rascism, birds and assholes

Gosh ,that seems like a jolly self controlled and appropriately tastefull title. I did not use the "F Bomb" nor the "N" word in there once. I must becoming politically correct. Via Inland Co bird mistakes on my part, I got my ego beat up a little. Hell my skin is thickish, but got pounded a little thinnish ! No bodies fault but mine own. Move on Roger. But the one thing that pissed me off most is some one who called me a "closet racist"
My closets are so full of crap, I can't open the doors a lot less race around in them. If you are reading this, which you must be, and someone accuses me of that in your presence please smack them in the head !
What I am totally against is intellectual racism, involving any race colour or creed. I do not feel that any group should have the right to look in a bag of M and Ms and say "Not enough green ones, who cares about the test scores, toss a few in to balance the bag , OK good to go"
I will no longer donate to the NAACP.
Now please walk your mind through what my sometime dubious logic comes up with !!!
I quote from papers presented to the Supreme Court.God I wish as a teacher I was not.
MR Mathew Colangelo, director of the economic justice program of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. And this is a terrifying precept, concept and proposition.And I promise you I quote directly from court transcripts.
"New Haven is a bit of an outlier in using antiquated methods of measuring leadership. Most cities have long since realized that a pencil and paper test, which largely measures memorization, is not the best way to identify a leader"
This is with reference to the New Haven police and Fire dpt ruling
Here is where I get to have fun and play Monty Python.
All actors hired by NAACP.
FIRE STATION. Phone rings, group sat around.
"Whats that"
"I cant remember"
"I think you pick it up"
"It was never on my test"
(Picks up phone)
"Hello"
"Hello my house is on fire"
"Hello "
"My house is on fire "
"Why did you not say so"
"I did"
"Oh I am sorry, I don't need a memory"
"Where are you"
"6000 wimpole street"
"Where "
"6000, no never mind look just go and get a pencil and paper and write it down"
" OK let me hang up while I find one, no one here has had to use one before we will have to train"
CLUNK
" Pencil and paper, what do they think we are ,the goddam fire department.
Wind blowing hard from SW. Tomorrow perhaps ? rh

'tis warm

Well it hit 107 at noon thirty, screw that.I do not care what it gets to now, I will only be in it momentarily. a pause.
Went and put towels on steering wheels, in case I have to drive somewhere.
Well now I get to enjoy my blog, I have managed to survive my obligatory mind purging from the last year, it usually takes 10 days , so all things considered not bad this year. It may sound strange , but if you commit yourself to giving quality time to 184 kids in desperate need of it, which my 9th grade cast offs are, then it takes a while to let go. Another clutch left the nest, and another of my clutches graduated and flew off to who knows what and where. So here comes summer.
I have no idea what a blog is, so I am just going to type personal thoughts, to a certain extent. I am sure bowel regularity is of no real interest. But Albertsons carries a new Licorice candy that helps ! Sorry, Ignored origiinal premise.
It is basicly going to be a summer diatribe, with no rhyme nor reason than to keep me from throttling my parrot or going out in the heat. Observations , comments and birds all in one Haggis graunch.Hang on Here we go.
PLease explain to me why I should feel sorry Ed McMahon died ?I never got a damn check
LIFE NOTE Lemember never hang naked from closet hook with rope around testicles Glasshopper.
I did not know Jacko was still alive. I care even less that he is dead. Though I may have my daughters LPs in the garage. Hmm
Farrah Faucett. So she did a poster and ....
Why is the TV devoted to mourning and sadness.
Hell half of the dumb assholes where grieving at Michael Jackson the radio icons star on Hollywood. HOW funny.
Sorry ma'am you will have to take down your shrine, and go worship the dark one. Half of them in tears don't know what an LP is.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
OK
NO death threats in the pending e-mail box.
Safe so far.
Lets take on the BBC, National Geographic and Animal Planet next. Seeing as I am learning might as well start at the low end.
What the hell is awe inspiring about sitting in an I-max in an air controlled environment experiencing the movie Earth. Boy that looks cold, neat pictures, any body got any milk duds left.
Why does this annoy me?
It is presented prepackaged and ready with the pause button for your pleasure. Skip the nasty dying baby monkey bit, awe at the caribou, ignore the 2 minutes of the Amur Leopard. Nature in a can. Let me slip on my I-pod and doze.Todays kids have no idea how long,and the personal expense these naturalists go through to produce this stuff.
I asked how many of my kids had been to San Diego Zoo, 184 none, how about San Diego ? 11 How about played in the ocean 17 ?
My gripe is that the picture of the Pied Billed Mom and child will be enjoyed by those who bird. I spent a long while letting her get used to me, so when this happened I was only six to eight feet away in 106 in a ditch. It made me ponder the times I had just flicked through National Geo and how I wsted a chance to ponder.
But as the western world lives more and more in a controlled inside environment, and pushes a button and says. "Oh Patty donate a couple thousand to those Barrier Reef people these pictures are darling, and have sergei trot up from the art department I think we can use this shade in the new i-pod covers" BUT these people are no worse than I who goes "not more rain forest aaagh" Wonders why the hell these folks don't stop Feels like a barbarian for an hour, then eats a factory produced chicken sandwich. If I solve these personal crisis I will type the solution ! Talking of which. I just emptied the house, over to the neighbours, who has the Ham Burgers working, I am going to make a giant batch of "Higsons Authentic Southern Fried British Green Tomatos" Y'all. Never done it before but what the bejezzzers

