Juvenile Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Leo and I were out for a stroll when we happened upon a woodpecker furiously flapping its wings but seemingly unable to fly. We gently placed the bird back in a tree but it couldn’t hang on and fell back down to earth.

I scooped it up and tucked him gently into the folds of the stroller sun shade. Apparently, in many species of birds (including Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers such as this), juveniles spend a few days foraging on the ground before getting their fly on. This one seemed pretty lively and full of attitude so I released him into some backyard shrubs and hoped for the best.

I was pretty dismayed to see him in the same area the next day. He would drag himself around the yard by flapping his wings, and tried in vain to climb up the picnic table (among other things). As I gingerly guided him toward a more appropriate ‘tree’ the sapsucker pecked at me and told me in no uncertain terms to buzz off. Though he had been hanging out on the ground for over 24 hours he seemed no worse for the wear so I let him be.

Later that afternoon I noticed my feathered friend had made his way into one of our pine trees (see photo). He scooted up and down the trunk of this tree for hours, seeming to delight in pecking and sharpening his beak!

Many thanks to the Manitoba Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre for putting some great info on their website on what to do if you find an injured bird!

My Windows Are Old and Drafty, Why Shouldn’t I Buy New Ones?

Historic Wood Windows


1. More heat is typically lost though your roof and
un-insulated walls than through your windows.
Adding just 3 and 1/2 inches of insulation in your attic
can save more energy than replacing your windows.

2. Replacement windows are called “replacement”
for a reason. Manufacturers often offer lifetime
warrantees for their windows. What they don’t make
clear is that 30% of the time, a replacement window
will be replaced within 10 years.

3. Replacement windows that contain vinyl or PVC
are toxic to produce and create toxic by-products.
Installing these in your house is not a ‘green’
approach.

4. If your wood windows are 60 years old or older,
chances are that the wood they are made of is old
growth—dense and durable wood that is now scarce.
Even high-quality new wood windows, except for
mahogany, won’t last as long as historic wood
windows.

5. Studies have demonstrated that a historic wood
window, properly maintained, weatherstripped
and with a storm window, can be just as energy
efficient as a new window.

6. According to studies, it can take 240 years to
recoup enough money in energy savings to pay
back the cost of installing replacement windows.

7. Each year, Americans demolish 200,000
buildings. That is 124 million tons of debris, or
enough waste to construct a wall 30 feet high and
30 feet thick around the entire U.S. coastline.
Every window that goes into the dump is adding to
this problem.

8. With a little bit of practice, it can be easy—and
inexpensive—to repair and maintain your wood
windows.

9. Not a DIY-er? There are people near you who can do
it for you. Hiring a skilled tradesperson to repair
your windows fuels the local economy and
provides jobs.

10. Historic wood windows are an important part of
what gives your older building its character.
———————————
1. Rypkema (2006). 2. Sedovic (2005).
3. e.g. Calculations by Keith Heberern
available at www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/education/windowshandout/
windowenergyanalysis.pdf. 4. Hadley (2006).
5. e.g. www.historichomeworks.com

The above post was written by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
www.preservationnation.org

Old House Manual: Windows

Just like your momma told you...don't believe the hype. For all the push towards energy-efficient windows it is actually more efficient - for the environment AND your wallet- to simply repair and maintain a good old fashioned wooden window!

Reluctant to give in to the PVC craze, (but in need of a solution to some
drafty old windows) I thought I would check out my options.

In the process, I came across an excellent report by the
National Historic Trust that explains why old windows should
be restored rather than replaced.

In a nutshell:

With some simple weatherproofing, historic wood windows
provide energy efficiency comparable to or better than replacement
windows

Most traditional wood-frame buildings lose more heat through the
roof and uninsulated walls than through the windows, so homeowners
should focus on these areas first

Historic wood windows are built with old-growth wood that simply
no longer exists.  This wood is far more durable than anything
sold today.

