Birds and Honey

You can't eat money

2011-09-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

“Only when the last tree has died, and the last river has been poisoned, and the last fish has been caught, will we realize that we cannot eat money.” –Native American proverb

We are in the midst of downsizing, getting ready to retire and travel. I am selling my birds, the lofts and large items that won't fit in a motorhome.

I have had some pretty strange people contact me, like the guy who offered me $100 for everything to do with the pigeons. When I told him to come out and see the birds, the loft and the equipment; then make me a reasonable offer, he was offended.

His response:

"Im sorry to bother you, I thought that was a fair price to offer. I could buy New materials for 80 dollars and put it together myself in a few hours. I just thought you were trying to get rid of it so I thought I would check......."

I don't know about you, but to build an 8x8 loft with two sections, including nest boxes and perches costs me about $800...if this guy can build them for $80...he should be doing that for a living.

Okay, so we want to downsize and selling some of our items on craigslist or KSL.com seemed like a good way to get them out there...but I wasn't ready for the crazies to come out...lol

And the 9 foot church pew, and the military 10 man tent sold within minutes...anyone need a 35 mm camera???

'I think I could turn and live with the animals, they are so placid and self contained; I stand and look at them long and long. They do not sweat and whine about their condition; They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins; They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God; Not one is dissatisfied-not one is demented with the mania of owning things; Not one kneels to another, nor his kind that lived thousands of years ago; Not one is responsible or industrious over the whole earth.'-Walt Whitman

Amazon...does anyone understand it?

2011-08-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

My wife, the beautiful author, Natalie R Collins, has 5 books (actually 8 but the others are under another name) available on Kindle, through Amazon.com. I have been tracking them daily for over a month now. The results are a little difficult to understand.
From what I have been able to discover through research, there are over 1,000,000 titles available on Kindle through Amazon. Today, all five of Natalie's books are ranked below 100,000 paid in Kindle: that's 5 books in the top 10%...isn't it???
Now the part I don't understand...yesterday is a prime example. At 6:00 pm last evening, "Behind Closed Doors" was ranked 102,089 in paid kindle sales...at 11:30 last night, it had jumped to 51,729 in paid kindle sales...from the numbers, it would seem she sold a bunch of copies during that period...reality seems to say it was only 2 or 3 copies. At least, that is what the royalty numbers seem to indicate.
So, can anyone out there shed some light on this subject? How does Amazon ranking work???

And what does it mean when "Sister Wife" has been ranked as high as #10 in "Books>Religion & Spirituality>Christianity>Mormonism" ???

Moving Forward, or life evolves

2011-08-30T02:04:00.000-07:00

I really can't complain about my life, there are others that have it worse, much worse. I have had my trials over the last 5 and half years since my accident. But the past year and a half has more than made up for it. My beautiful wife has made such a difference in my life. Helping her through her periods of illness and having a teenager back in the house have been "character" building for me...they have also brought me great joy.
For a year now, I have been on disability retirement, next month we will lose a third of my income. While Natalie's books have grown in popularity and sales they will not replace the income we have lost.
We are moving ahead, it is a scary time...we will be putting the house on the market very soon. In this bad economy, and the fall in the housing market, we will be lucky to get out and break even after living here for over 6 years. But a bright future awaits us.

The dancing daughter is ready to graduate high school and move out on her own...within the parameters set by her mother...and hopefully assisted by her father. The whole applying for colleges and looking for scholarships is taking up a large part of our time. She has recently thrown a small wrench in the works, wanting to run off to Hollywood and become an actress as soon as she graduates...we are working on getting her a little experience in that field, hoping that she will understand that it isn't as easy as she thinks, or everyone would do it.
My own children, and grandchildren are doing well...all out on their own and developing in to productive parts of society...I'm proud of them all!!
Our other daughter, has become much more mature, and is having conversations with her mother again. Including me in her family and accepting my children as her sisters and brother.

For me and Natalie, the next question is where do we want to go together? She has never lived outside of the "Zion Curtain", oh she has traveled, but vacations are not the same as living somewhere. We are making a list, "The Top 10 Places We Want to Retire to"...we are thinking that over the next 5 years or so, we will travel and live for 6 months in each of them, to get a feel for where we want to settle. Suggestions are welcome.

Natalie wants a beach and somewhere warm...but she will settle for somewhere that doesn't get snow, within a half day's drive of the beach.

I have lived all over, I have my ideal places, ones that include being near the wilderness, somewhere rural, but close enough to a "City" to have the conveniences and luxury we both enjoy.

For the next few years, having pigeons will not be an option...hard enough trying to travel with a Great Dane.

Wine will become something we buy and not make (well, maybe a gallon on the kitchen cupboard).
Wish us luck, give us suggestions on retirement areas we should check out, and continue to follow our adventures on our blogs...and read Natalie's books...suggest them to friends...buy them and give them as gifts.

Wine: The blackberry mead...didn't make it...I'll try again one day. The Backyard Blonde is fantastic...and if you run into us, we might even share a glass. I got a start off the old vine in the backyard, so that will be going on with us...where ever we end up.

Birds: I am down to the last of the birds, still waiting to have the old racing loft hauled away by it's new owner. I gave a pair of my best birds to my sister...so I'll have the family when I want to get back into the birds. And my partner Eric Ellis has taken a couple of my breeder pairs to preserve the family I created.

BBQ Recipe

2011-08-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

So my wife and daughter are doing a special diet, no processed foods. Today, I am making Country Style BBQ Pork Ribs. The homemade sauce turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

1 Cup Wine (using Backyard Blonde)
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 onion diced
2 Tablespoons powered mustard
4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (using Honey Ginger)
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika

After mixing ingredients in the slow cooker and bringing to a slow simmer, add boneless pork ribs/chicken or lamb. Cook until tender.
Let me know how it turns out for you and any variations you come up with.

End of Summer

2011-08-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

The dancing daughter and our grandchildren have gone back to school, the Young Bird race season has started...all signs that summer is at an end. It has been a hectic summer, I still have wine that needs to be bottled, the peaches are coming on and soon the grapes will be ready to juice. Politics that I try to stay away from are gearing up...especially the local primary elections. My 75 year old father has thrown his hat in the ring to run for the City Counsel. So if you have friends or family living in Kaysville, Utah...he would appreciate their vote.

Disclaimer: My views are not always those of my father's and his are not always mine, but he does stand for the type of change in local government that I can stand behind and support.

Sentencing for a Hero

2011-07-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

Tim DeChristopher was sentenced to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine today.
His statement to the judge prior to sentencing shows exactly why he is a hero in my book.
It's a long read, but worth it.

Can't wait to see you when you get out Tim.

Celebrating a year

2011-07-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day, it is my 1st Anniversary of being married to Natalie R Collins. For me, it was amazing to find love so late in my life...to tell the truth I didn't believe I would live this long.

For our close friends and family (blood as well as the adopted ones) thank you for your support.
Two major surgeries during the last year for Natalie have at times put a strain on our relationship. The continued battle over the discrimination that forced me to accept a disability retirement has not helped.
It is never easy for middle-aged people to start a new lifetime relationship...we are set in our ways, have the baggage of our lives dragging behind us...and these quirks tend to show themselves at the worst possible moment.
It hasn't been easy for either of us, but this first year has been wonderful in so many ways, that the little day to day difficulties of a relationship are eclipsed by the love we share.

Thanks for putting up with me, Natalie. I love you today more than I did when I asked you to spend the rest of your life with me.
Thanks for all the support!

New study on how pigeons navigate and who is who in the flock

2011-02-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

A very interesting study to understand more about pigeons.
Thanks Dennis for sending this along.
Take a moment and read the results.

Saving the Grand Canyon

2011-02-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

"Sandbars and beaches have dwindled since the government finished Glen Canyon Dam in 1963."

Another issue about the damn dam...we are loosing native fish populations and habitat in the Grand Canyon. Without the natural flow of the river and the spring flooding, the sandbars are missing, and the debris remains.

"Experimental floods from Glen Canyon Dam have proved effective at rebuilding environmentally critical Grand Canyon sandbars when timed properly, but could kill endangered fish when they’re not, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report."

The last of three experimental flood occurred in 2008, the report suggests that timing is critical to the survival of endangered native fish species. The report suggests that the best time to flood "The Canyon" may be fall, since Paria Canyon which is the primary source of sand accumulates this sand during autumn monsoons.

"What is so frustrating is they can fix this, but they won't," said John Weisheit, conservation director for the Moab, Utah-based conservation group Living Rivers. "Glen Canyon Dam is a cash-register dam, and they want it to make money. They're going to have to make a choice. The Grand Canyon or some kilowatt hours?"

The hydroelectric power generated by the damn dam now affects six states, and despite the known effect on the environment, the filling behind the damn dam of sediment, restriction of the flowing river that helped create the Grand Canyon and the beauty that was destroyed when the damn dam was built...there are still those who see this as only a money/energy issue.
But, there is hope...

"I’m hearing the USGS saying we should test that," Ostler said, "which means we’re kind of running a test on endangered fish."
Grand Canyon National Park officials hope for more flushes, assuming river managers also control trout.
"It’s our feeling," said acting Park Superintendent Jane Lyder, "that if we can have a high flow whenever there’s a sedimentation trigger, then we will be much better off than we have been in the last 15 years."

Money/Energy drives this country, its minimalistic view of wilderness and the environment has caused more than one division between friends and relatives. Another example of this is the issue of off-road and ATV use in the red rock area.
Just last month, $35,000 in fines were levied against two men responsible for "creating" an ATV trail to some of my favorite ruins. Now the government is considering making it a legitimate "trail".

“Why on earth would BLM legitimize what was a criminal act to begin with?” asked Rose Chilcoat, associate director of the Great Old Broads. “It’s a little like giving the bank robbers the money they stole from the bank.”

I have friends on both sides of the issue, but the real issue for me, is what will be left for my children and grandchildren to enjoy in the same fashion I have? Once the road is there, once the tracks cut into the cryptobiotic soil (or whatever we are calling it these days) the area is changed forever. In areas, you can still see the wagon tracks that are over a century old.

I for one would like to find an answer, one that would appease everyone, but I don't think you can when there is a group that figures it is there inalienable right to drive where ever they want to go...after all, they spends tens of thousands of even hundred of thousands creating their off-road monster machines, just for this pursuit.
I would love to hear proposals to the question...how do we please both sides? Is there a middle ground?

Birds: With Old Bird season just around the corner, I am watching for the day when the starlings quit flocking, in my neck of the woods, this is the indicator that the migratory hawks and falcons have past through, and I can start flying the birds again.

Honey: Time to rack the wine again, I will have to add pictures again soon, the color of the Mead is a beautiful mahogany, can't wait until it clears and reveals the final color it will take on.

I'm back...watch out world.

2011-02-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

I know some of you groaned when you read it.

I think I heard at least one small cheer way in the back there.

It has been a hectic and depressing month for me. Deaths, fatal illnesses and being forced to go back into my darkest days, have all left me feeling out of sorts and questioning the future. I took a little time, and did some inner-reflection and soul searching. It took a while, but I realized that the forces that would hold me down and force me to be less than I am or have the potential to be are all things that are truly insignificant in the long run.