Oh a couple of final news notes.
What is an organized protest ?
Do you write ahead and say "Mr Asswreftiambinajad, on thursday at 11 am we would like to protest you invading our country and killing our people. PLease pop a note in the mail if this does not interfere with your schedule"
What is an "Unexpected plane crash"
What is "A house immediately next door and adjacent to this residence"
And lastly, why did the bag I just open have a new dog leash in it that says on the plastic chain saw openable only plastic carton.
"INSTRUCTIONS OF USE INCLUDED" I am scared to find out that you do not tie them , oh sorry Grasshopper
Expect more as time passes
Roger

That was close, almost retired !

Grief. With all the "Here have a lump sum and go away into retirement, and anonimity" offers being tossed around at school, that took five of my peers and friends away last year and six this year. I suddenly fell into the same mode.
IDIOT. Although I was doing stuff, I felt the creeping tide of time catching up. It suddenly seemed pleasent to notice that Bill picked up his mail and waved, and Fred waved from his porch, and Jesus Christ I am in the Twilight Zone. It is 6:50, I think I will go and park outside the neighbours, so at least he gets up comes over and bitches. Life is too short, why make it shorter.
Two things inspired me out of my summer rut. one was an E mail from a friend. It seems like we can not lose contact with actual friends.I will attach the pic,NOW wandering around and shrieking with laughter is permitted.
The occupants of "TRESSPASSERS W' newcastle circa 1970 ?
See we grey haired old farts, were young once !
Some of us still are.
Phone call yesterday while I am working on the crossword, and gumming a petite four. Hi Roger its Rich (he introduced me to swmbo, decades ago and survived every curse she has sent him since) There is a friend.
"Whats up ?"
"Nothing" What are you doing?" "Sitting in the airport, in Pittsburgh' "Oh, why?" "I told you a while back and you said you didn't know if you could make it " "oh"Long pause. Well they just called my flight better go, the bathrooms are all the other side of security, should hit SDiego around 5pm".
It took this long to click, He was where doing what? Close friend blah ness !!
Rich you are doing what for christs sake ?
I told you I had tickets.
NOw this will mean nothing to anyone under 50, unless you like Rock. "Yes a 3 day concert, Van Der Graff Generator, Steve Hillage, Daevid Aellen and Gong reunion " "Awesome sat and talked with two guys from Gentle Giant" " You shoud have come, I offered"
HMMMMMMMM. Silly me
Oh well. Better get up and get my butt in gear.
Bird pics and stuff to follow.It only took 10 days to enjoy retirement !I think i will wait a time.
Roger
Dam it the picture wont download.
So take a Least Bittern instead
No blind, just mud, and patience. I swear I will leave the dam thing alone if it will sit on my hand !NO I am not keeping the bird off its nest, this is its hunting area a distance away.

Beep Beep my ass

. I have kind of almost perhaps maybe figured out how to handle the summer. Here's THE plan. Get everything organized, and out of the way by 6 am. Albertsons, our only store opens at 5 am. Deal with that. Wake up the waken
I have a stake out Least Bittern, which has a nest on the other side of some reeds. Sat for half an hour, fly over Osprey,look back the damn thing was gone.
Designing ATV rubber air mattress floating stealth invisible blind as I type. Then I can also get closish to my Perfect Female Pied Billed Grebe and her nest ! My sudden epiphany today.Was actually quite logical and paid off big time today. When I hit watering holes in the desert, those that came in the day before, are waking and fueling up around dawn to move on. I am in. Now they have to go somewhere, and over the desert; water at 2pm onwards must look good, Hence my BH Gull.Hit the fish ponds circe 1:45.Paid off 11 Black Terns ,7 Caspian, 2 Forsters and and an Elegant Tern simply sweeping through. splashing, snacking and gone. ID able pics.
This pic. Ever been stared down by a Roadrunner. I have !
Roger

What happened to Saturday ?

