Bizarre

A few days ago Grace and I dropped Joey off at baseball practice and were driving back to our house along the lakefront. I pointed out a huge flock of what I thought were seagulls, flying in a long straight line. It caught my eye because I'd never seen seagulls fly in a line formation like that. As I got a little closer I was shocked at how big the seagulls appeared to be. Finally the birds were flying right over us and as I looked up I realized they weren't seagulls at all. They were PELICANS!!!!

Pelicans! In Wisconsin! I couldn't believe my eyes. I think I nearly crashed the minivan staring above me in disbelief. I slowed to a near stop and watched as the huge birds soared above us. There were dozens and dozens of the massive creatures.

And just like that they were gone. I didn't even have time to grab my travel camera from the glove box to sneak some pictures. 

When I got home and told Todd I think he thought I was losing my mind. To reassure him (and me) of what I saw I looked in my bird book and, sure enough, pelicans do sometimes pass through our area. As further proof of what I saw I noticed people taking to Facebook to report the bizarre sighting. Whew! I wasn't losing my mind! There are pelicans in Wisconsin!

Now all I have to do is figure out what kind of bird food to leave out in my backyard so I can add pelican pictures to my bird posts. Oh how I would LOVE to add pelicans to my bird photo repertoire. What do ya think? Dead fish? Might not be the best addition to the backyard.

(Pictures courtesy of the internet) 

Something New

In the past Father's Day was always about celebrating our own fathers. Todd and I would make our way over to our dads' houses and grill out, hand out some cards and gifts, and honor the fabulous fathers in our lives. 

Last year was the very first year that neither Todd nor I had a father here to celebrate with. It was new and raw. Last Father's Day was low key as we both struggled to find our new normal.

This year we decided to kick the day up a bit. 

I had been wracking my brain trying to think of something the whole family could do that Todd would also enjoy. After much deliberation I finally thought of a family outing to the ballpark. I checked the Brewers schedule and sure enough they had a home game on Father's Day, AND it was vintage bobblehead day! Perfect for the kids. 

I had considered ordering the tickets as a surprise for Todd but it is a rather large purchase and I wanted to be sure he was up for it. He was. And he also found some pretty perfect seats right behind the dugout. 

We didn't tell our kids the plan. Instead we kept it a secret. Even as we loaded them all in the car to head down to the Brewers game we still held our tongues about the surprise. I had secretly packed new t-shirts, their hats, and their baseball gloves in the car. We even brought along a huge cooler full of snacks for a little pregame tailgating but the kids are so used to me packing coolers (sheesh, my family is always eating) I don't think they thought much of it. 

The kids begged and pleaded to know where we were going but we didn't give in. Even when the kids pointed out the stadium we still kept quiet. By the time we actually were pulling into the gates and handing out their Brewers t-shirts the kids were thrilled with excitement. I think Father's Day still turned out to be a pretty lucky kids' day too.

Todd was thrilled to finally take his entire family to a Brewers game. The weather was hot and steamy but with a good strong wind to keep us from getting too hot.

Except for this one. He can't help but be hot. He is one of those hot daddies. Woohoo!

It was a great day (despite the disappointing game) finished up with a fantastic dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, La Fuente. Good stuff.

It was a great way to honor Todd, a fantastic man and father who we are so lucky to have in our lives, sharing in his love of sports and continuing the tradition that his father started with him so long ago. I think it was a great start to a new Father's Day.

My Dad

My dad worked third shift in a factory for over 30 years to provide for his family of 8. He would walk to work every night. Sometimes he would ride his bike. We had one family car that he would NEVER take to work (even in a blizzard) in the off-chance that my mom might need it in the morning to take us kids to school. He was a fierce protector of the underdog. He befriended all (except those SOBs that broke glass in the park and left it for innocent kids to step in). He was an avid outdoorsman and an inspired athlete. He was the life of the party, the ultimate comedian in his impersonations and jokes. He was an immensely talented singer (a crooner), a dancer, and a performer. He cut the grass, he grilled out, he fixed the fence (time and again- "stop climbing on the damn fence!"), he built a play tower, he took us camping, he killed the centipedes, he built the shed, he took us on motorcycle rides, he taught me how to change a tire and how to throw a spiral. I can remember how careful his giant hands were when he would gently wash my hair with my head hovering in the kitchen sink. When we were babies he rocked us, when we were scared he held us, when we were tired he carried us up to our beds. I remember faking sleep a number of times in my childhood just so he would carry me to bed. Not only did he tell us he loved us but he showed us as well. He was at every play, every concert, every game. He thought my sarcasm was hilarious, he encouraged my spunk, he was proud of my independence. He told me I was beautiful and smart and even though I couldn't believe the words he said them with such conviction that I knew he believed and that meant everything to me. He taught me how to love God and how to put my trust in Him. My dad was far from perfect, he had flaws, he was human, he made mistakes. But my dad will always be my hero. I miss him more than I can say.

 Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

 I love you!

Back to Birds

This spring has once again afforded me the opportunity to do some quality bird watching. Over the last couple of years I have really taken notice of the beautiful variety of birds that come through our neck of the woods. I never knew we had so many vibrant, beautiful birds in this area and once I discovered them I was hooked on spying on the birds in my backyard. 

I try and make our backyard as desirable as I can. There are already plenty of trees but I also add four different types of birdfeeders (suet, thistle seed, wild birdseed mix, and hummingbird juice) and make sure that the birdbath is always clean and full of water. That seems to do the trick.

Our first little mister is a beautiful little Veery. At first glance I thought it was the Ovenbird that I've been forever trying to capture on film. I saw a flash of warm brown out of the corner of my eye and ran to grab my camera and zoom lens. I only got a few pictures, and most of them very blurry, before he flew away but I did manage to get one okay picture. I showed my bird expert (Joey) the picture when he came home from school and he said, "No mom. I don't think that is an Ovenbird. I think that is a Veery." And sure enough. He looked it up in my bird book and he was right. So here is the beautiful little Veery.

I was hoping to get clearer pictures of the beautiful Veery and kept my eye out in the backyard. I was sure I saw him again and grabbed my camera. When I took a closer look I was surprised to see that this time I caught the Ovenbird instead. Ha! I want the Ovenbird and I got the Veery. I wanted the Veery and I got the Ovenbird. It all worked out in the end. Here is the Ovenbird.

The Baltimore Oriole just passes through our area and is only here for a very short time. To tempt him to my backyard I put out a few oranges. It worked!

Mr. Oriole was happy to take advantage of my bribe and I was happy to get a few great pics.

He even caught my eye a couple times and let me snap away at him. With that gorgeous bright orange he must be used to all the attention.

It seems the oranges worked on a lovely little House Finch couple as well.

We have a plethora of Goldfinches flitting around our neighborhood. The males are such a shocking and vibrant yellow it always takes my breath away. I just had to get a shot of this male's bright yellow back contrasting the black and white wing feathers. So handsome.

Here we have two couples. Two males with two females all enjoying the thistle. Oh how the Goldfinches love their thistle!

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only type of hummingbird that we have in our area and luckily for me they are privy to our yard as well. Here we have a female actually sitting on the feeder. Usually the birds just hover and drink but she must have felt safe enough to sit for a while and rest her wings.

The male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is much more colorful than the female. Here he is taking a break on the feeder as well.

I got quite the shock when this male looked up and I zoomed in on him. The feathers on his neck looked more like a ruffled collar than a smooth band of color as I'd seen it before. It was breathtaking. Thank heavens for the zoom lens. Also not sure when he is called a Ruby-throated Hummingbird when he is clearly more golden yellow or orange. Either way, he is a beauty.

Next up we have a female Downy Woodpecker. She is intent on getting to that suet that she loves so much. The female looks almost identical to the male Downy Woodpecker except the bright red patch that the male has on the back of his head.

This mama Robin is clearly taking something back to her nest to help make it a little more comfy for her babies.

Maybe this was even this nest she was coming to. A beautiful robin's nest was right next to our front door. I tried to keep the kids away from it so mama didn't get too stressed out but every once and a while we had to go in and out of our front door. Mama and Daddy robin would stand watch from a few yards away letting out little chirps to warn us not to go any closer. But I did manage to get a shot of the four blue eggs safely nestled inside the wonderfully made nest.

We were even lucky enough to spy the babies as they had just hatched and watched them grow. Shortly before they left their nest I took another picture. I didn't want to get too close and scare the babies out of the nest before they were ready. The day after I took this picture I witnessed the birds testing out their wings. They took turns standing on the side of the nest flapping their wings. They practiced for two days and the next time I checked on them they were gone. Good thing, too, because they had definitely run out of room in that nest.

None too soon for mama, I'm sure. She was finally able to get in a bath and have a little "me" time instead of running back to the nest every five minutes with more food for her hungry babies. Job well done, mama!

This is the first time I ever saw this little fuzzball in my backyard. This beauty is a Gray Catbird. He is so soft and smooth looking and I fell in love with him immediately.

I am so happy I was able to get a few good pictures of this little guy because I haven't seen him in my backyard since. Cute lil fella. Thanks for stopping!

This stunning fellow is a Northern Waterthrush. I believe this is the first time I've seen him in my backyard as well. I'm not surprised he is here. They love running water and with Lake Michigan and a bunch of rivers right next to us I'm sure this is a perfect spot for him.

