Pentimento

Bald Eagle vs Crow Battle

I took these pictures this summer on a breezy afternoon here in Port Orchard, Washington. Since we live in an area plentiful with lakes scoured out by the glaciers in the ice age, as well as the big 'scour' of Puget Sound, we have a rather diverse bird population. Sea birds and land-base birds make their homes here year round with diets that can range from small critters to salmon.

What alerted me to this eagle was its distinctive call as it circled overhead. Maybe it saw what was coming? If you click on the first picture you can see the eagle is an adult with a white head. Sometimes we see two of them working the skies, but on this day it was just one.

Because of the size of my blog, you might have to click on the photos to see the details, but trust me, there are two birds in the second picture. And, in this next one too.

 

That's a crow up there with the eagle. I imagine it's a one-sided battle that has gone on since time immemorial, with the crow shadowing the bald eagle to make sure it stays away from the crow's buddies and hatchlings. I don't have sound to go with these pictures, but what you hear in an encounter like this is the screech of the eagle and the loud squawking of the crow(s). From the pictures you can see the crow is very much smaller, but no less determined.

The crow finally gave up, or couldn't keep up with the eagle and came back to earth. The crows actually fly right into the eagles (I've see it) and probably try to peck at them too. If you've ever seen two eagles tangle up in the sky, it makes you wonder what would happen to the crow if the eagle decided to attack back.

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Alert! I Found Healthy Organic Halloween Candy!

You CAN buy natural Halloween Candy!

Natural Candy Store .com All the FUN without the Funny stuff!™

A Care2 newsletter came to my rescue today and I found a site that sells Natural Halloween Candy! (they sell candy year round) It's called, appropriately enough, Natural Candy Store and I love the way they have things arranged on their site. Each candy choice shows the ingredients by symbols, with a key right on the page to show you what each symbol means.  Many of the candies are made in the USA too. I like that!

Description of what I bought:

Size	Code	Price	Qty
1 bag	KMEX-45

Description

An assortment of more than 100 pieces of individually-wrapped Pure Fun candy to hand out this Halloween. The wrappers have the USDA organic symbol on them, so the little ghouls and goblins will know you gave them something good! Packed in a home-compostable cellophane bag. Contains:

• Mixed Fruit Lollipops (3/4 lbs.)
• Rootbeer Float Candy (1/4 lb.)
• Raspberry Chocolate Filled Candy (1/4 lb.)
• Cinnamon Rocks (1/4 lb.)

I've been making a concerted effort this year to change our diet to more healthy foods, but I was in a quandary trying to decide what to give out for Halloween treats.I didn't want to give out the same old high fructose icky-bad confections to my neighborhood kids. I mean, why not walk the walk if you're going to talk the talk? And, if there is any left over, it'll be OK because we can put it in the candy dish and feel guilt free if we eat any.

I bought two bags and my total came to $41.59. Pretty expensive = I'll feel better about giving it out though. That's priceless.

A Little Something For Your Fallout Shelter Perhaps?

I was born in 1950 and lived through the height of the "Cold War" era where we had Civil Defense drills along with our fire drills at school. One of our neighbors down the street even had a 'secret' fallout shelter! We took very seriously the edict to "duck and cover" if we saw a *flash. Uh, yeah, maybe we were just a teeny bit gullible, huh?

• What are our fears these days?  From this ad, it looks like it's being without food for a year or so.

• Are you living in fear of invasion by terrorists?

• What about survival after a disaster?

• What are your thoughts on Costco selling this dehydrated food?

• Would you buy it? Did you even know it was available?

• Have you bought any? (If you have, can I borrow a cup of dehydrated ham?)

*By the way, if you do see a flash, it's probably too late to duck and cover.

101 Ways to Monetize Your Blog Without Irritating Your Readers - MyBlogUSA - Monetize Your Blog

Blogging is big business these days, with some bloggers reporting six-figure or even million-dollar incomes. There are a number of ways that these bloggers earn such large paychecks, and the best know how to do it in a way that won't scare off readers. Check out 101 ways that you can earn money from your blog and learn strategies for using these tools and methods in a way that's reader-friendly.

via myblogusa.typepad.com

This is one of the best lists I've seen for ideas on how to monetize your blog. I've used several of the sites over the years and can attest to their validity.

Eliminating Contaminated Food One Step At A Time

Do you think much about the foods you eat? No, I never did either. But as each day passes I read more and more about how our food is contaminated in one way or another and it scares me to death. This isn't paranoia, it's something that is out of control and even Congress has been trying to weigh in on food contamination.

Today's article on the Center For Science in the Public Interest site entitled Leafy Greens, Eggs, & Tuna Top List of Riskiest FDA-Regulated Foods may open your eyes and change your thinking about what goes in your mouth. If you haven't already been thinking about it, after reading what CSPI reports you may consider finding new sources of where you get your food or stop eating it entirely.

For us, it's been small steps of change. We buy organic milk and half and half, and a kind friend gave us a bread machine so I make bread for us now too. Don't worry, I'm not going to be one of those holier-than-thou food evangelists and alienate you all. If you choose to eat cleaner and better foods, that's up to you. Even Jim and I have different opinions on what is necessary to change, and what's not. For instance, I have a stainless steel water bottle with no BPA in it. He continues to drink from a big plastic Alladin cup. If you take the time to look up BPA contamination you'll find that BPA is in practically everything from canned goods to baby bottles. 

