Sometimes it Pays

Sometimes it pays to let your voice be heard.  There is an uninhabited (except, perhaps, by wildlife) house in my neighborhood that can be seen from my deck and my yard.  A huge tree fell on that house when Hurricane Isabel swept through in Sept. 2003.  Since that time the house has had a tarp of some form on it, but no noticeable repairs.  The original damage was mostly in the rear of the house, although you could still see some of the tarp draping.  We had a 21-inch snowfall in December of 2009, followed by two 20+ inch snows in February of 2010.  The second February snow took down the tarp setup and the front wall of the second story.  About a month later the owners cleaned up some of the debris and set up a new jerry-rigged tarp set-up.  This new rig looked awful and was very much in evidence.  Then at the end of January this year we had a seven-inch snow--not very much, but very wet and very heavy--and the newer tarp setup was ripped to shreds.  And there it sits.  It has been several weeks, and the owners, I know, have been notified, but no more action has occurred.

Enough is enough!  Yesterday I notified the county inspections and permits department of this situation, figuring that nothing much would happen but that I would feel better for having tried.  A courtesy copy to the community association president got forwarded to the community relations person for the county.  By today I have received responses from all concerned.  I'm feeling much better about our county government!!

Apparently a permit application to bulldoze the place was submitted in November but there were problems with the application that have, to date, not be satisfied.  It seems the local fire department got involved on Monday and they are pushing the issue.  After seven and a half years, I think it's about time!

A Birthday Weekend in PA

Already?!  Yes, it's true.  Grand-niece Elizabeth, aka "Lil Bit", turned five this month, and I was able to join in the celebration.  It was a great weekend.  For once the weather (mostly) behaved and I could travel easily. 
We celebrated on Saturday.   Elizabeth got all kinds of neat things.  I think one of her favorites was the Barbie guitar.  All of those youngsters are music lovers, so this just added to her repertoire.

Jake and Ava played the piano at various times, but Jake's favorite is drums.  He would like a drum set, but the potential procurers have declined so far, so he is reduced to using whatever he can commandeer--pots, tables, or whatever presents itself as available.

Cousins Emily and Abigail joined in the celebration.




















It was also Super Bowl weekend, and the family gathered to root for their favorite (or preferred, if not favorite) team.  Even Abbie got into the act, snuggling with Bob as she watched.

While the predicted storm turned out to be mostly rain, there was plenty of snow still on the ground, and children who would have preferred to play outside were forced to stay inside and just look out and wish for spring.

Patience, little ones.  It's a whole lot closer than it has been (we hope)!

Birding on the Coast

Each winter I try to make a birding trip to the Delmarva coast (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia).  There are some birds that one either finds there during the winter or they just don't make it onto the year's list of birds seen.  The weather and the lack of anything pressing on the calendar convinced me that this was the week to do it for 2011.  I usually start by heading to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in DE and then work my way south as far as Chincoteague, VA.  Let me tell you that it was COLD on the coast, at least on Friday and Saturday.  I stopped at one spot and discovered a group of American coots huddled together in one little patch of almost-water.  They looked miserably cold, even with all that insulation they wear!  And this was before I got to the coast--it was just across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge!

Once I got to the coast, it was still icy.  This was the view of the ocean from Rehoboth Beach, DE near the end of the day. 

The birding was good though--85 species for the weekend, which I consider acceptable for this weekend in the winter.  One species I was pleased to find was the horned lark.  This was the best I could do taking their photo.  Click on the photo for a better look at them.  They're rather cute!

One reason I couldn't get closer was because the prime spot was taken by this chap, and he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon!  I'd love to see his finished photos.

At Chincoteague some of the birds were a little more accessible, but even they looked cold and disgruntled if they needed to be still to fish, as did this great blue heron.

Along my route I pass Dover AFB, and as I went through one of the nearby towns, I saw this sign.

A sign of the times, I suppose, and in this case a happy one.

Winter in Maryland

With the onset of winter, birding the backyard can be rather exciting (for a birder).  This week I had a delightful visit by a hermit thrush.  I occasionally see one in the winter, but its appearance in the yard is rather rare.  It often likes more privacy than my yard offers.  But when you are hungry... 

We had a bit of snow earlier this week.  It was enough to look pretty but not enough to impede activities for long, thank goodness.  Even so, it was enough to make an interesting rim around the heated birdbath, and the birdbath, in turn, reflected tree skeletons.

At one point a male cardinal added a dash of color to the snow-covered trees.

One old tree that rests at a peculiar angle wore a girdle of green (ivy) and white.  (The ivy has to go!)

If one must deal with snow, this is the kind I prefer!

 



Christmas 2010

Christmas is a wonder-filled time of the year.  I was blessed to spend mine with my sister Pat and her husband Bob and their family.  The oldest of their grandchildren is seven, and five of them live nearby, so we had a rollicking good time.  Making time for both sides of two different families meant that we celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve, but we made it an all-day celebration, starting with a hearty breakfast and going through to a turkey dinner in the evening.  In between all the eating there were presents to be opened, new toys to be enjoyed, and lots of fun just being together. 

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend.  Emily had a brand new chair that had her name embroidered on it, and she took possession of it immediately.

Jake got a stuffed blue dog (I think its name is Blue), a character in a cartoon he likes.  He was obviously pleased.

Ava and Elizabeth are the proud owners of American Girl dolls, and they were so excited they could hardly speak!

Abby is a bit young for all the excitement.  Just wait until next year!

For more pictures of this crew and their Christmas, you can check out the Picasa album at http://picasaweb.google.com/ejoyce2/Christmas2010#

Threat of a major snowstorm chased me home on Christmas Day in the afternoon, but we had minimal snow here.  Places north of us got slammed.  A friend in NYC reports 20 inches of white stuff.  They may have it with my blessings.

Christmas and the children's program

On Sunday Calvary United Methodist Church in Annapolis had as a part of its service a Christmas play put on by the children from the Sunday School classes for grades one through six.  Titled "The Grumpy Shepherd", it was very cute, and some of those children have excellent speaking and singing voices for their ages.

Some of the younger children sitting in the audience were heard to complain, "I can't SEE!", and the next thing I knew there were two really cute youngsters sitting quietly in the aisle.

They were quickly joined by six or eight others, and there they remained until they were dismissed for Sunday School at the end of the play.  

The church was richly decorated for Christmas with lots and lots of poinsettias. 



Discovering that I had my pocket camera in my purse was a nice surprise.  Had I realized it earlier, I would have finagled a seat closer to the action!



A weekend in PA

There were many good excuses for spending last weekend in PA.  I haven't seen that crew since the end of July; a new baby has been added to the clan since then; and we were celebrating Jake's second birthday.  Not that I need an excuse, because I always have a great time with the family, but the reasons for this trip made it even more special. 

First of all meet Abigail Grace, born in early September.  She's a little sweetheart.

Her big sister Emily is quite the little helper, especially for one so young.

Jake found the birthday celebration entertaining, especially when he got new toys with wheels.

Halloween also happened around that time, and Jake's sisters Ava and Elizabeth dressed for the occasion at one point.  Ava's bunny had a little powder puff of a tail, which she enjoyed showing off.

If you question how much fun an old lady could have with all these adorable little ones, this one should give you the answer.

For those of you still who want to see more from the weekend, go to
http://picasaweb.google.com/ejoyce2

Now I'm looking forward to the next visit!