I will never understand suicide...I don't think we are supposed to understand it, just do all we can to prevent it, help where needed and make sure that we tell those around us how much they mean to us. In the past month, I have had two friends attempt this unthinkable act, one was successful. I am certain that he would never have done it if he could have seen what the outcome would be. This friend was always the joker, the one with all the one liners and he never left the room without leaving you with a smile or a groan at his joke. He had a lot of pressures in his life, and attempted to relieve it with humor. There are wonderful things being said about him now that he is gone, and there are some who don't understand that the very things creating stress and issues in his life are the things that will haunt us all. He was so opposed to controversy, avoiding conflict with family and friends forced him to hide behind the humor. These are the same issues that brought my other friend to attempt the same type of act. She too had the pressure of a family that did not understand her or her wishes, but that wanted her to be what they thought she should be, not what she is. Religious and Societal norms make people pretend to be someone they are not, to try and do things that they themselves oppose. Somewhere, somehow, we need to quit being so quick to judge and just accept people for who they are, even if we don't agree with what they are or the choices they make.
During the past month, I have had to confront death in other ways too, not death now, here, today, but the mortality of those that I love and care about. Maybe it was that last birthday, and reaching the half century mark, but it seems the people around me are sick...not sick in the way the kids these days use the word, but sick as in dieing. Most of this, I feel is from environmental issues, where they have been and things they have done that have shortened their lives. For these friends, it wasn't always avoidable, these environmental issues may have been from childhood and choices that their parents or grandparents made. Ultimately, the blame will fall back on society, government or corporations that know what they are doing is harmful, but who find the cost acceptable, considering the profit of the moment.

Other controversy over environmental issues has risen in the past month. The use of wild areas and their designation have created undesired and unwanted gaps in friendships. The "Elitist" attitude of using it now and not worrying about the future is alarming to me. The idea that we should do it because we can, or that if I don't do it someone else might beat me to it are concepts that I don't adhere to. Wilderness, places where machines are not allowed to go make sense to me on many levels. Biggest and foremost is the concept of wilderness for wildlife. Large carnivorous predators need space, they need hunting ground, they need tracts of undisturbed land to breed, raise their young and train them to be apex predators. We as humans need wilderness, we need a place where more than our imagination or random thoughts can escape to. We need the ability to explore, to feel that we are the first of our kind to have been there...or at least to have been there in a very long time.

The abuse of power and authority by a chosen few have set me upon this current "rant", the desire to have a world that is non-judgmental with clear lines of moral and ethical consideration for others. Again, there is the "Elitist" idea of doing it because I want to and I can come into play. My philosophy of the circle of life does not allow me to approach things in such a manner. My darkest hours are not the hours spent in combat, or detailed by the military to perform tasks and functions for which I saw a need. No, my darkest hours came from being punished and psychologically abused for doing those things that the law provides for me. For following the directions of medical doctors and for demanding my rights. I was forced to re-live every moment of the 11 months I endured this treatment, in testifying to that abuse. I can only hope that others will realize that they would not want to be in the same position, that for someone to abuse their authority and power in such a manner is morally and ethically wrong.

Birds: 5 babies have been banded, I lost one the day after it hatched, and have had several eggs that never made it to the stage of hatching. I am working towards another season of young bird racing this fall, it may be my last if I pull up stakes and move to a warmer climate.

Honey: The next batch of mead is in the carboy, five gallons of splendor spiced with the juice of blackberries. I'm still hopeful that the bees will recover, from disease, or from the hand of man.

Happy New Year--do something green

2011-01-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all the folks kind enough to take a gander at my blog...even if you are here just snooping into my life and what is in my future.

If your city has legalized beekeeping like the 5 boroughs of New York, let them know over at The BeeKeeper blog. This is a positive aspect from 2010.

Smith Electric Vehicles is British no more...the majority of ownership has come to America. This is great green news. This is a 90-year-old British company that produces Britain's "milk floats," the primary delivery system for dairy products in the UK. Here in the US, things are headed towards using these non-fossil fuel vehicles with orders for the vehicles being placed by some heavyweight US companies.

The company has developed a special niche – medium-duty electric box trucks – and it has orders for more than 200, including 176 for Frito-Lay and 41 for Staples. Other launch partners include Coca-Cola, AT&T and PG&E. They've all bought trucks, too, but CEO Bryan Hansel won't say how many.

2011 for us looks like a bright new beginning. My lovely wife is feeling much better and improving daily. New developments in her writing and books are soon to be announced. The Ties That Bind should reach publication this year, with any luck. She has also got her graphic arts website up and is working on book and Website trailers.

I am currently uncovering historical relics in our attic as I make some needed home improvements.

The best discovery so far, is a copy of the "Juvenile Instructor" dated December 1, 1891. Check out N-D girl's blog for more info.

This was the first illustrated children's magazine published west of the Mississippi.

Hoping for more as I clean out a section of the attic that seems to have been shut off since 1944. I plan to seal and re-insulate this section, with the possibility of extending an existing room here as a writing studio for my wife.

Birds: Eggs in 7 nests right now, so I should start having babies any day. Still need to order bands for the old German owls and go pick up racing club bands from the club secretary. I am really excited about the old German owls, since I raised no babies from this breed last year. I have a pair of yellow lace that I am hoping will produce well, and a dun hen with the strawberry red cock to the right that should make some exciting genetic variables.

On another note, I had something occur this morning that I have never experienced before. I have a feather-footed Van Loon hen that I got from my friend Don White; he claims the trait comes from the famous 083 hen; Ken Christopher claims the feather-footed ones make the best breeders. I have been concerned the last couple of days that she may have become egg-bound as she had not laid after two weeks of being paired up. This morning, there were two eggs in the pen. Sadly, one had fallen out of the nest bowl and frozen, but she is sitting on the other. If anyone has had such an experience, share it with me, please.

Honey: If you are involved in beekeeping, make sure you follow the link above and share what your city is doing about legalizing beekeeping. And if you have a special honey, let me know...I would like to get some exotic honey to make into mead. Maybe cactus honey or orange blossom honey.

Do the laws stop criminals?

2010-12-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

A year and a half after the infamous raids in Blanding, are the artifact laws reducing theft? In a great article that covers a wider view of the facts than most, The Salt Lake Tribune takes a look at Blanding and the artifact trade 18 months after BLM agents descended on the town and arrested many of the upstanding citizens. Decide for yourself, and leave a comment to let others know what your view is on this. Although I do my best to leave things as I find them, I will admit to having stuck an arrowhead in my pocket while hiking, and once while fishing on the banks of the Tennessee River. Does that make me a federal felon?

“It’s like drug laws,” Spangler said ( Jerry Spangler is executive director of the Colorado Plateau Archaeological Alliance). “The minimum mandatory [drug sentences] are on the books, but it sure hasn’t stopped people from selling drugs.”

Check out the view of my European friends on "Pigeons as Pets"--a blog that always has something I find of interest...and I tend to be able answer some of the questions they put out to the public with my knowledge of 30 years around pigeons. The subject today was an interesting one on pigeon's feet and the feet of other birds. BTW, did you know pigeons and doves are the only birds that can drink with their head down?

Birds: I'm excited for the few eggs I have in the nest to hatch...experimental pairings that should be great racers...but, who can tell. My friend and fellow flyer, Tom Barnhart, in Ohio, is dealing with freezing high temperatures, reminding me why I added a heater (40 degrees) to my breeder loft. Of course, my breeder loft has no free flying birds, only individual breeding pens. I'll post pictures as soon as I have baby birds in the nest.

Honey: My favorite mead drinker broke her ankle over the holidays...official story is she was attacked by a Himalayan Yeti who heard I would pay out in mead as a ransom. Wishing a speedy recovery to her. I have the must in the bucket for the next batch, I added a quart of Blackberry concentrate from the backyard to this one.

And a very Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

Unbelievably, I may have gotten a Christmas gift I have been asking for, for years.

Yesterday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar changed a policy from the Bush era that would allow the protection of "wild areas" without congressional status! That's 245 million acres of public land they now have the authority to temporarily protect: Particularly the pristine areas of the West. The "Bush policy" came from an out-of-court settlement.

"Salazar's directive casts aside a Bush policy that was adopted after an out-of-court settlement between then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton and the state of Utah. Under that agreement, the bureau lost its ability to manage pristine areas in order to preserve their wilderness qualities, pending congressional action. The move potentially opened the lands to energy development and mining."

Since 2003, the department has had to exclude wilderness as a criterion it was able to apply in managing federal lands for the public benefit. Now, once again, wilderness has been given value over development!

"The agency’s mission is guarding the public’s interest, but the view on what that constitutes has varied. From 1976 to 2003, the bureau looked at factors like the effects of oil and gas exploration and off-road vehicle use, timber felling, wildlife conservation and wilderness protection."

Merry Christmas to one and all!!! Today, Christmas Eve, marks the 20th anniversary of my departure to take part in the Gulf War. Please take a moment and think positive thoughts, send prayers, and remember our servicemen overseas and away from their loved ones this Christmas.

Birds: Eggs in the nest, should have babies by the new year!

Honey: Shared some of my wine with friends for Christmas...so far, have found one that was "corked" or contaminated in the bottling process...another learning experience about homemade wine.

Wine by the Gallon

2010-12-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me for my Backyard Blonde recipe after sampling it.

I thought I would share a good recipe for those that want to try making their first batch of wine. I would strongly suggest that if you don't have a mentor, you at least read a good book on winemaking. With the concentrates and products at your local winemaking supplier, you don't even have to get your feet dirty...unless you want to.

Before you run down to the supply store, read the book: you will save money by not buying what you don't need, and you won't appear to be totally clueless.

Some simple rules to remember before we get you started:

1. Keep things clean...the slightest contamination can ruin your wine.

2. Keep your fermenting wine in a place that it won't be jarred or disturbed...a warmer part of the house is best to keep the yeast doing it's thing.

3. You may have some run-over, so place your carboy on newspaper or old towels.

Remember, this is only a gallon, and it is going to take six months to mature. Don't promise ALL of your friends a bottle. You will probably only get four wine bottles in the end.

a one gallon carboy

For this starter recipe, you will need some basic equipment:

1 gallon glass (or food grade plastic) jug (a carboy)

1 air lock and rubber stopper that fits your jug (you can get by on this first one with a piece of cling wrap and a rubber band...but, you have to check it morning and night and release the CO2)

A funnel to transfer from the pan to the jug.

Something to stir your must...make sure it fits in the mouth of the carboy.

You need a lot of patience as it takes six months of time to let it age properly. You will be totally frustrated and turned off by homemade wine if you don't.

You will need to pick up a racking tube while you are at the supply store, too.

Ingredients:

1 quart grape concentrate (your own or store bought 12 oz frozen. I wouldn't suggest concord)

4 1/2 cups sugar

3 T lemon juice

6 oz frozen apple juice (make sure it is real juice)

3/4 gallon of water (boiled or distilled)

The other ingredients, you will have to get from a wine making supplier:

1 tsp pectic enzyme

1 tsp yeast nutrient

1 tsp tannin (you need this since you didn't use whole grapes)
3 crushed campden tablets (add after cooling)
1 packet wine yeast (I have my favorite, Red Star Pasteur Champagne, *don't add until 24 hours after mixing ingredients or you will kill the yeast*)

Add the sugar to one quart of water and bring to a boil. This allows saturation of the sugar, creating a syrup. Allow to cool and transfer to gallon jug. Add all other ingredients, saving the remaining water to top off up to the neck of the jug. Seal with an air-lock or cling wrap and a rubber band. This mixture is your "must" and is the basis for your wine. If you have a hydrometer, take a reading (you really don't need one this time around).

