GYRFALCON!!!

Gracie & I were out at the river on Sunday... while we were standing on one of the coulee humps, I hear a bird call. But not just any bird... it looked like a small hawk! But I KNOW it isn't a hawk - they've all flown to South American for the winter. Except for the Rough Legged Hawk, but this bird was NOT that!! Got a pretty good look at the bird's underside as he was hovering in our strong "breeze" - almost white with ALOT of speckles. Then he zoomed down thru the coulee canyon away from us. So of course, I scramble down the hill, and begin to follow him. Who wouldn't???!!! Next thing I know, he's back, hovering on the wind, then lands on a small tree sticking out of the hillside. And just sits there! Calling to me. Tipping it's head, checking Gracie and me out. I admit, I briefly wondered how hungry he was! Because he seemed so tame, and kept "chirping" at us, and let me climb up the rocky hill towards him, I even did something only I would do! I stood there, with my left arm out, chirping back at him. Hey, it might have been someone's hunting bird!!! LOL I had my old Canon Sure Shot, hopefully I got a couple of pics of him. Of course, my zoom camera had died the day before, need a new freakin' battery!!

When I got home, I immediately dug out my bird books. And it turns out the bird I saw was a GYRFALCON!! (said Juhr Falcon or ger falcon) Go to www.junglewalk.com - they have a great sample of the sound a gyrfalcon makes!
Notes:
Gyrfalcons have been highly regarded by falconers throughout falconry's history. During the Middle Ages when falconry was a common practice, no one but a king or prince was allowed to own and fly a gyrfalcon. Today this falcon still retains its high status in the world of falconry. In falconry, the male gyrfalcon is called a jerkin.

The Gyrfalcon is the largest true falcon in the world. Gyrfalcons have a variety of plumage colors that range from white to almost black.

Anyway, it was just waaaaaay too freakin' cool!!! :-)))))))))))))) That has left me grinning from ear to ear everytime I think about it!!

I tried to load some pics.... but I think the best thing you can do to see one is go to www.yahoo.ca, and do a search for "gyrfalcon pics". There are some pretty good ones there.

My puppy!

This is my Gracie. She was born February 04, we got her in June/04 when she was 4 months old. She's named Gracie, 'cause she certainly wasn't!! Graceful, that is. Has turned into a GREAT dog! A real kick-ass marshmallow. :-) If anyone has a Rotti, or is thinking of getting one.. and they growl when you pet them... they aren't growling, they are "grumbling". I always say that she is purring!

Thank goodness we have an off-leash area that we can go to so that she gets exercised. It's like taking your 2 legged kids to the playground, only it's our fur kids. Wonderful place for the dogs to run and play. I used to bring balls with me to throw for her. She sucks at the "retrieving" part of the game. Now I just pick up rocks and throw them, and she busts ass to run after them! Which she loves to do! Run, that is. She even chased a coyote up the coulee hill the one morning, I felt sorry for the poor coyote!! To her, it was just another dog that was running... whooeee!!!

I took her camping down to Waterton the middle of September. In the snow and rain and cold temps, in a tent. The marshmallow woke me up twice that night cause she was shivering and cold. Poor sucky baby! Ya, Rotti's are killers! She has NO idea that she is supposed to protect me; for her, she needs me to protect her! Go figure! But they have that reputation, which makes people hesitate, not such a bad thing. And who knows, if I'm ever in that kind of situation, she may just rip someone's throat out. Ya, right. LOL

TTFN
Owl

Meanderings

I'ts more than halfway thru January, my sorta/kinda resolution was to tightent the purse strings. Yep, I'm failing miserably. Well, I've cut back on the smoking. That's good. For my health and my wallet. I've cut back on the grocery shopping. No more dropping a hundred bucks a week, even missed my 15% Tuesday at Safeway. But that damn ebay... big sigh. Too easy when I'm sitting here at the pc at 5:30 in the morning, bored out of my gord, to surf. I need to refill my color printer cartridges, then I could do other stuff. Too cheap to pay for that, so instead I spend money on ebay. Does THAT make any sense? Sheesh! What I really need is a digital camera (is that what they are called? I'm so outta touch!) to take pics and sell my junk on ebay. Yep, that's gonna happen!

Got my MS Walk registration form today. I wasn't going to walk this year, take the year off. But that was when I was thinking that we'd be moving. Which I guess we aren't now.

I don't like bi-levels, always said I'd never buy one. Never say never. Ain't that the truth. Now I'm stuck in this house. Partly because I owe sooooooo much money! Damn, I need to be filthy stinking rich!! Keep buying those lottery tickets!! All I want is another "character" house. One with personality. Like my old house. Only better. another sigh. I guess we're going to the bank tomorrow to re-do the mortgage, pay out D's mom. At least this way, if she dies suddenly (she'll live to be 100), the family won't be fighting over the money that she invested into this house with D. That will be a relief. But I so want to get into "our" house. One that we picked out. That I know I'm going to live in for the rest of my life, that I can paint the kitchen cupboards blue and yellow, if I want. (Wouldn't tho, but you get the idea) Because I know that in a few years, this one will be sold (THANK GOD!), I have to keep it kinda "sellable". Shit. Shit. Shit. Oh well, that's what happens. Me and Murphy. We are like "this". ~crossing fingers~

So anyway, back to the MS Walk. Should I? It's always the last Saturday in April. That sucks. Working at YPM - the last Saturday of tax season. ~shudder~ Just looked at the calendar. Will Revenue Canada extend the deadline, because the 30th falls on a Sunday? So when will the tax party be? On the Monday nite? Maybe. Oh well, I'll worry about that later.

Anyway, enough rambling for now. Gonna waste some time on ebay. LOL
TTFN
CJ

Death....

My cousin just dealt with her husband's passing, but both services that were held for him sounded like they were a wonderful celebration of his life! We could all be so lucky to have family and friends left to remember us, to laugh and cry at our idiot moments of the past. Raising a glass to Ric - a glass of root beer!! Cheers Ric - a man I should have met, but didn't get a chance to!

In Sept 04 I had to deal with my father's passing - it still leaves me heart worn at times, even after the grieving of the 9 months of his illness, and the year and a bit since. There are times I swear he is with me. Like he's giving me a nudge to say "Hi Kiddo, I'm here!" I still miss him. Does a person EVER completely get over it? I think not. I'm lucky tho, had those 9 months to say "good-bye". To grieve. To laugh. To share memories and pictures. And he had a will, a will to live. To the end, he was still trying to figure out ways to get out of that chair. Still kidding with the nurses (my thanks go out to the hospice in Calgary - AMAZING and wonderful women there!) I love ya pop!

Haven't got a clue!

Well, here I am. In the dark. It's all my cousin's fault, she has one, so "duh", I thought I'd try one too. So here goes. Let's see how this works... This may be a short lived experiment! LOL But her's looks good!
TTFN
Owl