BRRR!

Its been rather chilly lately. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past week or so!

Tracks of 3 critters on my way to the barn!

Black-capped Chickadee

Pileated Woodpecker

Sunset

Chef Jennifer

I don't cook very often. Partly because my meals are provided by the center and partly because I am lazy.

Most of the center has this week off. I am holding down the fort in the barn and get the house to myself. YAY! I decided to actually cook (i.e. not microwave my dinner) tonight. I made some lemon-pepper chicken, broccoli, whole wheat pasta with cheese and a piece of garlic toast.

YUMMY!

I forgot how little time it actually took to make something like this. Lately, I have really been in the mood to bake as well - cookies, muffins, cupcakes. Unfortunately, the house I live in has some quirks; including a non-functional oven. Just one more thing to look forward to the next time I head home!

Turkey Day!

This year, was my first Thanksgiving away from my family. Sadly, I had to work yesterday and today. I did, however, get to spend the holiday with a friend and her family down in the cities. On my way down, I stopped at Starbucks and got my first peppermint white mocha of the season. SUPER DELICIOUS! All in all, a very relaxing break from my busy week in the barn!

The World Is Blue

I had high hopes for this book since I have such a love for the water and the creatures residing in it.  Sylvia Earle is a very accomplished scientist - she has served on numerous committees and has even been the chief scientist for NOAA. That being said, I was a little let down by this book. Earle shares her experiences with readers as she talks about the changes in the ocean during her lifetime. Her stories make me want to explore the oceans myself. But the book as whole, offered little new information to me. Perhaps its because I have read a lot on the oceans perils recently. Don't get me wrong. Its a good book, if you want an introduction to marine conservation.

I walk away from this book still frustrated by the global policies pertaining to the ocean. The oceans account for 3/4 of the planets surface area and today less than 1% of the ocean is protected. Much of the blue world is still unexplored. This large body of water has long been viewed as being beyond human influence. Like it or not, our influence can now be seen everywhere. If we don't change the way we treat our resources, there will come a time soon that they are no longer available.

Okay, I will now get off my soap box. For now.

Here and There

Another busy week. It started with a long weekend and a trip to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. Then, it got hectic when I was liaison for the school group on site. At one point I was talked into judging a "30 seconds of Fame" talent show. Jess and I took the opportunity to use the costume bins.

The center also had a juvenile bald eagle in for rehab. We had received several phone calls about an injured bald eagle in the area. Since it was local, we actually went out and rescued it. Based on its lack of physical injuries and people seeing it feeding on a gut pile, we suspect lead poisoning. A small amount of lead is enough to start having negative impacts on the birds nervous system. Unfortunately, we see a spike of birds in with possible lead poisoning each year in November and December, when hunting season gets underway. If you are interested in more information you can go toThe Raptor Center.

I rounded out the week by going to the new Harry Potter movie. Its good but frustrating and very dark. Now I only have to wait to next summer to see how they are going to play out the remainder of the final book.

First Snow

On Saturday, we had our first snowfall of the year! It was the really heavy stuff and it quickly stuck to pretty much everything - here are a few pictures!

mice

Mice. I hate them. 

Yes, as a naturalist I realize that they are an important part of the ecosystem. They are the prey for the animals I love. But do they really need to sit in my ice cream bowl and wake me up at 3:30 AM? I haven’t slept through the night for over a week now thanks to these little guys running around in my walls. 

The good news is operation mouse massacre has begun.