December 13, 2013 by Born To Organize

Birds of Wisdom: A bit of Goofing Off

I’ve been working extra hours these past few weeks, so when my client called to cancel this morning, I was (mostly) relieved. I decided to treat myself to a much-needed thirty minutes of goofing off. I sat in a chair facing the garden, played a game on my phone and within minutes had a sleeping cat on my lap.

It wasn’t long before my eyes drifted out to the usual wildlife antics. Foraging squirrels raced around the garden, so round and full I’m amazed they can still move. It looked as though they were working as a team. You don’t see that every day! It’s usually ‘every squirrel for themselves.’ The light grey squirrel moved across the lawn, into the shrubs and then used the camellia trellis like a ladder. I should have jumped up for the camera then, but I was busy goofing off. Right behind him was a dark, brown squirrel, following his every move. It looked like a game of follow the leader.

Just outside the window, a small bird flew from branch to branch in the maple tree. Then he turned and appeared to be looking in the window. How could I ignore an invitation like that!?

Camera in hand, it was still incredibly challenging getting his picture. He darted from branch to branch, up, down, back up. Then he flew to the neighboring yard, and within minutes was back again. Perhaps he could see his own reflection, though he never went for the window.*

I’ve decided he was keeping an eye on me, making sure I stuck to my goofing-off schedule before getting back to work. Meanwhile, he was keeping plenty busy for both of us.

Are you taking some time to goof-off during this hectic season?

*It’s disheartening to hear a bird fly into a closed window. One theory is that the sky reflects in the glass, and to the bird thinks it can fly through. These clever decals Window Alert: Protect Your Songbirds act as a ‘stoplight’ for the birds.

October 24, 2013 by Born To Organize

Hummingbird Migration: Garden Traffic in Decline

I’m going to make an extra effort this year to track the hummingbirds at our feeders. Just one day after musing about their migration habits last week, I read Joan Morris’ column in the San Jose Mercury News. One of her readers sent in the following:

Dear Joan: I’ve been feeding the hummingbirds from my patio in the same Palo Alto location for more than 10 years now.

Ms. McClellan of Saratoga, who wrote regarding how often her feeders need refilling presently, is probably experiencing what it is like to feed the migratory hummers that pass through our area each fall and spring.

Her Saratoga neighbors probably need to refill their feeders as often during these several weeks while the birds fatten up before moving south.

It will quiet down any day or week now as winter shows more and the migrating birds finish their trips south. Just a few hummingbirds stay over winter locally, and nectar needs will drop.

Then in the spring there will be another, shorter surge of feeding needed on the hummingbirds’ migration north.

Gavin Tanner

I have noticed the increased consumption of nectar at the feeders (we have three). It’s really cooled down in the last few days, finally feeling like fall. My California Girl uniform of a thin t-shirt and cotton sweater are no longer enough to keep me warm.

I found an informative website called World of Hummingbirds. They have a form on their site for reporting migration habits in your area. They ask you to wait two full weeks till the last sighting, before submitting details. I’m looking forward to taking part in this one small way. They use the collected data to: “help researchers around the world better understand and protect hummingbirds.” I’m all for that.

Magnolia feeder: All business

Beautiful red throat

Back garden feeder

A rare event at our feeders. They’re usually too territorial to share all at once.

Kitchen window feeder

Halloween Countdown:

Lindy Lu loves pumpkins

October 21, 2013 by Born To Organize

Nature’s Costumes: All Set for Halloween

Our kitties are all set for Halloween. They’ve gone the simple route with their costumes, unlike yours truly who likes to complicate things. I managed to alter a pattern and cut the pieces to my dress this weekend, but with my husband traveling out of the country and my busier-than-usual work schedule, I’m down to the wire. And speaking of wire, our wireless connection went down as soon as he left town. Nothing makes me feel dumber than trying to trouble shoot modems, routers, wireless connections and the like.

I studied theater arts in college, with an emphasis in costume design, so it’s fun to dust off my sewing skills once a year. Halloween is the perfect time of year. So, I’m sticking to the things I do know (sewing and gardening) and through the magic of mobile phones, our internet is finally up and running.

With that wireless business behind me, I’m back to focusing on costumes.

First up, Mouse the Mighty. I know, I know, he’s not even my cat but try telling him that. Here he is sporting his Inspector Clouseau costume.

Inspector Clouseau

My sweet Lindy is taking the softer approach. Here she dons a head full of strawberry plants for that special Strawberry Shortcake look.

Strawberry Shortcake

Slinky Malinki is all dressed in black. She’s emulating the children’s story book of the same name: Slinky Malinki…

Slinky Malinki

Beijing is a teenager, and a tired one at that. She’s sitting out the whole costume thing this year, preferring instead to monitor the treats. She’s a natural.

Beijing, the teenager

What’s in a name:

Mighty Mouse: He’s named by our neighbor’s daughter.
Lindy: She came home from the Humane Society already named. We also call her Lindy-Lu.
Slinky Malinki: Once a stray. We named her after a slinky black cat in a children’s story book of the same name.
Beijing: Also once a stray. My son named her Beijing, because she’s neither white nor orange, but beige.

