treehouse party

minneapolis, one step closer to canada

2010-06-11T12:41:00.004-05:00

The Nice Ride Minnesota bike-sharing program, based on Montreal's BIXI bike-sharing program, debuted in Minneapolis earlier this week. The system allows users to take a bike from any kiosk with the swipe of a card and return it to any kiosk by simply pushing it into a dock, which locks automatically. A subscription is required to use a bike and the first 30 minutes are free. The bikes are designed to be ridden by people wearing regular clothes and include full fenders, lights, and a cargo rack. They are perfect transportation option for short trips short trips in the city, such as across downtown for an appointment or a quick trip to the store, which in turn reduces pollution and congestion

The BIXI system is a high tech bike-sharing service. According to Nice Ride, "Advanced bike-share systems have been operating in cities like Paris and Barcelona for several years now. The engineers at BIXI learned from the successes in these cities and built a bike share system that is elegant, rugged, and simple to use. Time Magazine recognized BIXI as one of the top inventions of 2008, right behind the Mars Rover."

The bike-sharing system is a perfect fit for Minneapolis which was recently named the most bike-friendly city in the U.S. by Bicycling magazine. Making this honor even better, Minneapolis unseated Portland, Oregon, a city that held the title for many years. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, a bicycling advocate, said the program will have multiple benefits, including improving users’ health, helping the environment and increasing drivers’ awareness of bicyclists on the roads.

Solar-powered kiosk

BIXI announces its little "little brothers"
http://www.bixi.com/news/full/the_first_bixi_unveiling_U-S_city/

so many things on my mind, so little time to blog

2010-06-04T15:07:00.001-05:00

I've been writing this blog for three years and it's a lot more work than I had anticipated. I have great ideas that are churning in my head about things to blog about but very little time to sit in front of a computer and post. Intentionally, much of my free time is spent outside away from a computer. Essentially I've become a slacker blogger. I've mulched over the idea quitting this blog, but still have some good stuff to share and post.

anti-war valentine's day

2010-02-14T18:39:00.002-06:00

My cheesy Valentine's Day poster.

icy luminaries

2010-01-13T17:49:00.011-06:00

In this dark cold time of the year ice luminaries make the outdoors look beautiful. I was inspired to make these luminaries by the New Year's Eve candlelight walk at Fort Snelling State Park.

How to make
1. Get two containers for the ice mold. One should be a smaller size to use for the inside of the mold.
2. Use the bigger container first. Fill up about two inches with water and let it freeze.
3. After the bottom freezes put the smaller mold in. Put stones in the smaller mold to hold it in place. Allow enough space for ice to freeze around it. If the smaller mold doesn't stay in place, put a little water the bottom of it and let it freeze to the base.
4. Add water to the mold. If you want you can put berries in the mold or other things you like.
5. Wait for the mold to freeze.

Containers for the ice mold (left) a frozen ice mold (right)

6. After it's frozen, bring the container inside (or to a warmer place) to thaw. To speed up the process I took out the stones from the smaller mold and used boiling water to thaw the inner mold. After the inner mold is removed the outer side of the outer container will melt.

happy 2010!

2010-01-11T12:28:00.003-06:00

I would like to start 2010 with a pledge to the earth. Come on and say it with me. "I pledge allegiance to the earth and all the life which it supports. One planet in our care, irreplaceable, with sustenance and respect for all."

Let's love mother earth and each other in 2010.

the cicadas took over

2009-10-07T21:08:00.005-05:00

The cicadas were abundant in the garden this summer, from late July to the middle of September. A few photos of adult "Dog Day" cicadas.

(photos from mid-September 2009)

dog-day cicada emerges

2009-08-13T23:03:00.010-05:00

This summer I watched an annual or "Dog-day" cicada transform from a nymph to an adult. The entire process took about an hour and a half.

Folklore says that, "When you hear the first song of the dog-day cicadas, the first frost is just six weeks away."

Emerging from its nymphal skin

Stretching out its wings.

Resting on its nymphal skeleton. Stretching out its wings a little more.

Its wings are almost all the way extended.

Its wings are almost dry and ready to go. Soon after this cicada flew off.

A description of the "Dog-day" cicada from the University of Kentucky.

"Cicada nymphs develop underground, feeding on root sap of various trees and shrubs. The nymphs are generally pale brown, rather hunch-backed, and have stout forelegs they use to dig through soil. The life history of species found in Colorado is poorly understood. Development likely takes between two to five years to complete.

Cicadas go through a simple metamorphosis with egg, nymph, and adult stages. After emerging from the ground during summer months, cicadas quickly mate and the females insert eggs into small twigs on living trees using a knife-like ovipositor (egg laying structure). When nymphs hatch from the eggs, they burrow into the soil where they feed underground on the juices of plant roots. During growth and development, the nymphs shed their skins several times as they get larger. After several years (1-3 years for most annual cicada species and 13 or 17 years for many of the periodical cicada species) the nymphs emerge from the soil, climb onto tree trunks, then shed their skins a final time to become winged adults. Adult cicadas produce hitch-pitched, droning noises. These courtship songs help male and female cicadas find one another, and each species has its own distinct song."

long vacation

2009-08-10T01:02:00.003-05:00

It's been a long vacation from blogging. I've been busy gardening, bird watching, and just being alive. Best of all, I got married to my love.

watch out squirrels

2009-03-26T21:44:00.022-05:00

Beware squirrels there's a new sheriff in town, the Red-tailed Hawk. Last week a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk stopped in an elm tree in the backyard for a gray squirrel meal. This was the first time we saw a Red-tailed Hawk in the yard and we had a front row seat to the carnage. The hawk vigorously pulled apart the squirrel and ate. After a while, crows swarmed in and mobbed it. Eventually the hawk had enough of being harassed and flew off with the squirrel in its talons.

A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with its prey.

Crows harassing the hawk

i'm a bad consumer

2009-03-11T20:58:00.004-05:00

I haven't written anything for a while because I've been sucked into posting on Facebook and spending a lot of time watching videos online at Films for action. My favorite film so far is "The Good Consumer" because I'm a bad consumer. This video pretty much sums up how I feel about shopping.

happy birthday dr. seuss!

2009-03-02T19:18:00.002-06:00

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues." - The Lorax

university of rochester students in solidarity with people of gaza

2009-02-08T16:07:00.000-06:00

Indymedia Rochester, NY, reported, "UR-SDS Occupies University of Rochester in Solidarity with People of Gaza"

"Students from the University of Rochester and members of the local Rochester community will be occupying the atrium of Goergen Hall on the River Campus of the University of Rochester (275 Hutchinson Road) today for peace and in solidarity with the people Gaza and in opposition to U.S. support for the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the recent atrocities in Gaza. The action, organized by U of R Students for a Democratic Society (UR-SDS), will begin on the afternoon of Friday, February 6 and will last until the University of Rochester administration meets the demands.

The student occupation will feature a number of informational and peaceful consciousness raising events such as public talks, teach-ins, and sit-ins. The action was inspired by a wave of student occupations that occurred in 16 universities in England (1, 2) following the Israeli assault on Gaza."

no groundhog, just an opossum

2009-02-02T19:06:00.005-06:00

Happy Groundhog day! The all powerful Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means winter continues for six more weeks. In Minnesota that could mean a lot longer, groundhog or not.

Punxsutawney Phil, February 2, 2009
Photo from groundhog.org.

I feel sorry for Punxsutawney Phil, who was awakened from hibernation. It's like when your alarm clock goes off early and you realize that you have a half hour of sleep left. Poor Phil is thinking screw you, "let me sleep. I see my shadow now let me go the f--k back to bed." I empathize, I like hibernating in winter too.

In the northland, groundhogs (or woodchucks) are still hibernating. Or they should be. It's still bleeping cold here. Last weekend there were no groundhog appearances, but there was a Virginia Opossum foraging in the backyard. It's North America's only marsupial. Kind of cute.

Virgina Opossum, in backyard

relive protesting the rnc without the pepper-spray

2009-01-25T12:54:00.011-06:00

Two new films document the protests at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota, "Ground Noise & Static and Terrorizing Dissent." Both are available online. You can relive protesting at the RNC without getting pepper-sprayed.

Terrorizing Dissent - Election Cut is an exposé of events at the RNC. "Featuring first-person accounts and footage from more than forty cameras on the streets, 'Terrorizing Dissent' focuses on the story of dissent suppressed. People charged with "conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism" speak out against the government's campaign to manipulate media coverage and label civil disobedience and community organizing as terrorism."

Ground Noise & Static is a video report on the protests that occurred in connection with the 2008 Democrat and Republican National Conventions. From the filmmakers, "Ground Noise & Static is a manifesto. We went to Denver and St. Paul to take the pulse of the movement. Corporate media would cover the platitudes and posturing of the politicians, we were interested in something else, a story hidden in plain sight, captured in the now-classic street chant, 'This is what democracy looks like.' Ground Noise & Static is a joint effort of Franklin López of subMedia and PepperSpray Productions. It is the direct result of a wonderful collaboration with many indymedia-style activists and journalists who all pitched in for the common good and success of their various efforts to tell their 'Unconventional' stories."

Terrorizing Dissent RNC08 Election Cut Trailer

economic craptastic crisis

2009-01-23T22:38:00.001-06:00

AlterNet has posted a special "Economy in Crisis" section to its website. It's official, we're all in the shitter together. We are all knee-deep in an economic craptastic crisis. Oh crap.

Anyone have a shovel? Any ideas on a sustainable economic plan?

my voice for choice, blog for choice day

2009-01-22T21:26:00.027-06:00

I believe that all women have the right to control their fertility. They have the right to safe contraceptives and access to a safe and legal abortion. The reasons for having an abortion are many and complex. Abortion is a complicated issue. The religious right has added to that by demonizing reproductive rights. Abortion has been polarized as "pro-choice or pro-Life." I prefer the term anti-choice to pro-life, and they have described the pro-choice side as "pro-abortion," which is absurd.

I feel that the "pro life" movement is hoax. It is a blatant attempt to control women. After all, a patriarchy that can't control women isn't a patriarchy. If you don't want women to have abortions, then make the world a better place to raise children. Support health care for all (or at least for children). Support pre-school education, K-12, and post-secondary education. Ensure that all children are properly housed and fed.

Women are not subservient to men. We have control over our bodies. We can choose when to have sex and when to have children, period. Being pregnant does not mean forced motherhood. It's a fetus, not a baby. Abortion has always been and will always be. For thousands of years, women have worked to control their fertility. Before the 19th century abortion wasn't considered a sin. "Until the early part of the century, there were no laws against abortions done in the first few months of pregnancy. Prior to the 19th century, Protestants and Catholics held abortion permissible until the 'quickening' the moment the fetus was believed to gain life." (From "The History of Birth Control" by Kathleen London) So why the change now? Did things change during the Women's Rights Movement? Do women have "too much freedom" and does their sexuality need to be "reigned in?"

I believe that women around the world will never be equal without reproductive freedom. The patriarchal religious right has an overzealous cult-like worship of the fetus. With this belief, they have attacked abortion and birth control. They have tried to mandate abstinence-only sex education. It doesn't work, just ask Sarah Palin. Real equality, gender equality, means reproductive freedom. Women are the ones who have to "bear the burden of carrying a child," we are in control of our own fertility, not men.

Today is the 36th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Today and everyday, support the freedom of choice. Thank you to all the bloggers that blogged for choice today.

Some choice links
The History of Birth Control
Could this be a "new era for reproductive rights?"
History of abortion
Wikipedia history of abortion
Catholics for Choice Statement on the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

SUPPORT CHOICE and reproductive freedom
1. Donate to pro-choice organizations
2. Voice your support for choice by blogging, writing letters to the editor, writing your local and congressional legislators, and talk to your friends
3. Support women around the world in their fight for gender equality and reproductive rights
4. Stay informed about reproductive freedom issues

can't america hear Gaza's cries? more than 400 children have died

2009-01-17T18:31:00.004-06:00

Al Jezeera reported, "Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, has announced a unilateral truce in the Gaza Strip." This will stop a 22-day offensive on the people of Gaza. More than 1,200 Palestinians are dead, more than 400 of them children. Lets repeat that again, 400 CHILDREN have died because of Israel's war on Gaza. Olmert said, "We have reached all the goals of the war, and beyond." How can killing more than 400 children be a goal?

Before the ceasefire a Palestinian doctor, from Gaza, working in Israel learned that three of his daughters were killed in an Israeli attack. Al Jazeera's Roza Ibragimova reported on the doctor's tragedy caught on Israeli TV. "Palestinian doctor Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish was giving Israel's Channel 10 his daily account from inside the war zone in Gaza when three of his daughters were killed in an Israeli attack. In his report, he called for help as his house was attacked." (Caution, this video is really difficult to watch, but necessary to understand.)

I can't begin to understand the pain this man has endured. And for what? So Israel can feel "safe" by having bombed Gaza into submission? So the people in Gaza are completely without hope? I hope the world will investigate Israel's actions for war crimes. I believe they have committed a great atrocity by killing so many innocent people and children.

Olmert announces Gaza ceasefire

could we have a "do-over" on the mn senate election?

2009-01-13T15:15:00.011-06:00

I'm disappointed with Democratic Senatorial candidate Al Franken. He and Senator Norm Coleman spoke at a pro-Israel rally at the Sabes Jewish Community Center in St. Louis Park on Jan. 11. They both endorsed Israel's war on Gaza. Congressional Representative Michele Bachmann also spoke at the event. Remember her? She went on Hardball with Chris Matthews and said that the media should investigate Congress for anti-American views. Other speakers included, U.S. Representative John Kline, megachurch preacher Rev. Mac Hammond, and former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton.

I regret voting for Franken. Before the primary I supported Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, and I wish he would have won the DFL primary and the general election. We need congressional leadership that understands the world, someone with a deeper cultural understanding. We need more leaders like U.S. Representative Keith Ellison, who is my representative. Representative Ellison understands the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He gets it.

Watch the video of an interview with Representative Ellison on Al Jazeera.

top 10 humanitarian crises of 2008

2009-01-11T22:32:00.006-06:00

"Health Crisis Sweeps Zimbabwe as Violence and Economic Collapse Spread," Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Boarders released their "Top 10 Humanitarian Crises of 2008."

no safe place in gaza

2009-01-06T19:09:00.042-06:00

"At Least 697 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Israel began its assault on December 27, and that number continues to climb. About 3,085 people have been wounded."
- Al Jazerra, January 7, 2009

Photo from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. "Photos from the Gaza Stip, Dec. 2008- Jan. 2009", January 7, 2009.

I am no expert on the Palestine-Israel conflict, but I do know that the U.S. media is not accurately or adequately covering the story. Israel's war on Gaza is disproportionately and collectively punishing Gaza.

I received the following article from a friend in the peace movement. I am posting this in its entirety because it's an account of the crisis from Gaza and it's a view that people in the U.S. probably won't hear about.

Gaza Massacres; The Time is Now by Anna Balzer. Jan. 3, 2009
Please, everyone, stop what you're doing. This is not just any report from Palestine, but the worst in my lifetime, the worst in 40 years. At this moment, Israel is raining bombs down on Gaza, an enclosed tiny area that is home to 1.5 million men, women, and children, most of them innocent civilians. This space is tightly sealed by Israel, which constantly denies Gazans electricity, food, medicine, and the ability to leave. Gaza is one big prison being bombed from above. The death toll is up to 428 in the past 7 days. That's more than the number of Israelis killed in the last 7 years. This is what I would call a massacre.

Yes, more Palestinians killed in 7 days than Israelis in 7 years, and yet no comments from President Bush or President-elect Obama. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice places blame solely on Hamas for holding Gazans "hostage," as if Israel's actions were beyond judgment. Would Rice ever respond to a Palestinian attack on Israelis by blaming the Israeli government for holding its citizens hostage with their army's violence?

I am writing you from Jordan. I arrived the day after the attacks began. The day before they began, my friend and colleague Hannah had asked me to deliver a book of poetry to her friend Summer in Gaza, hoping I'd manage to make it on a Free Gaza boat. Since then, these boats bringing unarmed witnesses to Gaza (www.freegaza.org) have been attacked in international waters, and Summer's house has been blown to pieces, her brother almost died under the rubble, and her father desperately needs an operation but the hospitals are overflowing. In every home or shop I enter in Jordan, people are huddled watching the stories unfold: a family killed in their home, a university destroyed, a pharmacy blown to pieces, countless bloody babies screaming or worse, silent.

I wonder if people in the US are also seeing the bodies and faces or, as I fear, only some rubble and angry Gazans. The day after attacks began, Israel's largest newspaper Yediot Aharonot covered almost the entire front page with the words, "500,000 Israelis Under Attack!" In smaller font, one could learn that in addition to 1 Israeli, 225 Palestinians had also been killed. It was surreal. Consider where you are getting your news, and what is not being told to you.

For example, the stated purpose of the attack is to drive out Hamas, i.e. to kill anyone in Hamas and scare the rest into turning against Hamas. Not only does this tactic not work (brutality fosters violence), but it clearly fits the definition of terrorism: unlawful violence intended to frighten or coerce a people or government in order to achieve a political or ideological agenda. Israel is operating as a terrorist state in the true sense of the word.

Hamas is also a terrorist organization by this definition, so it would be easy to simplify the conflict as "an endless cycle of violence" were there no historical context. But there is a context, and there are alternatives: Let us remember that Hamas was elected after an intentional shift away from violence towards a mainstream political agenda. Hamas stopped its attacks and began offering the Palestinian people an alternative to the corruption of Fatah. Hamas was democratically elected and immediately strangled by a US-led boycott, preventing the government from functioning. Hamas continued to hold to its one-sided ceasefire (totaling almost 2 years), meanwhile the US and Israel began to train and arm the opposition government, Fatah, which they preferred. In response to plans for a coup in Gaza (anti-democratic takeover by the US-supported opposition government), Hamas secured its control (again, democratically-elected whether or not we like them) over Gaza, and continues to offer Israel an indefinite ceasefire - no more violent attacks, period - if Israel simply complies with international law. The Arab League (comprised of 22 Arab nation members) has offered the same. These offers are dismissed by Israel and silenced in the US media. Israel says it has tried everything else, but it has not tried the most obvious: complying with international law and accepting repeated offers for a peaceful resolution.

As events unfold in Gaza neither the media nor the people are silent here in Jordan, where people refuse to go on as if nothing were happening to their brothers and sisters (sometimes literally - more than 60% of Jordan's population is Palestinian refugees). Just one day after attacks began, the king of Jordan gave blood to send to Gaza and inspired hundreds of others to do the same (meanwhile President Bush was on vacation in Texas). Spontaneous demonstrations have erupted at least twice here in the capitol today, and thousands are protesting in various major cities around the Middle East and around the world.

Please, wherever you are, do something. Write a letter to the editor. Get a large group to inundate your congressperson at once. Protest! There are demonstrations being organized around the US. If there isn't one happening near you, then do what I would do: buy a poster-board and large marker and write something on it ("Gazans Are People Too," "Massacre in Gaza: Silence is Complicity," "Our Weapons Are Killing Palestinian Children," or anything you can think of). Go outside and stand on a busy corner with it.

Force others to confront the reality. Talk to people, invite them to join you. People around the world are empowered enough to take to the streets; we have no excuse not to. The time is now."

What you can do to help Gaza:
* Sign the Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR)'s Gaza Peace and Justice Petition (click here)
* Send an e-mail to President-elect Obama. Go to change.gov. Make "Gaza" the subject. (click here)
* Make a donation to Islamic Relief USA. (click here) or the American Near East Refugee Aid (click here)

Learn about the ongoing siege in Gaza:
Free GazaGaza Siege
American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee

Read these articles:
Beyond The Hurricane of Propaganda
Israel is Immune From Criticism
In the U.S. Gaza is a Different War

News:
Al-Jazeera's Gaza Twitter page
Palestine Monitor
Free Gaza news
Ma'an News Agency
guardian.co.uk gaza

Blogs about Gaza:
Tabula Gaza
A Mother From Gaza
annie's letters
The Angry Arab News Service
Jews San Frontieres

Links on Palestine:
http://www.stopthewall.org/
If America Only Knew
Beyond The Hurricane of Propaganda
Peace in the Promised Land (video)
Origins of the Palestine-Israel conflict
Palestine maps
The Tragedy of Palestine
Coalition for Palestinian rights
 Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Palestine Think Tank

happy winter solstice

2008-12-21T19:28:00.002-06:00

make a winter window box

2008-12-01T21:39:00.020-06:00

Summer has passed but it doesn't mean that your window boxes need to be empty. You can use a window box or plant container to make a winter arrangement. Use evergreens and dried flowers that are left over from the garden. If you have evergreens in your yard wait to prune until the late fall or winter and use the cuttings in your arrangement. If you don't have access to evergreens, you can buy evergreens at a garden center. I was able to buy discarded evergreen branches from Christmas trees for sale from the local garden center for under two dollars. A commonly used item in winter arrangements is spruce tops, which are expensive and sometimes hard to find. I've seen spruce tops priced at $2.99 each for a bundle for $20 to $30. If you are on a budget this can be expensive. You could easily spend a lot of money using spruce tops.

For my winter arrangements I purchased four spruce tops for about $12. I also picked up discarded evergreens at the local garden center for two dollars, purchased a beautiful winter green bundle, and used materials from the yard or garden. I pruned dogwood from my parents backyard. If you buy dogwood it's about $10 for a small bundle. If you don't have access to dogwood try any hardwood branch clippings. Or use dried flowers or other materials you find interesting. This is your design. It doesn't have to look like something from a magazine.

This is a "functional" arrangement. I used dried flowers from the garden and oak branches discarded from my neighbor. Last year I made an arrangement like this. I used flower heads from purple cone flowers, heath aster, false sunflower, back eyed susan, and hyssop. The dried plants self seeded and in the spring the flowers spread. Throughout the winter birds feed from the seed heads. It may not be the most beautiful arrangement but it works to spread flowers in the garden.

The container on the left has a spruce top, white cedar, white pine, spruce, and oak branches. The container on the left has dogwood, white cedar, white pine, oak branches, and eucalyptus. To make this, put the dogwood in the center in a bundle. The placed in white pine and draped it over the edge. Then I used white cedar to break up the white pine. Then I added a sprig of eucalyptus and filled it in with oak branches for some added color.

Materials used: blue spruce, white cedar, dogwood, spruce tops, and white pine

Possible materials:
* Spruce tops, blue spruce branches, white cedar branches, white pine, and evergreen branches
* Evergreen branches
* Dogwood branches or small tree branches (lengths of 5' and under)
* Dried flowers
* Window box or container. Use containers from summer plants. Next spring add the soil to a compost or garden soil.
* Anything you find interesting, pine cones, wheel spokes, found objects, etc.

Instructions
* Use a container that already has soil in it. You can use containers from a garden. It's better if you can do this before the soil in the container is frozen. If it's frozen, bring the container indoors or to a warm place to soften the soil.
* Put dogwood, twigs, or tall items in the center. Dig a small hole in the soil to place twigs or dogwood. Use can use wire to bind the twigs together and place in the hole.
* Put evergreen branches in to the edges of the container.
* Fill in the rest of the container with evergreens and other materials.

An evergreen bundle from Mother Earth Garden (left)
White pine and dogwood (right)

Benny inspecting the materials

Two finished winter arrangements

Some how to resources and ideas:

Inside Out: A winter window box, Star Tribune

Winter window boxes, Cottage Living

Winter Window Box Ideas, ezine articles

i spy a pine siskin

2008-11-24T21:09:00.015-06:00

There have been reports of a Pine Siskin irruption in the Twin Cities. Pine Siskins are small finches. "Adults are brown on the upperparts and pale on the underparts, with heavy streaking throughout. They have a short forked tail. They have yellow patches in their wings and tail, not always visible; otherwise, it appears to be a very small streaked sparrow." Their breeding grounds are in Canada, Alaska, and the northern parts of the U.S. They migrate southward in winter.

