I have always enjoyed watching the birds at the feeders in our backyard and have been told to watch out for Hawks because they can kill the birds. Because of this, I had never really studied much about Hawks and just considered them a bird to avoid. Recently I have photographed some Hawks in and around our backyard and now I have a new appreciation for the fascinating creatures that they are. Up in the air they always looked menacing, but when seen up close in a photograph I realized what beautiful details they have. In this post I will share with you some information on two of the Hawks I have photographed in our yard. The first is the Cooper's Hawk and the second is the Red-Shouldered Hawk.
Cooper's Hawk
I have seen Cooper's Hawks or at least what I think are Cooper's Hawks fairly often in our area. The photo above was taken on our back fence. It was identified by several people on bird sites online as a young Cooper's Hawk, so I feel fairly confident with that identification. Sometimes I find hawks colorings are so similar, especially with the differences in adults and juveniles that I am not sure of my identification. I wrote a review on one of my favorite bird books several months back. It is the book I used to find the information on the Cooper's Hawk. Here is a link to that review. What it's Like to be a Bird
Here is what it has to say about the bird.
It is a medium-sized hawk at about 16 inches long.
They often keep watch at feeders and then swoop in low hoping to surprise the flock.
They target mid-sized birds that are slower flyers such as doves and starlings. These birds are easier for them to grab with their talons.
The juveniles have vertical brown streaks on their chests with brown back while the adults will have tight horizontal reddish barring on their chests with gray crowns and backs. Both have barred tails that are rounded at the tips.
Here are a couple photos that I think fit these descriptions.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
The photo above is a Red-Shouldered Hawk. I captured it sitting on the satellite dish on the roof of the house behind ours. I zoomed in and quickly took this shot before he flies away and then I carefully check my camera settings and tried to wait for him to turn his head, so I get him looking my way. Before I could get another shot, he took off and I was able to capture him in flight. I am particularly proud of this shot. It was the first time I had seen one of these hawks.
I looked him up in my guide to backyard birds and found the following information.
It is a fairly common, medium to large hawk.
The adult has reddish colored upperwing coverts and also densely barred reddish underparts. The wings and tail are dramatically barred in black and white.
The juvenile has brown-streaked underparts and a dark tail with many pale bands.
They make a loud screaming sound that sounds like (KEE-ahh) which is given in a series.
They are widespread and found in well-watered woodlands and suburban areas with nearby wood lots.
They are a perch hunter and feed on frogs, snakes, lizards and small mammals.
Their nests are located high in trees and are made of bulky sticks.
Here is a link to the book where I got my information.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I am in a Holiday kind of mind because for the last few years many of
our holidays have been put on hold due to the world wide COVID precautions
and restrictions. Well, the good news is that those many restrictions
have been lifted and we can all celebrate together again. That for me,
is a big deal and I'm not alone! Everyone is ready to have some fun
and just kick back and enjoy the season and the holidays that are contained
in there!
What I love the most about a website that I happen to promote, is that
there are so many things available to make your Halloween complete.
It's not just about the costumes (although that's the part I enjoy the
most). It's about all the other little things that make this holiday
so much fun.
I happen to love the accessories page of
HalloweenCostumes.com, You
have everything there that you haven't found anywhere else!
Accessories can sometimes even be the inspiration for the rest of your
costume. Starting off with a set of horns may become the impetus for
one heck of a spooky or devilishly wonderful costume.
Tridents and Wands or Swords and Spears
could send your costume look in a totally different direction. The
best part is that if you start now, you can tweak your costume for the next
month and come out with something really wonderful and unique to you!
TIME is of the utmost importance and NOW is a great time to get
started.
If you are not really into dressing the part of a Halloween ghoul or
character, you can get into the Halloween spirit with a great
Halloween Sweater. Here in the north, Halloween can be quite chilly, so a warmer
Halloween Sweater is perfect, especially when you are standing at an open
doorway or maybe just opening and closing the door constantly. The
last thing you want as a Halloween treat is the first cold of the
season. So keep yourself ready by having a nice (scary or ugly)
Halloween Sweater to compliment the night! Some of their styles are
already "Sold Out" , you don't want to miss out, so getting this done early
is the best thing you can do!
If you live in the south, you might check out some lighter Halloween shirts
at this
ReviewThisReviews
page!
My hope for you and for me, is that after such a long absence of fun, we
will all go out of our way to make the first big Holiday a fun time for
all! Then we can follow Halloween up with the best for
Thanksgiving and Christmas that follow so shortly afterward.