Our lives, and the lives of some of our friends and family have changed drastically in the last few years. Now we read labels to make sure there's no high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. We have an electric ice cream maker so we can enjoy ice cream and know what is in it. The biggest challenge is trying to eat fresh fruit and vegetables. Farmer's markets are great in summer, but even they don't guarantee healthy produce. About the only way you can get that is go grow things yourself. That's why next year we're going to put in some raised beds. I'm not keen on canning my own crops, but if it comes to that, I will. By the way, my hanging tomato plant experiment was a bust, at least this year. It could have been the tomato variety I chose too. There's always next year!

What are you doing to improve your food sources? I really would like to hear your opinions and feedback.

BPA Food Contamination | Home Defense HQ

Hanging Tomato of Power and Window Replacement 101

5 Additional Tips On Hanging Tomato Planters

How to Make Healthy, Tasty and Organic Roasted Sunflower Seeds at Home | eHow.com

Will Killing Two Cougars Make Any Difference?

National Parks Have Wild Animals In Them

Almost all week we've been watching the documentary by Ken Burns about The National Parks. For all the years since their inception, the men and women who have tried to preserve them this has included the wildlife within the parks. During all those years they fought special interests who were more intent on squeezing the last sheckle out of those pristine areas as well as killing off all the wild animals that got "in their way". 

Let's Kill Two Cougars As A Solution!

Today, in our local paper the Kitsap Sun I noticed there was an article entitled Selective Cougar Hunt OK'd in Jefferson County. For those who don't know, Jefferson county cuts right through the heart of Olympic National Park. You know, a park where animals are protected. Stray outside its boundaries though and you are dead meat, literally. The article goes on to say "Such small-scale hunts occur annually around Washington state in places where cougars have posed problems, killing domestic animals or livestock. This is the first allowed in the Port Townsend area since 2003." 

Did They Decimate Any Herds?

First of all, I would like to see some report as proof of how much livestock has been killed [three goats and two alpacas it seems]. Is it a significant amount?  Are they decimating herds? And, as far as domestic animals, I have no sympathy for the people who live in Washington that don't understand they coexist with wild animals. They have been told since this area was settled that they need to keep their pets indoors, no pet food outdoors and/or keep their pets in protected enclosures. 

We Live In A Natural World, Deal With It

We live with large predators who have a natural instinct to kill. Humans have no business "baiting" them with their pets!! We need to learn to live within our environment, not try to re-educate the natural instincts of wild animals. You want to have livestock when you live next to a National Park? Then expect to lose some to predators. And, I really hate the term "selective harvest" as a description of killing cougars to placate ranchers and pet owners. Humans need to stop trying to remake the natural world.

How to Make Healthy, Tasty and Organic Roasted Sunflower Seeds at Home | eHow.com

Tasty and Organic Roasted Sunflower Seeds at Home

.....Lift seeds out of water with a slotted spoon.Spread evenly on a baking sheet.Wipe any excess water from the baking sheet.Dry in 200 degree F oven for two to four hours, stirring twice.Should be crisp and crunchy, not spongy when dry.Cool, then store in a zip lock bag. Click on link for full article.

via www.ehow.com

This is my article on eHow. Just a note: the recipe should say RAW sunflower seeds. Sorry for any confusion!

Three Weeks With D. E. Stevenson

I made a new friend this summer. It wasn't a "live" friend, but I feel like I was on vacation with her. My honest-to-God-live-friend Sheryl has a wonderful collection of books, and some of them are by the author D. E. Stevenson. Sheryl had been telling me about these books for years and it wasn't until I was cut off from the electronic world (not really, but I felt like it) in Idaho did I really take the time to sit down and read Stevenson's books. Luckily for me, Sheryl has at least twenty to choose from, and I got through at least seven of them!

First was Vittoria Cottage which introduced me to Caroline Dering, Robert Shepperton and the Dering offspring. The two sequels to Vittoria Cottage are Music in the Hills and Shoulder the Sky. Music in the Hills continues with Caroline's son James and his story, while Music in the Hills is about a London artist who tries to adjust to her life on a Scottish farm. Major characters in one book may be found as minor characters in her other books.

All of the books can stand alone as a good read, but reading them in order makes them that much more special.  D. E. Stevenson began writing in 1923, but it wasn't until many years later did her writing really take off with Mrs. Tim of the Regiment. Dorothy Emily Stevenson's father was a first cousin to Robert Louis Stevenson. The stories are safe for young teens, and contain some good lessons in priorities, honor, relationships, and life in general. 

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Pentimento Will Be Back In September

I'm taking a short vacation to Idaho and I'll be gone until early September. Our friends have invited me to spend a couple weeks with them, and then Jim will come over to help Robert with a couple 'man projects' (digging holes in dirt, etc.). Check back here around Sept. 11th or 12th to see if there are any new posts. In the mean time, why not visit these fine blogs:

House of Yates

Beloved Eleanor

The Virtual Dime Museum

GeneaBloggers

and my other blog iPentimento | Genealogy and History (gratuitous plug, I know)