A new Eagle's nest

I can't believe how in the last 10 years things are starting to change.  I now know where three eagles nests are located.  All three have mature eagles sitting on eggs (or so I presume).  As I have driven by, I always see one sometimes two birds in the nests. 

So you say, how can you see anything in that nest?  Well, I take a picture with my 200 zoom lens and after snapping the picture, I zoom, zoom and zoom some more.  It is not a clear picture because of the distance but you can see the outline of a bird sitting in the nest.

The first one is outside of Marty.  A good spot as there are several lakes and ponds within a two mile radius.  The one pictured below is outside of Watkins.  Several good streams and rivers run near it.  The third one is right on Highway 55 between Watkins and the Twin Cities.  That one surprises me most of all because it is within 20-30 feet of a major highway. 

10 years ago, I lived in the woods in Wisconsin.  I used to carry my camera in the trunk of my car.  (An old fashioned SLR, film camera with a 500 zoom lens and I had a doubler that fit between the camera and the lens so it was like shooting with 1000 zoom lens.)  There were eagles around and I would see them flying over or sitting in a field along the side of the road, but I could never find their nests. 

I know that they are scavengers.  But they really are a beautiful creatures.  I love watching them.


Eagle's Nest View 1

 

Eagle's Nest View 2

My Jenny, Forest, Big Duke, Daisy and Chewbacca

If you think someone it getting ready to talk about movies you couldn't be more wrong.  My Jenny is our year old red/rust Doberman.  Forest is a black/rust male from this litter.  Big Duke is a red/rust male from this litter.  Daisy and Chewbacca are black/rust females. 

Raising a litter of Dobermans a year is not a profit making venture.  By the time we pay for vet bills, food, the extra water for shampooing the carpeting 2-3 times a week and daily washing of blankets it costs us a lot of money.  We don't have a heated outdoor facility that can be sprayed down periodically.  We raise the puppies in the house. A pen area on the edge of the kitchen (with a linoleum floor.) We use the "potty patch" inside the pen to give them a safe place to go potty overnight or when we are gone. 

They get let outside about every three hours.  We go at least once a day out in the country to let the dogs and puppies run in the pasture.  And they get free run of the kitchen and living room for several hours a day (thus shampooing the carpeting several times a week.)  Potty training one puppy goes pretty good.  Potty training this many puppies at one time is a HUGE challenge.  So we are very excited to say, "no puppy pooped in the house today"  YEAH!




My Jenny - 14 months old

Forest proud owner of Big Stick 

All the other puppies had picked up nick-names from us and we were referring to this sweetheart as "Camo-collar" and we couldn't hardly call him and expect him to come by Camo.  We considered, Sarge, Norman (Schwarzkopf) but Forest won out.  Both a soldier and a connection with "My Jenny". (lol)




Big Duke

By the size of his paws we expect this male to be the largest of the litter.  He is tentatively sold but the future owners keep putting off the day that they can pick him up. 



 

Daisy

Her collar has little flowers on it and what can I say, I was calling "Duke!" and "Daisy!" just slipped out.  She answers to it so I guess it was meant to be.






Chewbacca

 I know, Chewbacca is not really a girls name.  But she lays in my arms and before I know it she is chewing on my chin, my collar, or anything that she can nonchalantly get into her mouth.  I try to keep bones handy.  She is a puppy!

Don't believe what you see



Running out in the pasture today, all seven dogs were running non-stop for almost forty-five minutes. Now, it could look to some like there is some severe dog-fighting going on looking at the quick snap that the camera caught.  And a picture like this builds the stereo-type of the mean Doberman Pinscher.   The girls in the foreground are playing "My growl is bigger than yours" where they show their teeth and growl back and forth.  Often times it ends with a barking contest. In the background the puppies just happen to be running towards each other. 

 



Just Playing Around!

Anyone that knows me knows that in the 30-45 minutes that we were out in the pasture with the dogs I took close to 200 photos.  My Jenny in a rare instance was both alone and standing still. As a year old (still puppy) getting her to stand still is a difficult challenge.  I am so excited to catch his standing with her ears up.  She was carefully watching her mother and the 5 puppies running down the hill and seconds later she took off at top speed to intersect them and the chase was on!

