I always suffer the blues after Christmas. You know, the family has all gone home and there's the stuff under the tree that needs putting away. The decorations need to come down, but wrestling with those three big boxes in the garage is too much to think about.  The chocolates are all gone.

The wash has piled up and there are pine needles all over the house. There are thank you notes to write and the refrigerator is full of leftovers that are starting to mold. The Christmas CDs are scattered all around the CD player.

When I'm depressed during the year, I do some cleaning. Now, I know some of you are thinking that is pathetic. Well, it works for me. Somehow seeing a clean, sparkling house makes me feel better. And I guess the exercise releases some endorphins and must somehow get to my brain and tell me that everything is not as bad as it all seems. I put on some energetic music like Jesse Cook, throw on my jeans and old T-shirt and scrub and clean away. I might even do one of those REALLY unpleasant jobs like cleaning out under the bathroom sink, or worse yet, clean out the bathroom drawer with all the hairy stuff in it.

My teenage daughters don’t share my joy of cleaning. They think a bed is nicer if it’s unmade (one can get back in it easier if one wants), and putting things away so Mom doesn’t trip when she walks in their bedrooms is not something they put high on their priority list.  Dust is just something to write their names in on the dresser and vacuuming is only useful to get bugs and spiders off the ceiling.

Maybe we need to have some mother/daughter time. After all, work is always more fun when you do it together!!

M-Manger where Christ, the Savior, was born

E - Eternal Life is what He came to give to us.

R- Receive Him as your Savior

R- Right now is the time to do it!

Y- You, me and everyone can have Eternal Life!

C- Christ child

H-Heaven is where He came from

R-Risen from the dead

I-Israel's King

S-Savior of the World

T-Truth, the Way and the Life

M-Message of Good News He told

A-Agony is what He suffered for you and Me

S-Savior of all those who accept Him.

Merry Christmas!!!

Here it is the day before Christmas and Hubby and I are coughing in harmony. His cough is a deep bass cough, mine is about a tenor-pitched cough. Yesterday I could do a really good imitation of a chain smoker waitress. (In a low, grovelly voice) "You want a little more coffee, honey?"

It's nice to have a buddy when you're sick. You see, I rarely get sick in the first place. So when I do, I have to milk it for all it's worth. If I'm the only one sick, my husband and children still expect everything to go as normal with meals on the table and clean clothes to wear. I have to go to bed and stay there, if I'm going to get any help at all.  I mean, they don't take me seriously if I say I'm sick and still doing laundry. But if I'm in bed and don't get up, then they might come in about noon and ask me if I'm sick and could they get me something. In the meantime, I have to sneak out to the kitchen and get something to drink and eat while they're not looking, or they'll think I'm ok.

But it's completely different when my husband and I are both sick. He becomes a little more understanding when he shares my misery. It's nice to have a sick buddy. My husband and I can pass the Kleenexes to each other and share the Nyquil pills. And if someone shows up at the door that we don't want to see, we can just say, "We're sick! You'd better not come in." It sounds better if we're both sick because the other one can't entertain them while the sick one goes in the bedroom.

I'm thinking it's a nice time to be sick because no one expects me to fix fantastic holiday meals with Christmas napkins and clean tablecloths.  I can just tell them..."Check out the leftovers, if you're hungry." As long as I'm in my bathrobe, they'll believe me, but if I shower and put on clean clothes, my cover is blown.

I don't even have to feel guilty about giving away the 5 pounds of sugar cookies my friend brought us to decorate. I gave them to a family with eleven kids. Wasn't that a good idea??

Maybe if I can drag this out a little longer, I can get sympathy from my kids to help me take down the Christmas decorations. But that's still a week away. Don't know if I can fake it that long.

Yes, being sick at Christmas definintely has its benefits. It's all in how you look at it.

As the movie unfolded, my throat constricted and tears came to my eyes as I thought what C.S.Lewis would have thought of his creation of a magical land that so many readers are in love with. Like my daughter said after she saw the movie, "I feel like I've been to Narnia."  Yes. I would have to agree. I feel like I've been to Narnia.

When Lucy gets into Narnia for the first time, I found myself holding my breath and waiting, waiting for her to see the lamp post. Yes, there it was just as I imagined it. And the faun--though he was younger than I imagined, was very like the one in the book. His house, and everything. 

My favorite part in the book is where the girls romp with Aslan after he comes back to life. This part wasn't in the movie. But they get to ride on his back when he flies back to the witch's castle. You see Lucy put her hand into his mane for the first time. In fact, the children don't touch Aslan at all before he dies. It is very effective in showing how he is somehow more approachable after his death. He's the King before--but afterwards--he's also their friend.

I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. Sure, there were a few parts that weren't as I had imagined it. But it was very true to the book for the most part.

I suggest you go experience Narnia for yourself.

"But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there." --Aslan

My Son came home for Christmas (early, since he couldn't get Christmas week off work), and I gave him the fun job of hanging up the Christmas lights outside. Isaac (my son) never does anything the easy way. I noticed this as I was walking out the door to drive my youngest dd to a 4H meeting. Isaac was up on the eave of the roof hanging over the edge trying to hang up the Christmas lights.

"Isaac! What are you doing???"

"Hanging up the Christmas lights. What does it look like I'm doing?" he says.

"It looks like you're trying to get the Darwin Award!" I exclaim. (The Darwin Award is for people who DIE doing stupid things. It's called the Darwin Award because the people who do stupid things that get them killed eliminates the stupidest of people from the gene pool of humanity.)

I drive off, praying that I won't see the ambulance driving away when I arrive back home.

Later, as I arrive back home, driving up the driveway I see beautiful little Christmas lights lighting up the eave of the house---partway. Wait. Where are the rest of the lights? As I round the curve, I see the rest of the string of lights hanging down from the house and trailing along the ground. The ladder is propped against the front eave of the house so we have to walk under it to get inside. (Seven years of bad luck? Oh, well. What the heck, I think to myself as I walk under it.)

Inside. "Isaac? What happened to the lights?"

Isaac: "Oh, I'll get the rest of them up tonight."

It's now dark.

"In the dark?" I ask amazed.

I'm trying to figure out how I've raised such an idiot, especially when his dad is Mr. Safety. But then, Isaac was always one to learn by experience.

I decide next year I'LL put up the Christmas lights.

Jammie  tagged me for the "Seven Sevens". I’m supposed to answer seven questions and then tag seven people. Here goes!   1. Seven things to do before I die 1. Read through my entire Bible. (This was Jammie's, but I'm keeping it too.--never could get through those major prophets) 2. Graduate all my kids from homeschool! (Just two to go!) 3. Learn to think of others first. 4. Write and publish a homeschool curriculum that actually gets used. 5. Write my life story for my posterity--so they can learn from my mistakes. 6. See America 7. Finish my quilt.  2. Seven things I cannot do 1. Ski and enjoy it. I can ski--but I don't enjoy it. 2. Limit my computer time to 30 minutes a day. 3. Touch a spider! EEK! 4. Eat liver. 5. Jump out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute on.  6. Be a perfect housekeeper like my mom. 7. Remember to water the plants. (consistently) 3. Seven things that attract me to my husband 1. He is a spiritual leader in our home. 2. He kills spiders for me. 3. He loves to BBQ and cook breakfast on Saturdays. 4. He works hard to support our family. 5. He opens the car door for me. 6. He forgives me when I blow it. 7. He's a great dad to our children. 4. Seven things I say most often 1. Are you watching the time? 2. What time is it? 3. It's in the pantry. 4.What do you mean you couldn't find it! It's right behind the ___, on the left/right side of the cupboard.  5. No, you can't take my Suburban. Take the old one. 6. And put some gas in it!! 7. Yes, I'll do it as soon as I've (written my Blog, read my email, etc.) 5. Seven books (or series) I love 1. The Bible 2. Little House books 3. Chronicles of Narnia 4. Ramona books 5. Jane Eyre 6. Anne of Green Gables series 7. Edith Schaeffer books like L'Abri, Hidden Art, and What is a Family. 6. Seven movies I watch over and over again (or would watch over and over if I had the time) 1.  Jane Eyre with Timothy Dalton 2.  Anne of Green Gables 3.  Lord of the Rings 4.  Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant 5.  Across the Great Divide 6.  Who Am I? (Jackie Chan) 7.  Magnificent Seven 7. Seven people I want to join in, too 1.  TC 2.  NotQuiteJuneCleaver 3. MiddleEarthMom 4.  LifeofLearning 5.  Quidamae 6.  PrairieFrog Blog 7.  Mom2threegirls

I love to read. I love books. I love the library because it has books! I like the smell of books (most of them), the feel of the paper and the rough or smooth covers, the edges of the paper, etc. Books give me a warm, happy feeling. I love getting cozy with a book, my blanket and a mug of tea in the winter. In summer, I love reading in bed while the cool breeze from the evening blows into my bedroom.