Pine Siskins have recently been reported in Minnesota. A little over a week ago, I saw a flock a of 15 to 20 feeding on white cedar cones in our yard. I've waited years to see these "winter" finches. Every winter in Minnesota there have been reports of siskins and red polls and this is a first time sighting for me.

A Pine Siskin feeding at the top of the tree.

A Pine Siskin, in the center of the photo, feeding.

It's difficult to see in the photo but there are four Pine Siskins in the tree.

a bitter sweet election

2008-11-21T19:44:00.009-06:00

On the sweet side we can say "President-elect Obama." On the other "bitter pill" side, California passed Proposition 8, social conservatives Michele Bachmann and Erik Paulsen were elected to congress in Minnesota, and the Franken Coleman race for a senate is still undecided. The election recount for that race started yesterday.

Obama supporters were elated that Obama won the election. People danced and partied in the streets of Minneapolis and all over the country. After election night, reality slapped us in the face. Proposition eight passed in California. Of all the states, I never thought California would pass a constitutional amendment that declared that marriage can only be between a man an a woman. It happened. And now people are rightly protesting the vote. Conservatives have deemed this as "anarchy." Where have we heard this before?

As for Minnesota politics, how did this happen? How did Bachmann get re-elected after her anti-american diatribe on MSNCB? Did the DFL choose the wrong candidates? Is the DFL primary process dysfunctional? I am baffled at how Bachmann and Paulsen got elected. Other than their district's are in "conservativeville" outside the Twin Cities proper. In Bachmann's pre-election appearance on MSNBC's show "Hardball," she accused Obama and several liberal, leftists, as "anti-American." She said the news media should investigate this, "Are they pro-America or anti-America?" After seeing this I was waiting for that knock on my door, to be taken away for questioning about my "anti-American" views. Obama will be president, but Minnesota is still stuck with Michele Bachmann for two years. At least it's not six years.

Links:
Sign the petition against Prop 8

Doug Grow over at Minn Post wrote an excellent article on how the Minnesota DFL screwed up some key elections in Minnesota. Read it, click here.

Vote NO on Prop 8

After Obama Victory, Dancing in the Streets (Minneapolis)

MnIndy Video: Obama win prompts nighttime dance-party in the streets of Minneapolis

vote obama

2008-10-30T12:36:00.004-05:00

Treehouse party has endorsed Barack Obama for president. If you are concerned about your taxes, check out the Obama-Biden Tax Calculator and see how you will do financially under each administration.

If you are a resident of the Twin Cities (Minnesota) then check out the Twin Cities voter cheat sheet.

the "let them eat cake" makeover

2008-10-24T19:17:00.001-05:00

While most of us were trying to balance our budget and live with less, "the Republican National Committee (RNC) spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family," according to POLITICO news. What happened to "hockey mom, Joe six-pack, Joe the plumber?" Would "they" spend 150K on clothing? Sure, they could spend that, in a lifetime. But in less than two months?

In these troubling economic times, it troubles me that the RNC would spend that amount of money on designer clothes. People are losing their homes. People are going hungry. People are dying because they don't have health care. Then the RNC spent $150K to clothe their unqualified candidate. As to dress her up, to objectify her. As if a makeover would give her style, make her smarter, more qualified.

What baffles me is that the RNC allowed the funds to be spent for a makeover. What was wrong with the way she looked as the governor of Alaska? Why is it important how stylish a candidate is? Does it depend on gender? Does it depend on party affiliation? Female politicians are constantly judged on what they wear. The media will talk about Hillary's pantsuits, or her many changing hair styles. Men are judged too, but on a different scale. How often does the media talk about what men wear? Amanda Woerner articulated this in her article Washington’s fashion double-standard, "For women in positions of power, news about their appearance usually trump news about their accomplishments." Furthermore, "Imagine a caption reading, 'Dick Cheney, in an Armani suit, at yesterday’s news conference.' It would be both bizarre and irrelevant."

The McCain Palin ticket continually talks about Obama's socialist ideas of "sharing the wealth." Isn't using money from the RNC (from donors) to fund her makeover sharing the wealth? It also hits a sour note on ethical standards. San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Joe Garofoli said the $150K "might have violated the spirit if not the letter of a campaign finance law co-authored by her running mate, Sen. John McCain." The McCain Palin campaign said, "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign." Sure, I'll believe that when it happens.

train bound for the mall of america met by riot police, aug 31, 2008

2008-09-23T19:29:00.001-05:00

There were police raids on independent media and the RNC Welcoming Committee Convergence Space before the RNC even started. At the same time the riot police showed up on a Metro Transit light rail train to the Mall of America.

From indybay, Riot Cops Detain IWW Starbucks Workers Union Supporters in Train at Mall of America. "As an act of solidarity, several dozen local IWW members and supporters, along with National Lawyer's Guild observers, intended to peacefully escort the reinstated Erik Forman to the Mall of America. In line with recent police aggression in the Twin Cities related to the 2008 RNC in St. Paul (see http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/30/18531223.php), police massed at the IWW rally point at the light rail station at Lake & Hiawatha. Initially, police refused to allow the IWW access to the light rail station so that they might escort Erik back to the Mall of America. Later, the IWW was allowed to proceed. Two stations from the mall, police again seemed to be ready to prevent the group's access to the mall yet then allowed the train to proceed. Finally, at the mall itself, a line of riot cops from Plymouth, MN in full riot gear refused to allow the IWW to disembark from the train. Other unrelated passengers, including one diabetic in need of insulin, were also not allowed to leave the train as it was held with the doors closed. Eventually, the train was just sent in the other direction, away from the mall, with no one allowed off. At the first stop in the other direction, Erik Forman got off and walked to his job at the mall."

This is another excessive show of force by the police. What are they afraid of? See the video at indybay.

video coverage of; rnc pre-raids, marches, protests, and massive police presence

2008-09-10T22:16:00.031-05:00

If you didn't attend the RNC protests in St. Paul or if you've only seen what the mainstream media has shown, then see some independent media video clips of the protests for yourself. The military presence in St. Paul was your tax dollars at work. Was it worth it?

"I do not condemn or condone their actions, but I understand why."
- In reaction to different means of protesting from a protester at the RNC

Pre RNC raids
Police Raid on RNC Protest Site on Iglehart Ave in St Paul ***

Day one, Labor Day
Journalist Amy Goodman from Democracy Now and two producers get arrested at RNC protest****
Scenes from the RNC Free Speech Zone ***
MPR News: Teen describes process of RNC protest arrest and release ***** If you have children watch this.

Day two, Ripple Effect concert at the Minnesota State Capitol and the March for Our Lives
March Ends in Tear Gas at RNC! gnooze 9-2-08 ***** "That didn't feel like being an American." (This is what we saw on Tue. night. This was our experience)
DN! Thousands Join Poor People's March Outside RNC *****
Ripple Effect ***
March for Our Lives march in overpass tunnel ****

Farheen Hakeem at the RNC Protests ***
rage against the machine at rnc protest ****
DN! Thousands Join Poor People's March Outside RNC
9-2-08 RNC Protest ****
Vietnam Medic telling off cops at the RNC protest ****
What Happened With Yesterday's RNC Protest *****
See this clip!!!!
Rage Against the Machine RNC - 09.02.08 (Performs Acapella in Crowd) *****

Day four, No Peace for the War Makers rally and march
RNC Protests Day Four ***
RNC protests in St. Paul, Thursday, Sept. 4, near Rice St. *****
RNC Protest 9-4-08 5pm-630pm ***** Great video of the "mohawk dude" aka an undercover cop. The video captures the massive police force and the playful spirit of a peaceful crowd.
RNC Protest: The Bridge **** Riot police trap hundreds on the bridge and arrest the crowd.
RNC protest: southbound *****
RNC protest: the bridge ****
woman in purple shirt on last night of rnc, maced repeatedly by police **** (very difficult to watch. I was singing with her at the protest earlier that evening)

RNC protests and aftermath
Police respond to RNC protests (AP) ****
WAR AT THE RNC 2008 - PROTESTS & MASS ARRESTS ** It's a little crass but he tells it like it is. "Time to get a clue. Wake the F--K up." He's a little like George Carlin. Be prepared for some strong language. I'm not sure what side he's on, but he's pissed.
The Battle for St. Paul *** video set to Rage Against the Machine
MnIndy video: RNC protesters show and tell of injuries from cops *****
"Restraint - RNC 2008 Protest Compilation" ***** Great overall view of policy brutality at the RNC
MnIndy Video: Medics say police targeted them at RNC protests ***** Watch this! For real.

Rated from * to *****.
View as you please. I rated these according to what I would watch first. Watch all the videos if you have time. Learn the truth.
Peace.

rnc day four, no peace for the war makers march

2008-09-10T21:54:00.012-05:00

rnc day two, ripple effect and march for our lives

2008-09-10T21:12:00.018-05:00

peace

Spearhead at the Ripple Effect concert

Military force at the Ripple Effect concert

Rally before the March for Our Lives

Riot police on the street next to Mears Park

They are ready to mace a peaceful crowd

On the march route

March for Our Lives

March for Our Lives, chanting in the underpass

Convergence of the Ripple Effect concert and the March for Our Lives

The crowds join and march to the Xcel Center

The march moved downtown

More riot police (they are everywhere)

The first of many mace attacks by the police

The media said that we were trying to take over Mickey's Dinner, sure right. We don't have a death wish.

Just how many riot police did the city of St. Paul have? Is Blackwater in there?

more articles:
March for Our Lives at the RNC in St. Paul (part 1 of 2)

march on the rnc, labor day 2008 part two

2008-09-09T17:49:00.012-05:00

This is one of the best signs of the day. I agree!

Code pink

Snippers on the roof

march on the rnc, labor day 2008 - part one

2008-09-08T22:24:00.010-05:00

"Free Speech" an omen of things to come

Democracy ice sculpture (Another omen of things to come)

Let's hear if for the grandmothers! They have been heroic leaders in the anti-war movement

post rnc hangover

2008-09-05T13:29:00.010-05:00

I woke up this morning still thinking about what I saw last night. The Anti-War Committee held a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol. The group was given a permit for a one hour rally. (Wow how generous of the city of St. Paul.) After the rally, the group marched towards the Excel Center but were met by riot police and military force. Once again a crowd of peaceful protesters were denied their first amendment rights to assemble peacefully and voice opposition to the war.

The cops blocked roads to downtown at the intersection of John Ireland Blvd. and 12th St. A creative party atmosphere arose in the street. Protesters sang old protest songs. The kids skateboarded, biked, chanted, sang, and drew on the street with sidewalk chalk. "Oh yeah that sounds really scary." After a while my friend and I walked down the road to 11th and Cedar and were met with more police in riot gear. The police presence was unreal. They were at every intersection. Just how many cops did Minnesota have? We were told by the cops to disperse and go west. We turned around and tried to figure out how to get to the Northstar Wellness center to see if there was anything we could help with. We walked back up to the capitol and once again met with an incredible police presence. Overkill doesn't even begin to describe it. We walked up Cedar St. and the cops told us to keep moving go west towards the satellites (porta potties) on the capitol grounds. More cops in riot gear were in front of the satellites. I had that trapped feeling again that soon I would be pepper sprayed. I broke out into my rendition of "Proud to be an American," which is "ashamed to be an american were I am oppressed by the police." Or something along that line. My friend said, "Shut up not now." I thought, fuck it. Would they arrest me for singing badly? I was pissed. I was mad that the show of force by the police was so disproportionate to a peaceful protest. The only anger I saw in the group was an agent provocateur, who walked around the crowd repeatedly yelling, "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!" He wasn't with the protesters but was with the cops. He was quickly marked as a provocateur and ignored. The was a huge presence of undercover cops which most of the crowd acknowledged.

As we walked up to University to the wellness center a multitude of cop cars sped by with sirens blasting. We looked at each other and thought what the fuck is going down. When we reached the wellness center we heard a report that the cops used gas and flash bombs to herd the crown on to the Marrion St. Bridge. The crowd had no escape route and were face down waiting arrest. Many people escaped and made it to the wellness center to get decontaminated from chemical weapons used by the police. Once again I felt as I was in a war zone in my own city. A war zone created by the fear and oppression from the police.

RNC related articles
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/090808a.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVfkcrYXw-M
Eyewitness: Police Brutality at the RNC - Street Medics

rnc police state

2008-09-03T00:20:00.009-05:00

If you’ve been watching mainstream media over the past few days, you may think young anarchists are ruling the streets and creating chaos. The only group “ruling” the streets has been the police in riot gear. On Tuesday night, I was at the “March For Our lives.” The march started with a rally at Meers Park, St. Paul and then went though St. Paul. There were elderly people, babies, and children on the march. It was a diverse crowd of people that came together for a common cause, to fight for human rights. The speakers at the march were inspiring. I felt the group was one as we walked. We came from different backgrounds, different religions, different ethnicities, and so on. That night we came together to march for human rights.

As we wove through St. Paul we reached an underpass. The only audience we had was ourselves. The crowd chanted and sang as the sound reverberated in the underpass. It felt like a cosmic convergence of sound and energy. It felt like the birth of a new movement or at least for me a rebirth of energy to fight on. As we emerged the crowd cheered.

We marched on to the capitol lawn as the Ripple Effect concert was ending. Concertgoers joined the march. We marched from the capitol to the “pen area” at the Excel Center. Riot police were there at the end out the march route. People milled around trying to figure out how to get out and were to go. We walked down to St. Peter and 7th and where met by police in riot gear. We were pinned in at the intersection. Riot police blocked every intersection. The crowd chanted, "whose streets our streets." (This is a very common chant on marches.) Like the bible, the chant is not to be taken literally. Marchers put their fists in the air as a sign of solidarity not as a sign of violence. Of course the mainstream media would like to believe we were trying to take over Mickey’s Diner.

The sun had gone down and confusion set in. I never heard any police order to disperse or that gas would be used on the crowd. The peace team tried to tell the crowd to leave before the police started using gas. Peace teams ushered people to a small gap in the riot police line and away from downtown. The police fired on the crowd as they tried to leave with pepper spray and flash bombs. The noise echoed through the buildings. I couldn’t believe I was being fired on by the cops for doing nothing but expressing my first amendment rights. People screamed and ran to get out of the line of fire. I was maced repeatedly while my hands where in the air as I was trying to leave. Near the end, my friend and me ran through the street with our arms around each other so we didn’t get separated in the chaos. It felt like we were in a war.

More stories about the protest, pepper spray, and bombs.

Running from the Cops at the RNC
Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign Takes Cause to Streets Outside RNC

Video footage

Protestors Tear Gassed! Raw footage - gnooze tear ...

midsummer garden

2008-07-04T21:30:00.014-05:00

The Bee Balm, Fireweed, Spiderwort, and Rock Soapwort are in full bloom. The Big Blue Stem and sage are getting tall.

The strawberry patch is about 10 x 3 and the strawberries are a mix of June Bearing and Everbearing strawberries. We harvested about a half pint with many more to harvest in the future.

This is the first time in three years that the Milkweed has flowered. There is a large Monarch caterpillar that has been feeding on the Milkweed.

minneapolis staycation

2008-07-02T20:51:00.008-05:00

A while back we took a "staycation" in Minneapolis. We biked the trails at Fort Snelling State Park and photographed the historic veterans home buildings. The bike trail starts at Minnehaha Park, Minneapolis.

lake street peace bridge "name change"

2008-06-27T00:12:00.004-05:00

The sign has changed on the Lake Street bridge, Minneapolis, from the "Sri Chinmoy Peace Bridge" to the "Mississippi River National Park Service." The sign marks the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. It's cool that they are recognizing a "park" or "natural area" but they could have left a sign up recognizing that this is considered the "peace bridge." Peace activists hold a weekly vigil on the bridge every Wednesday.

sand dunes forest, solstice

2008-06-26T22:52:00.004-05:00

On summer solstice we ran away from the city and spend a night in the woods. The weather on the longest day of the year was beautiful. At night, the moonless sky was clear and filled with stars. These are some photos of Sand Dunes State Forest, MN.

dowling garden, minneapolis

2008-06-17T22:49:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we visited the Dowling Garden to see what was growing and to get some ideas. I'm learning that raised bed gardening is a good idea.

Raised bed greens

Raised bed strawberries

Giant onions or leeks, beautiful!

rnc marketing to kids

2008-06-14T22:28:00.004-05:00

I'm speechless. The RNC is marketing crap to kids. The elephant looks frightened. I don't care how cute their toys are I'm still protesting the RNC.

anti choice group plans to protest the pill

2008-06-06T22:50:00.010-05:00

Are you kidding me? Get a fucking life! A protest against the "Pill." The American Life League plans to plans to protest clinics across the country on Saturday, June 7th, against the birth control pill. The Feminist Daily newswire reported.

The anti-contraception group American Life League (ALL) plans to protest clinics across the country on Saturday, June 7th. The protests are a part of ALL’s so-called "The Pill Kills" campaign, which falsely claims that birth control pills are abortifacients and detrimental to women’s health. June 7th marks the 43rd anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut, the landmark 1965 Supreme Court decision that gave women the right to birth control.

Dr. Dana Stone, a board-certified OB/GYN who practices in Oklahoma City, outlines the medical inaccuracy and political motivations of the misleading campaign on Feministing.com. "ALL's work has absolutely nothing to do with medical accuracy or maternal or fetal health. What we're seeing here is just the latest round in a grudge match that's been going on since 1965... We now face fringe movements trying to turn a woman's egg into a baby, birth control pills into a form of abortion, and all forms of contraception into murder. Call it nostalgia for the good old days, when men were men, sex was unspeakable, and women lived in fear of unintended pregnancies," writes Dr. Stone.

Media Resources: Feministing.com 6/2/08, 6/6/08; American Life League, and anti-contraception group, plans to protest clinics across the country on Saturday, June 7th."

The Pill doesn't kill babies, war does. Why don't they protest the war? It seams like they don't give a shit about that. They just want to control women's bodies. The conservative right has no control over my body. If I want to take the pill, I will, so will millions of other women. All I have to say to these people is, "Get a fucking life, really." Do they care about poor children that are dying around the world? Or just American "babies?" Thousands of children have been murdered in Iraq by the U.S. military. It would be better if they put their efforts in to feeding poor children around the world. They should work to stop the war in Iraq, to stop all war. Women and children suffer the most in war. Do something that can make a difference, not bitch about ill conceived notions of the Pill.

Do they even now what birth control pills do? Not all women take the pill for birth control but to treat ovarian cysts. Are they baby killers too? Am I a baby killer if I'm on the pill? Once again I say to these folks, "Get a fucking life."

What's next a protest on Viagra? I would love to see that.

Resources
No, Virginia, the Pill does NOT "Kill": How the Latest Anti-Roe Strategy Misleads Women
Pro-Lifers' Plan National Protest of Contraception
fruitcakes gone wild

shop local, shop the vagary

2008-06-05T21:38:00.001-05:00

The Vagary is possibly the best place to buy native plants and herbs in the Twin Cities. I've been buying plants from them for years and every plant has thrived. Nancy will give you all the info you need on how to plant and maintain your plants from the Vagary. They sell plants at the St. Paul Farmers Market on weekends through mid-July.

giant silk moth

2008-06-05T21:16:00.005-05:00

Christian found a male Polyphemus moth in the front yard, in the ferns. This moth was huge, about six inches across. It's much more impressive in person than in a photo.

polyphemus moths
butterflies and moths of north america

the greens are growing

2008-05-29T23:15:00.008-05:00

The garden greens are happy with the cold weather this spring. The lettuce, greens, and spinach, are growing like crazy.

Vine with hyssop sprouts

Spinach sprouts

Red Lettuce planted a month ago and ready to harvest

Cilantro and creeping thyme, just planted

Kohlrabi (planted first) and swiss chard

Lettuce, planted three weeks ago and ready to harvest

Basil and thyme, just planted

"Baby" maple trees (from last fall)

The garden gnomes guarding the plants

utah phillips, 1935-2008

2008-05-28T12:53:00.004-05:00

We have lost a great man. Utah Phillips passed away on May 23. He was a phenomenal Legendary folk musician. He was an organizer, union activist, peace activist, storyteller, anarchist, and folk singer. He sang songs about the labor movement and the power or direct action. He taught respect for our elders. He taught us to learn about the past and to listen to the stories of our elders.

"U. Utah Phillips has passed away in his sleep at 11:30PM PDT on May 23, 2008. Utah has caught the westbound, and I am at a great loss. For myself and my wife Pam, to Joanna and to all Utah's family and friends we express our deepest sympathy. We have lost a truly caring man. -Chris 05/24/08" - From Utah's website

http://www.utahphillips.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Phillips

deer in the yard, mpls

2008-05-25T22:13:00.004-05:00

This morning there was a deer in the yard. It's somewhat unusual because we live 4 miles from downtown Minneapolis but close enough to the Mississippi River Valley for a deer to show up.

The deer in between the houses.

She ran down the sidewalk to the direction of the river. I hope she found her way home.

sfgirlbay blog

2008-05-22T23:01:00.004-05:00

I love sfgirlbay blog. It's "bohemian modern style from a san francisco girl." It's a blog with an incredible style for design and great style. It's eye candy for the your mind.

http://sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com/

warbler migration in minneapolis

2008-05-20T22:11:00.004-05:00

Warbler migration in Minneapolis is winding down. This has been an incredible spring for seeing warblers. The cold weather may have contributed to a warbler migration back up.

Black Throated Green Warbler

These are the 18 warblers I've seen this year in the Mississippi River George. Notes on numbers of warblers are in parenthesis. There were a ubiquitous number of Yellow Rumped Warblers.

Backpoll Warbler (a few)
Wilson's Warbler (many)
Tennessee Warbler (abundant)
Common Yellowthroat (many)
Yellow Warblers (many)
Nashville Warbler (many)
Ovenbird (a few)
American Redstart (many)
Blackburnian Warbler (many)
Black and White Warblers (a few)
Yellow Rumped Warblers (abundant)
Chestnut Sided Warblers (a few)
Magnolia Warblers (a few)
Northern Parula (one)
Northern Waterthrush (a few)
Bay Breasted Warbler (one)
Black Throated Green Warbler (one)

Mourning Warbler (one)

watching warblers, not politics

2008-05-14T21:22:00.026-05:00

I'm sick of politics. I've been watching the warbler migration and ignoring the news. The warbler migration has picked up in the past few days and has been the best warbler watching for years. You ask, "What are warblers?" Good question. They are beautiful small (4-5 inch) colorful birds. They are neotropical or tropical birds that winter in the Southern U.S, Mexico, Caribbean Islands, Latin American, or South America and migrate to the Northern U.S. in spring. They have been described as being the "connective tissue" between the Amazon River and the Mississippi River and the "butterflies of the bird world."

The trees have been "dripping" with migrating songbirds. This is the time of the year birders dream about. Over the past few days I've seen, Backpoll Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow Warblers, Nashville Warblers, Ovenbirds, American Redstarts, Blackburnian Warblers, Black and White Warblers, Yellow Rumped Warblers, Chestnut Sided Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, a Northern Parula, a Northern Waterthrush, and a Mourning Warbler

Migrating sparrows have been moving through the are, White Crowned Sparrows, White Throated Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Lincoln Sparrows, and a Harris Sparrow.