Seeing as how they eat mosquitoes and slugs I will be happy to welcome him back anytime. Keep up the good work!

And of course we have Mr. Radiant himself, the Indigo Bunting. I'm always surprised when I see one of these guys in my backyard because he looks so tropical in his glowing blue attire. Such a handsome lil thing. And he does a great job cleaning up under the feeders too. 

Thank you for humoring me in my birdie obsession. If you are not already on birdie overload feel free to check out my other birdie photos here, here, and here.

Lil Graduate

Even though there are a few days of school left Grace's preK class had their graduation ceremony today.

Gracie's teachers did such an amazing job of making a big production of it. The kids sang 6 sweet and meaningful songs and had a beautiful slideshow of their year. And the treats afterwards were second to none. I know all the kids felt very special.

Gracie was so lucky to have the support of her three awesome big brothers. All three of them asked permission from their teachers to get out of class and watch Grace's graduation. I know that meant so much to Grace to have them there.

The whole morning was rather emotional for me. It is so easy for me to recall the boys' preschool graduations and my oldest will now be going into middle school. Yikes. Time flies by so quickly.

Congratulations, Grace! I'm so proud of you!

The Three Day

It had been a while since we were able to take a 3 day weekend at the cabin and even longer since we'd had any warm weather up there. Last weekend was the perfect weekend to get away for a little while. The temperature hovered close to 80 almost the entire time we were there. 

We managed to stain the pier, put the pier in the water, and get the boat in all in one morning. After that the kids were in heaven. All four of them stayed on the boat, in the water (yes, they went swimming in that cold water), or on the pier pretty much the entire time. 

The boys loved venturing off on the paddle boat by themselves. Freedom!

And Grace was able to steal a little daddy time with a ride through the woods.

The next day was all about fishing. Joey and Ben took off in the paddle boat with their fishing rods and Tommy kept Grace company on the pier while she perfected her casting.

Ben and Joey even took Gracie out on the paddle boat with them while Tommy and Todd went to collect the trail cameras out of the woods.

And me? Well, I read and finished three books. THREE, people. Three. Three books in one weekend. It. Was. Awesome. (And I highly recommend The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman- so good)

Finally, and regretfully, it was time to say goodbye to the cabin and head back home. The holiday traffic was crazy and it took us hours longer than normal. Of course it didn't help that we stopped so many times but we just had to do this...

We had to pay respect to all those that so bravely fought for our freedoms and paid with their lives. We are forever in their debt. I always link to this post that I did a few years ago. Todd's bff wrote a "Day in the Life" piece on being a soldier and allowed me to post it on my blog. I like to link to it often in case you want to read it again. It is worth a reread.

Anyway, after we made the stop at the tank and the VFW Post we got back onto the road and went from being behind only a few cars to being behind a BILLION (yes, a billion) trucks, trailers, campers, and vans all heading in the same (slow) direction.

We staved off the frustration by stopping again.

Ice cream makes everything better.

Safe to say we eventually made it home where I proceeded to unpack everyone's bags, do three loads of laundry, clean the fish tank, feed the animals (dog, hamster, guinea pig, fish), water all the plants, pull some weeds, and make dinner. And I had a massive headache. Not the greatest way to end a good weekend but oh well.

This week has been a busy one. Baseball has started and with it a ton of practices. School is winding down (thank God) and with that there is always a certain amount of madness. Luckily, I haven't gotten to the point I was at last year yet. Nine more days left of school and I think we're gonna make it.

Life is chugging right along. Just as it should be.

Phenomenal Woman

Maya Angelou passed away this morning. I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to remember this amazing woman. I feel she has gotten me through some turbulent times in  my life.

The Gamut

Soft you day, be velvet soft,
My true love approaches,
Look you bright, you dusty sun,
Array your golden coaches.

Soft you wind, be soft as silk
My true love is speaking.
Hold you birds, your silver throats,
His golden voice I'm seeking.

Come you death, in haste, do come
My shroud of black be weaving,
Quiet my heart, be deathly quiet,
My true love is leaving.

-Maya Angelou


In my heartbroken youth her words soothed and strengthened me. They empowered me. Made me remember who I was and who I wanted to be.

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

-Maya Angelou

So often she wrote the words that were in my heart. I wasn't alone.

Alone:

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

- Maya Angelou

Later in life I was able to meet my hero. I had front row seats to listen to this wise woman speak. She spoke about hope and her words filled me with hope. Suffering from Alzheimer's my father had just been moved into a nursing home a few weeks earlier and to listen to a woman who had been to hell and back talk about hope was just what I needed to hear.  It was uplifting and spiritual. I will never forget it.

Thank you, Ms. Angelou, for your wisdom and your strength and your example. You have left a mark on this world. A legacy. May you rest in God's eternal peace.