So.. with that introduction. I will list some of my favorites. Keep in mind, this is a very incomplete list! And you will notice that a lot of them are kids books. That's because that is mostly what I've been reading the last 20 years because we've been homeschooling and I want to know what my kids are reading! (I know. It sounds like a lame excuse.)

The Bible

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

The Narnia Tales

The Little House books

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

George MacDonald books

C.S. Lewis books, Surprised by Joy, Letters to an American Lady, The Great Divorce, and the space trilogy.

Edith Schaeffer books: L'Abri, Hidden Art, What is a Family?

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World (about explorer Ernest Shackleton)

Beverly Cleary books, esp. Ellen Tebbits

Cheaper by the Dozen

Scott O'Dell books like Streams to the River, River to the Sea; and Island of the Blue Dolphins, and the Black Pearl

Misty of Chincoteague

Hold the Rein Free by Van der Veer (a horse story)

Silver Chief, Dog of the North and other books by same author

Anne of Green Gables (whole series)

When Calls the Heart\

James Herriot books

Star of Light; Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John

Call it Courage

Escape from Warsaw

Number the Stars

Understood Betsy

Shane

Caddie Woodlawn

Calico Captive

Calico Bush

Indian Captive (and other captive stories)

Time Enough for Drums

Seven Alone

Hatchet

Little Princess, A Secret Garden

The Perilous Guard

A Murder for Her Majesty

Rosemary Sutcliff books like The Eagle of the Ninth

Jackaroo and other books by Cynthia Voigt

My daughter drove me to my quilting class last night. I really didn't want to go, but I decided that I had made the commitment, and I would probably enjoy it once I got there. I was right.

On the drive there, I started thinking about all the things I had to do before Christmas--no wait--all the things I had to do the before the week BEFORE Christmas. That's right. My kids out of town called up to say they were coming early since my son couldn't get the week of Christmas off. We would celebrate a week early! Anyway, as I started to think about all the things I had yet to do, I realized that I was dreading the next couple of weeks. I found myself wishing I could skip Christmas.

Then I stopped to think. Having all my kids home was going to be really awesome! How often do I get them all home at once, now that three of them have left home?  I should be praising God and being thankful for this wonderful opportunity! Instead of focussing on what a great time it would be, I was focussing on all the stuff I had to do!

I told my daughter that I was going to enjoy the rest of December. I made a choice. By making a choice and voicing it, I knew my attitude would change along with it. It did.

In going over the things I had to do, I started thinking of ways to simplify. My mind began to relax. Soon, I was enjoying the thought of my evening out at my quilting class. That night I slept well.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!" Praising God for the gift of His Son who is the best gift of all!"

Yesterday while we were splitting wood, I was the one rolling the logs over to my husband at the wood splitter. I noticed that there were daddy-longlegs crawling over the logs that had been sitting in a pile for quite some time. I thought they were daddy-longlegs--which they were. But they are not the daddy-longleg spiders that I thought they were.

Actually, I hate spiders. In fact, I have a mildly severe case of arachnophobia. I have a special "spider scream" that my family recognizes as coming forth from me whenever I am surprised by a spider. It's kind of like a EEK! with a shriek added in. However, over the years I have come to be braver about these small creatures. It still gives me the creeps to look at them. The daddy-longleg spiders get into my house constantly, and I have to keep a vigilant battle to vacuum them up each week so they don't take over the house. Spraying does nothing to help. I think it actually helps them multiply!! Just kidding.

OK. Back to the daddy-longlegs. The ones I found in the wood pile are of a different Order called Opiliones. They are commonly called daddy-longlegs, harvestmen or opilionids. They don't spin webs, and they are usually found under logs and rocks.  They prefer moist habitat--such as the logs I was turning over yesterday. They have only one body segment. (Now, there is no way I'm going to get down and see if they have only one body segment!)

The other long-legged spiders are in the family Pholcidae. Previously the common name of this family was the cellar spiders.  These are commonly called daddy long-leg spiders. They actually spin webs. (I know because they have webs all over the outside of my house in the eaves. It's a constant battle to keep it clean.)

Because these arachnids are spiders, they have 2 body basic body parts and have 8 eyes most often clumped together in the front of the body. They have 8 legs all attached to the front most body part. (Again, I haven't looked that closely at one to notice, especially counting those eyes!)

So next time you see a daddy long-leg spider, or a daddy long leg, you will know the difference between the Opiliones and the Pholcidae! Now, aren't you smart?!!

