyway, as suspected the dominant vegetation types are blackberries and grass. Throw in a splash of thistle, rose and black hawthorne and you've got an idea of what the sites I've been surveying are composed of. Tomorrow we'll finish up at EE Wilson, then harvest blackberries and maybe some apples (we harvested pears today).

This has got me to thinking about a story I was recently told. A former co-worker of mine has a habit of talking about birds. Having worked with her and knowing the misinformation she often spreads I feel justified in noting that she is a pretend, and not an actual, ornithologist. She once claimed that two turkey vultures (whom I saw with my own eyes) were in actuality red-tailed hawks. Being part Lakota she also felt the need to yell out a greeting to "brother hawk" in front of everyone, showing us all how wise and in touch with nature she is. Recently she claimed that a bird circling high overhead (at work) was a bald eagle. Even better it is part of a mated pair of bald eagles that nest in the trees just behind work. When someone mentioned the dark head she said "they're young." Here I feel the need to note that "young" birds are "immature" and do not breed. An eagle cannot be both mated and immature. Either it has a dark head and tail (is immature) and is unmated or it has a white head and tail and possibly mated. She then started mentioning the mated pair of bald eagles at EE Wilson. There is a pair of osprey at EE Wilson that I've watched each morning when I pass by the water. I have never seen a bald eagle though, maybe they winter there, maybe they just aren't very active. Why does it bother me to hear this woman talk? I suppose because the people she's telling are four and under. Shouldn't we want to lie as little as possible to these kids? Should we care if they think we're cool or impressive? I mean I can impress toddlers by potting on my own, I don't need to lie to them in order to do so. Ultimately I want people to be outside. I loved working with the kids and "birdwatching" with them, birds are a good way for people to connect with nature. I'm just irritated by people that feel the need to show how much they know by lying. It really "gets my goat."

"Disarming Cats"

In the free Audubon magazine (Jan/Feb 2008) I picked up at Wild Birds Unlimited there is an article about research into methods of deterring domestic cats from killing wild birds. The method being discussed? Placing a baby bib around the cat's neck. Apparently the studies show that "fastening bibs to kitty collars can reduce the number of birds [cats] kill by up to 72 percent. Researchers suspect that like a warning flag, the brightly colored neoprene bibs alert potential prey to the presence of an otherwise stealthy cat." Obviously keeping cats inside is the only way to reduce bird kills by 100%. Still, I think it'd be pretty hilarious to see a cat randomly stalking through the woods with a hot pink neoprene bib around its neck!

In the same issue there is an article about Sam the Seagull from Aberdeen, Scotland. He sneaks into a newsstand, after the door is open and the coast is clear. Once in the store he grabs a bag of Chili Heatwave Doritos, walks out the door, rips open the bag and enjoys a snack. Apparently he only steals this flavor. One employee speculates that its because of the color. I think he knows what he's getting, birds are smart. As funny as this is, it is rather unhealthy. Here's a YouTube video of him:

NW Natural-Smart Energy

NW Natural has finally created a "green" option for their customers. They call it "Smart Energy." At the Farmer's Market this weekend they were handing out brochures. The first thing readers see (on the inside cover) is the saying "Together we can shape the future of our environment." Well said, a little idealistic but well said. It turns out NW Natural is working with the Climate Trust (from Portland, OR). The Climate Trust is a non-profit group working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For at least $6/month customers can offset the carbon dioxide emissions created by using natural gas. NW Natural is focusing the money generated from the Smart Energy program on donations to biogas clean energy projects. According to NW Natural "A typical cow produces 120 pounds of waste each day. That's a lot of potential energy-and a lot of greenhouse gases when left untreated. Methane from manure is a 23 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide." Converting manure into energy as been going on for over a decade but interest has not been high until the last 2-4 years, so not much development has occurred. Large-scale conversion has not been perfected, these donations will help to "perfect" conversion. My assumption is that this will make large-scale conversion cleaner and more efficient.

Three cheers for NW Natural for deciding to help green consumers make their homes a little greener.

