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Long absence...
Posted 15 years agoSorry for the long absence, everyone. This has just been such a hectic winter, and so far the approaching spring doesn't look to be much calmer. We just as a 3 day nor'easter that dumped over 10 inches of rain on us. We were luckier than a lot of people. We're high enough not to have problems with flooding, but there were quite a few people with anywhere from 3 to 10 FEET of water in their basements. Check out some local news footage: http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO137752/
The rest of this week looks to be beautiful... which is typical after such a big storm. What makes this one such a huge pain even over and above all the flooding, is we had another nor'easter just a week prior that was more wind than rain. Gusts up to 90 miles an hours with sustained winds locally of 35-40mph were taking out trees left and right. A limb came down from one of our neighbors trees and when it snapped it sounded like a .38 going off. Guess we can definitely say March came in "like a lion!"
One the up side, while out in the yard picking up branches and lawn ornaments, I did notice the first flowers of spring in my garden. I'll post a couple of pictures later! And for the rest of the week we are looking at dry weather and climbing temps. The week started out on Sunday with a high of 30 and may end on Saturday with a high near 70! Gotta love spring time in New England :)
The rest of this week looks to be beautiful... which is typical after such a big storm. What makes this one such a huge pain even over and above all the flooding, is we had another nor'easter just a week prior that was more wind than rain. Gusts up to 90 miles an hours with sustained winds locally of 35-40mph were taking out trees left and right. A limb came down from one of our neighbors trees and when it snapped it sounded like a .38 going off. Guess we can definitely say March came in "like a lion!"
One the up side, while out in the yard picking up branches and lawn ornaments, I did notice the first flowers of spring in my garden. I'll post a couple of pictures later! And for the rest of the week we are looking at dry weather and climbing temps. The week started out on Sunday with a high of 30 and may end on Saturday with a high near 70! Gotta love spring time in New England :)
Urban Wildlife... Alive and Well in Salem
Posted 16 years agoOne thing you hear a lot of people bemoaning is how our urban, industrialized world is "killing the planet." That our cities and town are destroying wildlife or driving it from our midst. I live in a urban community, just a 10 minute walk from downtown Salem. We are one of the few houses in our tightly packed neighborhood to have a small yard. How small? Well, it only take about 20 minutes to trim and mow the grass and that includes pulling everything out and cleaning up afterwards. But you know what? I see more wildlife running around in my backyard on a daily basis than I ever saw when growing up in the country.
As I sit here on my back porch writing this there is a pair of juvenile squirrels running amok in the yard playing tag, chasing birds, and occasionally stopping to much on the scattered bread balls I tossed out in the yard for them. We have a swing in the yard with a canopy on top that the squirrels have decided to use as a trampoline and they like to sun themselves in the winter along the porch rails. And to save my garden we have a couple of squirrel feeders out in the hopes that they will eat those and not dig up my tulip bulbs. Speaking of my garden, every summer it's a debate whether all of the color is from the flowers or all the butterflies.
And birds! Oh, my, are there birds! People walking past the house often stop to watch those little feathered puffs of energy as the bicker and squabble for their turn at the feeders or all dive in the "pool" of the mushroom shaped birdbath we have placed along the fence. We have at least 5 different species of sparrows, 3 different kinds of woodpeckers, grackles, starlings, finches, blue jays, cardinals, and some I haven't been able to get a good enough look at to identify. Downtown to help "combat" the ever present pigeon population we now have several mated pairs of hawks and falcons. We even have a "Merlin" hawk that likes to hang out in the various trees that in our neighborhood. Then there are groundhogs, chipmunks, raccoons and the occasional skunk or two.
Some of people have commented that our backyard has become something of an urban wildlife refuge!
And that was kind of what we had in mind. People who live in a urban environment have a lot of options for helping wildlife thrive. We have two birdfeeders, one for loose seed and one for suet. The loose seed feeder is one of those "squirrel proof" feeders that closes when one of those little furry thieves climbs on it. It works well enough that they don't even try to raid it anymore. In the suet feeder we use a "hot pepper" brand of suet. Squirrels don't like the pepper, but the birds love it. It dangles from a tree branch at the end of the driveway over the street where no one parks, so they get a snack and we don't have to worry about them leaving "presents" all over the Explorer.
Around the bottom of the back porch, we use lattice to keep out large burrowing critters (I don't need them digging holes along my foundation!) but the openings are large enough for the small birds who stay here all winter to be able to get in find shelter from the winter snows and cold winds that blow in from the Atlantic every year. One house around the corner from us has literally dozens of little bird houses and feeders of their own to help them manage through the winter months.
There are all sorts of things people who live in urban areas can do to help out the local wildlife, even if they don't have a yard of their own. If you live near a local park, adopt a spot and set up a suet feeder (it a lot less messy than loose seed and less likely to attract a gaggle of pigeons who do well enough on their own!). Check with the park service and see if it's okay to nail up a bird house or even a nesting box or two for the squirrels. Do you like to garden, but don't have a yard? Try container gardening or window boxes or hanging planters.
