Shepherding "my flock"

One simple hobby I have that brings me great joy, purpose, and satisfaction is feeding the birds.  I have a total of five seed feeders, five suet, and one hummingbird feeder for the summer months.

I suddenly realized today that I got this funny little hobby from my father. All through my childhood I remember my dad diligently filling his feeders and making comments when a rare sighting of a cardinal happened.  Plus there was the perpetual battle of dad trying to rid the feeders of the gluttonous squirrels by sending our dog outside in a blaze of fur and barking, wreaking havoc on the local wildlife.

I can't quite explain why it's so satisfying. I like the quietness and the simplicity of the ritual. I like how the chickadees come surprisenly close to me as I hang up the newly filled feeders as if to say hi and "thanks for the chow".  The songbird population has dropped dramatically due to many factors, loss of habitat, disease, weather, and the rise of the feral cat population. So I like the feeling that somehow I'm helping mother nature in some small way. Maybe it's my innate love of animals. I like looking out my windows and seeing a colorful canvas of winged rainbows singing their way throughout the landscape.

Our simple little ritual starts with me grabbing my "shepherd's hook"- a tool I fashioned out of an old broom handle and thick wire for retrieving and placing the feeders from their locations.  The dogs always go along with me as if they are somehow helping me with the chore. Actually they know at some point I'll let them lick the containers that the suet cakes come in - kind of like when your mom would let you lick batter bowl. I keep the feed secure in a metal trash can in the garage to keep the critters out. One by one they all get filled, then I get to sit back and watch the crowd come in.

When we first moved to our five acre home out in the country, I recall only seeing a few species of birds - chickadees, blue jays, crows, robins, and juncos.  Now we have a large assortment taking up residence nearby. The ever elusive cardinal is now a regular mainstay, plus we have nuthatches, gold finches, purple finches, thrashers, grackles, wrens, larks, swallows, flickers, and four different varieties of woodpeckers including the very shy (and large) pileated woodpecker. Many more I can't recall off hand. Bluebirds are not feeder dwellers, but after I put up a birdhouse I bought from the boy scouts for ten dollars, I get three hatchings a year from that little house. I hope to put up a purple martin house in the near future.

My dad tried to instill a lot of things in me, I usually resisted. We butted heads most of the time. But this one thing he did, which he didn't push on me, I was just around to observe, is the one thing (Okay there are others) that I do and enjoy because of him. I thank him for giving this gift to me - Oh and the birds thank him too.


                                                

Stay home - damn it!

I read an article awhile back about how studies show that presenteeism is bigger problem in the workplace than absentee workers.  Presenteeism is defined as those who show up to work even if they are ill, injured, or are physically and/or mentally incapacitated. Statistics show that people who come in to work and feel like crap are less productive -- gee that's shocking. But even more important, these people infect everyone else and those people are more likely to call in sick.

I have a personal beef with this issue because my workplace encourages these dedicated brown nosers by awarding them with perfect attendance certificates (which any jack ass can print off any computer from certificate generators) and a crappy coffee mug or hat that was made in China. Seriously? Is your life so empty that this little 60 second ceremony gives you some sort of fulfillment? Holy shit - I'm so glad that I suffered with a 5 day cold followed by a respiratory infection that you gave me (and then spread to the rest of my family), just so you could have your once a year glory. Thank God.

Now if you could see beyond your selfish motivations based on hollow aspirations, you might consider that your unwitting dedication is NOT helping the company. In fact, it costs companies money when workers are less productive and have to make up for the many that are out sick. So don't delude yourself in thinking you are a better employee.  You also might want to think about how you are putting innocent people in harm's way. To you it may be a cold virus - to the very young, very old, and people with compromised immune systems, a simple cold could turn DEADLY. How many of your co-workers have their elderly parents living with them? How many are diabetic? How many have a relative with cancer, asthma, or HIV?  How many of your co-workers are pregnant?

Don't think that everyone looks up to you and admires you for your exemplary record. Remember that kid in class who kept raising their hand and knew every answer, turned everything in on time, got straight A's, and kept the teacher "informed" on every one's shenanigans? Everyone hated that kid. Why - because that kid saw themselves as better than everyone else. It was more about what the teacher thought of their deeds and their hopes of somehow being put on a pedestal for it rather than them doing their personal best. Well you are "that kid" in the workplace. Knock it off. Feel free to tarnish your record once or twice a year and spare the rest of us - we'll hate you a little less for it.

Camping - you're NOT doing it wrong.

I can appreciate the boring aspect of my job because it allows us to have many conversations NOT about work. Some are philosophical, some political, some tell tales of their colorful times in college or the military, other conversations remind me of idiotic debates between Jerry and George from "Seinfeld" or Cliff and Norm from "Cheers".