Male Yellow Warbler, Minneapolis 5/14/08

A blurry photo of a Wilsons Warbler, Minneapolis 5/13/08

Yellow Rumped Warbler, Minneapolis 5/14/08

American Redstart, Minneapolis 5/14/08

Mourning Warbler, Minneapolis 5/14/08

Ovenbird, Minneapolis 5/13/08

Cottontail Rabbit, Minneapolis 5/14/08

Mourning Warbler, Minneapolis 5/14/08

Lincoln Sparrow tail (right side)

Magnolia Warbler, Minneapolis 5/14/08

Blackburnian Warbler, Minneapolis 5/14/08

American Redstart, Minneapolis 5/14/08

Links:

How to identify warblers

children's farm

2008-05-08T21:46:00.007-05:00

The kid arriving at the farm

We took the kid to the farm, for some fresh air and fun. There's a lot of work to do on the farm. The kids learned about gardening, raising chickens, gathering eggs, ridding a horses, farm cats, feeding the animals, and the difference between straw and hay.

The farm "to do"list. The list of stuff to do on the farm. there's lots of room for the creative and the adventurous.

the chicken coop

horseback ridding

chickens (they are so cute)

moma cat

barn loft

mpls birding may 8, 2008

2008-05-08T21:40:00.003-05:00

In a half hour of birding by the Mississippi River, Minneapolis I saw:
black and white warbler
palm warbler
Nashville Warbler
a Yellow Rumped Warbler invasion
ovenbird
tennessee warbler

swainson's thrush
brown thrasher

Palm Warbler

Swainson's Thrush

seed starting

2008-05-07T21:52:00.003-05:00

Lettuce seedings

After trying several different methods to start seeds outside, this has been the best. I used a tray (use an food container, egg carton, or stryofoam container) and a seed starter soil mix. I put a few drainage holes in the bottom of the container, then I planted the seeds. I put a reused plastic cover on it and placed the container on foil (a used windshield blocker). I kept the soil mix moist until the seeds spouted. When the temperature warmed up I took the cover off and planted the seedlings in the ground.

warbler migration in mpls

2008-05-07T21:19:00.005-05:00

In a half hour of birding, I saw a Turkey Vulture, several Chipping Sparrows, White Throated Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Black and White Warblers, many Yellow Rumped Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, a Yellow Throated Vireo, and a male American Redstart. Not bad for a lunch break.

This male American Redstart was almost posing for me. It is very difficult to take a photo of a small five inch bird with a small digital camera. This Redstart made it easy to capture his image. He sat perched on a branch long enough for me to take a few photos. Most birds fly away as soon as they see the camera.

Yellow Warbler, photo from Wikipedia

Chipping Sparrow

birding report, south mpls may 6, 2008

2008-05-06T19:50:00.006-05:00

Spring bird migration continues. Today I saw many Yellow Rumped Warblers and White Throated Sparrows. There was one Black and White Warbler, a few Tennessee Warblers, and some House Wrens. Later in the day I saw a Swainson's Thrush.

From left to right, Tennessee Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, Black and White Warbler.
Photos from Wikipedia and Minnesota Public Radio.

spring backyard birds

2008-05-05T21:52:00.010-05:00

The White Throated Sparrows (WTS) and the Brown Thrasher(s) are still hanging out in the yard. The WTS are everywhere, singing in the trees, and foraging on the ground.

Brown Thrasher and a White Throated Sparrow

White Throated Sparrows

Click on photos for larger view.

invasion of the white throated sparrows

2008-05-02T20:52:00.006-05:00

Photo from Wikipedia

This time of year the White Throated Sparrows "invade" the area. A birder said, "The White Throated Sparrow ship has landed." It's true. You never see just one. They migrate in groups. These birds can be loud. When foraging on the ground they kick up leaves and dirt. It sounds like a large animal foraging.

During this time of year large groups of White Throated Sparrows show up. Tonight in the rain several sparrows were foraging for food and singing.

happy mayday!

2008-05-01T20:38:00.007-05:00

Bird migration is moving through the Minnesota. In Minneapolis, Yellow Rumped Warblers (YRW) and White Throated Sparrows (WTS) are numerous. When I got home today there were lots of YRWs and WTSs in the yard. Both were calling and the sparrows were singing. I saw a first of the year Nashville Warbler, while birding at lunch. Later in the evening there was a Brown Thrasher in the yard.

The tulips and bulbs are blooming. The leaves are sprouting on the trees. It's Beltane and life has returned to the northland. Tonight the air is moist as the rain approaches.

Nashville Warbler

photo from USGS Patuxent Bird Population Studies

it's getting warmer

2008-04-29T20:51:00.009-05:00

West Bank turkey

It is finally getting back to more normal temperatures in Minneapolis. The turkey was out again on the West Bank of Minneapolis. She is becoming a regular fixture. People are photographing and looking for her. More Yellow Rumped Warbles (YRW) are out. I saw lots of YRWs on the West Bank and in the backyard. There were a lot of YRWs in the backyard "hawking" for insects. There was one Chipping Sparrow. The resident male Cardinal was hanging out in the Elm tree checking out the Blue Jays. There were about five Blue Jays in the yard pecking away at the corn suet.

"Sam" the crow stopped by earlier to yell at Misha, who was to close to the bird feeder. We named the crow "Sam" because we don't know if it's male or female. This crow has a small white mark on its right wing. If you get to know crows you can tell them apart. Sam has been hanging out harassing the squirrels and the orange kitten. Sam has a thing for suet and likes to hide the suet in the shrubs.

Sam the crow

it has been cold for days

2008-04-28T19:26:00.005-05:00

Female turkey

It's near the end of April and it's cold, very cold. It has been unseasonably cold for days. It's Monday and this is the third day in a row I've seen snow. I've heard reports from birders that birds were seen flying south from the snow in Northern Minnesota. Last Saturday we woke up with a dusting of snow, but in Northern Minnesota they woke up to several inches. It was so cold I pulled the containers of lettuce and kale onto the porch. Too cold for cold weather crops. Eeks.

I was looking for migrating songbirds but saw one lonely cold Yellow Rumped Warbler. As I headed back in, I saw the turkey that had been hanging around for about week. She had eluded me before but today without anyone around I finally got a photo.

The backside of the turkey as she foraged for food

DIY cold frame

2008-04-25T22:26:00.009-05:00

This is an easy DIY cold frame. Is used two cedar container planters (bought on sale for $40) and used an old window for the top. A cold frame will extend your growing season. To vent this cold frame use a piece of wood to prop up the window or place the wood under the window.

Misha inspecting my work

Resources for building a cold frame:
DIY Network
DIY coldframe
Green building a cold frame
Strawbale cold frame

the white throated sparrows have arrived

2008-04-22T21:40:00.006-05:00

The White Throated Sparrows have arrived in Minneapolis. During this time of the year White Throated Sparrows migrate to Northern Minnesota. Brown Thrashers are also seen migrating during this time of the year. Some stay in the metro area during the nesting season. They are shy but beautiful birds.

White Throated Sparrow

Brown Thrasher
Photo from Wikipedia

White Throated Sparrow
Photo from the Pennsylvania Game Commission

a shy goundhog

2008-04-22T21:30:00.004-05:00

A shy juvenile groundhog by the Mississippi River. A very cute rodent. As soon as I took these photos the groundhog ran away.

compost harvest

2008-04-22T21:22:00.014-05:00

It's time to "harvest" the compost. We started composting last summer with very little knowledge of how. We composted leaves, grass and plant clippings, green waste from the kitchen, added coffee grounds, water, and air. It all turned into black gold.

Digging out the bottom of the compost. It's a little lumpy and needs to be sifted out.

Use a screen to sift out large materials. I made this screen from an an old chair frame. I stapled (with a staple gun) a wire frame to the wood. The holes in the screen are small enough to sort out the large material that has not composted but large enough to let the compost through. Chicken wire might be to large, but in a pinch it would work. I used wire mesh that is a 1/4 of an inch wide. Then formed the wire to the frame and stapled away. I didn't care how it looked but how it functioned.

Place screen over a large pale or bucket and screen the compost.

Sift compost

In the end you will have compost for potting soil or mulch.

Add compost to potting soil.

no/low/neutral carbon birdwatching

2008-04-16T22:27:00.006-05:00

This one of my favorite places to birdwatch, along the Mississippi River in Mpls. In the past year I have become a "lazy birdwatcher." I used to drive hundreds of miles to see one bird and plan entire camping trips around seeing warblers. Now I bring my binoculars with me and bird where I am.

Some new migrants to the area are Northern Flickers, Hermit Thrushes, and Yellow Rumped Warblers.

Photos from Wikipedia

Interested in neutral carbon birdwatching? Look at carbon neutral birding.

first spring flowers

2008-04-16T20:33:00.003-05:00

The first spring flowers in the yard, daffodils.

tax day

2008-04-15T20:17:00.012-05:00

I waited until the last minute to do my taxes. Not only because of procrastination but I'm in denial about how much I'm paying for the Iraq war. The median income family in the United States paid $2,628 in federal income taxes in 2007. Of that, $1,109 was spent on the military. Contrast that with the $228 spent on anti-poverty programs, $115 spent on education, training and social services, and $69 spent on the environment, energy, and science. This is what I was avoiding thinking about.

Look at where your tax dollars are spent

last chance to catch snowflakes on your tongue

2008-04-10T23:29:00.004-05:00

The weather is really strange in Minneapolis tonight. It's a thunderstorm of rain, sleet, and snow. What can you expect with Minnesota weather in April?

it also rolls down hill - by badphairy

2008-04-08T12:48:00.003-05:00

I have pestered Badphairy for months to write for treehouse party. Badphairy has graciously honored me with her writing. Read Badphairy at LNEWS: EXTEMORE, The Wit, Wisdom and Mental Meanderings of a Bad Phairy.

When San Francisco protests, they do it right. In a somewhat sideways answer to Protest Zones (which should be renamed Police Brutality Zones), and Designated Free Speech Areas (hey Pelosi, who put the moron in your oxy?), or even you know, protesting on the actual day the protestable action (or significant anniversary/escalation/what have you) will take place, protestors for freedom in Tibet climbed the guy wires on the Golden Gate Bridge to unfurl banners.

Yesterday. The torch run is tomorrow. Talk about planning ahead. The era of blond-dreadlocked, bitchy radicals scheming about rally chants till midnight while chain-smoking has been replaced, apparently, by dreadlocked, bitchy radicals scheming at 3:00 am about the best quality jumars, carabiners, and gorp. Frankly, in the struggle of worker and proletariat, REI seems to be winning. I’m not sure who’s going to be happy about that, but I do know the tobacco companies hate it.

Seems like Cal is serving its purpose in training the next generation of protestors for Bay Area success, as tree-sitting is still going on over at the Cal campus across the Bay. In case you have nostalgic memories of pole-sitters or your family treehouse, know now and tremble with fear paltry non-Californians, that tree-sitting is a skill (or set thereof), involving possible use of zip lines, hanging tents, and shit buckets. Yes, shit buckets. What do you think people spend hours and hours packing down from camps on Mount Everest? Yep, shit buckets.

We’ve been shown thrilling expanses of snow, dangerous cliffs, people slowly freezing to death, but no shit buckets. Never thought of Mount Everest as a giant Potemkin village? Do it now.

SF is a community infinitely familiar with shit buckets, though we like to call them “parks”, “bus stops” and “doorways”. Predictably, any city with that much poo, is also rife with the flinging of same, though we like to call it “politics”. Thus we have protest factions who don’t even have to protest on the day of the torch run. We are so dressed in blinding Tyvek that any poo flung within a month or so of an event, ends up staining our brothas fines .

Even so, poo is fertilizer, kids, and here we have one of the most vibrant discussions about China, Tibet, the message of the Olympic Games, the power of sport, the thrill of victory, etc, etc, etc. Without that discussion, this would just be American Gladiators with a bigger budget.

Yes, sports are important, human rights are important, global opinion is important, and we deserve to care more than every two to four years. Remember that when your hear bitching about stupid protestors who need to go get jobs. Those people do have jobs. They’re carrying the shit buckets down the mountain and making sure they are displayed for all to see. Maybe we’ll send less shit up the mountain tomorrow.