After your must has set for 24 hours, add the packet of yeast...you shouldn't see an immediate reaction, but watch it carefully over the next 12-24 hours if you are using the plastic and rubber band. Soon this will start to foam and you will know that your yeast is active. Stir the must daily for the first week. This is when you have the greatest threat of run-over.

One week after you have started your wine, it will be time for the first racking. This is accomplished by placing the racking tube all the way to the bottom of your carboy and creating a syphon to move the must to a different container, leaving the sediment in the bottom 1/4 inch. If you don't have a second carboy, you can temporarily put it in a gallon glass jar or in a bucket, then clean your carboy and transfer it back to the clean carboy. Top off with water up to the neck.

Rack your wine weekly for the first month, and then monthly until the final product at six months. We will talk about bottling and corking as the time gets closer.

Taste your wine (just enough to put on your tongue) to learn the stages of fermentation.

I hope this was some help for those that want to try this fascinating hobby.

Birds: Eggs are in the nest, 18 days from the time the second one is laid, you will have pipping on the eggs and squabs in the nest. At this time, you need to have your permanent club bands ready, because the babies have to be banded at 7-10 days.

Honey: Started two batches of wine this week, I will try and keep you updated with what I am doing to my wine and mead, so you can follow along with this new recipe.

Climate Change...of course not.

2010-12-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

I ran across a great article today. It was the first time I had heard mention of a grolar bear...the hybrid cross of a grizzly bear and a polar bear. They have done it in zoos, but in the wild? The first one seen in the wild was taken by hunters in 2006. Prior to this confirmation of a grolar bear in the wild, it was thought there were only 17 existing in zoos. This could be a concern on many fronts, but for those that don't think there is climate change going on, and that science doesn't know what it is talking about...no worries. For those of us that believe climate change is real...this is one to think about. A bear larger than a grizzly, without the morality or good taste shown by most griz in not eating humans is a frightening thought. Polar bears are known to hunt and eat humans given the opportunity...in their world, any protein is edible. With an expectation that there will be no summer ice flow in the Artic Sea by 2060, polar bears and grizzly bears will be sharing the same habitat, and the possibility and even probability of more of these grolar bears becomes more real.

About time the grizzly found a way to even up the score. With increasing numbers of grizzlies in the lower 48, there is talk of them being removed from the Endangered Species Act. At least 45 grizzlies have been reported killed so far this year, mostly by hunters in self-defence or government wildlife officials. But wildlife officials estimate the true number is above 60. Two people have been fatally mauled, one in Montana and one in Wyoming.

The US National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Juneau, Alaska, found 34 possible hybridizations between discreet populations or species of large mammals living in or near to the Arctic. Loss of polar ice could become perilous for many of these populations.

In a previous blog, I had mentioned the decline of the honeybee in North America. The theories that have popped up to explain why the North American honey bee population has fallen off have included: electromagnetic radiation, malnutrition, and climate change. Now, these have all been pinpointed. A new article I read shows that the EPA allowed bee-toxic pesticides be used, while subsidizing honey on the agricultural market. Is this really a case of the government comitting genocide on honey bees while paying beekeepers for their honey...or just a "mistake" on the EPAs side?

"Clothianidin has already been banned by Germany, France, Italy, and Slovenia for its toxic effects. So why won't the EPA follow? The answer probably has something to do with the American affinity for corn products. But without honey bees, our entire food supply is in trouble."

Birds: This past week, I have sold several of my late hatches and have eggs in a couple of nests. Pictures will be coming soon.

Honey: Mixing the next batch of Mead...but a little discouraged about more in the future with the EPA's stance.

Day of the Tortoise

2010-12-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

Must have been meant to be: I had two tortoise issues yesterday. I have a nephew with a pet tortoise that developed a respiratory infection, and the issue of desert tortoises and solar energy fields in California came back up.

A few years ago, I was dating a woman that is the lead logistician for one of the solar fields, and got involved in the issue of desert tortoise habitat vs. solar energy.

I was reminded of this because a friend "liked" a Facebook page on the Desert Tortoise, and saving it. After I read the page I concluded they are more interested in saving the habitat and keeping it pristine.

When I looked at this several years ago, I drew my own conclusions and what I found and decided upon may cloud certain people's view of me when it comes to my environment stance (you know who you are).

After looking at all the information that was available at the time, I came to the personal conclusion that the solar fields are a great way of protecting the desert tortoise, with just a few precautions.... Those seem to have been put in place according to recent readings. The habitat for the tortoise is destined to be developed. It is the nature of man--change and adapt the environment to suit his needs regardless of the current inhabitants or eco-system. If caution is taken in the construction and development of these solar fields, the tortoise will go almost completely unmolested for many years. The cost of the equipment used in the solar fields is so great and it is so vunerable to vandals, that high fences are put up and guards are constantly on duty. Other than a few semi-annual inspections and necassary repairs, there is almost no contact with humans in the perimeter of the field. In other words, this is the perfect place for a desert tortoise to repopulate and a great chance to use a renewable energy resource.

The staunch environmentalists cannot have it both ways. We have to develop alternative energy to escape the hold of fossil fuels...we will have to make compromise in that development. Solar fields being developed under the watchful eye of tortoise biologists, and staffed with further research biologists once operational, appears to me to be a very good example of compromise.

Birds: I have put the first six pair of birds together this weekend. They are primarily my white birds that will be used for wedding and funeral releases. I am starting with breeding into some of my solid racing families with the hope of developing a race-winning family of whites...this may take a few years to accomplish, but allows me to keep a few extra pair to work with in this genetic experiment.

Honey: My wife has developed the label for my Backyard Blonde. Any input??

Marriage...and there are those still fighting to stop it.

2010-11-29T10:44:00.000-08:00

A friend brought my attention to an interesting editorial article this morning, about the end of marriage. The direction this article takes is that the ones who need marriage are kids. The article is in rebuttal to Time magazine's statement that marriage is on the verge of extinction. The article is well-written and explores the issue of unwed mothers in depth. The article does not touch upon several points directly, but alludes to them.

Is welfare a cause of this epidemic?
Are minorities at a greater risk for being unwed parents?

What about those who are fighting to get married? The article speaks only to the traditional idea of marriage, of a man and a woman, not those that are fighting to be able to marry their same-sex partner. This issue for me comes close to home because of the activities of the predominant religion in this area and its financial support and condemnation of same sex-marriage and gays in the recent past. I have already posted a blog on that topic.

This is not just an issue in this country. If you are in Kenya, the Prime Minister thinks you should be arrested for same-sex attraction. His spokesperson was quick to say that his speech was at a rally and it was taken out of context. The spokesperson said that he was only referring to the nation's constitution that forbids same-sex marriage.

I think when we read between the lines of these articles, it would seem that the issue reverts back to marriage not being a state-sanctioned contract so much as a religious ideal. That once again there is a shift in the beliefs concerning organized religion worldwide.

And just a reminder, be careful what you post on facebook...some have a hard time determining what is personal and what is acceptable behavior. There should be contractual separation of work and private life.

Birds: It's that time! If you want to have babies ready to band on the first of the year, you need to have your pairs together now. As previously mentioned, if you haven't taken the time to prep your breeders with 4 in 1 or 5 in 1 solutions...wait and take the time. Your young birds will come out the better for it, and your fertility rates will be up. Also consider a teaspoon of iodine per gallon of water to increase fertility in your older birds. Calcium is a key factor in making your hens produce good eggs, so increase the amount of grit with oyster shell this month.

Honey: We had a delightful night of wine drinking the other night--a bottle of mead, a late harvest reisling and of course a dip into the private stock of Backyard Blonde. Even my oldest daughter enjoyed the homemade wine.

Water Settlement

2010-11-19T13:33:00.000-08:00

We are back from Hawaii, and trying to catch up. Having caught this article, I had to at least make mention of it before getting back to work. Water rights in the west have led to more than one homicide, and a lot of bad blood. I will be keeping an eye on this one, since it may have far-reaching effects on those down-river.

Yesterday, Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. signed off on a water agreement that has been some time in making for the Navajo Nation. Shirley is confident in his negotiators and feels the best deal possible has been reached. The agreement provides 31,000 acre-feet of water a year from the basin, any unclaimed flows from the Little Colorado River, and nearly unlimited access to two aquifers beneath the reservation.

Birds: The DeKlak birds that I donated to the Ogden Racing Pigeon Club brought $1,000 to the club, hopefully making it possible to attract new fliers with lower shipping costs for next year's races.

Honey: We tried a locally vinted mead while in Hawaii that was brewed with black tea. Although too dry for my taste, I am sure it would be a hit with my red-wine drinking friends.

Becoming concerned...

2010-11-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

The other day, I had some concerns, because someone made a statement that they are not my "stalker," but they agreed with most of what my "stalker" wrote. I added a tracking device gadget, just so I could see where these comments were coming from. Now I am becoming a bit concerned. I know my blog has become more and more popular without a real reason, the counter that comes with blogspot has me getting 50-60 hits daily...even when I don't add a new blog. I was warned that the tracker might hurt my self-esteem...well, it didn't...actually, it scared me...and at the same time, it seems to have proven my assertion of harassment at my last place of employment before being approved for a disability retirement. Now, I am concerned about the obvious obsession by someone there. Over a month after my last day, I am still having my blog tracked. 20 hits in one night from a suspicious IP Address and 3 hits the next day from the computer where I used to work...or at least the same IP Address as the office computer. I know that no one would have such bad professional ethics as to use office equipment for personal gain...shucks, you could get fired for that.

Okay, so I am a bit of a technophobe myself, and really got this information from someone that knows more than I do about computers and how to find out or verify where information is coming from. Techno sleuth...showed me how to verify an ISP (Internet Service Provider) and go a step beyond to verify an IP Address (Internet Protocol Address). While many people can use a single computer, most computers require that you log on and most businesses have IT people who can verify who signed on to what equipment and for how long.

So, my question at large is this, should I feel threatened by this abnormal behavior on the part of someone who appears to be obsessed with knowing what I am doing every minute??

Like the famous line says: "I'm not paranoid, they really are out to get me."

I really dislike that the tracking device has proven that there is someone so obsessed with vindicating themselves, that they are truly stalking me. On the other hand, it's nice to know that you can actually quantitate someone's dislike, bullying and abnormal behavior with a few simple clicks of a mouse.

I really am glad we are slipping off for a well-deserved vacation on a tropical island...and calling it our honeymoon. I'm also glad that my case has been proven by the perpetrator time and time again...and I have it logged...lol

When we get back, I think I will take this information and go get a restraining order...this type of behavior will not and cannot be tolerated.

Enough Politics!!

2010-11-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

I'll never understand why the uneducated vote more than those with knowledge...that would have to be the case in this midterm election. It would seem that Fox has fooled the majority, sad when the media and Corporate America control the political direction of the country.

Enough, on to something that doesn't make my skin crawl.

Are you wanting to hear more of a song before you download it? Then you will be happy with iTunes new policy of extending previews. I know it will make a big difference around our house, we still have teens. Then there is the adopted daughter that lives for her music...she needs it for choreography.

And if you still live in a cave, you may not have noticed that Facebook is using smaller text on it's news feeds...maybe they are trying to tell us bi-focal and reading glass wearing oldsters we shouldn't be playing Farmerville or chatting with our FB friends around the world.

