Terror At Striebel Pond, Part 2

Yesterday I showed the angry swan motivating across the water with determination and purpose. Today you'll see more about that purpose and I'll bet you won't like it.

Yep, he was after the geese. Now most of us aren't big fans of geese. They're raucous, bold, and inconsiderate. Most unpleasant of all, there are no equivalents to this for geese:

And even if there were, there are no conscientious goose owners going around picking up the goose doo. These guys (the geese) have really made a mess of our walking path in places. We look like we're playing hopscotch when we're just trying to walk or jog for our exercise.

So I didn't have a lot of sympathy for the geese. After all the swan was just being territorial, right? But no matter which way the geese went, the swan was all over both of them. Then I realized the geese seemed to be trying to get to the right.

And then I saw why. Further, I realized that the geese being pursued were Mr. Stare-A-Lot and his wife; and, the kids were huddled (well not huddled - maybe standing) in fear on the shore.

Once again, I don't have empathy for geese. But I do care about moms and dads just trying to keep their family together. And suddenly the whole situation seemed more dramatic.

Tomorrow you'll see just how frantic things can get and where the geese got a little unexpected help.

Terror At Striebel Pond

I walked at Striebel Pond Wednesday When I first got there, I took a series of pictures of the swan family near the south side of the double ponds.

They seemed fine really although one of them appeared to be a little agitated by a pair of ducks swimming nearby. This picture was taken from the south at 5:30.

At 5:38, I was attracted by the light shimmering on the water and I shot this photo from a bridge on the east side of the pond. Once again all appeared quiet.

The path is a figure eight and the two loops are ponds separated by another bridge. As I walked across this divider and had crossed the midpoint bridge by about 40 feet, I heard a huge commotion to the west. And there he was. The male (I think) swan was heading my way in a big hurry.


This is a really long story and I just decided I'm going to turn it into a small series. There are just too many pictures and too long of a story to put it all in one so I'll continue it tomorrow.

Just know that this big guy crossed the pond in less than eight seconds. In a way, that seems long but when you consider he had to travel over a quarter of a mile, it's pretty fast.

Tomorrow, you'll be a little bit horrified to see what he was after. I know I was.

(And don't forget, double-clicking on each photo will show a lot more than just these small images.)

Terror In My Own Back Yard

I had just talked to Mr. Right on the phone and I turned around and through the half open patio door blinds, I saw what looked for all the world like a low-flying terradactyl. I knew it was a crane or a heron - both notorious predators of koi and I thought it fortunate that he flew over the pond and back toward the Northeast. I thought about when my two Army sons were working on the roof and couldn't get over how the koi looked from up high and I was surprised that this guy might have missed what they so clearly saw.

I went to the outside door and was looking for him back by the shopping center when he came walking around the back of the fat tree. He was very wary and cautious and I felt like he picked up on me standing there almost right away so I tried to be very still while I snapped off a couple of pictures.



When I moved to try to get a better view, he flew off.


First of all, I'm glad I spotted him. What a fluke! And second of all, I'm glad we have a net on that small pond where all the big koi are still vulnerable. I think the depth of the big pond offered some protection, not to mention the koi garage that we built on the bottom but there's no such protection in the small, shallow pond. Hopefully this guy wouldn't be able to spear through the net but now that I think about it, that's crazy. Of course he could spear through the net. Look at that beak.

It's crazy how much I enjoy photographing these guys at Striebel pond and how much it gives me chills to photograph them in our back yard.

We have just got to get that big pond re-done before we lose some expensive and precious koi.

You Capture - Depth of Field

What a fun challenge. I started working on this one last Thursday afternoon. That diligence coupled with some luck at Striebel Pond left me with way too many pictures. Please bear with me though. I really concentrated on a tight focus AND I eliminated at least 30 of my favorites.

Here's a true blue Cubs fan watching the ball game from the front row of the upper deck! Wow, what seats!

And here's a flower and bud that I spotted at Striebel Pond.

And then there was some real drama going on tonight at my favorite pond. The swan took serious exception to the presence of geese on his side of the reservoir. I think he felt like they were a threat to his mate and six babies.

Mr. Stare-A-Lot thought to hide in the deep grass.

But it didn't take the swan long to spot him and rout him out of there.

After that the battle was on.

The goslings were very spooked since both their parents were involved in the fracas.

The redwinged blackbird was oblivious and sang merrily (or watched warily).

And this little guy just tried to keep a low profile.

Well that's all I've got without testing the limits of obnoxious over-poster. To see more depth of field shots, head over to Beth's Ishouldbefoldinglaundry.

Shrinking Jeans - 21 Day Challenge Finale

It's all about the habits, right? Do the same thing for 21 days and you'll have formed a new one. And I can honestly say that of the 3 new habits I tackled, I didn't successfully form even one. But there was a habit that I did form and it resulted from this challenge. Everyday for 21 days I was aware of whether or not I exercised, whether or not I counted all my points, and whether or not I got a good night's sleep. I got in the habit of being aware and maybe that's more important than the other three that I was focusing on.

I haven't given up on the three basic habits that I set as my goal habits just because the challenge ended. I still intend to incorporate them into my life. It'll just take a little longer.

My first goal was to get to bed at a reasonable time every night. I truly believe that being sleep deprived sabotages everything. So I did better. I just didn't do good. This is something that I will continue to work on. I just need some self-discipline which is something I lack. (Might that be how I got so heavy in the first place?)

My second goal was to eat regular foods in reasonable amounts and count my Weight Watcher points religiously. The first part was very inconsistent but the second part, counting my points, I did well. Even when it hurt or when it was hard to at least estimate them, I counted them and recorded them. I think this is an important step if we're going to acknowledge why our weight loss efforts have or haven't been successful.

My third goal was to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I credit this goal with my getting back into any kind of exercise routine. The first week I walked two miles every single day for seven days. The second week I walked 2 1/2 miles every single day for seven days. And the third week I walked three miles on five days. Dang! The first day I missed because we went to a Cubs game and I was tired (violins in the background?) and the second day I missed? I just let it slip by. It was easier to let it go, I guess, because I'd already missed one day. That's how I am. Once there's a crack in my resolve, I tend to let it all fall apart.

I'm excited about our next challenge but I'm not going to let this one go so easily. I intend to conquer these habits. I will walk 3 miles a day for seven days this coming week and maybe next week I'll increase. I will got to bed earlier and I won't just go to bed earlier and read a book. And I'll count my points as I stay within them. And that's gonna feel good.

Even though my 'new habit' efforts weren't completely successful, I lost three pounds since last week. Part of the reason was that last week I stayed even so I was due for a drop and part of the reason was that although I wasn't perfect, I stayed the course - thanks to Shrinking Jeans.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Back in the day (before Mr. Right became Mr. Right), he and I took the train to Chicago, then the L to beautiful Wrigley Field almost every week. Ahhh good times. He was such a Cub fan and I became kind of a fan too. I'm a fan in that I like when they win but when they lose, I'm such a sore loser. I ask him things like, "Isn't it hard to be a Cub fan?" and I always blame the umpires. I'm just sure that as long as the Cubs keep their fan attendance up, they'll NEVER get the calls. I always convince myself that one bad ball/strike call can and does take the pitcher (or the batter for that matter) right out of his game. And if the hurler's money pitch is the outside corner and the umpire calls it a ball, he's screwed. Good-bye ball game. And if the first pitch that the batter sees is a terrible pitch that is called a strike, he has to protect the plate against the unknown calls and he's out of his game. See? I'm a terrible fan.

But last Friday we went to the ball game. We took the train, then the L; and, when we got to Wrigley Field we ate outside at one of the many bars in close proximity to the field.

Our seats were upper deck, front row, between home plate and first base. I never had to worry about a head in front of me when I took a picture and eventually I started to relax enough that my feet quit tingling when I looked down. After all, the only thing between us and the lower deck was a little fence.

But I sure could get some pictures!

For example, I could clearly see where the Pirates liked to carry their bats.

I saw Soriano and his new batting coach heading to the under-the-bleachers batting practice area for a little extra instruction before the game (which by the way did pay off for him).

I saw the WGN sportscasters, Len Kasper and Bob Brenly getting ready for the game.

I saw American Idol's Lee DeWyze throw the first pitch. I was a fan of his before the game but now I'm a really a fan of his.

We saw Wayne Messmer sing the National Anthem and the girlfriend of the guy next to us called to say that we were on TV. Boy, was I glad I recorded it. But then, wouldn't you know it, all I had really recorded was the 10 minute pregame show and I didn't get us at all. That was the only disappointment of the day - except for the Cubs losing again of course.

I saw how Soto gets the bat ready for the hitter who just knocked a foul ball that wasn't caught.

I got some pretty good shots of Cubs swinging the bat.

And Cubs after they hit the ball.

I saw Marlon Byrd put the final emphasis on his home run trot.

Except Marlon Byrd doesn't have a home run trot. Marlon Byrd RUNS all the way around the bases even when he hits it out of the park. We love everything about Marlon Byrd because he does everything 100%. Here are a couple of shots of him warming up.

So what, you might say? They all warm up. Not so much. Only a few were out there just before the game started and only one caught my eye. And he caught my eye because he was the one guy out there who seemed to be warming up 100%. Go Marlon.

Here's a little bit of what might go on when you're watching a commercial during the game.

We got our share of hits and that was fun.

But eventually, some fans got bored.

The birds took the field (and not the Marlon kind).

And the Cubs lost 10-6. But it was a beautiful day for a ballgame (it always is at Wrigley Field) and we had a good time as usual.

Maybe you didn't really want to go to the WHOLE game with me but once I got started, I couldn't stop sharing. There were just so many interesting things to see.

Aren't you glad I didn't share the other 486 pictures I took that day?