At least, that’s the hope.

Sartorial elegance, see: Blazing Saddles

backyard birding

2008-04-06T19:08:00.011-05:00

A few spring migrants showed up in the backyard a Brown-creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It was a dark cloudy day and horrible for taking photos of these birds. The bird photos are from Wikipedia. Birds are pictured left to right, Brown-creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

I saw five Brown Creepers feeding together on the Elm tree in the backyard. There were two Golden-crowned Kinglets and a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The creepers, kinglets, and Black-capped Chickadees were singing and feeding in the afternoon rain.

Last year I took this photo of a juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. These migrating birds usually make a stop to feed at the birch tree.

free fertilizer find

2008-04-06T18:02:00.007-05:00

Spring is slowing creeping into the northland. This weekend I started the garden spring cleaning. The perennial plants have been covered over the winter with leaf mulch, marsh hay, and covered with pine branches. I started the cleanup by removing the mulch to see what has survived the winter.

Surveying the yard I found a lot of rabbit droppings. This is great free fertilizer. The droppings have the highest nitrogen of available barnyard manures and don't smell.

The Coral Bells, Sedum, Bee Balm, and Monkeyflower, survived the winter and are already green. For a gardener this is the hope of spring. I still have a lot of work left to do to get the garden and yard ready.

Marsh hay and mulch

Rabbit droppings

Sedum

Yard material for the compost pile

Coral Bells

Motherwort, is considered a weed but it's a useful herb. It is green in early spring.

Bee Balm / Monarda

Black-eyed Susan / Rudbeckia hirta

Monkeyflower

7:15 a.m. murder

2008-04-02T19:43:00.008-05:00

I woke up to the sound to crows cawing loudly and screaming alarm calls. I was trying to sleep in for another for another 10 minutes, but the loud raucous wouldn't let me sleep. It struck me that maybe they were really pissed off that a predator was in their territory. I ran outside to see a murder of crows mobbing a great horned owl. The crows were harassing and dive bombing the owl. They cawed as loudly as possible. The crows did everything to let the owl know it wasn't welcome in their territory. Once bluejay joined the crows for a while but its calls were soft in comparison. After about 10 minutes the owl had enough and flew off. The crows followed in a relentless chase.

This is the best way to find a Great Horned Owl. Crows hate owls.

The Great Horned Owl is in the middle of the photograph. A crow on the right side mobbing the owl.

The owl is in the center looking down at me.

I would go to church more if Rev. Jeremiah Wright was the pastor

2008-03-26T21:06:00.008-05:00

Why the media so obsessively focused on the bogus non-story of Barak Obama's preacher, Rev. Jeremiah Wright? Why isn't the media reporting actual news like the Iraq war? Fox News aired the very short clip of Rev. Wright' s sermon. They show an out of context (what could be construed as inflammatory) video clip of Rev. Wright's sermon.

I watched Rev. Wright and thought his sermons were spot on. What he said was not new to me. His sermon, "Chickens come home to roost" was brilliant. He is basically saying, "You reap what you sow." If you practice terrorism, kill innocent people, and practice injustice, then you (The U.S.) will reap what you sow. Other people (and the world) will react to how you act. Jesus taught the Golden Rule. He said, "Treat others as you want to be treated." How does America treat others? That's what Rev. Wright is saying. Look at how America is acting. What I took away from what he said was, America has committed sins, atrocities, and oppression in the past and now. The world has reacted to the behavior of the U.S.

As an aside, John McCain has accepted an endorsement from Rev. John Hagge. If I was a candidate for president I would rather have an endorsement from Rev. Wright than Rev. Hagge any day. Hegge has been described as bigot, anti-Catholic, and anti-gay. I have listened to his sermons and am afraid, very afraid. When I listened to Rev. Wright I felt like he "got it." I felt inspired and uplifted. The opposite was true for Hagge.

Check the following links:
Rev. Jeremiah Wright Isn’t the Problem
The hysteria over Obama’s former pastor’s attacks on America shows we’re still in thrall to knee-jerk patriotism. by Gary Kamiya
truth about the Trinity United Church of Christ
There's Nothing Wrong with Rev. Wright. By Sean Gonsalves, AlterNet. Posted March 25, 2008.

screech owl

2008-03-19T21:03:00.007-05:00

I saw this Screech Owl on my way to work, one day before the start of spring.

The owl in the early morning sleeping.

At noon the owl moved to the ground to hunt mice.

Catching some sleep after a mouse for lunch. (The mouse is at the right base of the tree.)

Basking in the warm sun.

five years later

2008-03-19T20:40:00.008-05:00

In some ways I feel like I have been beating my head into a wall for the past five years since the Iraq war started. Although it really started long before the war began. We had been out in the streets saying no to war with Iraq. We knew it was wrong. We begged the American public to see our side of the anti-war movement. To see that war is not a solution and that Iraq had no connection to the events on 9/11. But our voices fell of deaf ears. Five years ago I hitched a ride downtown to an anti-war protest from a woman with a pink cape on (part of code pink). That night, there were hundreds of people in the streets of Minneapolis. Now five years later we are here again together protesting the war.

The Iraq war was unjust to begin with. There was no “Iraq Al Qaeda” connection to 9/11.
Between 82,249 – 89,760 of Iraqi civilians have died because of the war. The cost of the Iraq war could be at $1 trillion to $2 trillion dollars.
The Republicans are always saying that the democrats are the party of “tax and spend.” Why is it that the republicans, who started the war, will be spending trillions on the war? An unjust war, were more than four thousand U.S. troops have died and thousands of innocent Iraqis killed.

It’s difficult for me to find the right words to say. I’m frustrated with the U.S. government. I’m frustrated that the rush to war was so accepted by the masses. I’m frustrated that we are in the same place that we were in five years ago. So for now I ask that you go to the following links and I will take some time to digest the last five years. Take some time to digest the damage that has been done to the world in the name of the U.S.

For now I need to take some time to think and reflect.

Please read these links.
Iraq Body Count
Experts Calculate Billions in Long-term Costs of War
What is your state paying for the war?
Long term costs of the war
Timeline of the Iraq War
Al Qaeda-Hussein Link Is Dismissed

stand by your man, stand by your politician?

2008-03-11T12:58:00.017-05:00

Another politician is involved in another sex scandal. The story hits the media and we are distracted from the real issues facing us. While the story of Governor Spitzer's sex scandal hit the news, the Iraq war waged on, the price of oil rose to more than $110 a barrel, and pollutants were discovered in the U.S. water supply. Titillating stories of sex scandals divert us from the issues that impact us (like the safety of our water supply). To top it off Heidi Fleiss was interviewed on Nightline about the Governor Spitzer scandal. Are you kidding me?

I feel for the wives of these politicians involved in sex scandals. Much has been commented on about the wives "standing by their man" in public at a press conference. If she is standing there by her man are we supposed to feel like, "gee we should support him too?" Personally I would be so flipping pissed off that there would be no way in hell I would "stand by my man."

Here is something I might be thinking if I was her; (this is purely fiction just thinking out loud)
He should meet my knife "Lorena." He spent how much on a prostitute? (You expletive, blank expletive, bleep bleep expletive.) He wants me to stand by him at a press conference as we face the press and discuss our marital problems in front of the world? ......He made is own bed and he can face the press by himself. I wasn't there in the room with him and the prostitute. It wasn't a three-way. Fuck it.....let everyone think I want a divorce. Who wouldn't want a divorce if their husband spent $80 thousand on prostitutes? WTF

But I'm not her and I have no idea what she is going through. I hope she will be strong and do what she needs to do. It is impossible to put oneself in her shoes and say what she should do. I do know that prostitution affects all women. It degrades and hurts women. In college, I knew a woman that worked with former sex workers (strippers and prostitutes). From her, I learned that the women she worked with didn't want to sell their bodies. Prostitution was a means of last resort. Most women, engaged in prostitution, had been sexually abused as children and entered prostitution in their early teens.

Radical feminism sees prostitution as rape, "Radical feminism opposes prostitution on the grounds that it degrades women and furthers the power politics of the male gender." I see prostitution as putting a price on a woman's body. Seeing her as a commodity to be rented bought or sold. He can buy her and use her how he wants because he has "paid for her." She is doing it for survival. Poverty and abuse forces women into prostitution.

Prostitution has affected me. I have never sold my body for money. But, when I worked at a casino, a man walked up to me and flashed a $100 bill and said, "what will you do fit it?" Implying that I would fuck him for it. I thought, I'll slap you upside your head with it. Instead I said something like, "Yeah, go fuck yourself." When I worked in a bar I waited on a table of men. They rang up a huge tab. When I closed the tab the man paying said, "kiss me and I'll give you a tip." I said, "keep it." I wasn't going to kiss him, touch him or anything else for a tip. When I waitressed I didn't stand for being groped or grabbed by anyone. I dumped a tray of hot coffee on a guy who groped me, I hit a guy with a tray when he tried to grab me. As a cocktail waitress, in a bar or casino, you are often viewed as one step away from being "for sale." Anyway, the insinuation was there. What will you do for money? What's your price?

Prostitution is illegal in most of the U.S. and the law is often skirted. In an article in Mother Jones Magazine, and reprinted on Alternet, "What a Choice! Sex With a Sleaze for $100,000 or Writing for Peanuts" by Nicole McClelland. She exposed the world of "sugar daddies." She said,

"I learned about SugarDaddy.com when an acquaintance I'll call ‘Kim’ recommended it to my friend, who's had trouble finding a job despite (or because of) earning her master's in media arts several months ago. Kim collected $900 every time she went on a date with one of her sugar daddies; another gave her $3,500 in less than a week before announcing that he had to quit her because his wife had found out."

McClelland's entry into the world of "sugar daddies" was easy. She created a profile at SugarDaddy.com. The day after she created her profile she had received “13 emails and 6 kisses, whatever that means, and been checked out by 36 older, wealthy men." McClelland talked about her "dating" experience with a man she met online at SugarDaddy.com. During the date he offered her $500 to, "get in her cooch." She elaborated, “My friend of the disheartening post-graduate-school job search initially scowls when I tell her what Daddy No. 2 offered me. When I point out that it took me two days to get two offers that pay more than my job at Mother Jones, that I could make $9,600 a month -- $115,200 a year -- and the average starting salary for someone with humanities masters' like ours is $39,808.”

I don't know about you but this is very sad to me. I hope that this scandal will open a conversation about the abuse women face as prostitutes and sex workers and how and why they enter the world of sex work. Not to mention sex trafficking, which is another topic. The woman who was identified as the prostitute that Gov. Spitzer sought "services" from "Kristen" doesn't want to be seen as a monster. The only monster I see is Gov. Spitzer. He degraded two women, Kristen (the prostitute), and his wife. And that is a politician I can't stand by.

Resources
http://www.breakingfree.net/
http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/factsheet.html
http://www.prostitutionrecovery.org/prostitution_timeline.html
http://www.rapeis.org/activism/prostitution/prostitutionfacts.html

an early sign of spring

2008-03-09T15:37:00.010-05:00

In mid March crows gather sticks for their nests. The crow in the photo is picking twigs off the the Elm tree. During this time of year crows can be seen flying to their nests with twigs carried in their beak.

This crow is trying to keep its balance while picking a twig.

The crow tried a few different ways to pick the twigs off the branch.

common goldeneye, mississippi river mpls

2008-03-06T17:44:00.007-06:00

It's almost time for spring migration. But for now, the Mississippi River at Minneapolis is ice free. Every winter there are Mallards and Canadian Geese on the river but this is the first time I've seen Common Goldeneye and Common Mergansers on the river.

Common Goldeneye on Mississippi River by Washington Ave. Bridge.
Click on photo for larger view

Common Goldeneye is in the right lower corner.
Click on photo for larger image.

peregrine falcon

2008-02-22T19:44:00.005-06:00

I've seen this (or another) Peregrine Falcon in a tree by the Lake Street bridge, Minneapolis, for a couple of months.