Speaking of Facebook, they are hosting a huge mobile event at 1:30 ET today...they won't tell us what it is all about, but there is lots of speculation. Look for changes when using a mobile device. They might even preview the new Android Platform.

Why the technology wave today? Last night, I was once again visited by an unpleasant stalker...maybe not the same one, but one that thinks a blog should be about controversy. If that is what you are seeking here, you probably won't find what you are after. I don't want or need drama...I'm retired, I don't have to take BS from anyone.
So my dear wife up loaded a tracking device to my blog site...wow, is that TMI? I don't like the "Big Brother" role. It is a protective device that will allow me to block specific IP address that become a problem. I write my blog for me, about what interests me. I don't do it for a profit, out of narcissism or to make myself known. If you enjoy things about Birds, Wine, Environmental issues and the occasional rant about stupid people (I'll try not to include you ;-P), then keep coming back and reading. If you aren't interested, there is so much more to do out there with your time, take a walk, play on Facebook or have a yard sale.

Birds: The Northern Utah Show and Auction will be held on the 13th of Novemeber, for more information contact me. I am donating four of my DeKlak breeders from CBS out of imports. This family has won several 300 mile races for me and other club members. They also have a winning record in Texas. They are not the best for futurity races, but the second and third year, they are terrors. They also have crossed well with speed birds, to produce fair-weather winners. When crossed on to Dennis Weinreich's (Chico, CA) long distance family they have produced 600 mile day birds.

Honey: One gallon of mead in the process, planned to use at a local friend's wine tasting in May. Plan ahead...with wine, you need 6 months notice and a year would be even better.

Now here's a twist...or is it?

2010-10-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Many of my Utah associates send me email after email, without checking the content on Snopes. A large amount of those emails are about illegal aliens, how they are stealing from the taxpayer and how much crime is committed by them. A new study out in the Desert News (a paper I seldom trust due to association with the Mormon religion) states that illegals are not responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in the state of Utah, even though a majority (62%) of Utahns believe that they are. Only 5% of the penal population in Utah are illegals...which is misleading, since they can't apply for parole and are not eligible for rehabilitation programs for an early release. This means they tend to stay in jail longer than non-illegal offenders.

Coming across the border, at least in Utah, is a civil offense...one they shouldn't even be in jail for, but "the majority of undocumented immigrants in Utah jails are being detained solely for border-crossing violations."

This same paper reported in September that the illegal population in Utah was declining, and the day before that they had reported that the national population of illegals was declining.

This will surely have some of that majority up in arms about a biased media...but then, everything in Utah seems to be biased. Makes me wonder what they will develop a hatred for next.

On a lighter note, buy your kids iPhones, so they can escape would-be kidnappers. In reality, it wasn't an iPhone, just an iPod Touch, but when this twelve-year-old was accosted and her attacker demanded she get into a van, she pretended to use the iPod as a phone and told the assailant she was calling for help. Smart kid!!! The perp hurried off.

Birds: Cooler weather is here, my birds are not drinking near as much as they were during the heat, and they want more food. This is a delicate matter: too much and they will get too fat to breed as successfully as you would like; if they don't get enough feed, their immune system will weaken from fighting the cold. This is a good time of year to handle your birds often, check to see that they are maintaining weight. Adjust the feed accordingly.

This is also an important time to watch for rodents who are looking for a permanent food source through the winter. Like the story of the grasshopper and the ants, the mice and rats want the easy way out. Besides disease, rodents can be a problem by attracting other predators.

Honey: I am thinking of adding some blackberry juice to a batch of the Backyard Blonde to see if that adds a delightful twist to it.

ATVs not a family affair

2010-10-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

The ATV industry is advocating an ATV as being the perfect gift for children as young as five. This creates the use of ATVs as a family activity. Children involved in ATV accidents are becoming an epidemic, according to recent studies. We are losing 150 youth a year to ATV accidents, and thousands more are being seriously injuried. Children under 16 should not be allowed to operate them, according to both the Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons.

Even the Consumer Product Safety Commission began getting involved, as early as 2005. At that time over 1/3 of the 6,000 fatal ATV accidents reported since 1982 involved children under the age of 16.

Even adults often suffer serious injury on ATVs

And then there is this headline: ATVs are more deadly than Motorcycles. The researchers said that even when the severity of injuries was the same, the patients who had been riding ATVs were 50 percent more likely to die, and 50 percent more likely to need treatment in an intensive care unit, as compared to the motorcycle riders.

Regulations are in place in the state of Massachusetts and in Canada that require operators to be 14 years of age. This brings up a personal delima for me. Do we legislate morality? Parents should be responsible for the raising of their children, and this requires the common sense to say no to dangerous activities. I personally don't believe that we need laws to create a safe environment for children, but we need laws that make a parent or guardian responsible for ensuring they learn common sense.

Birds: My blog got mentioned in a blog in the UK, I often enjoy reading Pigeons as Pets. A different approach to having pigeons than I am used to, but maybe one that works well for them...and that is what the hobby is about: the pleasure we get out of it individually.

Honey: Time to start the next batch of wine...still waiting for suggestions from friends, but the response to Backyard Blonde tells me I have to make another batch of that.

Massage my back

2010-10-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

Almost 5 years ago now, I suffered a fall at work that resulted in some serious back problems. I have been through several procedures to find some relief from the pain. Surgery in my case is not a procedure with a good prognosis. Although some people think that there should be some miracle medical cure for all injuries in this day and age, it just isn't so. I have been told this by every spine specialist I have seen both mine, and the 2nd opinion doctors for the Department of Labor.

Spinal specialists have tried prescription medication for both pain and muscle spasms that occur...these are just bandages that cover the pain and give very limited and temporary relief. Although I still have prescriptions for these, I try to limit the use of them.

Doctors have also attempted epidural injections to my spine...OUCH!!
These have had a very poor response and do not last long enough. There is also a problem with location of the impingement of nerves in my neck, making it almost impossible to place the injection in the proper position.

So after all this time, the conclusions have been reached, that there are two specific treatments that are effective in my case. Trigger point injections of a steroid and numbing agent directly into the muscles surrounding the areas of the spine where the pain and reduction of movement is located. These are effective for about six months, by rotating between the two major areas, I can find continuous relief by a quarterly treatment.

I also have to limit my activities in regard to bending, stooping, twisting and lifting weight above 20 pounds.

The other treatment is a weekly session with a massage therapist and Chiropractor. This gives me the most relief and lasts for 5 to 7 days, I quite often can go almost a week without using prescription medication following a massage session.

If you are experiencing back pain, perhaps you should see if massage will help you. The best I have found, are the women at Alta Vista.

Arch Canyon

2010-10-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Another one of my best less known areas has fallen to invasion by motorized traffic. The first news that we here about it comes 7 days after the decision by BLM...

Soon, there will be no where to escape the noise and tire tracks!

The ruins in Arch Canyon when I first viewed them over 20 years ago were almost as pristine as any I had ever seen. At that time, there was no motorized traffic in the canyon. A recent trip to the Butler Wash area put me near enough to check in on some old haunts...no longer the same, the tranquility of the canyon was ripped wide open by the drone of OHV motors running up and down it...maybe its not so during the week, but on that Sunday morning, I was pestered by the sounds of four different groups in the three hours I was in the canyon.

I think a permit system needs to be put in place like they have done on many of the rivers, and many of the more popular hikes in National Parks.

What a shame to loose another memory to the greed of Corporate America!

Rain and motorcycle, pigeon racing and the environment

2010-10-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was not the most pleasant weather for getting out on the motorcycle. The forecast for the next few days has got me thinking about water, in the form of rain and in the run-off that affects our environment.

Erosion is generally the first thing we think of when we consider water and the environment. There are so many other factors that water affects in our environment. Especially here in the desert...which is where we are, regardless of how people act here in Utah. This is a desert with a finite amount of water.

Erosion in the desert is not only caused by water, it is also generated by wind...both water in the form of run-off and wind can carry the loose bits and pieces of sandstone. In effect, this is like having walls sand-blasted to remove the dirt or outer covering.

Water also affects the desert environment in its ability to sustain life. With a finite water source, there are finite populations that can be supported. Not only must consideration be given for the amount of water that is available for use, consideration must be given for those living down stream.

In the middle and early portions of the last century, many, many "water retention" areas were created to resolve issues of water lost to run-off...basically, this is a very selfish idea, as putting up the dam creates a pool of water behind it. This pool is subject to greater evaporation than the running water.

The west is now overpopulated...not too many people per square mile if compared to the east, but too many people for the land (and water) to support.

In this region, water is the source of life...if you don't think so, try going without it for just 4 days.

The current issues that are extremely pressing now that the human population is in place, and constantly growing, is where will we continue to get more water. Who owns the water in the rivers? Water rights have led to more than one homicide in the west. Everyone and everything wants the right to water, and how and when do we tell them there is not enough? People are becoming pretty inventive in finding more water. Actually not more water--remember there is a finite amount--but water they feel they are entitled to. I recently watched a documentary on the Green River.

There is a 37-mile stretch that flows through the state of Colorado, so now they are looking at old water right laws and saying they want their cut. The basic idea is to dig a canal or pipe water from the Flaming Gorge area of Utah and Wyoming over to the Front Range area of Denver. Somehow, the idea that the answer maybe a reduction in population in that area does not get through.

If you have any good ideas, I am certain someone will listen...Saint George, Utah, and Washington County are running dry pretty quick. It wouldn't take too many years of drought to make a big problem for the humans there.

And if it is affecting humans in such a manner, how is it affecting the creatures that can't adapt their environment? The ones that were here first?

Birds: And what about pigeons and racing in the rain? Every year, there is debate over whether or not a race should have been released based on weather. For the most part, pigeons negotiate the rain well enough if they do not become too wet to fly. A theory that I have about thunderstorms has gotten some local and national interest. From my time in the military, I know that helicopters develop static electricity in flight. Enough, that when doing sling loading of supplies, I have seen loaders tossed across the LZ when the person that was supposed to "ground" the bird missed the hook with grounding rod. I would suggest that our birds, when flying in a massive flock such as during the beginning stages of a race, also created similar static electricity with the motion of all those wings. I suggest that they actually will draw a lightening strike from the static electricity in the clouds of a thunderstorm...resulting in poor results on a race where they may come in contact with a thunderstorm. On such races, the birds that come in first are usually the birds we lest expected. I surmise that the reason is they were not with that front group that attracted and were dispatched by a lightening strike.

Honey: My 2010 Backyard Blonde can be deemed a success. My friend's mother enjoyed it thouroughly when I provided her with a bottle. She is quite the critic when it comes to wine, so I am very proud of what I accomplished with the backyard vine.

Bike weekend...

2010-10-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

First issue, avoid drunken pedestrians running out to cross the highway. A long story, but that is how the bike got this way. The bike is all better now, and once again she is ready to ride.

This may be the last weekend before snow! Yes, I said that ugly word...but of course once it is on the ground it can be quite wonderful...cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, no lawn mowing!

I am off on the bike today, first to the final production by dancing daughter...then 70 miles the other direction to pick up a new corker for bottling wine...then back home and clear additional space in the drive way for my honey's car.

Have a wonderful and safe weekend!!