Halloween Countdown:

Chocolate pumpkin. This tasty morsel was a gift from my Pilates instructor. Yes, I do see the irony in this.

October 15, 2013 by Born To Organize

Three Dogs: Clever, Sweet and Knotty

This is Titus. He’s a Doberman Pinscher by breed, but clearly a retriever at heart. I fell in love with him on the trail last week when he ran by carrying…a log!

Titus the Clever

He’s still a puppy, just a month away from his first birthday. According to his companion, Monique, Titus is quite fond of sticks. He carried this one around like a twig amazing all passersby.

Isn’t he clever?

Titus drops his stick

I meet plenty of dogs along the trail, especially when I’m walking with my friend, Karen and her dog, Dylan. Dylan is number one, but it doesn’t hurt to flirt now and again. No worries, Dylan. You’re still the apple of my eye.

Isn’t he sweet?

Dylan the Sweet

Last week I encountered the most unusual dog of all. You might even say he’s knotty. We stood eying each other for quite some time. I even snapped a picture to be sure I wasn’t imaging things. Back home, pictures downloaded, there he was clear as day.

Isn’t he knotty?

Knotty Dog?

Never a dull moment on the Almaden Quicksilver trail. That place has gone to the dogs.

Halloween Countdown:

Blog Love: A beautiful piece of embroidery from the talented Marlene Herself at In Search of it All.

October 10, 2013 by Born To Organize

If Fences Could Talk

We’re finally seeing some fall action here in San Jose, which for us means cloudy skies and temperatures south of 50 F (10C). It also means perfect hiking weather!

Almaden Quicksilver trail view

My walking partner cancelled this week, so I took myself up to the Quicksilver trail for a ninety-minute hike. I love social hikes, but now and again, it’s great to go alone. I’m able to tune in more to the nature around me, to see things that I might have missed.

On my recent hike, I noticed the number of fences running along the trail head and into the hills as I climbed. Wooden fence posts seemed to be re-joining the landscape. Once tall trees, whittled into fence posts, forgot all about formalities. They were gradually returning to a natural state.

Like the understudy in a play waiting in the wings, here was their chance to shine. Each fence post took on shape and character, gathering moss, lichen and weathered decay. Fences meant to keep trespassers out quietly invited small guests in. Signs of a woodpecker, insects and moss were everywhere. I had the sense that if i lingered awhile, those fences would tell me a story. That perhaps I wasn’t alone after all.

If those fences could talk, what do you think they would say?
crossing fence posts fence with barbed wire fence with lichen

Halloween Countdown:

All dressed up: Lacy pumpkin

September 25, 2013 by Born To Organize

Nature’s Garden, No Tarantulas

The good news (if you’re a tarantula) is its mating season.

Additional good news (for arachnophobics) is I didn’t spy a single one on my hike this week. You may safely continue reading without any surprises herein.

I’ve really missed my weekly hikes along the Almaden Quicksilver trail. Hiking trails feel like nature’s garden, a place to enjoy flora and fauna and if your lucky, a bit of wildlife. I generally hike with my friend Karen and her sweet dog, Dylan. They weren’t available this week, so I decided to hoof it alone.

I bent down to take a photo of some fall leaves, when two women approached and said “is that a tarantula?” Momentarily confused, I realized the hikers thought I was taking a picture of one of our eight-legged friends. The hikers I spoke with saw three tarantulas on the trail that morning.

Off I went in pursuit of exercise and wildlife (with four legs), careful to keep my eyes down whenever I approached a patch of shade. Years ago a tarantula crossed my path on a hike around this time of year. They’re actually slow-moving and quite docile, so other than the startle factor, I wasn’t concerned.

One of the amazing things about hiking this trail is how quickly you feel like you’re away from the city. I can get there by car in 15 minutes. I love that.

Given the long, dry year we’ve had, things were looking pretty brown. Even so, I loved the smell of fall in the air, the shadows in the trees and the view of downtown San Jose.

Come have a look at one of the quicksilver trails: nature’s garden, and as promised, no tarantulas.

McAbee Road Trail Head

Potpourri of fallen leaves

The first steep incline (no spiders here)

A view of Silicon Valley and the dreaded smog we have this time of year.

Parched earth

‘Tree cave’

Remnants from the quicksilver mining days

The bottom of the hill

A well camouflaged deer

Almaden Quicksilver County Park

August 5, 2013 by Born To Organize

Kitty in Search of a Play Date

Our three kitties love the time we spend in the garden. One by one they join us outdoors. We installed a cat fence-in system over 16 years ago to keep them safe, so they have the run of the garden without the dangers of street-life. It’s been the best of both worlds.

Lindy in repose

When we first installed the system, we monitored carefully for possible escape routes. Our fab felines quickly settled in and we let out a collective sigh.

