This is a lifetime motto of mine -- so nice to finally see it in print -- and so happy to share it with you.
17 February
"The entire universe is a university. EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY is a professor to us. We constantly learn from everybody and everything. We learn even more through pain than through pleasure. Whether we want it or not, the world will give us the experiences we need and make us grow."
by Sri Swami Satchidananda
The Golden Present: Daily Inspirational Readings
Friday, May 16, 2008
2 more little friends
Ever since the kids have begun asking for pets, the critters have come knocking on our door, so to speak. This week we had 2 new visitors .... a frog and a bird. The frog (een bruine kikker?) spent a day exploring the fishpond in our backyard, and then went on its merry way. "Perfect", I thought, "the kids get to enjoy the little fellow without getting too attached." But then came our next guest ...
Three days ago a greenfinch took a non-lethal smack on our window, and luckily I was on hand for a rescue. It wasn't able to fly and would've been easy prey for a neighborhood cat, so I quick brought it inside and made it a happy home in no time. Still had a bird cage from when we tried (unsuccessfully) to save a juvenile house martin 2 years ago. And here you see the little fellow, which i thought was a female but am now wondering if it's a juvenile since the breast is quite streaked.
With no obvious signs of trauma, and no evidence of broken wings, I decided we'd try to rehabilitate it ourselves. Inserted 2 shallow dishes in the cage, one with seed I've seen them eating at the feeders and the other with water. Within a day we heard/saw the little fellow eating the seeds, which is great fun to watch as they skillfully manipulate the seed husk with their tongue and manage to spit it out without spitting out the seed. But this morning, his feathers were "puffed up" like he was cold, and by afternoon he was tucking his head under his wing like he was tired, both signs that he was suffering from illness. Sure enough, by nightfall he'd fallen into a sleep he'd never awaken from.
They'll be sad to lose their little friend (and me TOO!), who we watched and studied and got to know quite well in such a short time. In retrospect, I suppose I should've taken him to a rehab. center, where he would've received antibiotics and better care. But then again, the kids would've missed out on the whole experience -- and the joy of learning -- and the pain of failure that goes along with it.
Three days ago a greenfinch took a non-lethal smack on our window, and luckily I was on hand for a rescue. It wasn't able to fly and would've been easy prey for a neighborhood cat, so I quick brought it inside and made it a happy home in no time. Still had a bird cage from when we tried (unsuccessfully) to save a juvenile house martin 2 years ago. And here you see the little fellow, which i thought was a female but am now wondering if it's a juvenile since the breast is quite streaked.
With no obvious signs of trauma, and no evidence of broken wings, I decided we'd try to rehabilitate it ourselves. Inserted 2 shallow dishes in the cage, one with seed I've seen them eating at the feeders and the other with water. Within a day we heard/saw the little fellow eating the seeds, which is great fun to watch as they skillfully manipulate the seed husk with their tongue and manage to spit it out without spitting out the seed. But this morning, his feathers were "puffed up" like he was cold, and by afternoon he was tucking his head under his wing like he was tired, both signs that he was suffering from illness. Sure enough, by nightfall he'd fallen into a sleep he'd never awaken from.
They'll be sad to lose their little friend (and me TOO!), who we watched and studied and got to know quite well in such a short time. In retrospect, I suppose I should've taken him to a rehab. center, where he would've received antibiotics and better care. But then again, the kids would've missed out on the whole experience -- and the joy of learning -- and the pain of failure that goes along with it.
Friday, May 09, 2008
the meikever LIVES!
... watch as this decapitated june beetle wiggles its mandibles and legs hours after i found it lying on a sidewalk near my favorite tea shop. You never know what amazing things you'll see in the course of a day - enjoy!
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