 

Distinguished

Run Chewbacca Run

Did you think I was going to say "Forest"?  Well one of the female puppies we are calling Chewbacca or Chewy because she loves to lay in our arms like a baby, snuggle up.  She gets comfortable then reaches up and gives me puppy kisses when suddenly she decides my chin is a chew toy. 

With the snow melting and back yard getting muddy, we have found a different place to exercise the dogs and puppies.  Our friends are waiting for the pasture to green up and the grass to get up a bit before opening it up to the cattle.  They have a big culvert that goes under the road for the cattle to get to this field. There is still snow blocking the culvert. 

Once each day we load up 2 dogs and 5 puppies in the van.  Then we drive about 5 miles out of town and slide the van door open. GET OUT OF THE WAY! Or you will be trampled!  The are all so excited to run up and down the hills in the pasture; through the snowbanks. After 20-30 minutes, the puppies are running back to the van jumping in to go home and are almost asleep by the time they get home.

Coming Soon.... The Man I Was

And NO, I have not had a sex change operation.  My second novella in the "Goodwill Mystery Series" is titled The Man I Was.  It is about a man who is in a bicycle accident and ends up with amnesia.  Our key character, Evelyn, helps him solve the mystery as he fights with the concept, "What if I don't like the man I was?" 

Last night I typed the last word in the last chapter.  I added another sentence at the end and immediately deleted it.  "NOPE! It is done, right there." I said to myself.  I immediately went to the beginning and started the re-write.  As soon as that is done, I will have my proof readers go over it.  It is their chance to beat me up in regards to my bad grammar, bad spelling, and words that are valid words but wrong in the place they are in (auto correct goof ups.)  My goal is to be ready for publication in about 6 weeks.

Today I went to Erik's Bike shop in St. Cloud.  They allowed me free run of the service department and store to take photos.  My 5 favorites (out of 50) are shown here.



Option 1

 

Don't you love the spokes and shadows here?  I just wish that I could laid this across some green grass. 



Option 2

 This second option I like the stark contrast between the dark frame and the clean light gears.  In the shadows of the background you can make up more bikes lined up.



Option 3

 This bike was in the repair shop.  I liked the subliminal message that the old, dirty, grungy g
ears say about the old man that he was.



Option 4

 Something about the lines of this frame, blending with the uncomfortable position of the peddle with the rounded wheel in the background.



Option 5

I love and hate the same think about the fifth option.  Bike upon bike blending in with the others so that you really don't notice anything about any one bike.  On that same line it is really cluttered and busy and the title may get lost in the business.

Do you have a favorite? 

I can't believe it is here...

...signs of Spring.  A few warm days (mostly full of sunshine) and the snow melted.  Peeking out at the garden are the green tips of the snow crocus.  In many years past, they would be blooming by now.

I've been seeing robins since January ~ they were obviously so confused.  It is supposed to rain Friday night through Saturday. I hope we get a bit of thunder with it. The old wives tale is that the first thunder of the year releases the frost. 

I want to start cleaning out the garden so bad but it is way too early, too wet, and still too cold.  Let the sun shine in! 

Evening Routine...

I need to share a funny story with you.  Every evening My Jenny (red/rust Doberman Pinscher) and I leave Dale's place and head back to my house.  She stops on the way in and "does her business".  As we walk into the porch, she nudges my hand with the top of her nose.  That means "I now deserve a treat".  Most of the time I hang my coat up first.


My Jenny

Tonight I gave her the treat then took my coat off and hung up my keys.  My right ear has been a little congested all day and this evening it has been feeling a bit itchy.  I couldn't stand it any longer - - - I stuck my finger in my ear to see if there was any wax build up. 

AAAAHHHHH!  There was something in my ear! My first thought was I got a bug in my ear.  I quickly pulled it out of my ear and resisted the temptation to toss it across the room.  I looked at it before it could crawl away.  HA!  It wasn't a bug. 

I had given My Jenny a beggin strip and a tiny piece must have stuck to my finger nail.  I couldn't feel it on the nail but I felt it in my ear.  After throwing out the tiny piece of dog treat, I sufficiently removed the wax from my ear.  Since it was still itching I put a small amount of lavender oil in the ear to calm the itching.