Ozone as pollution and the breeding season

2010-10-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

L.A. Smog

Ozone: the word was coined back in 1840. It is actually a triatomic molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms. Ozone serves a particular purpose where it belongs in the upper atmosphere, protecting us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet light. But in the lower atmoshere, it is a pollutant that can cause respiratory problems in animals, including humans. In the lower atmoshere, we often call this heavy oxygen "smog." The link above provides some really interesting history on Wikipedia about ozone.

We have always been told, "move to the country to escape these types of emissions." An article today in the Salt Lake Tribune refutes that idea. The Uinta basin of northeastern Utah is about as rural as you can currently find. Vernal is the gateway to Dinosaur National Monument, but due to the oil and gas fields surrounding the basin, the air held unhealthy levels of ozone for 40 days last winter.

That puts it on a level with Los Angeles and the San Bernadino Valley. Hard to believe rural Utah, was ranked right up there with the highest pollution-ridden areas of the world. And at a time of year when ozone is not normally a consideration as a pollutant.

Bottom line, we have to reduce emissions, or we have to find another planet to live on...this one will kill us off if we keep causing her harm.

Birds: The most important part of the race season is starting all over the country in major competitive lofts. They are preparing for the breeding season. Many will start around Thanksgiving, hoping for birds that can be banded on the first day of the new year. Many breeders will be standing on the club secretary's porch, waiting for bands on January 1, 2011.

Now is the time to prepare for that. Healthy parents create healthy youngsters, creating a better possibility for a winning season. Breeding lofts should be sanitized. A simple water and bleach solution will work when sprayed on to scraped surfaces and allowed to sit and air dry. Many pigeon breeders will paint the lofts at this time too.

The birds themselves should be getting a 4 in 1 or 5 in 1 treatment. My primarily concerns are paratyphoid; canker; coccidiosis; e. coli; and worms. I treat the birds for 5 consecutive days, then use a probiotic for 5 days then repeat the whole process. So now is the time to start if you want the breeders ready by the end of November. I also do this treatment on the Old Bird race team while I am at it. A reminder, it is show season, and you never know what the bird in the next pen might be sharing with your birds, so this is a good practice to prevent an outbreak in your loft.

Honey: Does anyone know of wineries on the Hawaiian Islands? We will be taking our honeymoon there next month, and a wine tour would be a fantastic way to find a good local wine or two for the beach, along with some cheese and crackers or fresh local bread.

Veteran's are being noticed

2010-10-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

First, just a shout out for the National Parks System for recognizing veterans on Veteran's Day...in honor of those of us that served, they will allow free entrance to all of the almost 400 National Parks on 11 November 2010...there is always something to be seen, in almost every state.

We will be on our long awaited honeymoon in Hawaii at that time, so we may just have to go over and see Pearl Harbor.

Although Pearl Harbor is not one a National Park or a National Monument, it is a fitting place to visit on Veterans Day!

Additionally, there are 8 true National Parks and Monuments in the Hawaiian Islands, and we will probably go see one or two of them also.

Another point of interest found in the news today, even the United Nations is becoming active in combatting losses in the plant and animal world due to human-caused environmental issues. They say we are facing the worst extinction rate in the last 65 million years, since the dinosaurs were here. Nations and business are prompted to take increased steps to protect and restore ecosystems. (Unfortunely, some cannot be brought back...my example, Glen Canyon.)

Birds: This is the show season, so a little extra safflower in your mix will add to appearance, and weekly baths are very important even with the tempratures dropping off a little.

Honey: Although not a fan of Chardonnays per se, I really enjoyed one this weekend, and the visitor from the Northeast didn't recognize it as being the same wine they get back there...makes one wonder about regional availability from wineries.

Sharing a few moments from the ongoing hunt

2010-10-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to update everyone on the progress of the hunt...the elk are winning.
All we saw is a couple of moose.

The first day we were up on the north slope of the Unitas, it snowed a few inches. And sleeping in my father's tent trailer, I found that the heater created more condensation that it did real heat.

We spent four days hunting hard, I think I walked about 40 miles according to the GPS.

Although we didn't "harvest" any elk or deer, we still have until this Thursday to "bag" one. I enjoyed getting out, seeing some great scenery and some historical old dwellings.

I found more evidence to support my stance on stronger regulation of off-highway vehicles.

Notice that they drive their OHV around the sign instead of turning around before it. The next day while standing on the edge of the same meadow about 50 feet beyond the sign, I had a guy pull up to me on his OHV and ask if I had seen anything. When I questioned him about riding beyond the sign, he threw down a lit cigarette butt and spun his tires getting out of there.

On another OHV trail, they found a puddle, and made the most out of tearing up the road and making it almost impassible when it dries up and becomes hard again. Have people forgotten that they can walk? There was no reason for tearing up that road like that, other than a desire to run their engines and avoid a little physical exercise in name of seeing more faster. That is not the style or ethic of hunting I was raised on. Oh, and if the road gets repaired, it will be done with our tax dollars...dollars for the Forest Service that could have been used elsewhere in protecting or understand the basic needs of nature.

Where is the thrill of the stalk and the hunt, when you ride up, shoot your prey with a high power rifle from a distance the animal still feels safe. Then ride right up, throw it on the back end of your all-terrain toy and ride back to camp to show off your hunting skill and prowess. It sickens and saddens me.

Just a quick bit on eBooks and ePublishing...someone shared a blog with me while I was hunting that needs input in the discussion to allow for a greater readers say.

Birds: I will be donating three CBS DeKlak breeders to the Northern Utah Show and Auction this year. Details to follow on time and date of the show.

Honey: We hosted friends last night, and I spent a good deal of the evening explaining the whole wine making process to one of our guests that works at a large chain restaurant...now her head will be filled with unusable knowledge when she pours that commercial glass of wine to her customer.

Why I had to moderate comments on my blog...lol

2010-10-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well, my mentally and socially challenged stalker is back...lol
They are without ethics and have so little self-esteem, that they want to attack me, my doctors, the Dept of Labor doctors, my military career, and my family...while hiding behind being anonymous. So, for my few readers, I apologize for digressing but this needs to be addressed...they commented on a comment on the blog: How can the bids be bogus if the sale was bogus???...

Sorry folks, no pictures today.

This is their comment:

Oh please. Forced disability. ???? You can do everything you ever could do..... just trying to get out of work as always. Your whole career (milatary as well) is defined by the same BS. Your new friends will figure you out soon enough. Your new found attempt at intellect and blog is sorely missing it's mark. You are simple and everyone can see it. A joke. You married someone with more sickness than you.......... go figure. Maybe the $1000 she makes on being an "author" with save you both.
By Anonymous on 10/15/10

So let's get the record straight. Forced disability: after four years and eight months following my injury, my employer could only find enough work for 45 minutes of an 8 hour day and expected me to sit or stand (since medically I am unable to sit for extended periods), waiting for them to have work within my medical restrictions. I was told that the only place I could do this was either in a small glass room which put me on display as an example for having an on-the-job injury or stuck in a storage area. Which place would any thinking individual want to be?

"You can do everything you ever could do." Well gee, boss...lol. I used to be able to pick up and carry my grandchildren without pain...now I can't do that. And no, it's not because they have grown up, there are still plenty of small ones. I can't sit for extended periods of time. I have a loss of grasp in both hands and overall loss of strength. I have three discs in my neck and one in my low back that are bulged or have moved due to the fall I took while on the clock and doing my assigned duties.

"Just trying to get out of work as always." Sounds like you are misplacing your work ethic upon me. I have and always will continue to have a good work ethic. In 10 years and 9 months of punching the clock at that place, I was only late twice. Unlike other coworkers, when I was done with my work, I clocked out and went home...not waited 20 minutes for the half-hour mark. Or stretched my day talking with customers because I didn't have a full day's work. Or cut corners on the job to make it so I could get home early on the long days. Good hell, I was the only employee on the overtime desired list for seven years...yeah, I'm just lazy.

"Your whole career (milatary as well) is defined by the same BS." First, you can't even spell it. Second, you really don't want to challenge my military career, most of which was spent in line units or doing classified work that I still can't discuss. I was on active duty for almost 12 years, and after the things I saw during the first Gulf War, I just couldn't go on doing that 24/7/365...so I went back to school and graduated with my bachelor's degree at 38 (where's your degree???). I was active with the US Army Reserve, and did an additional tour following 9-11. Don't talk down my military service or the service of those that didn't return or returned as less than they left (and we all come back changed from war). You haven't earned that right! Show me where you have served with honor, show me where you are even brave enough to put your name on a comment.

"Your new friends will figure you out soon enough." A wise man once told me: "You will have many acquaintances, but count yourself blessed if you have enough friends to count on one hand." True friends know you, they want to be your friend with all your flaws and imperfections.

"Your new found attempt at intellect and blog is sorely missing it's mark. You are simple and everyone can see it. A joke." The only joke here is the person that wants to make accusations without proof, that feels they must put others down to pull themselves up, that doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to show themselves and let others know who they are.

"You married someone with more sickness than you.......... go figure" Now, if you know that my wife has been ill recently, that means you are way too close to my family to make those assertions. That is the most chickenshit thing a person can do: to attack someone when they know that person is down. Either you are a FAKE friend or acquaintance, or you are someone lurking in the shadows of our life sending out all the bad energy you can in the hope of destroying our happiness for your own sick and unrealistic reasons. I didn't marry her for any reason other than our happiness...so stay the fuck out of it!! If you are an acquaintance, I would very strongly suggest that you never make this breech of etiquette in my presence.

"Maybe the $1000 she makes on being an "author" with save you both." Once again, you have shown your total ignorance, and absolute lack of knowledge. Being a writer means that you MUST write...you are wired that way. Being a good writer means you have talent. Being a New York-published author means you have enough talent that others notice. Being a best-selling author, means that you have all the previous, and you caught a break, achieved a following or sold your soul. Unless you are the last type, there is no real money in being a writer.

So now that you have been exposed as the joke you are, I would suggest that: 1) You either identify yourself so we can all laugh at you. 2) Continue to lurk and raise the ratings of my blog. 3) Get a life.

I will continue to moderate, and will continue to remove comments that are not germaine or that are attacks on myself personally or my family. Doesn't mean that I won't spotlight what a moron you are on my blog. Everyone should get to enjoy your complete idiocy. Why should I have all the fun?

How can the bids be bogus if the sale was bogus???

2010-10-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

"If so many people are miserable and pessimistic at the wealthiest and most comfortable time in history, could it be that wealth and comfort are not the best goals for human society?" Tim DeChristopher

A Facebook post by a friend made me think of Tim DeChristopher...if you don't know his story, you probably don't follow much about the environment and local Utah news...or the feds have successfully covered the story up until it is forgotten and they can just lock him up and throw away the key.

The short version, Tim finished taking a test during his senior year at the University of Utah, went over to a rally against the unlawful sale of mineral rights to BLM land by oil and petroleum companies and decided to wander on in to this secret sale...he was mistaken as a bidder, and given the bidder card #70. He purchased 14 parcels worth 1.7 million during this illegal auction and then told them that he had no money to pay for his winnings. So, for attending a secret or bogus sale and bidding for illegally sold parcels of public land without the money to cover the bids on the illegal sale, Tim is facing federal charges.

The post that got me thinking of Tim was about BLM's contracted Oil Shale research in Utah.

This past week, Tim was in attendance and addressed the Govenors Energy Task Force...Tim has found himself in the position of the head of a new environmental movement. One that feels "a continued focus on the development of fossil fuels is a declaration of war against the living.”

I had the opportunity to meet Tim briefly at a screening of a documentary on the Green River and water use. Amazingly, the movie is playing on the local PBS channel tonight. Tim is being regarded by some as a modern-day Edward Abbey. I found our brief encounter to be insightful, showing an awareness beyond his young years...he is truly passionate about saving our earth from mankind.

They have moved Tim's trial date back to December 13, 2010...two years after Tim made his stand by bidding for parcels during a secret and illegal sale of rights on public land. Maybe the feds were hoping by then the issue would fall off the radar...but you and I can keep it alive. Check out Peaceful Uprising, and see what you can do to assist in this environmental struggle. If you can do nothing else, plan to stand in solidarity for the environment on December 13, 2010.

Birds: After much consideration and thought, I am going to step away from the sport of racing pigeons for a few years. My partner has offered to take my best breeders that I use for one-loft races and keep the family alive for me until I return to the sport. I will still have several breeder pairs that will need to be sold or given to novice racers to help retain the sport...and some will be donated to the annual club auction.

Honey: The first frost has sweetened the grapes...they are ready for making the best of the best, late harvest juice for wine-- dessert wines.

Long Gone

2010-10-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Wish me luck, I am out the door to go on the elk hunt.
Be back next week, look for pictures and results here.
Davis High vs. Fremont on Wednesday the 13th...both are undefeated!!! GO DARTS!!!!!

Just wish I could do as well as my uncle did this year...

Birds: Keep them flying, and good luck on the last races of the young bird season.

Honey: Special Late Harvest grapes when I return...hoping for a slight frost.

Is happiness in the aspen grove?

2010-10-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

I read not long ago, that the largest living organism on the planet is an Aspen Grove. Shortly after that, I began to read disparaging articles about massive aspens die-outs. I read good news today, that recent research shows sudden aspen decline is on the wane. Why am I talking about aspens? Well, as I prepare for this hunting adventure with my father it becomes a key factor in elk habitat. A study back in 2000 stated that the aspen decline in the Yellowstone region may be due to the lack of wolves, allowing for an increase in the elk population.

Whatever the cause of the decline, the effect for me is one of sadness. I have very fond childhood memories of aspen groves in the mountains of the west. Memories of camping in groves on the La Sal Mountains; Logan Canyon; the Wasatch Front, near Fish Lake and high in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah. Those memories for me equate to a form of happiness; that is on my mind this morning after reading a link from a friend.

Just what is happiness? Sounds like a philosophical question to me, but I read a blog this morning that makes me wonder, are we in control of our own happiness? Is the world around us the cause of our happiness?

Birds: The frustration of a less than scholar race season can make you want to tear down the lofts and start an herb garden...ugh!

Honey: The vines have a wonderful smell of concord grapes as the first chill brings more sugar to the fruit.

A First!!!

2010-10-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited!!! I have my very own first stalker!!!
Sorry I had to change the comments to moderate them...but, that's what happens when you have crazy people following you!
The stalker doesn't seem to realize that each time they view my blog, it becomes more popular, and it gets rated higher on the search engines...so, I have to say, thank you...keep it up.

The cost of Mead

2010-10-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed a decrease in the number of honey bees in the last few years? I have a friend that is a beekeeper...he even has a "watch hive" by his back door, but that's another story. My friend tells me, that there is a worldwide threat to honey bees...they are calling it Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and they aren't sure what is causing it. Various reasons have been given which include exposure to genetically modified crops, pesticide poisoning, invasive parasites, malnutrition from pollinating vast tracts of crops with little nourishment, and the stress of being moved long distances
A report in Wednesday's edition of the journal PLoS ONE, claims that researchers have found a combination of a virus and a fungus that they believe is responsible for the massive losses of our honey bees.

A decrease in the amount of bees to produce honey, equates to a rise in the cost of honey...affecting the cost of producing mead.
The other catastrophic issue here is pollination, as bees are responsible for a major share of crop pollination in this country, and a good portion of the none-crop flowering plants as well...including century plants, barrel cactus, prickly pear, etc. Additionally some of them are pollinated by bats, hummingbirds, moths, butterflies and flies. There are concerns for these other pollinators...that whatever is causing problems with the honey bee population, may next be seen in these other populations.

Some strange efforts have been made to assist in the pollination of our crops, like the Beamer Bee...genetically created...You be the judge, it this real or just a pipe dream.

And how do we bring the cost of mead back down??

Birds: If you don't have the pigeon bug, you will never understand...if you have it, you can never get enough of pigeons. What new threat is out there for our avian friends, much like CCD for the bees, could be Pigeon Circovirus.

Honey: The majority of this post is dedicated to the loss of honey bees and the pollination of crops and flowers...honey is really just a bi-product, and a tasty one.

Anger Management...I need a wilderness break

2010-10-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

First, I try very hard not to make religious or political statements on my blog. I will leave that for the people who have more of a vested interest in religion and politics than I do. But an article I read this morning has my blood boiling. My wife has a blog called "Trapped by the Mormons" and I often comment on there. A friend and member of "The Team" has a blog "Dancing with Crazy" that touches on both religion and politics. But today, I am mad enough to make a statement about religion...in particular, the Mormon (LDS) religion. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion aside, to go against medical and scientific fact and say that you can change your entire being and become something different, is like saying one of my racing pigeons could change and become a falcon.

The harm done by that single speech is immeasurable!! Okay, enough said...if you don't understand why I am angry, slip over to one of the other blogs already mentioned and see if you don't develop some anger...or maybe you believe that religious leaders can say or do harmful things in the name of their church without regard for those whose lifes are destroyed by their words.

While we are speaking of blogs today, my good friend JA put out a great blog about eBooks yesterday!!

Today, I am packing up and getting things ready to take my 74-year-old father on a memorable elk/deer hunt on the northern edge of the Uinta Wilderness area.

My Uncle's recent Elk "harvest"

Not being in the prime of my youth myself, we will be taking his pop-up tent trailer to sleep in. Should we manage to find and successfully harvest (just for you, honey) one of these magnificent animals, I will be using a block and tackle, electric winch and have friends that can bring in horses. My father wants a fine bull elk head mounted on his wall...for me, I want to be out in the woods, high on mountain air and spend some quality time with him.

We have had some problems between us...people do that who have 50 years of history together. I still love him, and I need to let him know that in a way that he will understand...he is not a demonstrative man when it comes to emotions...except perhaps that Irish temper. We avoid discussions of religion and politics so he doesn't feel compelled to show that emotion.

This will be my duty!

So I feel certain that folks are wondering about such an adventure, how do we plan it, how will we execute it and eventually, I hope to share the outcome. Thanks to an article last year, I'm not real worried about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

This will be my father!

Planning: We applied for the hunt back in January...a special combination hunt that will allow us to take a buck deer or a bull elk in Northern Utah. We won the lottery drawing and received our tags for the hunt. I had forgotten the dates, and was planning a trip down to "Ed's Desert" this coming weekend...I was reminded that I had a prior committment. So, now with four days until we roll out, I am putting things together. Packing all that I will need to sustain myself and soon I will have to contact my father to see what he wants for groceries upon this five-day venture into the wilderness. On top of that, I have to be ready for all the issues that could possibly arise: medically (he suffers from problems with a rotator cuff, high blood pressure, and diabetes); environmentally (we'll be at or above 10,000 feet in October); mechanically (need to ensure we have vehicles that are up to it) and the million other things that can happen in a remote setting with two crippled old men participating in a young man's "sport."

Execution: I plan to drive up and set up camp early on Friday morning, with the hunt starting on Saturday morning at first light. After I get camp set up, I will do a quick recon of the hunting area, mainly traveling on Forest Service roads, searching for fresh signs of the intended prey. Hopefully, I will gleen enough information to take my father to a spot where he will be able to see the animal he would like to "harvest" (just for you, honey) and then work my way through the woods, hoping to move said animal to the proper location for him to get his opportunity.

Outcome: I will let you know when I get back...and in a worse case scenario, I will have pictures of some rugged beautiful country, only slightly encroached upon by modern man.

Birds: Winter is coming, this is the time of year to determine which birds will be used as breeders next year. This is also the time of year when less scrupulous hobbiests are clearing out their unwanted birds...many of those birds will make it to the Internet sales sites to be sold.

A word of advice: don't buy the birds other people don't want because they didn't perform. Go to a good flyer in your area (that's where your birds will compete), and see what he has...be willing to pay the price to get what you want, otherwise, you will just be flying, you won't be winning.
This year, I have suggested to my club that if they need to reduce their numbers in the loft, they can donate their birds to science. The University of Utah Biology Department will be working on a genome sequencing project. Pigeons are the perfect subject of such a project, because of the genetic work already done with pigeons.

Honey: Time to harvest grapes in the backyard...I will be doing alot of juicing before I leave with my father, and I will save some late harvest grapes for my return.

Environment, Disease and travel

2010-10-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

What affects 23.5 million Americans and now can be shown as linked to environmental issues like particulate matter in the air we breath? Diabetes!!! This hits close to home as my father's side of the family has suffered with it for generations. My hero and solid adult male role model as a child died from complications of the disease. Now, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston, have shown a link to an increase in Diabetes worldwide and air pollution...man-made air pollution.

I've been away for a week, dealing with family matters. While traveling, I got the opportunity to discuss eBooks with the flight crew prior to my flight home. The pilot was very adamant about using his kindle when he travels...he can carry almost his entire library. The lead flight attendant wanted to buy an iPad for her husband for Christmas, so he could have all types of technological access. During our discussion (it really started out as their discussion), the co-pilot and myself pointed out that having an iPhone already gave him access to almost all Internet activities and that if a reading device was the main reason behind the gift, then a Kindle would be the appropriate choice.
I wandered around the departure gate after the discussion, doing a small self survey of what travelers were doing with their time. This is what I found without going to far...37 laptops, 14 Kindles and 3 nooks...56 smart phones (all of them could be used to read eBooks). Oh, and 9 people reading books in print or magazines. I thought this boded well for ePublishing, but my findings on the plane itself were a little disappointing. Once the "fasten seat-belt" sign was off, I wandered to the rear of the plane, prompted by that second cup of coffee in the airport. I discovered on this short hour and 15 minute flight, the majority of passengers did not have electronic devices out (2 out of 3)...instead, they were reading magazines, reviewing what appeared to be work documents or thumbing through paperback novels.
I was contemplating this strange twist of statistical data this morning...made more relevant by my wife's newest book hitting the Kindle Library on Amazon last night, when I read our friend's blog. JA has it right, I think it is about fear and the comfort of doing what we are in the habit of doing, but the reality is, the comfort comes from the words...not the delivery device.

Birds: Saturday was the I-race in Beaver, Utah...run by Jim and Holly Beard. The 300 mile race resulted in 2 day birds. I had two birds left in the race...they still have not made it back. Last night, there were only 21 birds in from the race. Again, my friend Sal Rodriguez had two money winning birds in 3rd and 17th position. I will send birds down again next year if they hold the race...it's a tough one, and I like them that way, so do my birds.

Honey: Still shopping for the best buy on local honey, at $10 for 5 pounds, making 5 gallons of Mead is getting expensive.

Notes: For those that don't know or realize (there are a few), the blue letters in the blog when clicked will take you to the document I got information from. Take the time to get the free Kindle for PC application and read Natalie R. Collins latest book "The Fourth World" and while you are at Amazon, check out JA's newest books just out this past week. "Falling Back to Earth" and "TDTM" (Talk Dirty to Me) both available on Kindle. TDTM will keep a smile on your face, and you will be stopping strangers on the street to share the humor of some of the scenes.