Have a great time checking out all the good things to make your Halloween a
"Spooktacliarly Good Time"
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Preparing for an emergencies, what some people call "prepping" has been
laughed at for decades. It brings to mind images of crazy people
putting bunkers in their back yards and sitting on hundreds of boxes of army
rations.
However.....
What about preparing for real life emergencies that could really
happen? Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and even terrorist attacks or
rioting. Any of them could really happen, but the most likely to
happen is prolonged power outage. The grid could go down for many
reasons, and stay down for days or even weeks. Would you be prepared
if that happened?
What is Emergency Preparedness?
Emergency Preparedness is planning for an unexpected, serious occurrence
that could pose a threat to the health and wellbeing of you and your
family. It can be something as dangerous as a gas explosion, to
something less dangerous, but still devastating, like a flood or a serious
problem with your electrical supply.
How Can Planning Help?
Emergency planning helps to reduce the amount damage an emergency does to
your life, the lives of your family and your property. If the
incident is catastrophic, planning can actually save your life. In an
emergency, people are scared, confused and in a panic about what to do and
how to take care of themselves and their loved ones. If you are
prepared, it will significantly reduce your fear because you know you have a
plan and the items you need to make sure you are safe and cared for during a
bad situation.
How Can I Know What Kind of Emergency to Prepare For?
The simple answer is: you can't. You have no way of knowing
what will happen, so the best thing to do is to take care of the basics that
you need in any emergency situation.
Food - Have some food that you can eat without having to
cook it, even better if it does not have to be refrigerated. Peanut
butter, crackers, beef jerky, protein or granola bars, honey, cookies and
things like this are easy to store and will keep you going if you are in a
situation where you have no electricity and can't cook. It is always
safer to have your own food available when a bad incident occurs so you
don't have to go out, which in an emergency can be dangerous. Keep
your emergency food in totes in a cool dry place and don't forget to
switch it out for fresh a few times a year so it does not go out of
date.
Water - Water is something most people take for granted as always
being available, and therefore it is not necessary to store it. This
is not true. Your water supply may become contaminated or your local
water treatment facility could break down and stop supplying water.
The best way to be prepared for this situation is to store some
water. You can buy cases of bottled water, or 5 gallon plastic jugs
that are available in most big box stores. Having clean water to
drink and wash yourself with is one of the most important things in an
emegency. Never take water for granted, it can be the difference
between life and death.
Shelter - The other part of having shelter is having a way to keep
warm, should something happen in the winter. Your house is normally
excellent shelter, but if you lose the ability to heat it, it can be
nothing but a giant refrigerator. If this happens, find one room
that is small and can be closed off and get a propane heater like
Mr. Heater that is safe to use inside the house. Bring in blankets and warm
clothes and stay in that room to keep warm. If you have a situation
where you are forced to leave your house, such as a fire, flood or
earthquake, you need to have a tent or tents to stay in outside, along
with clothing, food and water to take with you.
Is There Anything Else I Should Stock Up On?
There are so many things that are good to have but here are some of the
most important:
Firewood (if you are able to build a fire outside where you live)
Some type of weapon to defend yourself
Last Thoughts on Emergency Preparedness
These ideas are just the very basics you will need for a short term
emergency, for longer term situations the list of what you would need would
be much longer. The above mentioned items are minimum of what every
household should have in case of an emergency. Having these items on
hand will make you feel calmer, safer and better prepared should the worst
happen. Pick up a few items a week until you have what you need and as
they say about being prepared for anything:
It is better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Today, I am reviewing the 60" Snake Grabber. This is not a glamorous review. Nor is it a fun tool to write about (not for me anyway). But wow, am I glad I had made that purchase and it worked better than I had expected. Snakes are not a fun thing to discuss for many of us. And that is all the more reason I need to share how well this Snake Grabber worked for me. This is one tool that you should consider owning if there is any chance at all that you'll deal with snakes.
There are so many tools in our lives that we hope never to use. It seems a waste of money to purchase something we may never use. Frankly, to purchase something we hope to never have to use. For example, a lug wrench for changing car tires. Most folks call roadside assistance for flat tires. Easy peasy. But, if you get stranded with a flat tire, in an area with no cell service and no way to reach someone to come to the rescue, you are super glad that you have that lug wrench. Or, if your electricity goes out in some hurricane or ice storm for days. Investing in those expensive items such as generators may have felt frivolous at the time but they ended up being super important tools to have.