Some how I was involved in a bunch of, "It will just take a minute" projects
DO NOT believe it. Some how the head of sherrifs, perfect neighbour Joe and I got conned into moving corrals.. Why do women with horses think that redecorating discussions apply to dragging 20 foot four rail galvanized pipe corrals around in 98 degree heat. "Do you think it would be better there?" "Well the tree gives it shade" " "But lets put them over here" "No, you know if we had them realign them with the geomagnetic flux pattern, we could....
Finally escaped
Incredibly bird less. 1 least 1 Gtr Legs being birds of the PM
Well it is 68 F on the porch, and essentially six am. Fish Farm, cemetery, sewage plant and Kellys. Then ad lib after that. Will make a species list around noon, and post, with some pics. Thinking 35 will be pushing it

Roger

Hello, and summer

WEll the summer diatribe starts. The future of america left my class room today, ne'er to return.
If you have kid in high school and like me will sit and advise/ coerce/ and abuse and stomp up and down while acting out the answer, hurling around such phrases as "You will never breathe until you get this finished " and "Do not have your boy friend call again, until you have rewritten every piece of english you have submmitted since 2nd Grade, and if he calls tell him you died ".
Then you will not understand my current source of annoyance. I have a parent running a homework scam for Freshman .She does it in her handwriting, and they hand it in. Best we leave it there ! OK here comes summer and a journey through the heat of Blythe.
It may not be all Blythe. Pondering being part of a team, driving from S Cal to Kentucky ,to move race horses. Working most of the way out,drop off bird, and then being picked up on the way back.We will see.
I recently read an account of a brit who birded Fhoula Isle, this spring , working on the principle that,"It may seem stupid, but maybe its time some one tried " He saw maybe 50 sp, but had 3 megas.
Thats what this summer is about for me.
I am not going out to some cold storm tossed island to deal with cold and wet in the Mid Atlantic. I am going to be in a very dry very Hot island in the middle of the desert ! The opposite end of the spectrum.
So here comes summer.
Unless you have looked into the LCRV and its birds ( Like I am trying to ) there are massive gaps in the literature about the bird life along it. From Baird to Phillips and Monson. to Rosenberg et al.
I quote
"in june 1976, as Rosenberg prepared to move from Ithica New york, to Blythe CA, he was forwarned, with tales of bleak landscapes, exterme heat, physical discomfort, and isolation. The only dissenting voice was that of Kenn Kaufman, ........Kenn spoke of an exciting ornithological frontier, and the potential for discovery.........When Rosenberg arrived in Blythe it was 118.
So the point behind this blog, is basicly to track the return of waders along the LCRV and other stuff. Sewage plant rotating ponds perfectly, discussion this PM with PERFECT sewage plant Operator Thomas, fish farm rotating front ponds, thanks Steve. Have to catch the water boss and get the irrigation schedule. ie fields to be flooded.
Well whatever. Got my computer pal coming in to help me work on building me a website for Blythe Pics. Cleaned out my side of the garage. Starting stealth procedure for installing ON30 railroad. Working on the OH they are storage shelves, sell right now.
regards Roger

pics,if it plays,prose anyways

3 pics then I am out. Oh well.You id the empid, not me. I do not want to be one of the I can I.D it even if I was not there crowd.

The stifled but sonorous Summer Drums of the Dol, are starting to pick up sound in the background. As we move into the Ebonic months of summer. Yes its "Jume-know dere aint no birds " and "July if you see one"
The steady whistling of the wind as the electric meter wheel burns out its custom diamond bearings,. And the best time to bird is between walking to your car, and turning back, as its too hot and it is still dark. So as a special treat I will keep a daily diary from the minute the "Children of the corn" leave friday 'till the Midwich Cuckoos arrive in August. I think you will find it fun and enlightening. The chances are where you live you do not carry gloves in July, the chances are you don't park with the wheel in direct sunlight . This will be fun. I will pull the weather from the weatherbug web site I have at school. Its a fancy weather monitor I will hook you up with over the internet, I will fix that this weekend. and you can track a summer in the Sonoran South Weast, for idle amusement.
So lets see what gets through if anything. Retrying June 9 roger

The school year is all but over, free time to type

Still fighting the down loading of pictures. Will try later. Anyway, definitive proof of nesting of the litle known "Blythe flat headed Catfish gob nesting sparrow "
A little known species (?) totally restricted to an area of about 3 square feet, there are though, several disjunct colonies within the valley. Which leads me to believe that they are closely related to Red Cockaded WoodPecker. Their nesting areas are now all totally under the control of man.
Where as in years of the river being managed, the chances of Flat head Catfish dying and drifting ashore, to sun dry with their mouths open heve declined rapidly.Their existence rests upon the desire for Hunter gatherer Blythians to display their virility by nailing gutted Catfish carcasses to telephone poles. As the young of the tribe are drawn to the cities by by illusions of air conditioning, the pursuit is dying out. And the joyous capture and release ceremony may never happen again. I have only seen it once.
It involves a boat full of bright red half naked men, "The consumers of the corn beverage" slowly heading into the dock. while still in mid stream, "He of the big fish" stands up and hoists a giant cat fish over his head, whilst uttering the sacred words "Check out the size of this Mother Fucker". This causes the "Vestal virgins of the "Isnt he manly" to burst into giggles, as their mates joyously return with food for the winter and their crimson offspring (sun induced)wave and wander in front of trucks. The climax of the celebration comes when "He of the big fish" steps back, onto a misplaced container of sacramental corn wine, loses his balance and completes the ritual by falling backwards into the river, and lovingly returning the cat fish to its habitat. This spreads joy through out the land. I still laugh 4 years later It is blowing quite strongly and overcast, the sun is crawling up. Regards Roger