Commissary Shopping

2010-09-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

Went shopping at the Fairchild AFB with my son and daughter-in-law...for over 2 hours.

Grandpa got to carry around his grandson for the last half hour while he slept...the grandson, not me...

Just wanted all my loyal readers to know...I am still out here...currently sitting in the library on base, trying to get my email and print a form that a certain government entity seems to have lost, although they have the one document that was enclosed in the same envelope.

A momentary pause

2010-09-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

I will be away for a week. Family issues require my attention, a parting thought:

"Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you --- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls."
Edward Abbey

While I am gone, I just wanted to pass this blessing on to each of you. I will try and do a mobile post, but I understand my host has no internet connection at his home...I may have to stumble the long mile to reach a "Starbucks" (really, am I considering that?) that has Wi/Fi just to put out a post while I am away.

Florida Panthers

2010-09-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

With recent recruits from Texas, the Florida Panthers are getting a better chance. No, we aren't talking sports, we are talking about the endangered Panthers of Florida.

Wildlife biologist introduced eight female Texas panthers 15 years ago to help with genetic diversity in bringing back the big cat. Biologist are stating that this has helped not only increase the population of these cats, but also made a healthier population in this isolated pocket of the species.

This provides hope for isolated populations of other large predators, like the Grizzly Bear or Grey Wolf.

And on a global scale, Lions and Tigers in isolated populations will benefit from the findings of this intense study.

Originally, thousands of Florida Panthers roamed the southeast, until in the 1990's their population and range was depleted to a small area between Miami and Naples and there were estimates of only 20-25 adults remaining in the wild. Now with an estimated 100 of the big cats located in the ever declining area, biologists have released the results of their extended study of this isolated sub-species and feel that they have hope of strengthening some of the other endangered large cats of the world.

Birds: Congratulations to the winners of the I-Race 150 mile race today, and a special shout out to Sal Rodriguez, who had two birds in the top 5 places. Next week will be the 300 mile race, looking forward to being there.

Honey: Going to set the wine aside tomorrow, and attend Oktoberfest up at Snowbird!

Just my opinion

2010-09-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's just my opinion, so it probably doesn't count.

A parent's primary job is to provide a child with the tools to become a productive part of society. To teach them right from wrong and to have respect for others and the law (not always the same thing). That they should respect their elders, veterans and their country (not necessarily their government). To support them in their times of uncertainty and let them know that they will always be there, when the child is ready to talk, to come back for a refresher course in any of the above.

Secondary things are how to care for their own children and respect the Earth. That, family is more important than friends...that you have only a few friends and many acquaintances. That they (the child) are not the center of the universe and that life is full of disappointments. And that true character is shown in how we deal with those disappointments.

Feel free to chime in, tell me I'm wrong; that I am right; that I've taken too many prescription drugs for the pain and I should be sleeping.

Question: When you are wronged by a family member, how do you deal with it??? What if you forgive and they do it again???

Birds: Keep your neighbors happy, always fly your birds before you feed them. Feed them before you call them in, so they aren't out sitting on the neighbor's new, freshly washed SUV. If said SUV becomes a target for aerial bombardment, offer to wash the vehicle.

Honey: The grapes on the vine are almost ready to juice...anyone want to give me an early Christmas gift, I need a new 5 gallon Carboy.

Pigeon Rescue

2010-09-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

I got a call early this morning about a bird that had been found. This has happened fairly often since I used to be the president of the Ogden Racing Pigeon Club.

What made this call unique, was that it came from my son who is stationed in Spokane, WA, with the US Air Force...Stranger still, the band number he was inquiring about was one of the bands registered to me.

You might wonder how something like this could happen, so I decided this was a good opportunity to explain a little about racing pigeons. These are not the birds you see perched on the side of building, or roosting under overpasses. These birds are genetically bred for one thing: to fly home, and to fly home fast, from distances out to 600 miles (for our club). There are clubs that hold longer races, and there are even speed records recorded out to 2000 miles.

Every bird is given a unique seamless band when it is 5-10 days old.

That band is registered to a specific national organization, in our case, the American Racing Pigeon Union or AU. Each band is clearly marked with four identifying features: National Association; Year; Club Identification; and a unique identifying number.

The bird in question this moring, wore the band AU 2010 OGN 642, signifying American Racing Pigeon Union, hatched in the year 2010, member OGN (OGDEN) club, and unique number 642. Since I have all OGN bands in the 600s, I know that this is one of my bands. Checking my band register, I see that I actually gave this band to my partner at Stealth Lofts when he ran out of bands in late July.

I asked my son how he found the bird in Washington, over 400 miles away since the bird is, at best, only a few months old. He relayed a story of having a friend from down here in Utah call and tell him about finding the bird and wanting to know if there was a way for her to get it back to the owner. I told him to give her my number and I would arrange to pick up the bird. Then I contacted my friend and told him about the found bird and that I would retrieve it.

I am always impressed by the people that find our hurt or injured birds and the bond they develop in such a short time.

If you should find a lost bird, go to the AU website, and follow the steps on caring for a lost bird. Contact the club secretary listed on the Web site. And if that doesn't work, leave a comment on my blog and I will do all I can to help get the little fellow home.

Technology goes wild

2010-09-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

AT&T wants to make sure you can't get too far into the wild to get lost.
New cell phone, the TerreStar Genus, that came out today will use satellite coverage to reach the furthest points of the nation and coastlines. For just an additonal $25 a month and 65 cents per minute, you will be able to have cell phone coverage in the most remote wilderness we have to offer. Of course, the phone costs almost $800. Initially, it will only be available to "professionals", and hit retail stores later this year. You can also use this phone to email from remote locations via satellite...for a mere $5 a megabyte or 400 times the going rate of internet back home.

Soon, there will be no place you can escape the ring-tone of your cell phone. The wilderness will truly be tamed...forest rangers, search and rescue teams, emergency crews will find it useful.
Everyone will feel secure in venturing into the wilderness, when they can call for help from anywhere!

There are a couple of drawbacks; you do have to have a clear view of the southern sky, where the satellite hovers, without trees, buildings, hills or canyon walls. Another drawback, the satellite is only aimed at the U.S. and doesn't provide global coverage. So if you are carrying you $800 phone, and fall down into one of the southwests canyons, there is still the chance that you could enter back into the food chain for a hungry turkey vulture or coyote, before you could use it.

Birds: 150 mile money race scheduled for the upcoming weekend, in Beaver, Utah where I still have two birds competing.

Honey: My honey's blog has drawn a lot of negative attention for comments about Evergreen International...stop over and read it to draw you own informed conclusions.

Free Pass Day or Volunteer

2010-09-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Thousands of volunteers in every state will put their hands to work on Saturday, September 25, 2010 in a coast-to-coast effort to improve and enhance our treasured lands. You can find a listing of places you can volunteer at http://www.publiclandsday.org/. Here are just some examples:

Oops!!!
Leave it to the media to avoid the issue of volunteering: what can I give
versus what can I get

Zions NP to host free admission. On the day we should be volunteering to do things for our public lands, the media would have you know that you can get free admission to enjoy your public lands.

Now to really enjoy the day, get out with other volunteers and do something to make the outdoor experience good for everyone:

There are 26 sites in Utah that will be working with volunteers. No matter what you are into in the outdoors, there is something for you to get involved in, from ATVs to fishing; from pulling noxious weeds to trail maintenance; from campsite clean up to watershed clean up...come out and help make the outdoor experience better for everyone! Simply click on the blue letters "26 sites in Utah" for more information!

National Public Lands Day... September 25, 2010
Visit or volunteer, there are rewards for both. If you haven't seen some of the country's greatest public lands, many will offer free entry this coming weekend...no fees! And if you volunteer to help on NPLD there is a program to get volunteers free passes for later dates.

This is not just a Western thing, public lands across the country are allowing free entry this weekend.

There will be 33 sites in Virginia!

Locally in Arizona, there are 27 sites planned!

Check to see what you can do in your area...get out and enjoy the outdoors...the colors on the mountain are wonderful here!!

Grazing for next to nothing

2010-09-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note for my Abbey reading friends, there are a couple of groups you should consider if making donations. Western Watersheds Project and Center for Biological Diversity have filed a suit in US District Court for the District of Columbia that would force BLM and the US Forest Service to accurately reflect costs both administrative and environmental associated with the practice of grazing on public lands. The suit is being fought against by Farm Bureaus from 11 states.

Wild Weekend

2010-09-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

President Obama has designated September as National Wilderness Month, so get out and do something wild this weekend.

If you are down in the Four Corners area, or actually just about anywhere in those four states (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona), this will be one of the last wild weekends of summer! There are some great activities if you want to socialize with like-minded desert rats and beer drinkers.

Telluride: Starting today, The Telluride Blues and Brews Festival featuring George Thorogood...and about any type of micro brew you could possibly desire...try them all!!! All at one of the most scenic venues you will ever experience.

Las Cruces, New Mexico, has it's own weekend of celebration to protect the Organ Mountains with free food, music and children's activities...invest in the next generation to protect what is wild!

Elsewhere in Colorado, on Tuesday the Fremont County commissioners took the first steps in designating 125,000 acres as wilderness. Ed Norden, chairman of the Fremont County commission said: "Wilderness designations seem to have an attraction to some visitors." Maybe in some remote plane of existence there is still some hope for us wilderness advocates...even ATV supporting county commissioners realize some of us want/need/expect wilderness.

Here in Utah, you can always go up to Snowbird Ski Resort, for the 38th annual Oktoberfest going on every Saturday and Sunday until October 10. An excellent write up on the event was done by Utah Beer Blogspot.

Birds: Sunday is the 150 mile stage of the I-Race in Beaver, Utah...I still have 2 birds in the race!!! A phone call just showed me how fickle this sport can be, as a fire west of the race course may require a week's delay...hard to make plans to go down for the festivities when you don't know what day.

A pigeon friend out in Chico, California, had one of his birds place 5th in an Auction race with the Pueblo Racing Homer Club, raising him a few dollars.

Chic Brooks of HappyCo Loft has donated a group of birds for auction in Indianapolis, Indiana...some wonderful Van Loons that my partner would give his right arm for...if interested, contact me and I will give you the info.

Honey: Bottling wine this weekend, if I survive the local rivalry of high school football. Layton High Homecoming tonight, and we're going with friends...they play the Davis Darts, my old high school and the school where my step-daughter is a member of the drill team. Should be an interesting night. GO DARTS!!!

eBooks (saving our forests one book at a time)

2010-09-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets."
- Edward Abbey

The wave of the future in books is the rapid expansion and use of electronic Books (eBooks). Environmental issues are raised with these electromechanical gadgets produced mostly of plastic. However, further research into production of plastic reveals that it is merely a byproduct of North America's dependency on oil--as long as you are driving that gas-guzzling hunk of Detroit metal. The ingredients for plastic have already been ripped from mother earth to feed your need to get there faster than your own two legs will carry you.

Oil Rig on the edge of Canyonlands NP

In 1979 the annual volume of plastics produced exceeded the volume of steel that was manufactured. The annual volume of plastics produced tripled during the period of 1940 to 1945, due to the wartime demand for products. Plastics are essentially a byproduct of petroleum refining. So as long as we are using petroleum products for energy, plastic will be available without further destruction of the environment, specifically for the production of plastic.