Beijing enjoying her solitude

Then…Mighty Mouse came along. Mouse belongs to a neighbor, but he prefers life at our place. He’s also the Harry Houdini of the cat world. He knows the ins and outs of our house and garden, and makes himself at home wherever his little paws carry him. Mouse navigates his way into our yard by crossing the neighbors gate along the top of the shared fence. From there he weaves through the Jasmin vine, over the netting and across one of the broken standards we keep meaning to fix.

This weekend he joined us in search of a play date.

Mouse looking up

bird on the fence

Our furry friend listened to the birds rustling in the orange tree for a while, but lost interest when Lindy came outside. He circled her for a game of patty-cake, but she was not amused. Her bent ears sent a clear message of annoyance. Mouse wised up and moved on.

Fun and games

Next up, he tried to engage Beijing. She was busy snoozing, pressed against the warm rock wall, when Mouse slyly meandered nearby. He inched closer and closer, sitting down each time in the dirt. Before he could dangle an inquisitive paw, Beijing stood up, braced her shoulders and vocalized her first warning. Unperturbed, he held the higher ground. ‘I have no time for this nonsense,’ she seemed to say, as she turned her back and returned inside in what I can only imagine was disgust. I found her sphinx like in the entry way, wondering when the intruder would be heading home.

Let’s play!!!

“I’ve had it!”

Slinky avoided Mouse altogether, staying hidden in the side yard till the coast was clear.

I think it might be time to place an ad in the personals: Handsome young kitty, in search of a play date.

Do they have eHarmony for cats?

July 12, 2013 by Born To Organize

Slipping into Friday with a Silly Joke

Someone told me the following joke years ago and it still makes me giggle. I don’t generally remember jokes, even five minutes later, or I mess up the telling of the joke and give away the punch line.

Since I edit my own blog, this time I’ll get it right. And since you are reading this joke, I’ll never know if you are rolling your eyes, or suppressing a soft groan.

In my mind, you’ve just let out a deep belly laugh, and now have tears running down your cheeks while you call to someone in the other room to come hear this hilarious joke.

Perhaps I should have stopped before that last paragraph. Now you really have your hopes up. I’m nothing if not optimistic.

A man hears a knock at his door, but upon answering doesn’t find anyone there.

He closes the door, but again hears a knock.

The second time he opens the door, looks down and sees a garden snail on his front porch.

He bends down, hurls the snail across the yard and again closes the door.

Flash forward: Ten Years Later

The same man hears a knock at his door and upon answering it, he sees the same snail on his front porch.

The snail looks up at him and says, “What the hell was that about?”

snail on porch

I hope you’re sliding into a happy Friday.

March 17, 2013 by Born To Organize

Garden Limericks: Happy St. Patrick’s Day

I’m not Irish, but my once bright red hair might give you pause. I’m not a fan of beer, either, green or otherwise. I do love the excuse to wear green, however, and the chance to write green limericks.

Here are two from last year:

As a gardener I find much to love,
even weeds at the end of my glove.
I once kept a log,
then I learned how to blog,
hence combining two hobbies thereof.

♣♣♣♣♣

Fairy Garden

♣♣♣♣♣

In my garden I learned how to sow,
tiny seeds laid all in a row.
Then I wait for the pests,
snails and rats never rest,
hoping one day something might grow.

Birthday Wishes

When I was fresh out of college, I had the luck of the Irish, the chance to work for a fledgling (now thriving) theater in San Jose, founded by full-blooded Irishman James (Jim) Reber. How Irish is Jim? He was born on St. Patrick’s day!

Today, Jim is Executive Director of San Jose Parks Foundation. He’s raising green for green. Here is Jim’s story:

I am using my birthday as an excuse to raise funds to keep San Jose’s Parks green, beautiful and safe and accessible to everyone. Help me celebrate a birthday, the arrival of Spring and San Jose’s Parks Foundation’s Neighborhood Empowerment Program. The foundation works with neighborhood groups to help residents keep their parks in great condition. $50, $100 or whatever you can afford will help keep our city parks green and healthy.

There was a young man named James Reber,
He started a repertory theater,
Then parks caught his eye;
He’s such a great guy,
Happy birthday, it’s time for green beer-beer!

March 5, 2013 by Born To Organize

Hiking with Dylan

After three weeks of conflicting schedules, I finally got to hike with my four-legged friend, Dylan. Karen came too!

I love all animals, but I have a special place in my heart for Dylan. Unlike my sister’s cat who knows me as “that woman with the vacuum,” Dylan knows I’m his walking buddy. I heard from Karen that he also knows me by name. That news made me stand a little taller. It’s hard to top the selfless love of an animal, isn’t it?

Who’s a happy dog?

Early March is beautiful around here. All the trees are starting to bloom in bursts of pink, white and purple. We hiked along the Campbell trail, with a brief stop at the dog park. It was a feast for the eyes.

I’ve been walking the Campbell Par Course for over twenty years and I never tire of it. I think that’s the way it goes with nature. Nature is constant, but the variables are forever changing. The creek nearby rises and falls, seasons of course change too. Trees fall, new trees grow, ducks and geese lay their eggs. Two ancient foot bridges finally gave way to wider, safer and more aesthetic ones. The trail’s essence remains the same.

Come walk with me. Here is part of the view: