Memorial Day

Mt. Rainier, University Place, WA 2008

Salamander Pics

Here are some pictures from last week of the salamander tadpoles/larvae. There were around 18 of them in the "tank" at school. Over the week I decided to take home several of them. I also went back to the pond where I got the eggs and went net "fishing" for some invertebrates for salamander food. The pond was dry and I couldn't get to the edge of the swamp so I had to lean into a cistern and carefully try not to fall in. Anyway, I ended up with many, many brine shrimp and the sallies love them. At first it was sort of like watching puppies run, the salamanders had no idea how to hunt. They would see the movement of the brine shrimp and then dash to it and miss it by an inch. Now they are very good at hunting, the have learned that they have to wait for a shrimp to swim past them and then, snap, they eat it. Very funny! I am still not sure what type these guys are but time will tell.



Note: click on the pictures for a larger view

Tadpoles?

So, I have learned that one can never assume . . .

Here are the photos of the frog eggs and tadpole from last year.

And here are the eggs and tadpoles from this year.

Can you spot the difference? From the same pond, same time frame and somehow I ended up the a tank full of salamanders! SALAMANDERS!!!!!!

The chicks hatched on May 15, 2008

There were 7 eggs laid and as of this photo, 6 chicks hatched and one egg did no. Since this photo, one of the chicks has died and it was removed from the nest by one of the parents. They have survived the heat wave and they are quite comfy now that it is raining again.

Waiting for chicks

Lady in waiting . . .

Black-Capped Grosbeak

I am amazed by the birds that I keep seeing on my deck. Saturday there was a black-capped Grosbeak at my sunflower feeder. He flew away before I could get the camera. However, when he came back I was ready-unfortunately the screen door was in the way of a really good shot . . .

Front View


Back View


Side View

Focus

I was reading Angie's blog tonight http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/ and decided I needed to be at least 1/4 as open and honest about my thoughts, as she has been about hers . . . only, I'm not sure were to start . . . how about this . . . started my Masters program on Monday . . . still working on my professional certification class . . . currently teaching school 5 days a week . . . raising 10+ tadpoles . . . and 7 chickadees. . . a sister living in an apparent earthquake hotspot . . . and what seems to be a sudden multitude of new born babies, when I would like just one!

I know that God knows the desires of my heart, after all, He placed them there, right? So, how do I get the desires of what I think I want and or separate the desires of what I think the world thinks I should want.

Do I really want to be married? Yes, but how do people go about finding the right person? Prayer would be a good place to start, after all eharmony is just not working out . . . do I really want a baby, you bet. However I need the husband for that and well we just covered the problem there. So, I have to take what I am given and make sure it fits to my life or fit my life to what I want or fit what I have to include what I want or refocus what I want until I finish what I have been given?

I walked or ran into teaching first because I was tired of being a professional nanny, secondly because I knew it was what God wanted me to do. I was hired at a wonderful school and I still love getting up in the morning. So, I found my profession later in life than most people, perhaps I am just 10 years behind on the marriage and baby end as well. Only problem, my brain does not stop being fertile with age, were as the female body does eventually quit being fertile with age.

So, if I am going to start with prayer then I should pray for . . . belief that God will see and bring to pass the desires of my heart . . . my desires to match with Gods desires . . . body fertility that matches mental fertility. . . my husband, or rather the hope that God has one in mind . . .