770 radio k, grain elevator

2008-02-19T19:48:00.007-06:00

As promised, I listened to grain elevator on Radio K. It was all that was promised, classic country, folk, bluegrass, eclectic oldies, and americana music. The songs reminded me of driving down country roads, slightly lost but not caring. It's about letting it all hang out and being free. It's silly and strange but it feels good to listen to in the midst of a midwinter funk. Shake it off baby.

barred owl

2008-02-15T22:39:00.008-06:00

barred owl in the yard

The owl didn't have red eyes but it looks spooky. The red is a reflection from the flash.

In the two photos above I corrected the "red eye" and it looks a little more normal. This owl hung out for about an hour and a half. It was an incredible experience to watch this owl. Usually they are shy birds.

I was on the phone with badphairy when I noticed something large fly by. A barred owl landed in the jack pine. It was unbelievable. I've seen a barred owl once before in the daytime sleeping. But now, in my yard, the owl was hunting for something and could care less about my curious presence there.

why blog?

2008-02-12T19:32:00.001-06:00

When asked why I blog, I quote Audre Lorde, "Your silence will not protect you." I write because I can. I feel I need to write my truth, and the truth of others who feel the same way. When I was in college I was asked to write a feminist column. I almost said no but a fellow student quoted Audre Lorde to me "Your silence will not protect you" and I knew I had to speak up. I've never been silent since then.

recycled skirt to bag

2008-02-07T21:02:00.001-06:00

If you have a drawstring skirt you love but it's not the right size make it into a bag. It's really easy. You can do this without a sewing machine, although it will take a little longer.

Step one - Turn the skirt inside out. Pin the skirt bottom and side together.
Step two - Sew a 5/8 inch seam on side and bottom. (see picture)
Step three - trim long threads and turn right side out.

wishing for summer

2008-02-04T20:01:00.001-06:00

Ben hiding in the garden, September 2007

The garden, late summer 2007

In the dark days of winter, I wish for summer to return. I've been looking over photos of the garden and making plans for next summer. We moved into our house a couple of years ago. and our yard was lacking everything but trees. We assessed the yard and got to work.

There were many tress in the yard; two American Elms, three maples, four Blue Spruce, three White Pines, one Mountain Ash, one White Cedar, two Red Pine, and my favorite a rare Jack Pine. Apparently we have one of a few Jack Pine trees in Minneapolis. The lawn looked spotty at best and everything was overgrown. The woman who lived there years before us had a thing for planting trees from her cabin up north. She was a bit of a recluse and liked to plant in the middle of the night.

We began with removing a diseased Norway Maple, which was the perfect spot for a flower garden. To save money we had Rainbow Tree cut the tree down. (This was no job for us amateurs) They removed all but the tree trunk. We gave the trunk to Xtian's dad Chuck to use. Chuck is a wood turner and used the wood to make a beautiful bowl for us. So I will always have a part of the tree. After the tree was cut down, the tree trimmers laid the trunk on a tree limb so as to not make an impression on the ground. I love trees and this was a sign of respect to me. I knelt down as thanked the tree for its life.

We couldn't afford to have the tree stump ground up so we decided to plant around it and let nature take its course. We plotted an area for a perennial garden. We discovered there were three stumps cut close to the ground. The cost for stump grinding was around $300 to $400 (ouch). We decided for the sweat equity solution and dig up the roots. We worked bit by bit and dug out a huge root ball. At the end of the struggle to dig out the root, it was like a loose tooth that was ready to come out. I stood on the stump, while talking to our neighbor Bob, and tried to get it loose. Bob volunteered to get the rest of the stump out with an ax. Success at last -- The root was freed from the land.

Root ball we dug out of the yard
(it's about a foot and a half across at the thickest part)

This was a small start on the way to building the garden. Next we hand tilled the land removing old dead roots along the way. We amended the soil with peat moss, compost, leaves, gypsum, and lime. We worked the soil to get it ready for planting and used what was available. Native vegetation stayed planted. We shopped at the Vagary at the St. Paul Farmer's Market for Minnesota native plants. We also added some interesting non-native non-invasive perennials. My goal was, and is still, to grow only Midwest (North American) native plants. But I accept that not all plants available or affordable are native plants. We planted White Sage, Echinacia, Cosmos, blanket flower, White Swan (white Echinacia), Big Blue Stem, Corral Bells, Spider Flower, Prairie Drop-seed, Giant Hyssop, Goldenrod, False Sunflower, Blue Gamma, and Black Eyed Susan.

planting the first native grasses and prairie flowers.

The beginning of the garden 2006

Native plants

We made a wood chip trail to cut down on weeds. I new that we needed some sort of edge for the garden. We used tree branches at first and then integrated rocks. I get a inspiration from nature. I thought of how rocks occur in nature and how they fit in with plant life. The picture below is from Wild River State Park in MN.

Wild River State Park, MN

We created a rock edge by using found rocks in the yard, from family land up north, large rocks from family in Colorado, liberated rocks from construction, and some were purchased.

Native grape vine

Sage and native grasses

Ben enjoying the garden, September 2007

Late summer 2007

The first year was really hard back breaking work. Tilling the soil, moving land, and lugging large rocks around is exhausting. It took two years to turn the land around to a beautiful perennial garden. This year I'm planning on growing more edible plants.

first attempt at stenciling

2008-01-14T18:25:00.000-06:00

This is my first attempt at stenciling. I used the crow stencil to create the image. I used a Coach wallet I bought at a thrift for $2.95. I used a black and hot pink spray paint. First I printed the crow image on heavyweight paper. (Print three or more copies) Then I cut out three different stencils; the image of the crow, the background, and branches.

I really had no clue what I was doing I watched a stencil video at Etsy on how to stencil. I watched the video, followed directions, and went to work.

crow stencil

2007-11-26T19:31:00.000-06:00

I love crows. They are intelligent beautiful birds. The other day there were two crows at the feeder and they became my inspiration for a stencil. I found a stencil tutorial at kitty buttons. It's easy to make a stencil using word. See the tutorial at stencil tutorial. I took a photo of a crow and made that into a stencil.

original photo

stencil photo

scrappy potatoes

2007-11-20T21:17:00.000-06:00

It's cold in the northland and I'm craving comfort food like potatoes. This recipe makes use of the last of season thyme and rosemary from the garden and left over pico de gallo.

chopped rosemary and thyme & pico de gallo

scrappy potatoes
yum, don't ya want to eat some?

scrappy potatoes (suggested recipe-feel free to change)

2 large potatoes (organic and locally grown if possible)
1 cup chopped red onions
1/2 cup tomatoes or pico de gallo
1/4 cup or more of finely chopped rosemary and thyme.
sea salt to taste

1. Chop potatoes into chunks.
2. Microwave potatoes until soft or saute in olive oil until soft and slightly brown.
3. Saute red onions on low in olive oil until almost clear.
4. Add potatoes to onions.
5. Saute until potatoes are soft and slightly brown.
6. Add tomatoes or pico de gallo.
7. Saute for a minute.
8. Add chopped rosemary and thyme.
9. Add sea salt to taste.
10. Stir and saute for a minute or two. Saute long enough for it to taste good but not long enough for the rosemary and thyme to turn brown.

eat.

This summer I grew thyme and rosemary in containers. They survived into November without being damaged by freezing temperatures. The herbs won't make it through the winter that's why I wanted to use of the last of the plants. These herbs are great for potatoes and for making croutons.

worst president stencil

2007-11-18T12:49:00.001-06:00

Stencils from www.worstpresident.org

Go to www.worstpresident.org, download, and let the fun begin.

a tipped response

2007-11-12T21:23:00.000-06:00

My last entry (hillary, not tipping is bad karma) is not a slam on Hillary. I would love it if we had a woman president. (Although my preferred woman president is Winona LaDuke.) It's more of a heads up to Senator Clinton and her campaign about compassion and good public relations. A reader commented, "I don't see why people are getting caught up about this, its only a tip for god sake! People make mistakes all the time, and I'm sure she simply forgot to make the tip!"

The waitress from Maid-Rite Anita Esterday when asked by the press said, "You people are really nuts. There's kids dying in the war, the price of oil right now -- there's better things in this world to be thinking about than who served Hillary Clinton at Maid-Rite and who got a tip and who didn't get a tip." She's right, There are important issues that the press should be focusing on than a tip. People are getting caught up in this because they don't like Hillary Clinton or they are people like me, who are or were a waitress/waiter/server/waitron.

Waitressing is a tough job. I've been a busgirl, waitress, cocktail waitress, and bartender. I know from experience what it means to work your ass off for tips. I haven't waitressed or had a tipped job in years but I know getting a tip is important. I never forget to leave a tip. Anyone who has had a tipped job will have this ethic. If you have a tip dependent job you earn minimum wage plus tips. Take into account that there is "non-tipped" work as well. For example; prep work, cleaning, restocking supplied, and break down (end of shift) work. If you work a six-hour shift you might have two hours of non-tipped work. That means you have four hours to make money. It's back breaking work. Waiting on people, attending to what they want, and whatever mood they may happen to be in. Basically putting up with a lot of bullshit. In an article in the New York Times The Waiter You Stiffed Has Not Forgotten one of the interviewees said, "I'd say waiting tables is one of the most stressful jobs you can have, short of being a firefighter or an inner-city police officer...You have no control over anything, but you are responsible for everything. You are always being squeezed by three immutable forces: the customer, the kitchen and the management." Very true. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average waiter or waitress in the U.S. makes just over $17,000 per year including tips. The federal minimum wage is $5.85. For tipped employees its $2.13. According to The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), "it requires payment of at least the federal minimum wage to covered, nonexempt employees. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least the federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference." I wonder how that process would go - asking your employer to make up the difference of a lack of tips. Do you think you might get fired? hmm. Employers expect their tipped employees will earn tips. If they had to pay the difference they would cry all the way to Washington. Employers are expecting that you will leave a tip. 

Looking at the press coverage of Hillary's tip
The U.S. culture is a celebrity culture. If you are a celebrity, which Hillary Clinton is, word gets around if you are a bad tipper. There are websites that expose the tipping practices of celebrities. The website stained apron has celebrity tipping list of good and bad tippers. In Doug Moe's article The Candidates need some tips on how to tip the waitress he says, "THIS ALL started Thursday when a waitress at a diner in Iowa went on National Public Radio and said that Hillary Clinton had failed to leave a tip after eating the diner's "loose meat sandwich" during a campaign stop in early October... The Clinton campaign fired back that they had indeed left a tip -- $100 on a total bill of $157." He goes on to discuss how restaurant etiquette can reveal character. Moe says, "Or if not character -- which is asking a lot where politicians are concerned -- it can at least reveal a candidate who is smart enough to act like he has character. Part of the deal is making sure the service people get tipped." Thinking back to when I was a waitress if there was a celebrity who ate at the restaurant or a large group as soon as they left the wait staff discussed how big or little the tip was. If I was Hillary or someone from her campaign I would have made it clear to the wait staff that a group tip was left. The wait staff is not stupid they know if there was a tip or not. I would have tipped the waitress at the counter separately and left a handwritten note thanking her for her time. Moe talks about Bill Clinton doing just that in 1988. From Bill Clinton's letter to a restaurant employee, "Dear Gus...I enjoyed meeting you and stopping by your restaurant when I went to Madison to speak at the Democratic fundraiser. Thank you for opening early for a group of hungry and thirsty Democrats. I always enjoy going to Wisconsin, and I certainly plan to go to Kosta's again for a meal on a future trip. I hope to see you again." The letter was signed Bill. Getting back to Hillary's tip and the importance of leaving a tip. A tip reflects how you treat someone. It's a cultural norm in America. I wish we didn't need to tip. I wish we had a national healthcare system so everyone had healthcare. I wish that everyone made a livable wage.  

Back to the karma issue  
In an article at Beliefnet Tipping Etiquette: It's Good Karma and Good Christianity Ken Gross talks about the importance from a Christian religious perspective and the good karma that comes with good tipping. Even if I have had bad service I tip. Hopefully it will make that person's day or life a little better. 

If you have never had a tipped job you should try it. Even if it's a seasonal restaurant or bar job for a month. You would gain a new perspective on social communication and social structures. Like I said it's a very tough job but you learn a lot about people. You learn how to handle difficult situations. You learn the importance of how to leave a good tip and how to tip properly.   

And that is why it is important to tip.

check out these articles or websites
Waiting Tables And Still Waiting for a Raise
Drudgery: Gratuity Story Grows Gratuitous
waiter rant
shameless restaurants

hillary, skipping the tip is bad karma

2007-11-08T18:55:00.000-06:00

Recently Hillary Clinton made a campaign stop the Maid-Rite restaurant in Iowa. She talked with Anita Esterday, a waitress at Maid-Rite. Hillary's meal was "on the house" as well as her entourage's meals. Anita and the other waitress never received a tip from Hillary and co.

Hillary used her conversation with Anita in a campaign speech. An excerpt from Hillary’s campaign speech on NPR news.

"The woman waiting on us — it was her first day," she said, adding, "She was a little nervous. Single mom, raised two boys, works at a nursing home and always has a second job." If she's elected president, Clinton promised, people like her waitress will have it better."

Note to Hillary, skipping out on a tip is a huge faux pas, huge. Many of us have done a waitressing or bartending gig. If you have a job where you count on earning tips as income when someone stiffs you on a tip you are pissed off. Especially if that person received a free meal and can afford to leave a tip.

sex education, birth control and kids

2007-10-19T15:18:00.001-05:00

There is a nationwide debate about access to birth control in schools. On Oct. 17, 2007 the Portland School Committee voted to allow the Health Center at King Middle School in Portland, Maine to offer birth control to students, who range from 10 to 15.

I have to put my foot down on this one. Yes, kids/adolescents should have access to knowledge of birth control and birth control itself. Kids/adolescents should learn about sex and birth control in school long before they are sexually active. This might mean before middle school or junior high. By age 11 kids/adolescents are having sex. Parents may not want think about or acknowledge that 11 years olds are having sex. They are. Would you rather have an 11 year old using birth control or a pregnant 11 year old? If you give kids/adolescents education about sex, about birth control, about pregnancy, you will arm them with knowledge of the consequences of their actions.

When I was in collage I worked at a women's resource center. Part of my work involved birth control education. We would teach women and men how to use condoms. If a man would say he was to large to wear a condom we would demonstrate putting a condom over a two liter bottle. Try this yourself. The condom will fit over the entire bottle. I would say, "You are not as large as a two liter bottle, a condom WILL fit you."

My point is, not all kids/adolescents under 18 are having sex. The reality is that many are. I don't endorse anyone under 18 having sex. There are so many things to do when you are in high school besides getting laid. I think it's important for young women to know that they don't have to get pregnant if they do have sex. Pregnancy shouldn't be forced on anyone. And it's not a "punishment" for "pre-marital" sex. For the kids that are going to have sex then by all means learn how to use a condom. Learn about all of the methods of birth control. Learn how to avoid getting a sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Practice, practice, practice how to use a condom. Get a box of condoms and a banana and practice. See the following websites condom information.

condom overview
how to use a condom
adolescent health

a refugee camp is coming to a city near you

2007-09-25T16:17:00.000-05:00

In September and October 2007, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will be taking its outdoor educational exhibit A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City to Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, and Dallas.

Guided by MSF aid workers, visitors are asked to imagine that they are among the millions of people fleeing violence and persecution in, for example, Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Sudan.
The exhibit is made up of materials used by MSF in its emergency medical work around the world, including emergency refugee housing, a food distribution tent, water pump, health clinic, vaccination tent, therapeutic feeding center, and a cholera treatment center.

the camp will be at Loring Park, Minneapolis from September 27-30, 2007, 9 am–5:30 pm.

Doctors without Borders refugee camp

diy fire pit

2007-09-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

Here is an easy to make fire pit for that at-home camping experience. I built this fire pit with found bricks and cement from an old sidewalk. Other found, liberated, or re-appropriated materials, were rocks, sand, and gravel. I added a copper bowl later. It took me a few hours to make. 

Materials: pea gravel, sand, bricks (enough to make a circle), rocks, and reused sidewalk cement
Tools: shovel and trowel 

1. Choose a location for the fire pit that is 25 feet away from trees, buildings, etc.  
2. Mark the area you will dig for the fire pit. Dig out the hole for the pit. Dig down about 10 inches. If you are using a fire ring, dig the hole to the size of the ring. 
3. Fill the hole with pea gravel and then a layer of sand. This will stop any fire from spreading out of the pit to tree roots. 
4. If you are using a fire ring place the ring in the pit. Place bricks around the pit. It helps to have the type of bricks that form a circle. See the photos. I used one row of bricks but you could use two layers.  5. Place broken pieces of concrete abound the brick (this can be substituted with flagstone but used and discarded concrete is much much cheeper or free). Place the concrete or stone like a jigsaw puzzle so the pieces fit together like a sun shape around the pit. See photo. Place smaller rocks in the spaces between the concrete. Put sand over the concrete and rocks. This will "lock in" the rocks and concrete. The idea of this is to make an "apron" or area around the fire pit that is not flammable. But it will also look nice. The more rustic the better.
 
Add some tree stumps to sit on or a hay bale with a flannel blanket. Open a glass of good red wine and enjoy the fire. This is a sure fire way to stay warm on a late fall night.

rally for peace - end the war

2007-09-15T22:40:00.000-05:00

Today we marched in solidarity with many peace activists throughout the country. We marched for an end to the war with Iraq and for peace in the world. We marched in solidarity with ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and protesters throughout the United States that want the war to end.

al franken supports afscme strike

2007-09-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

Al Franken, Minnesota candidate for U.S. Senate, spoke at an AFSCME rally on Aug 10. He spoke from his experience having been in four unions.

"Students.....unions gave us the middle class. Unions gave us the weekend"

students shut down regents meeting

2007-09-07T22:27:00.000-05:00

Thank you students! I had to appropriate this from "this kills fascists blog" Original story at http://thisblogkillsfascists.blogspot.com/2007/09/
shutting-down-board-of-regents-101.html
photo from "Workday Minnesota" online. (See sidebar)

"Shutting down the Board of Regents, 101 - In a community-service learning project this morning, the Student Solidarity Committee stormed the weekly Board of Regents meeting with the demand that the University meet the terms the striking AFSCME clerical, technical, and medical staff have asked for.

During a question and answer session, one student asked president Bob Bruininks why he won't give the workers a decent wage. When the Board refused to acknowledge the question, the students chanted "Shame on you! Shame on you! Give a fair contract at the U!" at which point in time the Board cowardly fled the room rather than answer for their money-grubbing practices. Then 5 of the demonstrators were arrested apparently for being the 5 closest to the police, because no explanation was given as to why 5 random people from the crowd of over 100 were arrested.

One board member, Steven Hunter, had the guts to stay and talk to the students, though it must be noted that he is the Treasurer/Secretary of the AFL-CIO in Minnesota. Through him, the students negotiated a truce with the Board that held that the students would sit quietly and not disrupt the meeting as long as the Board agreed to at least discuss the strike.

When the Board members finally returned to the room almost an hour later, Hunter read a weak, 3 minute long statement about how all sides want the strike to end as soon as possible, and that maybe the U should think about giving the workers a decent wage. After this, Board of Regents Chair Patricia Simmons called the meeting back to its regular schedule. When the students became upset at the bold-face lie of the Board in its refusal to even discuss the strike and began chanting "Shame on you!", the Board cowardly fled again down a back elevator to a van waiting for them and called off the rest of their meeting.

All of the students then left with a vague sense of wonder as to why the Board of Regents can't even answer the simple question of why they refuse to intervene on behalf of the workers, who are only asking for the pay the state Legislature already earmarked for them.

mr. stripey

2007-09-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

Mr. Stripey is an English Heirloom tomato. Jen grew this huge "Mr. Stripey" tomato. I added a little character to him.

afscme locals 3260, 3800, 3801 and 3937 strike

2007-09-05T20:41:00.000-05:00

About 3,500 clerical, technical, and health care workers went on strike today after talks with the U of M broke down. Union members are striking for a fair wage. For example every public employer in the state of Minnesota has put at least 3.25% plus step increases on the negotiating table except the U of M. They offered a 2.25% across-the-boards for clerical and technical workers, and a 2.5 percent across-the-boards for health care workers. And offered the Teamsters a 3% raise. (The Teamsters are still in negotiations with the U of M.)

I support the AFSCME strike. Four years ago I went on strike as an AFSCME union member and a U of M employee. We went on strike for economic justice. We were tired of working our butts off and being at the bottom end of the pay scale. I also see it as a gender issue. Most of the clerical workers are women and women are historically paid less than men. Working women today earn and average of 80 cents for every dollar earned by men.

Four years later the issue for the strike is still the same, economic justice. This time I have a different job and I'm no longer in a union represented job. I stand in solidarity with AFSCME and all unions. It's difficult to stand on the picket line - but you know it needs to be done. AFSCME members You have my respect and unwavering support.

news of the stupid - suv stuck on pedestrian bridge

2007-08-29T14:50:00.001-05:00

News helicopters have been flying over Minneapolis again. This time it's because an SUV (Cadillac Escalade) got stuck on a pedestrian bridge that runs parallel to the Mississippi River, between the Washington and Franklin Avenue bridges, in Minneapolis. Let me repeat, yes a pedestrian bridge. The driver fled the scene. To get to the bridge the drive had to drive off road to get to the bridge.

News reports said, "The bridge is only about two-arm lengths wide and is not a straight path. The SUV and bridge were seriously damaged as the driver forced the large automobile several hundred feet down the path. The vehicle is registered to a woman living in Hudson. She told police that she lent the vehicle to a friend a few days ago. She said she is going to try to convince the man to turn himself into police"

The SUV is reported to be a month old and worth $70,000. Police are not sure how they will remove the SUV but it won't be easy. They may need to use a barge to remove the vehicle. If that happens the cost to the driver could top $100,000. Yikes. The driver is being sought for suspicion of a DUI. (no really - can we all say GOSH IDIOT!)

afscme takes a stand to reject and strike

2007-08-24T15:03:00.000-05:00

AFSCME locals representing 3,500 campus workers in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Crookston, and Duluth voted Thursday August 23 to authorize a strike. 72% of AFSCME clerical, health care and technical workers voted to reject the University of Minnesota's offer and strike.

The union said it would file its intent to strike Friday at the state Bureau of Mediation Services, the state agency that provides oversight on public employee bargaining. A walkout could start the first day of fall semester classes on Sept. 4.
I'm proud of union members for taking a stand against what the University is offering. It is very difficult to go on strike and go without to take a stand. I went out on strike the last time AFCSME 3800 clericals went on strike at the University of Minnesota. It was difficult but at the same time it was empowering to stand up for your rights together with your union brothers and sisters. Striking union members will get support from the community. You can count on that.
Help AFSCME and learn about the issues and what you can do at http://www.uworkers.org/
Stop the University from acting like a corporation and racing to the bottom.

a small harvest

2007-08-23T12:52:00.000-05:00

This is the gardening season I live for, tomato season. Last weekend I went to the Dowling Garden Heirloom Festival and tried lots of different kinds of heirloom tomatoes and some peppers. If you have never tried heirloom tomatoes go to your local farmers market, co-op, natural, or yuppish grocery store and get yourself some. And if you have you know what I'm talking about.

Earlier in the season I planted four Pik Red tomato plants and one Black Russian heirloom tomato. I also planted swiss chard, lettuce, French sorrel, and herbs (chocolate mint, thyme, rosemary, basil, lavender, and catnip). It has been great to be able to walk outside and pick fresh herbs, salad, and tomato for dinner.

Everything has been very tasty. The French sorrel can be added to salad. The basil can be added to pasta or salads. The thyme and rosemary can be added to roasted vegetables. And of course all of the cats love the catnip.