After I returned from the Inauguration Parade, I joined the rest of the family (and neighborhood friends) for a family bike ride down the Middle Crabtree Creek greenway. Unlike all the other times the kids joined us for rides, this time they pedaled their own bikes – thanks to the amazing invention known as a Balance Buddy.
Kelly and I jogged after Hallie and Travis as they rode their bikes along the boardwalk and back. It was about 3 miles total (to add to the 6 I already walked) and left us all feeling great.
Green
Environmentally friendly, green ways of living
There are 363 posts filed in Green (this is page 25 of 37).
Greenway ride
My friend Scott invited me out today for a ride on the Raleigh greenways. We rode from my house up to Optimist Park and back, covering over 19 miles in two and a half hours. Not all of that was riding, though, as we took a break at the Optimist end and stopped to talk to some people along the way.
It felt so good to be riding again! I’ve neglected my bike since I lost my downtown job and this was the first serious ride since. I’ve been wearing a stupid grin all day.
Imagine me getting into shape enough to ride in a charity ride like the MS 150 or Tour De Cure: two events I’ve only volunteered with but never ridden. I should be able to do one or the other in 2009, right?
Porch plastic
When my grandmother wanted to protect her screened back porch from the wind, she put up a sheet of plastic around it. I’d like to do something similar for our porch, but a bit fancier.
What I’d like is to have zippered plastic panels I could install on the inside of our porch screen between my porch posts. In the winter I could zip in a thick, clear poly panel and remove it when spring came around. It would become a quick and dirty greenhouse, which would be a much better place to put my sensitive plants than our garage.
Seems no one makes such a product, as far as I can tell. There is mention here of using greenhouse poly for it, but nothing specific.
Anyone seen such a product, or should I scare up some venture capital and start a company?
Mystery woodpecker
Last Saturday afternoon I spotted a woodpecker in our yard that I couldn’t identify. Both my Audubon Society field guide and the Cornell University Ornithology site had nothing that looked like it.
Any of you birders know what it is?
Update 11 PM: Most of the folks on the CarolinaBirding mailing list think its a yellow-bellied sapsucker, though not everyone agrees. According to the Cornell site, these birds are supposed to have a distinctive white stripe running down their side. Also, this one’s crown is black rather than red. Other than that it looks to be a female YB sapsucker, perhaps an immature one.
Jeff Pippen said this:
Wow Mark, that is one funky woodpecker. Perhaps a Hairy X Y-b Sapsucker hybrid?
Dave Magpiong of Bellmawr, NJ had this to say:
At first look, the overall impression (shape, posture, majority of plumage, etc.) comes across as female YB sapsucker. However, there are variations that I’m not familiar with – i.e. black on crown, missing that trademark white patch on the wing coverts.
My gut call goes for YB sapsucker but very curious to hear what others think!
Here’s a photo of a similar YB sapsucker also missing the white stripe (but including the red crown). Maybe mine is a mutant after all.
Thanks to everyone for weighing in!
A shower of feathers
I walked onto our deck this morning just in time to see nature at work. Some sort of commotion was taking place in the trees in front of me. Before I could blink I saw one bird flying terrified out of the woods with a much bigger bird in pursuit. As I stood dumbfounded, the bird of prey sank its talons into the smaller bird, sending a shower of feathers raining to the ground. In an instant it was all over.
Yeah, I thought as the reality sunk in. Its true that bird just became breakfast, but what a spectacular way to go out.
The balance of nature. The circle of life.
Moments later I saw the victor return: a Great Horned Owl that settled onto a branch in my neighbor’s yard. He looked around casually as a juvenile hawk nearby complained loudly about the invasion of his territory. I’d heard the owl one night this past summer but this was my first look. There’s no recession for this bird: he obviously is eating well.
No wonder I’ve not seen as many birds at our feeder as I used to.
Freeze finishes off the tomatoes
Tuesday morning’s hard freeze finally did in my tomato plants once and for all. It was a remarkable run, I’ve got to admit, for plants that got stuck in the ground much later in the spring than they should’ve.
I’m already planning a new and improved garden for spring (paycheck-permitting, ‘natch).
Fresh ‘maters for Thanksgiving?
I’ve been mourning the impending cold-weather death of my beloved tomato plants but reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated. They made it through the first round of near-freezing weather a bit tattered but still standing.
I just enjoyed a few freshly-picked tomatoes for lunch. And I’m wearing shorts in the office today, too. Did someone say it is November?
Ouch
If removing trash from the streets wasn’t enough to send me running for the ibuprofen, I took on another mammoth project today. Raleigh is having a sale on mulch until November 15th where if you buy one truckload you get one free.
Kelly and I have long wanted to put new mulch down so we jumped at this chance. We borrowed a friend’s trailer and early this morning I drove to the Yard Center on N. New Hope to pick up a load. Ten minutes and $16 later, I had 2.5 cubic yards of wood chips. (Wood chips weren’t supposed to be part of the deal, but who am I to argue with the man in the booth?)
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Cleaning up the neighborhood
Last week I got so sick of the trash littering the neighborhood streets that I decided to do something about it. So I sent out an email to neighbors announcing a day of picking up trash. While I heard from one or two people saying they would be there, I had no idea who would actually show. Six other neighbors showed up! When Kelly and the kids joined us we had a formidable team indeed.
Raleigh’s Community Services supplied us with vests, pick-up tongs, trash picks, and bags. They even arranged for Solid Waste Services to pick our bags up when we were done. If I seemed impressive when I passed all of this stuff out I have to give all the credit to Charlene and Community Services.
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Tomato update
We’ve entered prime harvest time for our tomato plants. I take a half-gallon of tomatoes off our plants every other day.
My plants would be over ten feet tall if I stood them up. They quickly outgrew the tomato cages. They’re monster plants.
I’ll miss having fresh tomatoes when the season’s over.