One topic that repeats itself is the "camping debate".  Living in Minnesota with 10,000 lakes and going"up nort" where it's woodsy -we have what we call a cabin/camping culture. Most families are either cabin people or campers. If you are lucky your grandparents or parents were thinking ahead and bought land on some lake up north while it was still affordable and taxes were low and built a basic but spacious cabin that was functional and has been handed down for the younger generations to enjoy. If not, your family partakes in camping. Campers range from the die hard rugged backpackers who walk and canoe for miles until they reach their destination to the people whose idea of camping is a 35 ft RV with a full kitchen, bathroom, flat screen TV, and AC. That is the debate - what is camping?

I kind of fall in the middle. I grew up camping in an old beat up camper where everything was held together with duct tape, nothing worked, and my dad never let us use the toilet because he didn't want to have pay to dump it.  As an adult I have kind of evolved to tent camping.  Although I have to confess our tent has room for 8 even though it's just the 2 of us and we have 18 inch thick queen size air mattress to sleep on. Our tent has enough room to stand up and even has a hanging ceiling fan with light. We also have room for a folding camp table with chairs which come in handy when it rains and we have a place to play games or eat. I always chuckle at the amount of crap the two of us seem to pack for just the 2 of us. (I can't imagine if we had kids)

I do hope someday to do a boundary waters trip. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is a vast area in northeastern Minnesota where no motorized vehicles or boats are allowed.  So you travel by foot (portaging) or canoe. You basically carry everything you need on your back. There are no restrooms, no picnic tables, no nothing. You are REALLY roughing it.  They say every "true" Minnesotan needs to do this at least once in their lifetime, so this is on my bucket list of things to accomplish before I get too old.

My experience is that those who tend to like the "roughing it" type of camping tend to be the most judgemental about what camping really is.  Like you somehow aren't doing it right if you aren't suffering and exhausted from your experience and haven't spent a fortune at REI on the latest and greatest of lightweight techy camp gear. I say ANY camping is good for you- even if you have a big luxury RV.  At least those people are still getting out.  They are getting out of their norm- getting out of the house, traveling and visiting new towns, new states, and spending time outdoors even though they take comfort at night. For all you die hards who think we all should do what you do - just think how crowded it would be if all camped where you go.

Get out and enjoy your state and national parks and trails - no matter how choose to enjoy it. Get out see the world and soak in some nature. It's good for the soul, the body, and easy on your wallet.

The great butter debate

We are a two butter household. Mine is left out in a covered butter dish at room temperature, my husband's butter is cold and rock hard inside the refrigerator.  I like salted butter, he likes unsalted.

He has changed my preference for syrups. I used to buy the awful artificial maple flavored corn syrup. He made his case and pure maple syrup is so much better. But I haven't been able to convince him on the butter debate. He was brought up in an anxiety ridden family that thought any dairy could spoil if left out for more than 5 minutes, while I was brought up in a more laid back household where something had to grow legs and start to crawl before we would start to worry.  I would explain to my husband over and over how we always left the butter out and never got sick. Yes- butter can go rancid if left out long enough, but being raised by two parents who both grew up on farms- we went through the butter quickly. I also would point out how impossible it is to spread cold butter on anything without destroying it. At my in-law's house you have to settle for smooshed dinner rolls with a cold pat of butter stuck in the middle. But that doesn't matter to him. 10 years of marriage and he still keeps his butter in the frig.  He hasn't put two and two together and figured out what butter I use to make his grilled cheese sandwiches.  Maybe I'll win if I make him make the grilled cheese sandwiches using his butter. 

Simple pleasures - not a simple task

We all go through the motions of life day after day- work, school, eating, cleaning, running errands, and so on.  Hopefully all the menial things we do everyday help provide us with the time, money, and means to do the things we love. If you're lucky, some of those menial things actually bring you some joy.

I feel fortunate that I have the life that affords me the luxury of noticing the small stuff.  I don't mean affords as in monetarily, quite the opposite. I think the wealthy have too many big things to think about to fully enjoy and appreciate what they have.  There is some old line I heard once (maybe from a song - who knows)- "the more you have, the more you have to worry about".

Sometimes I have to remind myself to stop and smell the roses. To stop, notice, really notice, and appreciate the simple pleasures of life.  These are some of just a few of my simple pleasures:

*The smell of a hot cup of tea as the steam tingles my nose.
*A warm comfy pair of socks.
*Picking vegetables I've grown myself.
*Walking through the woods and listening to the leaves.
*Seeing fresh snow sparkle like glitter in the early morning sun.
*Tasting the salt of a crunchy dill pickle
*The smell of fresh lilacs in the spring.
*Watching an old movie with my husband.
*Looking at the colorful birds as they visit my feeders.
*Feeling the warm sun on my face, even in the dead of winter.
*Petting my dog as she cuddles with me on the couch.