Avery Park

Avery Park is one of my favorite parks in Corvallis. I suppose that's because it is the first park I discovered and regularly visited in 1998. It was a hard time for me because I was alone, too shy to make friends and missing my family. We visited the park today, sometimes I take the short-cut through there on my way to Finley and figured it would be nice to go today. It was warm enough to swim in Mary's River. I'd never actually been to the river before, just looked at it from the bridge. It's quite amazing. The banks and "shelves" are made of red clay and gravel, they almost look like cement! They extend into the river from both sides and then it just drops off. This led to some amusing "Moose moments." Moose doesn't like to swim. He'll get in the water and play but if he can't reach it scares him. Several times he just walked off the edge, went fully underwater and then beat a hasty retreat back to shore. Freyja on the other hand thought she was in heaven! We have a 20 foot rope that we use at the beach, while hiking and in other natural areas, so she can be a dog while we have security that she won't escape. Anyway, she swam almost continually for a good half-hour, spending much of that time playing on a log. I've decided that next time we go I should wear swim trunks, so I can see what the river is like for swimming in (there were a lot of people downstream from us). Sometimes I think I don't ever want to leave the Willamette Valley, its so nice here!

Ethno-ornithology, an Introduction

In order to give myself an excuse to explore a subject that I am interested in (and thought I'd made up) I'm going to attempt Ethno-ornithology Sundays. Today I'm going to give an introduction to ethno-ornithology, what it means and why I'm interested (why you should be too).

Ethno-ornithology is, as implied, the study of how people interact with and affect birds. Or, the relationship between people and birds. This is a relatively new branch of ethno-biology (visit the society of ethnobiology), which long ago created interest in ethno-botany and ethno-zoology (ethno-herpatology is another new branch of ethno-biology). These fields of study combine anthropological study methods with natural science procedures and apply them to the interpretation and description of people's knowledge and use of birds. This can include folk uses, historical interactions and present and future relationships. Of particular interest is the use of birds for food, medicine, decoration (hats, clothing, regalia) and in magick for divination and ritual.

This type of study can create an excellent platform for conservation efforts to build off of, though it hasn't been recognized as such for very long. Apparently ethno-ornithology is popular enough in the UK and Ireland that Ethnoornithology Research & Study Group (ERSG) has been created. In 2005 there was even a symposium in Australia.

I find all of this to be quite interesting, particularly since I thought I'd made this field of study up! Now, I'd like to find a university where I could possibly study ethno-ornithology. I want to study the folklore behind birds, past management efforts (and failures), how we're affecting birds today (particularly with urbanization and recreation) and where we're headed tomorrow (how we can make it a more positive path). That's asking a lot I'm sure. I'd be happy studying any of the above aspects and building off of that in my professional life. Currently I'm interested in the growth of urban backyard chickens. That'll be next weeks post probably. This introduction was short, but there isn't a lot of information out there, yet.

CAKE, not just a dessert

I am a big fan of cake, both the dessert and the band. The band has an excellent website, full of political musings and things of that nature. Their most recent newsletter included a bit about their 100% solar powered rehearsals and recordings. Awesome!

As for the dessert, mmmm. We recently brought a sheet cake that was probably 3-4 9x11 cake pans in size (so about 9"x4') home. Why would we have a cake that large? It had been purchased for the class reunion and then remained unopened and forgotten in the back of my sister's car during the formal dinner. After the fact the was stressed out about finding a home for it. Julie filled two 9x11 pans with cake, ate some, plus we gave about two 9x11 pans worth to some homeless people (still in the fancy box). Eventually I told Hobbit to take the cake to work. Her co-workers would demolish it. She was embarrassed and refused, until she actually asked and they all got excited. We managed to get rid of the rest of the cake by setting it on a table, first come first serve, at her work. I've never seen so much cake, I hope I never see that much again! It wasn't milk free, which means I couldn't have any. Thankfully it wasn't carrot cake, then I would have had to eat it (promptly becoming ill).

This week is the week-long celebration of Ganesha. The Oregon Zoo's timing in regards to the first viewing of their baby elephant couldn't have been better (his first public appearance was in the week celebrating an elephant-headed god). In celebration of Ganesha and a new baby, we drew chalk elephants on our patio. They're lovely. Speaking of the patio, the royal burgundy beans are amazing. You can check out the company we buy seeds from here or just a photo here. Even the smallest one (roughly 8" tall) is flowering. The tallest (maybe 2' tall) already has beans growing. I love purple or blue foods (potatoes, beans, carrots, etc) more than the other varieties (non-purple or blue) and am quite excited about these plants! The tomatoes are some of the best I've ever eaten, the carrots turned out yummy though not very productive, and the cucumber is starting to flower. Oh yes, the peas and lettuce are sprouting already. This container gardening is pretty neat.