The thing is to use your imagination. Instead of bemoaning the lack of wild spaces or wildlife in your urban environment find creative ways to encourage nature and support those urban critters who have adapted to living in the big city. You might be surprised at what you can come up with!
As I sit here on my back porch writing this there is a pair of juvenile squirrels running amok in the yard playing tag, chasing birds, and occasionally stopping to much on the scattered bread balls I tossed out in the yard for them. We have a swing in the yard with a canopy on top that the squirrels have decided to use as a trampoline and they like to sun themselves in the winter along the porch rails. And to save my garden we have a couple of squirrel feeders out in the hopes that they will eat those and not dig up my tulip bulbs. Speaking of my garden, every summer it's a debate whether all of the color is from the flowers or all the butterflies.
And birds! Oh, my, are there birds! People walking past the house often stop to watch those little feathered puffs of energy as the bicker and squabble for their turn at the feeders or all dive in the "pool" of the mushroom shaped birdbath we have placed along the fence. We have at least 5 different species of sparrows, 3 different kinds of woodpeckers, grackles, starlings, finches, blue jays, cardinals, and some I haven't been able to get a good enough look at to identify. Downtown to help "combat" the ever present pigeon population we now have several mated pairs of hawks and falcons. We even have a "Merlin" hawk that likes to hang out in the various trees that in our neighborhood. Then there are groundhogs, chipmunks, raccoons and the occasional skunk or two.
Some of people have commented that our backyard has become something of an urban wildlife refuge!
And that was kind of what we had in mind. People who live in a urban environment have a lot of options for helping wildlife thrive. We have two birdfeeders, one for loose seed and one for suet. The loose seed feeder is one of those "squirrel proof" feeders that closes when one of those little furry thieves climbs on it. It works well enough that they don't even try to raid it anymore. In the suet feeder we use a "hot pepper" brand of suet. Squirrels don't like the pepper, but the birds love it. It dangles from a tree branch at the end of the driveway over the street where no one parks, so they get a snack and we don't have to worry about them leaving "presents" all over the Explorer.
Around the bottom of the back porch, we use lattice to keep out large burrowing critters (I don't need them digging holes along my foundation!) but the openings are large enough for the small birds who stay here all winter to be able to get in find shelter from the winter snows and cold winds that blow in from the Atlantic every year. One house around the corner from us has literally dozens of little bird houses and feeders of their own to help them manage through the winter months.
There are all sorts of things people who live in urban areas can do to help out the local wildlife, even if they don't have a yard of their own. If you live near a local park, adopt a spot and set up a suet feeder (it a lot less messy than loose seed and less likely to attract a gaggle of pigeons who do well enough on their own!). Check with the park service and see if it's okay to nail up a bird house or even a nesting box or two for the squirrels. Do you like to garden, but don't have a yard? Try container gardening or window boxes or hanging planters.
The thing is to use your imagination. Instead of bemoaning the lack of wild spaces or wildlife in your urban environment find creative ways to encourage nature and support those urban critters who have adapted to living in the big city. You might be surprised at what you can come up with!
The Big Halloween "Push"
Posted 16 years agoWell, here we are less than three weeks from the kick off parade for this year's big "Haunted Happenings" festival. This city wide Halloween party started out as a simple 5-day event focused on Halloween. Now it is the signature celebration here in Salem and runs for damn near the entire month of October. Last year with Halloween falling on a Friday we had an estimated 150,000 people come through town. This year, with Halloween being on a Saturday, we're expecting even more! This is the month when local businesses make the money that will carry them over the lean winter months until the tourist season starts back up innext spring.
For those of us who sell hand made items, the next couple of weeks becomes almost frantic as we make sure we have enough stock to carry through the month. I have pictures to print, bag and tag, hand made journals to put together, copies of my book to print and bind, and of course mini dragons to sculpt. My little candle holder is ready to go to the shop, and I'm almost done with a couple of mini dragon wind chimes. And I have a new box all set and waiting for e new reclining mini dragon to sit on top. I'm really looking forward to making this one provided, of course, that the little bugger chooses to cooperate. They don't always.
I have a mottled sapphire and pearl finish on the box ans I'm hopping to do a pure white dragon to go with it. It looks very pretty in my mind's eye, but past experience has shown me that just because I want a sculpture or picture to look a certain way is no assurance that it actually will. But hope springs eternal, as they say...
As always, when the dragons are finished pictures will be posted so, please, stay tuned!
For those of us who sell hand made items, the next couple of weeks becomes almost frantic as we make sure we have enough stock to carry through the month. I have pictures to print, bag and tag, hand made journals to put together, copies of my book to print and bind, and of course mini dragons to sculpt. My little candle holder is ready to go to the shop, and I'm almost done with a couple of mini dragon wind chimes. And I have a new box all set and waiting for e new reclining mini dragon to sit on top. I'm really looking forward to making this one provided, of course, that the little bugger chooses to cooperate. They don't always.
I have a mottled sapphire and pearl finish on the box ans I'm hopping to do a pure white dragon to go with it. It looks very pretty in my mind's eye, but past experience has shown me that just because I want a sculpture or picture to look a certain way is no assurance that it actually will. But hope springs eternal, as they say...
