I Read the News Today....oh boy.

Upon waking this morn, I could see from my bed that the Wood Ducks are still hanging out right across the river just off the bank.  They are skittish and reclusive little ducks, it is a treat to get a little show like this.  The large wind-chimes off the eave by the window up here had been softly singing through the moonlit night, accented by the smaller chimes and bamboo chimes down below; they are now picking up in crescendo and volume, as the dawn has brought an intensifying southern wind.  Southern wind brings welcome warmth to us in Indy today.  The little birds, Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Titmice sit in front of the window in the branches, each pecking at and eating their own sunflower or safflower seeds.  Isn't this little Chickadee darling!

They are skittish about actually eating at the feeder; they take their seeds to the branches above, peck, eat and then go back and get another...then another, and another.  The sunflower feeder is about empty and I'll have to refill that here soon.  The cute little finches sit calm on the thistle feeder amid the constant activity, eating their thistle like they have all the time in the world.  We've seen the possessive Red-Bellied Woodpecker come and chase a Downy Woodpecker off of the suet cake, but only once so far today; the Downy returned and had his fill.  This Red-Bellied Woodpecker is a handsome fellow, it's easy to forgive his bullish ways!

I wonder, does anyone else feel it?  Does anyone else sense that the world as we knew it, is passing, changing?  Or are we just actually beginning to see it as it is?  Both?  And I not only have this sense that our world is changing, I can feel the changes accelerating.

Upon waking, the news this morning is full of rumblings of unrest, economic collapse threatening an international chain-reaction,  ( A chain reaction that more and more experts, and millions of others, are saying is happening on purpose; the purposes of an international banking cartel that includes our private Federal Reserve. ), and violence.  Revolution.  People want freedom, but I feel deeply disturbed at what these folks are getting in place of the powers that were.  For instance, the leader of the newly established Tripoli Military Council is Abdelhakim Belhadj, the former head of the terrorist Libyan Islamic Fighting Group and an alleged adviser/commander of Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan.  What?  We armed and abetted the same people who are killing our sons and daughters in Afghanistan??  In Egypt, Al Qaeda seems to have found another haven for launching attacks, so are they are friends like in Libya, or are they our enemies like in Afghanistan; when in Egypt?  Egyptian NGOs (citizen-based action groups), hoping for greater freedoms and more space to operate after the fall of Hosni Mubarak's government say they have encountered just the opposite: an unprecedented clampdown by the post-revolution military rulers.  Country after country in the Middle East has folks who are rising up and demonstrating for freedom, and as one regime after the other falls, they are being replaced by totalitarian governments backed by the Muslim Brotherhood.  In place of Ghadafi, Libyans are looking at Sharia law....wonder if the pro-Ghadafi forces our media portrayed as being such bad guys, knew what was coming....and we killed those folks. 

Now we consider that Netanyahu has been lobbying the cabinet in Israel and some sources report that he's been given the go-ahead to attack Iran, who promises to wage war against the West around the globe in response.  Russia is threatening solidarity with Iran, China supplies them with arms and is an ally.  Iran is the most capable of any nation we've tangled with since WWII.  And it looks like a strong alliance may emerge from these post-revolution countries for Iran.  An alliance that seems backed by our money and weapons.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."  Pete Townsend

"There is nothing new under the sun..."  Solomon

A young Blue Jay has finally discovered the corn I've laid out on the deck railing below, it's about time!  Blue Jays have been strangely absent from BTV in the few months I've had the feeders up, though they are abundant in the area.  They'll often tell you that a Red-Tailed Hawk, another raptor, or even the Bald Eagle, is in the area with their raucous screaming and gang harassment of the trespasser.   If their cacophony is close-by, you won't see any bird out in the open on a feeder, they're hidden in the branches above, and silent.  
As I look out over this hazy but sunny mid-Autumn day, the sun is glinting on the water to the southwest like thousands of diamonds dancing in the breeze, and there is even a softshell turtle sunning itself on a log off the opposite bank.  There are still several golden leaves clinging to the Silver Maple that sits on the south side of the deck and house on the river, with graceful branches that hang down over the water, to within a few feet of it's surface.  A Fox-Tailed squirrel is studying the feeders from the big branch above. 

I can scarce imagine the turmoil, or perceive threat that looms over much of the world, somehow it doesn't seem possible in view of this.  And I wonder why we live lives so removed from these realities; lives full of blessing, prosperity (relatively speaking), safety, and natural beauty.  America IS so beautiful!  In the 'why' of it, I find another nagging question, one I find myself contemplating with increasing frequency; since I know that
"To whom much is given, much is expected...",
what am I supposed to be doing?  Somehow I don't think all of these blessings in my life were meant solely for my benefit.  So many of us are blessed in abundance, overflowing even; in our own ways.
What is there to do?