That's how I feel about the 60" Snake Grabber. It was not something I looked forward to using. In fact, I hadn't taken it out of it's box after it was delivered. But I used it last night and it probably saved lives (Quail lives). It made snake removal many times easier and quicker than my first experience.
Awhile back, I had a snake trying to get at my quail in their hutch on the deck. It was late in the evening and there I was trying to find things to poke at the snake to convince it to leave. Things that were strong enough (broom) were too large to fit where the snake was. Things that were thin enough (wall trim) were too flimsy to move that large snake. And most things were far too short. NO WAY was I going to get within inches of that thing. Luckily, I was able to harass that first snake for long enough that it chose to crawl out of the quail hutch pan, across my deck, and out of sight.
And then I let it sit in the unopened box. Until last night.
Well after dark the quail were making a huge commotion. I instantly knew that a predator was out there. The first snake experience taught me that even if the snake doesn't enter the cage, it can cause serious/fatal injuries to quail by grabbing their toes from the underside of the hutch. I had to work quickly.
I wish I had practiced with the snake grabber. It took me a minute to unfold it and secure it. Then another few minutes to figure out how to open the "jaws" after I had squeezed them shut. But once I sorted through those two things, I was outside and grabbing the snake.
This snake grabber fit PERFECTLY in that 2" space. I placed the jaws around the snake and squeezed the handle. The grabber was secure around the snake. I had a difficult time pulling the snake from the opening but that was because the snake was so large and powerful. The Grabber was solid and I never once felt that it was going to collapse or let go of the snake. I moved the snake to a bucket and was able to relocate the snake.
This was NOT an easy task for me. But it was possible because I had the right tool.
More About the Extra Heavy Duty Snake Grabber
Just a few quick details about this Snake Grabber:
this 60" long snake grabber keeps you a more comfortable distance away from the snake
the tubes are heavy duty stainless steel
the grabber can be folded in the middle for storage or transportation purposes
the tongs or jaws close easily when the handle is squeezed
an automatic locking mechanism keeps the jaws shut until you release it
The only possible drawback that I read about in reviews and I experienced first hand is that the locking mechanism automatically falls into place after you squeeze the handle required both hands to release it. Which felt clumsy. But in hindsight, I was happy to know that it was not going to accidently release the snake before I was ready. So I'm not entirely convinced that is a drawback after all.
Related Link:
If you would like to see me actually using the 60" Snake Grabber, you can watch me here:
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
We needed an air purification system for our bedroom that was non-intrusive and effective.
Fortunately for us, our son already had this particular model in his room for several years.
Since we knew the product had been tested, we decided to go ahead and get one for our bedroom.
The RENPHO Hepa Air Purifier Filter Replacement
Before purchasing this item, I asked my son about filter replacement.
There are two dogs in his room, so it's safe to say that this filter gets a run for its money.
Although you can't wet this filter, he extends the use by cleaning the external dust off of it with a small portable mini-vacuum.
He doesn't replace the filter very often; he said a few times per year is all. However, he pointed out that his filter gets a good workout because of his dogs. Since the dogs aren't in our bedroom, I expect that replacing the filter will only be once a year for our room - maybe twice.
What I Like About the RENPHO Hepa Air Purifier
It's lightweight. It only weighs about 6.5 pounds.
It's not very large and sits comfortably on a tabletop surface.
It measures 11 by 5.7 by 11.4 inches.
No assembly is required, just remove all the plastic and plug it in.
No batteries are required.
It has rapid purification refreshing the air 5 times an hour in a room of 103 ft² / 9.6 ㎡, and is made for a room of approximately 206 square feet. Our room is about 300 square feet, and it cleans the air nicely.
It has a three-in-one Hepa filtration system capturing 99.97% of airborne contaminants as small as .3 microns (such as pet hair and dander).
Has 4 fan speeds.
A quiet feature also reduces the fan noise and turns off the light at night.
Easy to use. Plug-in set your fan speed, and that's it.
Here's a photo of the filter on our dresser:
We purchased our Hepa Air Filter from Amazon. There's additional detailed information at that link on the Amazon page.
If you need a compact air filter, personally, I give this product five stars.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I have just finished reading What Happened to the Bennetts by
Lisa Scottoline, and all I can say is ~ WOW!
I have been a fan of this author for many years and have read all of her
books to date. My favorite ones are her entire series of
Rosato & DiNunzio
novels, which follows the adventures of a group of women lawyers in practice
together in Philadelphia. The characters are all clever and competent and
downright enjoyable to follow. The story-lines are terrific and they are a
fast-paced and often witty read.
