The Cain and Abel of the bird world

One of our finches (Lil Jon) killed the other one (Robin Hood). He had been picking on him (pecking on him?) for quite awhile now. This is the end of six weeks of abuse, during which he had lost most of his feathers and had suffered several bloody attacks. We think they (the two males) were fighting over the female, Beyonce, their sister.

Today, after returning from a trip all around the state, we found poor little Robin Hood mangled but still living, breathing slowly and hiding in the food bowl. His eyes were swollen shut and his face was bloody.

We transferred him to his own box, to try to nurse him back to health. While we were watching him and pondering what we should do, he fluttered his wings one last time, stretched out his legs and died before our eyes. It was a sad moment in our house... you feel bad for the little guy getting picked on. I showed the dead bird to Helena and James, and it is hard to tell what they thought. They acted differently than how they normally react when I show them a bird in my hands, worth two in the bush. They normally are interested and fascinated, and they still were with he dead bird, but in a different way, yet it was clear they had no idea what had actually happened.

Robin Hood is laying in state tonight, and a backyard funeral is planned for tomorrow. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to your local chapter of "STOP Bird-on-Bird Violence NOW!" (SBOBViN)

"Happiness Attracts"

When asked about his strategy for increasing vocations in his new Archdiocese, Soon-to-be-Archbishop of NY Timothy Dolan said "Happiness Attracts." As I read that in the NYT, his words struck a chord in my heart and in my mind. I feel that we are here "Out West" for more than just a few reasons. One of them is to live the life we are called to, and be examples for others. If there is one thing about the way someone lives that is convincing of the fact that the person in question has "got it right," it is their genuine happiness.

pics from fun in the sun

food and sun

I think that if I were rich I would have a personal chef. I like cooking a lot, but somethings I want to eat are beyond me. Not that I couldn't make them I just don't have that kind of energy right now to make gourmet fare everyday and you know-- I really wouldn't mind having savory crepes for lunch everyday followed by dinner of elaborately cooked meats in exceedingly complex rich sauces. I'd really not mind at all.

Yesterday here was pretty lovely, Eric and I hung out on our front steps and watched the babies explore. It was so warm that I was barefoot, and the sun felt so nice. I'm very much ready for spring, actually I'd skip spring and head right to summer. Enough of this cold already bring on the tank tops! Supposedly Springs in New Mexico aren't that pleasant. Capricious weather and extreme winds. I guess I'll always be longing for those idyllic Mary Washington azalea fests in April.

Eric made me delicious pancakes this morning. I can't stand to watch him make them because he never measures things properly, but I must admit his pancakes are always dynamite. He might be the next best thing to a gourmet chef I get so maybe I shouldn't give him such a hard time about how he measures flour.

Vegetable Vaccuum

My daughter's mouth is a veritable vaccuum for all things green. broccoli, asparagus, spinach, peas, kale, chard, if you put it on her plate, she'll suck it right up. it's amazing the speed of her hand from her plate to her mouth when there are anitoxidants to be had.

Free Hugs

H. and J. have learned to hug, and it's adorable. In the kitchen, in my arms at Mass, playing on the floor, it's a hug-fest here out West. Even cuter was the 3yr old that H. made friends with after Mass today, a little boy who loved to hug as much as she did. In addition to hugs, each of our children now can give normal kisses, not those silly open-mouthed slobbery ones they've only been able to give until now.

Out with the old, in with the new (furnace)

The men came by today and installed our new furnace, which is good on many levels. first, the old one was the original furnace, installed improperly by the construction company in such a way that all the furnaces they installed were in constant danger of blowing up. yes, blowing up. we weren't too keen on the fire hazard. (explosion hazard?) also, the old one was really loud, and made many bangs, clangs, and booms, just to keep you guessing when the explosion would happen. also, the blowers didn't circulate the heat very well, and half the house was always 10 degrees colder than the rest. Today, we found out from the manly men who installed our furnace that the weak blowers were a good thing, because they kept the carbon monoxide from circulating, thus keeping us alive.

The new furnace is whisper quiet and heats the house perfectly. yay :)

also, we got pie to go from a local diner to eat for dessert. the bag seemed rather heavy for two slices of pie, and I was pleased to discover that while Logan's slice was a normal size, mine was 1/4 of a 10 inch pie. needless to say, we shared.


but not with the babies.