It's not an easy task to fully appreciate the simple things, especially in today's fast paced, tech heavy, material driven world. One simple way to do it is by keeping a gratitude journal.  Everyday write down 3 things you are grateful for. It doesn't sound difficult but doing so every day without constantly repeating yourself is hard. Knowing you have to write down 3 things at the end of the day makes you notice more - it makes you look deeper. There is a line in the book The Color Purple - "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple and don't notice".  I don't know about that, but I do know from my own observations that the happiest people (no matter what their circumstances) seem to be the ones who take pleasure in the simple things in life. And I'm grateful that I'm observant enough to follow their example.

The evil germ.....forget about it.

Do yourself a favor.... whenever a news show does a story about anything relevant to germs and bacteria...turn the channel.  We have somehow raised an entire generation of germophobes.  I find it strange how some people spend a great deal of time and energy avoiding germs when if fact germs are everywhere.  You can't avoid them... and more importantly -you shouldn't avoid them.

Your immune system is like a muscle. If you don't use it - it gets weak. More and more studies show that people who live in sterile environments tend to get sicker and/or develop auto-immune disorders.  The emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria is also a clear sign that we are making the germs stronger. Think "survival of the fittest" - most disinfectants say that they kill 99% of germs. That means the 1% left to reproduce millions more germs are strong enough to withstand the disinfectant.  So you are killing off all the less harmful germs your body can fight off and are helping the more dangerous germs to proliferate. STOP USING ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAPS AND CLEANERS.  Infectious disease specialists say there is no point to buying these expensive chemical laden soaps and cleaners. The only case where disinfecting can be made is when handling raw meats, otherwise thoroughly washing with plain soap and water is enough to protect you from harmful germs. 

The reason why these news shows do these reports on "what you should know about ____" in regards to germs is that we are a fear driven society and fear sells.  The more you watch, the higher the ratings, the more money they make from ad revenue.  The story usually involves some lab tech swabbing a dozen surfaces and shining a black light.  While they report to you the various bacteria they found (e coli, strep, etc) what they don't mention is that all of these germs are DEAD. Germs don't live long if they are not in ideal conditions - usually a moist and warm environments. Dead germs are not harmful -- in fact they are what help build your immune system. Most vaccines are made of dead bacteria and viruses.

So the next time some TV show does a "report" that you "need to know"- and for good measure I'll include stories about animal attacks, child abductions, violent crime, and other scary stuff - turn it off.  I'm not a head in the sand and stay ignorant kind of person - it's just that the likelihood of these things happening are about the same a winning the lottery. So the amount of anxiety ridden people who behave like any and all of these things could happen at any moment is dumbfounding.

DON'T WORRY -- BE HAPPY

The obnoxious passive-aggressive hollow soap box

We all like our opinions to be known on some level. It's pretty evident from the vast number of social networking sites, discussion boards, comment sections, and blogs. But the trend that is annoying as hell is the reposting of empty proclamations where there is some sort of passive aggressive manipulative statement that if you don't repost the picture/poster/statement than you are inherently against what the statement says.  They usually involve proclaiming love and appreciation for mom, dad, kids, spouse,  supporting our troops, patriotism, having faith in their religion, or supporting those with illness such as cancer, etc. 

I have consciously chosen not to repost any of this drivel - for many reasons. I resent being bullied into saying what I believe in.  I also resent to notion that if I don't repost something that automatically makes against it and therefore a "bad" person. It kind of drives that "you're either with us or against us" mentality.  The best part of freedom of speech is the freedom part.  I also think most of the statements in these proclamations are obvious to most people. (with the exception of religion)  Of course most people love their mother, support the troops, and are against cancer.  But you had to post a picture of a sunset or flag with cursive writing on it so everyone was clear on the subject. Duh. It seems a little ridiculous to make a pointless proclamation. If you are going to take a stand at least do it with a topic that can make a difference. And please leave off  statements like "I know 99% of you won't repost this but I know my true friends will". (ugh-eye roll)  The biggest reason I don't repost these is that it's a meaningless gesture. Anyone can copy and paste or click share. It doesn't accomplish anything. If you love your mother - call her and tell her.  If you support the troops, then donate to organizations that support soldiers and their families.  If you love Jesus, then follow his example and help those who are less fortunate.  Actions speak louder than words....and are surely more inspiring than passive-aggressive comments.