 

Eleven-Eleven-Eleven

That's the date, 11/11/11...hoping it's a good day for starting a blog. 

Angelique is part of my name, my family calls me Angel.  It has been suggested that it was wishful thinking on their parts, more than once!  The last few years I've made a more conscious attempt to live up to it a little better, by actually living by faith, and can only hope that I succeed most days.  Some members of my family would probably say so; but you wouldn't get the full review, unless you also asked my husband, Ricky.....wait, don't, hee hee.   

The kids are grown, I had three of them; now I have three young adults as best friends.  They live nearby, I'm so thankful for that.  We became grandparents about five years ago, a new dimension to life that has been unexpectedly wondrous.  I am part of a large, close-knit family, that I believe to be one of my greatest blessings, and one of the greatest assets I could have offered to my children.  In a short while, I'll be joining those who're available, for Friday Lunch, a tradition in my family that goes back about 30 years.  

I'm an outdoors/wildlife enthusiast, particularly camping and water.  

In my profession I'm basically a gardener, in varying degrees; for many different residential and business clients, year round.  I design and implement landscape and hardscape as well.  Ricky heads up the mowing crew, and I work with him a couple of days a week in-season, too. 

I'm an animal lover, we have four cats and two dogs.  One of the dogs is old, he's in his twilight years with us now.  He's the only animal that wasn't a rescue.  I only mean to have two cats and two small dogs, but it never works out that way, does it?  

About the river...

Last June Ricky and I moved into our river house.  We've been rebuilding it, out of pocket, for a few years now.  Moving in was kind of a bold move, it isn't finished, doh!  The economy, fuel prices, a bad Summer drought the previous year, (and occurring again this year), an  old work-truck that finally blew-up and needed replacing, all came together to put a good dent in our resources.  We figured we could save the money spent on expenses at the home we lived in, and instead put it toward finishing the inside of this house. 

Right now I feel like Laura Ingalls, with the internet!  But the tales and adventures of moving into an unfinished house are for other entries, on other days.  The house itself sits nearly over the river, a story in the air on columns.  Though it sits square in the city, a major metropolitan area at that; being in the river green-way belies that fact quite completely.  Because the leaves are down, I can see a couple of condo buildings that are about a half-mile away and to my northwest across the river; but that is the only indicator of anything but river and woods that one can see from the windows  and riverfront at this place.  We have 11 acres of woods behind us, and the river with woods upstream and down, and across from us. 

I am an avid birder, and as I type this I'm trying to get a better look at the little group of Wood Ducks across the river.  The male Wood Duck is to my eyes the most beautiful of all ducks, and is also a beautiful bird, period! 

And no, I'm not getting as good a look as this!

I have this wonderful tree branch off of an old battle-scarred Silver Maple that sits next to the north end of the river-side deck.  It comes off of the trunk and hangs out over the river, providing me with wonderful anchor for the bird feeders that I've hung from it.  We call this, BTV, (Bird TV), and the cats are utterly addicted while the birds are oblivious to them, right there on that deck and railing, chirping themselves at times.  It's the only TV I have.

And my River Reflection takes place from the window that sits just above these feeders.  Now that I've gotten some of the mundane introduction out of the way, I'm here because I have a bit to say about all of this.  There's quite a bit of drama going on in the world right now, and believe it or not, quite a bit of drama in this tree right here too.  I'll be observing and posting about both.  Not sure who will read this, for me it is more about the recording of it all; maybe for no one but me.  

It's been a busy day here on BTV; Nuthatches, Chickadees, Gold and red House Finches, Titmice, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, all repeat guest stars and always in little flocks have been aflutter about the feeders since sunrise.  The full moon was setting this morning, so bright in the pre-dawn hour that I heard soft chirps of Cardinals on the feeders.  The light had awoken them early.  New arrivals, a FLOCK of juvenile Northern Shafted Flickers alit in the branches above the suet feeder, but alas the possessive Red Bellied Woodpecker  chased them away.  I'll have to put a couple more suet feeders up, as he has been quite the bully about it, and I want all the various woodpeckers to be regular visitors.  Two male Cardinals have been chasing each other away from the black sunflower feeder all morning, while the female mate of one of them sits nearby on another branch and seems to enjoy the show.  It's past time to go to Friday Lunch now, I'd better wrap this up.