As with all materials, there are environmental costs and benefits associated with the use of plastics. Plastics replace natural materials, including ivory and wood. Synthetic fibers also provide a substitute for cotton, a water- and energy-intensive crop. The use of plastic materials in cars and airplanes reduces their weight and therefore increases their fuel efficiency. The insulating capacity of plastics such as styrofoam reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool homes.

One of the most significant environmental problems associated with plastics is the improper disposal of plastic goods by consumers. The use of plastics has enabled the development of innumerable disposable products, which has increased the amount of trash that is disposed. Although paper accounts for most of the trash in landfills by volume, plastics account for 25% of all waste in landfills when buried.
A significant amount of plastic, however, is not properly disposed in landfills and makes its way into the environment. Plastic does not biodegrade quickly which means it remains in the environment for a very long time. Plastic trash has made its way to coastal ecosystems and the ocean, presenting a danger to marine and birdlife.

For my money, the eBook seems the best environmental way to go, and it also makes it easier to carry my library into the field. Research materials, birding books, plant identification, first aid...all of it able to fill the space of my old copy of The Monkey Wrench Gang or Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching (I'll have to go look to see if that is on Kindle).

Birds: 110 mile training toss this last weekend...still have two birds in the Beaver I-race...34th and 76th...beat out by my partner whose bird was 32nd.

Honey: This weekend I will be bottling the Backyard Blonde and cleaning the carboy to start a new batch of Mead that will be ready in March, and with any luck will last us through the summer.

Canyonland NP

2010-09-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Canyonlands National Park!

On Sept 12, 1964, Canyonlands National Park was established in an area of southeastern Utah.

This is one of my favorite wandering places, and the end of many wonderful river trips have occurred for me at the edge of the Canyonlands. This area offers desert recreation, escape, and the chance to view artifacts that have remained unchanged and unbothered for centuries. The official website provides more information...I don't want to share my secrets of the area.

The Maze section of Canyonlands has always held special interest to me, since reading Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire and his description of entering the Maze for the first time with a friend from Colorado. When I first traced his approach with my uncle, things were almost the same as described in the book.

Mineral Bottoms at the northern edge of Canyonlands NP

One of the other notable places on the way into the Eastern entrance of Canyonlands, south of Moab, Utah is Newspaper Rock...truly a marvel to see and experience.

Other things of interest that occurred on September the 12th...

Sept 12, 1940 Cave Paintings discovered in Lascuax, France

Sept 12, 1954. Lassie TV Premiere. This long-running series was originally about a boy and his courageous and intelligent dog, Lassie (played by more than six different dogs, all male). For the first few seasons, Lassie lived on the Miller farm. The family included Jeff (Tommy Rettig), his widowed mother Ellen (Jan Clayton) and George Cleveland as Gramps. Throughout the years there were many format and cast changes, as Lassie was exchanged from one family to another in order to have a variety of new perils and escapades. Other featured performers included Cloris Leachman, June Lockhart, and Larry Wilcox.

9/11

Yesterday was a day of reflection for many of us, a time to ponder the changes brought about by a terrorist attack within our country's borders and the senseless loss of life that this date signifies. Since yesterday's date was so somber, today I had to look for something positive in my life to reflect upon...I believe the establishment of the wonderful, scenic Canyonlands National Park is exactly what my mind and heart needed today.

Honey Wine

2010-09-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Backyard Blonde and Raving Mead

I wanted to share the latest on my wine making...I only made a gallon batch of mead in February, primarily because my 5 gallon Carboy (used for holding mead or wine) was being used for my Backyard Blonde...

I had to try the white grapes in my backyard and see what type of wine they would make. One of the really interesting parts about making your own wine is you can experiment with all types of grapes and all kinds of fruit...and if it doesn't turn out, then you just don't tell anyone.

Mead by the gallon was a real success...just ask those friends that helped me polish it off...oops, I meant to save a bottle for the rack and let it age a year. Don't worry, I'll share the recipe before I am done...simple, and anyone can do it...you just have to have patience to wait 6 months before bottling it. Another reason I like mead, is the various tastes it has while developing into a real honey of a wine. This year, I used Clover Honey...local...and it was some really good stuff.

Here is the recipe, but I would suggest that you visit your local wine/beer making supply store and get a book on wine making, read it and understand the sanitary precautions and make sure you have the supplies you will need before venturing further. This recipe should make 4 or 5 bottles of wine in six months...depending on how much tasting you do as it ferments. The real key to success with winemaking, is patience. So, once you have all the basics understood try this recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds Clover Honey
3 quarts distilled water or spring water...or worst case, you can boil tap water (make sure it cools before adding yeast, or you will just kill it)

Heat and blend until disolved, place in your gallon carboy, fill to neck of gallon jar with additional water if needed and allow to cool...once cooled, add

3 tsp acid blend
1 tsp yeast nutrient (not mandatory, but you can tell a difference in the long run)
2 crushed Campden Tablets

When solution is at room temprature, take your hydrometer reading and write it down...this will let you know how much alcohol you can expect to have in your mead at the end of 6 months. Place airlock on neck of bottle and allow to stand for 24 hours. After 24 hours add one packet champagne yeast. I used Lalvin EC1118 on this last batch.

Carboy Airlock

Stir daily for the next week. After a week, if you have never tasted a yeasty mead, this is your chance...there is really no alcohol present at this point, but you will get a feel for the flavor if you taste it monthly and see how it develops.

Now, it is all a matter of waiting.

Wine Thief

Daily, tell your wine good morning and good night...not literally, but check on it. Weekly, taste it (a drinking straw capped with your finger makes a good wine thief for this) and record your experience, it will help with later batches. Monthly, "rack" your wine to another clean bottle (you will need two bottles and two air locks) and top off your wine with sterile water.

At 6 months, bottle it...if possible, try and keep a bottle to taste after a year...Mead actually ages better up to 5 years in the bottle...or so they tell me. I can't keep it around that long.

Disclaimer: these are the basic steps to making mead...if you don't understand basic winemaking and sanitary precautions, you may not have a good experience...visit your local wine/beer making supply store...ask questions and make sure you keep good notes for the next batch.

Fearless Honey Badger

2010-09-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Fearless honey badger escapes from Prague zoo…did you catch the video a couple of weeks ago on MSN??? Or you can still find it on You Tube.

I always thought our local relative the Wolverine was the winner, but after seeing the honey badger struck by a cobra, and taking a nap to shake it off…well, I’m re-thinking the subject. How would you like to see that in your back yard, if you lived in Prague????

I've been thinking a lot about the Wolverine lately, since reading about a study on them in Glacier National Park and thinking I missed the boat; instead of enlisting in the Army, I should have gotten a degree in biology and tracked Wolverines. If you feel the desire, you can contact them and make a donation to the research at the Wolverine Foundation.

Of course, when I think of Glacier, I tend to think of Doug Peacock and his book "Grizzly Years." I've met Doug Peacock three times, I remember all of them...although I am sure they are a little fuzzy in his mind. I love listening to his tales of times with Ed Abbey. Last time I saw Doug was at a reading by him and his lovely wife at Ken Sander's Rare Books...and that always makes me think of Ed Abbey.

All this thought of Abbey, and I need to escape to the desert...drink a few beers and do some hands on research for that book that I know I have hidden away inside me...Then I think of Doug and Ed and wonder what could I add to what they have written? I realize that what I have to add, is my perspective the unique accumulation of all that I have endured and achieved in my half century...so the desert calls...

Birds: Race this weekend!

Honey: This batch of mead will be named "Raving Mead"

2010-09-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Damn those burning Bobcats...

PIRU, Calif. (AP) - A bobcat climbing a power pole got electrocuted and sparked a five-acre brush fire in California's Ventura County. County fire Capt. Dan Preston told the Ventura County Star that the bobcat was apparently chasing an owl or another bird when it touched the power lines, caught fire and fell to the ground in a rural area near Piru.

The fire was reported at 3:36 a.m. Monday atop Torrey Peak. More than 40 firefighters extinguished the blaze about five hours later.

No homes were threatened and no one was hurt. The bobcat's charred body was found beneath the power lines.

Smokey the Bear was wrong when he said only you can prevent Forest Fires...unless you are a Bobcat climbing a power pole. Wonder if they gave him a Christian Burial???

In unrelated news, BYU Retired emeritus archaeologist leads site excavation in Southern Utah that dates back to at least 9,000 BC...WTF?!?...I thought the Mormons believed there was only 8,000 or so years since Adam...and the Bible shows the time between Adam and Christ as between 4000 and 5500 years.

Mustangs and the 2nd Amendment

2010-09-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the Economy and the Livestock Lobbyist are winning out over wilderness again...63% of the wild horse herd in the Conger and Confusion of southwestern Utah are slated to be rounded up...removed from the range. Their fate? Well a majority will be put up for adoption...you can get one for yourself for next to nothing...but in this economy, the fact is most of them will end up on permanent pastures in the Midwest. Not exactly the John Wayne movie setting you visualize when you think of the mustang. But don't worry, we are paying through the nose to keep them on that pasture, so the local Utah rancher can graze his cows and sheep on Utah's scenic BLM land instead.

"According to the BLM website, it cost taxpayers $29 million in the 2009 budget year to care for the horses in captivity. As of August, according to the agency, there were 25,700 permanently pastured wild horses and 8,800 in short-term corrals, likely bound for adoption."

That's quite a bit of taxpayer money to subsidize the Utah rancher...

Maybe it isn't really about 2nd Amendment, but the Davis County Commission repealed their ban on shooting in the foothills today. Seems there is already a Utah State Law on the books that it is illegal to shoot in the direction of houses while shooting in the foothills...What happened to common sense and basic firearms training? Know your target and beyond! I have hunted on this mountainside above my parents home for almost 40 years...when I was young, if I had even pointed my gun back towards town, I'd have had my butt warmed but good. Of course, it's just my opinion, but if you own a gun and you carry it, you should be responsible for your actions with said gun.

Birds: I-race in Beaver, results for 100 mile training toss...took 7th and 9th place out of 109 birds with nest mates from my Vic Miller cock (thanks Fahy) and my Fabry hen (Thanks Ted). Next toss is 150 miles, and pays the top 5 places.

Honey: Meniere's Disease is ravishing my honey today...we will make the best of it, but it is so frustrating for her and nothing I can do. At least, I can be here.

Nature, Birds and Mead

2010-09-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

The beginning of a blog...how did they talk me into this?

Labor Day and a Labor of Love...

Nature:

The Idea of expanding the number of wolf kills in the lower 48 is saddening to me. The statistics and numbers to not add up to create a need for this. Most of the ranchers that are complaining about livestock losses are grazing on public land for next to nothing...it's been going on for generations...their grandfathers and great grandfathers are the reason for no wolves remaining in the first place. Since reintroduction, they estimate the population in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming at 1700...and they have "harvested" 1400 during the reintroduction period.

Birds: I-race in Beaver Utah is the only futurity race I entered this year. Scheduled to take place on 25 September, I still have 3 birds in the race...wish me and them luck!

Mead: Just finished off the gallon I started in February...with the cost of honey, looking for patrons to provide enough to start another 5 gallon batch...let me know.

Oh, and last Wednesday, I was informed that after 4 years, 6 months and 17 days they have approved my disability retirement! I will be looking for part time, non-physical employment to fill the gaps of a fixed income.

Birdman