american kestrels

A regular customer of mine came in today. Marvel is an artist. Not like a person who draws a picture and calls them self an artist. She is the real dead. She crafts these beautiful pieces of pottery, some are mugs that look like something a Dali would drink his coffee out of, some are giant urns that represent the pain people face all over the world. She also uses windows like I do, so my opinion might be slightly bias because we use similar mediums from time to time. Today she rushed in and asked if we still had the flier us for wild bird rehabilitation. She needed their number. Since I volunteer there, I volunteered to help Marvel with whatever bird emergency she had. She said that she found a falcon. At wild bird we don't work with birds of prey, but I figured I knew enough general bird information to help. We went outside and sitting in her truck was the most handsome bird I've had the pleasure of meeting. It was very frightened but kept its composure and looked at us as curiously as we were viewing it. We decided that it was probably an American Kestrel. And a fine one at that. It was evident that the bird was a fledgling because most of its downy feathers were being replaced by new sleek adult feathers. Just a little fuzz remained on its underbelly. We took the kestrel out and set it in the grass in the shade of a half wall outside the church on Wyoming. Mom and dad were probably nearby. Instead of being able to wait around to see if the parents would feed its gaping mouth, I had to return to work. Twenty minutes later Marvel rushed in to announce that mom and dad had found their baby. I felt relief for the little kestrel.

I'm still reading Gene Logsdon's book The Contrary Farmer. He says a lot of things that I agree with, and is realistic about civilization's impact on our earth, but gives positive approaches to sustainability and the life of farmers. He is respectful of those who have farmed before him and cautious of the choices he and others are currently making. Other texts I intend to check out : "The Conquest of the Land through Seven Thousand Years" by W.C. Lowdermilk and "The Maple Sugar Book" by Scott and Helen Nearing.

I still want to work of my zine focusing on women and the influence of meat or lack thereof in their lives and its connection to feminist thought and the possibility of environmental actions. I am lacking motivation at this moment.

I also have until Wednesday to go back for my free Bikram yoga class. 105 degrees is pretty intense, so who knows if I will or not.

My plants are growing rapidly and hopefully I will have some blooms soon.