If a window last one hundred years (as mine have in our turn of the
century home) a little maintenance can extend their life significantly
longer than any replacement window

The pitch we so often hear today is that vinyl/pvc windows are
'maintenance-free'.  Sadly, what they don't tell you is that
'maintenance-free' means you can't fix them when they break down! 
Your only solution is to buy a whole new set of windows. 

If you live in or around Winnipeg,  Yarrow Sash & Door provides
restoration and maintenance for old windows.

Newborns sleep 15-17 hours a day. So why can’t I find time to take a shower?

I have to admit my attention deficit disorder has been pretty bad since I had to give up my medication on account of being pregnant or breastfeeding. Now that I’m sleep deprived the ADD has become even more pronounced.

For instance, I made plans to visit my friend Bonnie sometime last week. I told her I would see her before the weeks’ end so when Friday came along I herded the stroller/diaper bag/wallet/cell phone/baby toward the door. When I called her office to tell her I was on my way they had a message saying they were closed.

Weird! I thought…Maybe they took Friday off since Monday was a national holiday?

Then I realized that it was not Friday at all, but Saturday already.

Coffee has become my drug of choice, or should I say, survival, so I made myself a pot, sat down and cried.

How many times has this happened, where Friday was really Saturday, and I totally missed the boat, not by five minutes but BY A WHOLE DAY! I know it’s popular to discount the validity of ADD as a real issue but I would love nothing more than to wish those antagonistic fuckers a day in my brain.

On a completely unrelated note, the neighbors have set up an air compressor in their backyard as I type this note. It just loudly professed it’s presence with a loud, vibrating sound that goes something like a backwards fart.

Normally I love power tools (especially the Sawzall), except when they wake up baby…

…

…

The air compressor and power saw seem to have lulled Leo off to a series of dreams in which he intermittently smiles and squeals. When I imagine what he dreams of I think it must be of breasts. Milky, warm, big happy breasts that would even make ol’ Hef get a boner if he could.

Five days past my due date now…ripe and heavily laden with the fruit of love.

Some people say pregnant women are gorgeous. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? AND HOW DO I TELL THEM TO FUCK OFF?

Poo poo to bullshit!

Every day is a new day. And today I want to start fresh…

Sometimes I think we get mired in our own bullshit, and it begins to stick to us. This collective turd stinks up our creativity, confidence and generally drags us down.

I guess I shouldn’t say ‘we’ because I don’t know for sure if it’s how you feel. But I’m sure if I feel this way, someone else does too.

So here’s a hearty ‘Poo poo to bullshit!’ Let's do something good!

Love,

Natasha

Dear Belly,

My Dad told me to say goodbye to my toes, that I wouldn’t see them for a while. It made me want to cry at the time, as if I was losing something very special.

I shouldn’t have been so upset, as I can see my toes just fine these days, when I turn my legs out to first position (that’s ballet talk for duck feet). Or if I lean forward, over you Belly, -aha!- I see my toes peeking back at me with bright pink nail polish. As for reaching them…well, I’ve pretty much given up picking anything up from the floor and I’m not good at painting my nails even at my most flexible, non-pregnant of times. This is why we have beauty parlors…Because we can’t always do it right, even when we try. Anyway, the kindly esthetitian who did my feet seemed completely unfazed by my unshaven legs and sausage toes.

That was nice of her…

Belly, we used to lay flat on my front and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to that again! Just flipping over from side to side is a major chore now. I practically need a hoist to get up from horizontal these days.

It’s been a slice, but I have to say I’m ready to let the air out of this balloon. I’ve enjoyed the ride, but now that my navel looks like it is barely holding its seams together, I definitely need some relief. Seriously Belly…you just can’t grow indefinitely…I will either burst or go crazy and frankly I’ve already had the urge to hijack an operating room and force them to give me a cesarean. Hopefully nature will soon run its course and I won’t have to resort to such antics.

Yup…one way or another (and pretty soon, dear Belly) I get to trade you in for a baby and my period.

And I bet next time I stock up on Tampax I’ll suddenly get emotional and miss you.