Bird Show of North America

I discovered, thanks to the Audubon magazine Jan/Feb 2008 issue, a new band today. They are the Bird Show of North America, from Seattle, WA. This is possibly the best thing I've found in a long time. CJ Miller is an avid birdwatcher, creating the theme for their music and performances. Their music is named after a bird species, the guitars and drums create the feeling of that bird. Ian Peters plays drums, CJ Miller plays guitar and Curtis Poortinga paints while they play (at the live performances). Yes, in the span of a song Poortinga creates a paining of the bird being "played." They have a myspace but I can't find a "real" website. Enjoy!

In the same issue there was a brief article about California Condors breeding in the redwoods and Mexico for the first time since 1930s. Amazing! Stories such as this bring great joy to my heart. Tonight changed my heart a little. I'm concerned that we've made this much progress and that McCain and Palin will be elected and destroy it all. I watched a clip of her Republican National Convention (RNC) speech. She has the audacity to say "What is [Obama] going to do once time has been turned back and the Earth healed?" Gee, Palin I don't know, maybe work on keeping it that way. What does she even mean? Everything about the RNC is disturbing. Guliani wags his finger at the Democrats (who I only support by necessity, I'm actually an Independent) for not mentioning 9/11. Um, Guliani, I'm pretty sure we've moved beyond that. Isn't that what we were told to do in the beginning, by the republicans none-the-less? He bad-mouths Obama for having "only" been a community organizer, yet use the word "service" as part of their theme for the convention. Apparently Obama should be more than a community organizer but it's okay for everyone else to be. In fact the phrase "community organizer" came up in various speeches. Lame. Also, the republicans keep mentioning that this country needs a "change." Today's politics are corrupt, don't take the "little people" into account and other similar issues. Did they forget that Bush is a republican? Oh wait, no they didn't forget. Even better they blame: European ideals, San Fransisco, Left-wing liberals, Democrats and a plethora of other people. The republican speakers even so far as to say that Washington D.C. has been controlled by the liberals for too long and it is time it became more conservative. More conservative? Is that possible? All of this makes me ponder my future.

I have a major in two things that the Republicans have every desire to destroy (natural resources and fisheries and wildlife). You can dispute it all you want, but that was my take-home message tonight. I'd like to work on a graduate degree in natural resources/environmental planning/restoration ecology, but where will that leave me? Will I be able to find work? Will I spend most of my time feeling like crying (I already do)? Even better, if the Democrats win will they be that different? Additionally, if McCain/Palin win there will be no gay rights, environmental concern, or social programs, I'm almost sure of it.

I'm sure there is more I'd like to say on all of this but it's late and I should head to bed.

Emu

I visited the Birds Etcetera blog today and found a news story about an emu on the PA turnpike. The most bizarre part is that nobody can figure out where it came from! Sadly, it died after a lengthy chase and being tazered. Watch the video here. It's worth the three minutes.

Vegetation Maps

The maps are taking more time than I expected. I think I've figured out the ideal way to do the actual vegetation surveys, at least I hope I have. My first map is almost done and it is lovely.

My bite scar is bothering me a lot today. Every time I think I've got its triggers figured out it pulls something like this. The scar tissue is hard and white, the skin around it is red. What is going on "in there?"

I bought bulk Chai tea today. It not only smells delightful it tastes wonderful too. We also bought shredded coconut. I've recently found a love for coconut, though I'm not sure where it comes from. I used to hate coconut! Julie made coconut chocolate chip cookies. They are the best cookies to date.

Update

Alright, I've slacked the last few days on posting. Things have been quite busy, now I have time to try and catch up!