If you want to know more about these or see a picture (they're not too scary), you can go to this website and check it out.

http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html

My two teenage daughters and I sing in the Community Chorus. They get college credit for it, while I just do it for fun. We're singing Christmas carols of Benjamin Britten and Holst and a couple of other English Carols, and parts of the Messiah and our concert is next Monday. We just got home from our final practice.

Every time I sing the Messiah, I just beam with joy. I love the music. It is so inspiring and wonderful. It praises the Savior and what He did. I'm just thrilled to be singing it again.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! Hallellujah! Hallelujah. The kingdom of this world, is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And He shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

My oven has been unusable for a month. So when we were asked to contribute something for our 4H club's booth at the Christmas Craft Fair, I started racking my brain. I came up with popcorn balls.

My mother made these popcorn balls when I was a kid. She would make a big bowl full and we could eat as many as we wanted. They were a favorite treat.

Mom's Honey Popcorn Balls

6 quarts of lightly salted popcorn ( I use Orville Redenbacher's and pop it on the stove in light olive oil.)

1 cup honey

1 cup sugar (granulated)

1 Tbsp. butter (use the real thing)

1/2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. lemon juice concentrate

Spread popcorn on two large cookie sheets sprayed with Pam. Remove any unpopped kernals.

Combine honey, sugar, and butter in a medium to large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until syrup forms a hard ball in cold water. (Or use candy thermometer). Remove from heat.

Add soda and flavoring. (Be careful. Mixture will bubble and froth).

Drizzle over popcorn and mix thoroughly. Wet hands and make into popcorn balls.

Here's a website where you can read about the history of popcorn, daramel corn, Cracker Jacks, and popcorn balls.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PopcornHistory.htm

Yesterday as I looked out my window, I saw a whole flock of Juncos. They're very recognizable for their dark hooded heads. The females do not have the dark hoods like the males. They were scratching around on the ground. They eat seeds and insects. (Yes! We have so many bugs here!) They are "snow-birds" meaning they live in the north and migrate south during the winter.

They are very common feeder birds, so if you have a bird feeder, they will likely visit you. I like them because they seem so happy and energetic.

Another favorite winter visitor is the nut-hatch (nuthatch). It's so fun to watch because it goes upside down on trees to search for food. It eats bugs on the trees (cheers, again!).

The following two sites are for Juncos.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/DEJU/

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dark-eyed_Junco.html

The following site is for nuthatches.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/WBNH/

Did you know raindrops are not tear-shaped?  Only drops of water dripping from some sources are tear-shaped at the moment of formation. Small raindrops are spherical. Larger ones are more flattened, likehamburger buns, and very large ones are shaped like parachutes.

The rain falling right now is probably sherical, since it's only a drizzle.I don't really like rain. After all, I was raised in sunny Arizona. In California, we get most of our rainfall in the winter months, which means it may rain for days at a time.

But I've learned to be thankful for the rain. It washes the smoke and dust out of the air. It waters the plants, the grass and washes the dust off the leaves. It even washes my car (that I haven't had time to wash lately!)

The first rain fell after the flood since the Bible says "a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground." Gen. 2:6 At least I can be thankful that it doesn't rain for forty days and forty nights!! 

Ok. I've already blogged for today, but it's been a month!

My oven isn't working. That is. It isn't working safely. It's a gas oven and the igniter wasn't kicking the gas on, so my husband did some 'creative oven repair' and got it to work. There was one small problem.  Sometimes the oven gas didn't ignite right away, so you could hear this small "explosion" when it finally did. It was a little unnerving, especially when it blew the fire out of the back burners on the stove. Good thing I noticed or we'd all be in the papers under the heading, "Family of Four Dies in Gas Stove Explosion", or "Family of Four Dies from Gas Inhalation".

Anyway, I decided that I'd had enough pyro-technic baking and declared the oven "off limits".  Hubby was sympathetic and took me out shopping for a new range. We found the perfect one and even got a discount when we opened a store credit card (which we didn't need), but the only drawback was that it couldn't be delivered until December 9th!!! Oh well. I could do without an oven for a month. Couldn't I???

Ever try to cook Thanksgiving Dinner without an oven?  Well, I did. We BBQ'd the turkey, made stove top stuffing, cooked the mashed potatoes on the stove top, and the green bean casserole in the microwave. The only thing I couldn't figure out how to make was the pies. We bought those. We bought dinner rolls from a local restaurant. So we did it!!

