Thursday, August 9, 2012

What is a normal backyard?

When I chose the title for this blog I thought it cute because we live in Normal and it is just our backyard and nothing more.  However, the past few weeks have challenged me to rethink the meaning of A Normal Back Yard.  I have to confess that this year our back yard is anything but normal!   Below are pictures and video's of the creatures inhabiting our "normal back yard".




This is a video of our latest visitor being released at a wild life preserve.

Opposum June 25, 2012


Squirrel finds a way to get to the suet, July 2, 2012

Skunk July5, 2012

Oppusom July 9, 2012

After getting rid of the Opposum caught this deer kicking his heels as I came back from the preserve.  Not in our back yard for sure. July 9, 2012


Opposum July 14, 2012

Return of the skunk July 15, 2012

Opposum 5, July 29, 2012  Oh yeah, got another Opposum between the 15th and 29th but took no picture.

Opposum 6, July 31, 2012

Skunk got caught this time, August 1, 2012

Raccoon August 3, 2012   Cute little guy!

Oppossum August 6, 2012   New record number 7.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Sunny California!

Our first trip back to California since our youngest son graduated in 2006.   Since then he got married to a lovely Jessica in 2007 and returned to California to live.   His work here as made it difficult for him to return home and we had not seen him in person for at least three years.    Well 2012 is the year we came to visit.   It didn't influence us much that a new addition was added the the West Coast Family on March 29, 2012.   Well maybe it had a great influence!    

Our trip started at 3am on Friday the 6th of April as we got up and proceeded to prepare for our trip to Peoria to catch our airplane to Denver and then on to Burbank.   Every started out very good as we made it to the airport way to early, but it was relaxing.   The flight to Denver was good, except maybe the flight attendant was not the most friendly and lacked a good work effort.   Then landed a little early at Denver and was met with the announcement that our assigned gate was taking by a plane that was being serviced and that we might have a 20-30 minute delay in de-boarding.   It was a little concerning as our connecting flight was scheduled at 9:30am and we had only about 40 minutes to find our way to the departing gate.   Well the 20-30 minutes turned into 45 minutes and as we sat on the airplane at 9:30am we were thinking, okay when is the next flight and can we get on it?  

Well it seems the gate never cleared and we were directed to another gate at the end of the terminal.  We had scheduled assistance for my wife and the wheel chair was not waiting for us at so I started out to find the departing gate with two carry-on bags a lap top and my wife's red bag filled with items.    Wow did I under estimate the rarefied air in Denver!    It was bad enough having carry-on bags with wheels that didn't want to roll straight, but it seems that every 50 feet I was stopping to get my breath.    The wheel chair arrived they caught up with me and said that our departure gate had been changed and I was to follow the wheel chair.    You see a flight attendant on the departing plane was late and the flight was delayed 21 minutes.   Hustle was the word and this old guy's hustle was almost vanished.   I pushed on trying to keep up with the wheel chair and finally arrived at our gate.   The attendant and my wife were standing there looking at the plane as the gate had been closed a few seconds before their arrival.   I saw the plane and saw it back up in preparation for departure.    Now it was time to head to customer service to get scheduled on the next flight and we had to head back same way we came and I was in no shape to do that!   So my wife and I traded places and we got customer service and were assigned two of three remaining seats for the next flight which would be in two hours.  

With duel wheel chairs we were deposited at the new departing gate, hoping that they did not change the gate on us.   While waiting at this gate at least one of the flights originally scheduled to depart from this gate was moved to another gate.   We lucked out with no change!   We had an excellent flight attendant and very nice flight, even got to see the Grand Canyon from the North side as we flew.    Landed timely with no wait and not to far from the baggage claim area and front door.  

Well, all was good except our bags did not appear on the carousel.   The baggage service area for United was locked up tight and the sign told us to go the clerk just around the corner.   Not a big deal, except the first attemp was with out our bagage claim tickets.   So after searching everywhere for them we approached the clerk one more time.   Now we were behind a guy that was trying to change a flight the clerk had no clue on how to make the change.   I waited in line 50 minutes while she dealt with him.   Finally a guy came up to assist her and he busied himself with clearing a line of baggage to be checked in by those using the machines to check-in.   Then a very important young woman, a least she thought she was important, broke into the line and demanded that someone help her as she had left the secure area and had forgotten to pick up her carry-on bag and they wouldn't let her back to get it.    As the guy agreed to help her, I chose to demand assistance.   If he was going back to the bagage claim section it seemed like my best chance.   The important gal's bag appeared on the carousel and we had the full attention of the clerk.   Locked in the bagage claim area were our two bags.   The bags had made the first flight that we had missed.

Our son had pulled up shortly after we landed and we were able to load the carry-on items, but the Airport police told him move the car or be ticketed.    He said "call me when you have the checked bags.   Well, that went over well as after the 50 minute struggle to get our bags my cell phone was dead.   No problem as my wife had her cell, well it shouldn't have been a problem, but she had never changed the cell number for my son on her phone when he switched carriers.   So how do we get ahold of Peter?   A call to another son left us still with our a number, we called the other son and he had been called by Peter a few days earlier and we were able to get the phone number. 

It has been restful since we arrived here in Santa Clarita, whew am I glad!

Here are a few pictures from Califorina

Annabelle Elizabeth



 View of back yard and foothills


 Bo the former EDD dog (bomb dog) who was retired because of the right eye being blind


Mandy the cat


A colorful bird from the backyard


Another bird with unusal markings.  Have not identified either of these birds

Friday, September 16, 2011

This past week we have had several visitors to our Normal Back Yard.   Many creatures roam the creek banks not far from our house and it is not unusual to see rabbits, geese, opossums, raccoons and a multitude of birds of various kinds.   One of our overnight visitors was chewing on our new ice cooler which we have placed on our deck to store bird seed and nuts which are used to feed the many birds including our woodpeckers.   However, chewing on the ice cooler was not enough, this creature was moving the rather large cooler about the deck and tipping it over to open the lid and allow the peanut bag to be raided. 

Determined to get this rascal I set a live trap to catch the creature.  But before the creature was caught a young skunk decided that the apple in the trap was just what they wanted for a late night snack.   Now the problem was what to do with a trapped skunk.   I called a friend of mine that had lent me the trap and asked, "Now what do I do?"  He happened to be bear hunting in Canada and along with him was a professional trapper who passed along tips on what to do.   The last thing my friend told me was to be sure and video the release of the trapped skunk. 




Please note that the video has a lot of bounce and views of the actual deck.  Please also note that the person taking the video does appear to run into the family room when she thinks the skunk might be excited or loose.  To her credit she does provide great commentary!

Friday, April 22, 2011

April 21, 2011 Lake Bloomington and Evergreen

Took the ground hog we trapped out to a safe new home. After we dropped off the ground hog we headed west and found these Vultures and ducks.





Pictures from the back yard Apirl 19-20, 2011















Tuesday, April 19, 2011

April 2011











Birds are returning to the old Normal Back Yard!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

May 12, 2010 ANBY view of the Birds

House Wren entering the Milburn House. Bird house left to us when neighbors moved.



Gray Catbird



2 White-crowned Sparrows along with a Male and Female Rose Breasted Grossbeak and a Downey Woodpecker chowing down on the nuts.



White-crowed Sparrow



White-crowned Sparrow



Male and Female Rose-breasted Grossbeak Male is the bright one and the female brown





Black-capped Chickadee



Male and female Rose-breasted Grossbeaks