As always, when the dragons are finished pictures will be posted so, please, stay tuned!
Pagan Census Project
Posted 16 years agoFrom "The Wild Hunt" pagan blog article:
(http://wildhunt.org/blog/2009/09/ad.....an-census.html)
"Pagan scholar Helen Berger, co-author of “Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States”, has announced that she and fellow researchers James R. Lewis and Henrik Bogdan are revisiting the Pagan Census project. The Pagan Census was first initiated nearly twenty years ago, and compiled data from thousands of modern Pagans to give a fascinating snapshot of our communities during Paganism’s meteoric rise in the 1990s. Now, in an age of blogs and instant communications, an update is underway to compare and contrast just how much we’ve changed."
Although it's called a Pagan Census the possible answers cover a wide range of social, political and religious positions. Topic questions include such things as environmental activism, gay rights, and level of participation in the political process. If anyone would be interested in participating in the survey, click the link above for more information.
Took me about 20 minutes to go through it.
(http://wildhunt.org/blog/2009/09/ad.....an-census.html)
"Pagan scholar Helen Berger, co-author of “Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States”, has announced that she and fellow researchers James R. Lewis and Henrik Bogdan are revisiting the Pagan Census project. The Pagan Census was first initiated nearly twenty years ago, and compiled data from thousands of modern Pagans to give a fascinating snapshot of our communities during Paganism’s meteoric rise in the 1990s. Now, in an age of blogs and instant communications, an update is underway to compare and contrast just how much we’ve changed."
Although it's called a Pagan Census the possible answers cover a wide range of social, political and religious positions. Topic questions include such things as environmental activism, gay rights, and level of participation in the political process. If anyone would be interested in participating in the survey, click the link above for more information.
Took me about 20 minutes to go through it.
Dragon Pentacle Merchandise For Sale!
Posted 17 years agoJust thought I'd mention that my "Dragon Pentacle" is now available on a wide variety of items in my CafePress store http://ebondragonart.com/store.html Available items:
Clothing http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/5610015
Pillows http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/478330
Mugs http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/138129
Tote Bags http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/138132
Clocks http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/143258
Mousepads http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/138127
Jewelry boxes http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/139216
Journals http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/155988
So if you might be interested in something stop on buy!
Clothing http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/5610015
Pillows http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/478330
Mugs http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/138129
Tote Bags http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/138132
Clocks http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/143258
Mousepads http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/138127
Jewelry boxes http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/139216
Journals http://www.cafepress.com/ebondragon/155988
So if you might be interested in something stop on buy!
Happy PI Day!
Posted 17 years agoFor all you math geeks, and not so much math geeks today is March 14... or.... 3.14!!
Sooooo....
Happy PI Day!!!
Sooooo....
Happy PI Day!!!
Ouch!
Posted 18 years agoHad a little accident the other day and slipped down a short flight of stairs. Skinned the shit our of one knee, and managed to severly hyper-extended the other which needless to say really f*cked up the ligaments and tendons. I'm lucky I didn't break the damn knee. It's been a week and I'm just now to the point where I can stand on my right leg a little and sort of hobble around. Up 'til now all I've been able to do is sit propped up on the couch and keep off of it.
And there really isn't anything the doctors can do about it. Nothing's broke or torn, just severly strained. So the only thing that can really be done with it is stay off of it and give it time.
Talk about being bored out of your skull! And of course the weather outside is beautiful. Bright, crisp late summer/ early fall New England days, delighfully chilly nights. Perfect weather for working out in the yard, going for long walks and I can't do anything but look out the window. Can't even work on any of my new sculptures because my work room is down in the basement.
And to think there are some people for whom lounging around all day and doing nothing but watching television is their idea of heaven. It's driving me batty! And I can't even waste time one the computer because my knee won't tolerate being bent while sitting in a chair for more than 20 minutes or so. Then it's a handful of pain meds and another 30 minutes waiting for the throbbing an burning to stop. But that's still more than I was able to do last week.
Hopefully by this time next week I'll be back to something close to normal. There won't be any long walks for a while, but I'm hoping to at least be able to hobble my ass down stairs and get back to work. The big October craft fair is less than a month away and I need those sculptures done!
And there really isn't anything the doctors can do about it. Nothing's broke or torn, just severly strained. So the only thing that can really be done with it is stay off of it and give it time.
Talk about being bored out of your skull! And of course the weather outside is beautiful. Bright, crisp late summer/ early fall New England days, delighfully chilly nights. Perfect weather for working out in the yard, going for long walks and I can't do anything but look out the window. Can't even work on any of my new sculptures because my work room is down in the basement.
And to think there are some people for whom lounging around all day and doing nothing but watching television is their idea of heaven. It's driving me batty! And I can't even waste time one the computer because my knee won't tolerate being bent while sitting in a chair for more than 20 minutes or so. Then it's a handful of pain meds and another 30 minutes waiting for the throbbing an burning to stop. But that's still more than I was able to do last week.
Hopefully by this time next week I'll be back to something close to normal. There won't be any long walks for a while, but I'm hoping to at least be able to hobble my ass down stairs and get back to work. The big October craft fair is less than a month away and I need those sculptures done!