Sunday was my last day out at Finley. I've decided that I'm going to start penciling in birdwatching expeditions once a week (once a month at least). Birdwatching is good for the soul. Finley had less birds than usual, but still more than EE Wilson. I find this ponderous. There are more big trees near the survey sites at EE Wilson, but there seems to be less birds. Maybe the management strategies affect the number of birds. It'll be interesting to see the data once it has been cataloged. I think the best part of the day was listening to about four great-horned owls hooting at each other in the forest to the west. Great-horned owls have been everywhere lately it seems, chatting me up. A barn owl made a brief appearance as I pulled onto the road to Finley. It was erratic and made worry that something had happened to Grandma Betty. I made some phone calls and she's okay. Later that afternoon I woke up from a nap with Freyja's belly in my face. It was covered in scabs (from her itching) and bright pink. I got to investigating and found a flea. There was no flea dirt, no sign of fleas other than the one lonely flea running across her skin. I grabbed it and threw it into some soapy water. Soap breaks the tension in the water surface, making the flea sink. If regular water is used the flea can actually jump out! We immediately went to the co-op and bought a mix of 3 parts eucalyptus, 2 parts tea tree and 1 part peppermints Dr. Bronner's (thanks to the bulk soap isle). We also bought the Castor and Pollux herbal flea collars. They are toxin free, using penneyroyal, eucalyptus, rue, and some other herbs that fleas don't like. After bathing Moose there were maybe five fleas in the water. His water was also still clear enough that I could see through it. Freyja's bath produced so much funk that I couldn't see my feet! A few fleas could be seen floating on the water, there was a whole pine needle (must have been buried in her coat) and a small scrap of fabric! I know she has a lot of hair but would never have guessed that it would hold so much.

Monday we took Hobbit to the zoo. There is a new baby elephant but we didn't get to see him because the line was quite long. Being Labor Day weekend it was extremely crowded, we had to take a shuttle to get there because the zoo parking was full. There weren't many people in the "Africa" part of the zoo, so we spent quite a bit of time watching the animals and enjoying some breathing room. We still didn't get to see the Anaconda. I can't figure why they have a sign but don't have it in the exhibit. I'm not even sure why I want to see one so bad. After the zoo we stopped at Whole Foods for some shopping. It's a good thing we don't actually live near Whole Foods because I'm sure we would go broke! While there we acquired some cedarwood oil, because fleas don't like cedar. At home we applied the oil to Freyja's skin, between her shoulders and directly above her tail.

Tuesday I investigated homeopathic remedies for fleas, because Freyja was still itchy and we were worried they may still be lurking. We discovered that vacuuming every day for a week, then once a week for a month should get rid of any fleas/flea larvae living in the carpet. I broke out the vacuum and chased the dogs around the house with it. Well, I didn't chase them but I'm sure they'd tell you otherwise. We'll bathe Freyja again sometime this week and reapply the cedarwood oil. If you should ever need to do flea treatments for your dog the homeopathic book I have recommends the following: 1)Do not use flea treatment chemicals, they'll only reduce the health of your pet, making them ultimately more susceptible to flea infestation. 2)Any shampoo you use will work for flea treatment if you work the pet's hair into a lather and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. 3) Use cedar shaving beds, the fleas won't live in them. 4) Use a flea comb on your dog everyday for a week or so, to ensure any eggs that may have been laid are being removed (though the eggs actually fall off and hatch in your carpet, pet beds, under couches, etc). 5) Keep your pet healthy (that's actually the number one suggestion) because unhealthy pets are more susceptible than healthy pets. All of our efforts seem to be working. Freyja is still itchy, but when isn't she? Her scabs are going away and her skin is no longer irritated. I forgot to mention the garlic. Garlic has only proven effective against fleas in about 25% of dogs taking it, but we figure it won't hurt them so it's worth a try. Their breath smells like garlic powder when they're done eating because they lick all of the residue out of their bowls.

Julie and I also had our final for Ecology and History of the Columbia River Gorge. It was a good class but the professor isn't very organized. His instructions are also pretty vague, leaving a lot of room for error. Now I'm free to work on sewing and my survey. Ugh, my survey. The vegetation portion is killing me. I have to hand sketch all of the maps, then randomly select 1mx1m grids to be the center of a larger 5mx5m square. It is a lot of work. September 15-19 I have a 10am-5pm class on Native American Resource Use. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

In my continual quest for something to boost my immune system and digestive tract I have found something that seems to be working. It's a little expensive but if I continue to feel as good as I do it'll be worth it. I have tried the Fruits of the Earth (FOE), Vitamin C and the Vitamineral Green. The FOE and Vitamineral Green have large quantities of probiotics, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals all from organic fruits and vegetables and all bioavailable. The powder works well in my smoothies. If I continue taking it (not long term, too expensive) I'll stick with the Vitamineral Green, I eat most of the fruits in the FOE in my smoothies already! Another option would be to eat more leafy greens. I LOVE leafy greens, but seem to be the only one so we aren't likely to eat more anytime soon.