My mom and dad came for a week and I also fixed a ham dinner without an oven.  I crock-potted the ham, and made the potatoes au gratin in the microwave. They were a little different, but good. I even pan-fried some chicken. I haven't done that in years!  I always oven bake my chicken--so much less grease!

I'm dying for some good ol' oven cooking and baking!!! And also, there are just so many stove-top meals you can make in a month!!

As I was taking the dog out for her nightly potty walk, I enjoyed seeing the constellation Orion shining brightly in the cold clear sky. Orion has always been one of my favorite constellations. As I looked up at the "Hunter", I imagined David, the shepherd boy killing the lion. Then I realized that the constellation was in existence long before David walked on the earth. David probably gazed at Orion many a night as he was watching over his sheep.

Orion is made up of several interesting stars. One, Belelgeuse, at Orion's right shoulder, is larger than the orbit of Venus!  This constellation also has the famous Horsehead Nebula. You can read more about the constellation Orion and its stars at the following website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_constellation

Life Before DSL:

Turn on computer. Go make a cup of tea.

Back to computer. Log in. Wake up kids.

Back to computer. Read mail and download a picture from relative. Put in a load of laundry.

Back to computer. File 5% downloaded. Fold laundry from yesterday.

Back to computer. File 12% downloaded. Feed dog, Take out trash.

Back to computer. File 15% downloaded. Open another window and type week's schedule for one child in Word

Back to download. File 28% downloaded. Fix lunch. Wash up dishes. Throw laundry in dryer.

Back to computer. File 35% downloaded. Take dog for a walk.

Back to computer. File 45% downloaded. Help daughter with math lesson. Read aloud for an hour.

Back to computer. File 74% downloaded. Start dinner. Empty dishwasher. Greet husband at door.

Back to computer. File 89% downloaded. Eat dinner, load dishwasher and wash up dishes. Fold laundry from morning.

Back to computer. File 98% downloaded. Beg husband to use neighbor's phone for important phone call.

Back to computer. Page cannot be found. Beat computer with a hammer!

Life after DSL.

Turn on computer with mug of tea in hand. Read mail, download cute pictures of family, send some pictures to mom and dad, write in blog, read favorite homeschool message boards.

Talk to daughter about how she can load her own laundry, and that she can just do the next pages in her books without a schedule.

Talk to other daughter about how she can fix her own lunch. And by the way, would she please wash up the dishes from last night, breakfast and lunch.

Call husband on phone and find out that he's going to be late getting home from work. Yes! More computer time!

Read more message boards. Start another blog. Watch several funny videos sent to mail box. Go to message boards and read several more posts.

Ask daughter to take dog out for walk since the dog is crossing her legs by now.

Research pictures for project on the web.

Tell daughter to watch math video and that if she watches it five times and still doesn't get it, you might have time to help her.

Copy and print pictures from web for another project.

Ask other daughter to put frozen dinners in the microwave for dinner.

Download recipes for quick dinners from homeschool board.

Tell other daughter to fold the laundry and wash up the dishes.

Read new email messages.

Greet husband from computer.

Download more pictures and funny videos to send to friends.

Tell husband to go to bed without me. I'll be in before midnight.

Fall asleep at computer.

On my walks in the mornings, many times I see or hear red-tailed hawks. Their cry sounds familiar because it is used on TV whenever they show a large flying bird. LOL. You can hear their cry by going to the website below.

The red-tailed hawk is a beautiful and graceful bird. It soars above looking for food. Its food is mostly small mammals such as mice, squirrels, rabbits and even skunks and bats. And also cats. Uh-oh. I didn’t know about that until now. I have several outdoor cats!

The easiest way to identify this bird is by its rusty-colored tail. It is very visible when they are in flight. These magnificent birds can often be seen perched on the top of telephone poles.

Once I was on a walk and saw a red-tailed hawk perched on a somewhat low branch in a nearby tree. I stopped and stood still to watch it for several minutes. It was very close to me, and I studied it as it sat there. Finally, it flew away. When I got home I drew it in my nature notebook.

For more information about red-tailed hawks go to:

http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/red-tailed_hawk.htm

I hate spiders. I hate anything with eight legs that vaguely resembles a spider. However, we live in a buggy place so I’ve learned to tolerate them. Last night a huge monstrous eight-legged thing was in the middle of our dining room floor. I was elected to kill it before it ran away, since my husband had no shoes on.

I hate squishing bugs that have a big body because they make a big spot on the floor and make a crunching sound. But I did it anyway. My husband called this bug a tailless scorpion. I think a more correct name is a solifugid. Solifugid is Latin for “fleeing from the sun”. In other words, they are nocturnal critters. Yep. This one showed up at night. That just gave me a scary thought—could these things be crawling over the floor at night when we aren’t looking?

Anyway, I looked these up on the web and found some interesting (incriminating) evidence. Solifugids are arachnids that are not a threat to man. (How about to woman? Eh?) They are very aggressive and fast moving and can inflict a painful bite.  Well, that’s enough evidence for me! Eradicate them! I took care of this one, anyway. I gently squished it (just a little) to kill it, then got a lot of napkins and picked it up and threw it in the trash. Ugh.

Well, if you’re brave, you can get a look at these…ahem….interesting critters at the website below. Just be warned. There are graphic pictures!

http://www.museums.org.za/bio/arachnids/solifugae.htm

This morning on my walk, I noticed some woodpeckers. I don’t like woodpeckers. They are a nuisance. But I decided to look up some information on them anyway. Well, was I surprised!  Here is a creature that is a display of God’s awesome creation.

What I noticed about woodpeckers is that they bore holes in trees and telephone poles. They sometimes bore holes in my roof of my house. And a variety of woodpecker called the sapsucker, bores holes in my fruit trees. There, haven’t I proven they’re nuisances?

What I didn’t know is that woodpeckers eat thousands of wood boring pests and other insects such as crickets, ants, grasshoppers, flies, spiders, wasps, beetles and grubs. They also create homes for many other species of birds. Do you like bluebirds, owls, chickadees and wrens? They depend on the abandoned nest holes of the woodpeckers for their homes.  So next time you hear a knock, knock, just remember who’s calling!

Sapsuckers, related to woodpeckers, drill small holes into the cambium layer of living trees which causes sap to slowly ooze forth. They have a sort of “trap line” where they got from tree to tree, drinking the sap and eating the insects that are attracted to it.

Once we had a sapsucker who was regularly visiting our young peach tree. I was furious that it was attacking my tree. I would go out and yell at it and shoo it away. One of our cats, Alley, was there one day when I did this. She was very much attracted to that sapsucker as a potential addition to her diet. She figured out that if she hid in the tall grass under the tree, she could catch that sapsucker by surprise. Several times she almost got it, but each time the bird flew away. She was very patient and waited there day after day for that sapsucker to show up. Eventually, the sapsucker caught onto her trick and decided to leave my peach tree alone—much to Alley’s disappointment—and much to my satisfaction!

Here's a website on how to attract woodpeckers to your yard:

http://www.birdsforever.com/woody.html

Another awesome website with pictures and facts:

http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/woodpeckers.html

I was surprised to see a coyote in the city near Stanford Hospital (near San Francisco Bay area). It was early in the morning, around 5:15 when I was headed to the hospital to see my husband before he went into surgery. As I was driving into the hospital grounds, a coyote ran across the road and into the bushes. Stanford has some open area around it, but it is a pretty well developed area. That is why I was surprised to see the coyote.

Coyotes (canis latrans) are dog-like animals that can be found throughout North America. They were originally only found in the Northwest, but have adapted well to change caused by human habitation (as is witnessed by my coyote in the city).

Probably the most distinguishing part of the coyote is its tail. It is long and bushy (like a fox) and is held out straight and slightly below its back from its body. The other distinguishing trait of the coyote is its howl.  The howl is a communication with other coyotes about territory and mating. A male coyote will howl to let other males know that it is his area—stay away. But the same howl is a welcome invitation to females to join him.

The main diet of the coyote is small rodents like mice and ground squirrels, but they also eat rabbits, insects, reptiles and even fruits and berries of wild plants. Coyotes have been observed killing sheep, poultry and foals of horses, or young or weak livestock, but this is not their normal fare. They are very furtive, but have shown aggressive behavior toward humans when being regularly fed by them. Therefore, it is advised not to feed them, and do not allow children to get near them.

When we lived in the high Sierras (alt. 7200 ft.) we had a coyote that visited our small living community. It had been fed by one of the families who lived there. Next door to them, lived a family with a small dog and a young boy. One morning when the neighbor let the dog out, the coyote attacked and killed the dog. The little boy ran out to rescue the dog, and fortunately was not harmed. The dad went and found and killed the coyote, much to the sorrow of their neighbor who had been feeding it. When humans feed wildlife, both the wildlife and humans are at risk! Do Not Feed Wildlife! 

Here's a website to find out more about coyotes:

http://www.desertusa.com/june96/du_cycot.html