In addition, Scottoline has written a group of stand-alone novels, all of
which are excellent, but somehow more serious, and even a bit darker, than
her Philadelphia lawyers series.
This bring me to the most serious and tension-filled one to date.
What Happened to the Bennetts
will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. The WOW-factor comes in
because I never saw the ending coming and the solution is
surprising.
Synopsis
The story revolves around a family – The Bennetts – who live a normal
suburban lifestyle. Jason Bennett is the dad who owns a court-reporting
business. His wife, Lucinda, has her own photography studio. Daughter
Allison is 15 and plays lacrosse. Her brother, Ethan is 13. And don't forget
the dog, Moonie.
While driving home from Allison's lacrosse game one night, a pickup truck
begins tailgating them. Suddenly, the truck pulls in front of the
Bennett's vehicle, two men jump from the truck and pull guns on Jason in what appears
to be a carjacking. The violence that occurs then changes the Bennett's
life drastically.
Turns out that the carjackers were members of a dangerous drug-trafficking
organization. One of the men is the son of the mob boss. When he is killed,
it places the Bennett family in critical danger.
The FBI advises the family to enter the witness protection program
immediately. They do, but serious problems arise. You see, WITSEC was
designed to protect criminal informants, not law-abiding families. Think
about it. Ordinary families have connections – friends, classmates,
teammates, co-workers - all of whom start searching for and wondering about
What Happened to the Bennetts! Social media and news outlets keep the
Bennetts in the headlines, while at the same time the criminal organization
is searching for them.
But the Bennett family discover that they cannot survive in a witness
protection program if they are going to keep the family from falling
apart.
Then, Jason learns a shocking truth and realizes he has to take matters
into his own hands.
Summary
What Jason ultimately does to find a solution to the situation is
amazing. The ending will surprise you.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
If you are looking for a sweet, romantic easy to read book, you will love
"The Social Tutor" by Sally Britton. It is the first book in her
Branches of Love series and quite a delightful read.
Earlier this week, I was without electricity for approximately 5 hours.
Since I couldn't cook, work around the house due to the dark, or even work
on my computer, I grabbed my Kindle and settled in to read. I opened it to
"The Social Tutor" and was immediately allowed to relax as I was pulled into
a lovely story set in the early 1800's in England. A time when women were
expected to marry someone who benefited their family whether they were in
love or not.
I am a huge historical fiction fan and I prefer clean romantic stories.
"The Social Tutor" was the perfect choice for me! When the electricity
was restored, I was already so deep into the book that I didn't set it down
until I had finished reading the entire book.
The Social Tutor Book Synopsis
It had been made perfectly clear to Christine Devon that she would marry
someone who would bring wealth, business associations and hopefully a title
to her family. Her father would give her one season in London to
complete this mission.
Christine was the second daughter in the household. Her older sister had
failed to make the desired alliance and was relegated to overseeing her
father's household. He would not waste any more money on her.
The Social Tutor: Branches of Love, Book 1Check PriceBecause she was under so much pressure, Christine knew she would need help.
Since her mother had died years before, she had never been taught how to
attract a man's attention, engage him in an acceptable conversation, and
make him choose to marry her out of all of the eligible young women in the
"marriage mart".
Thomas Gilbert had been friends with Christine's mother. They had shared a
love for horses and Mrs. Devon had taken him under her wing to teach him
about horses. It was Thomas's desire to add a horse breeding venture to his
family's farm. With the right horse selections, he believed he could
bred champions and sell them to society members who demanded the
best.
Christine decided she would ask Thomas to tutor her. In exchange for the
lessons, she would allow him to borrow the horses she had inherited from her
mother. Even though Thomas wasn't exactly sure at first how he could
help her, the offer was too good for him to pass up. After all, Miss. Devon
owned the best horses in the area and their offspring would be highly
desired.
They agreed to meet every 3rd day until Christmas (only a few months) to
prepare her for the social season which would begin immediately
thereafter. Thomas had no idea just how naive and trusting Christine
was. He knew she would be eaten alive by both the men and the women of
society and he suspected that is what happened to her older sister. Without
their mother's direction and oversight, it would be like a lamb among
wolves. Out of loyalty to her mother, he could not let that happen to
Christine.
Perhaps, you think you have already figured out what happens. Maybe you
have, maybe you have not. Either way, it is a charming romance to read. I
have no doubt, you will want to continue reading through the entire
series.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Some books change us by flipping what we think we know, or what we think we are
about, on its head.
Barking to the Choir is
one of those books. I am not the same person I was when I first cracked open the
cover of this book.
In showing me what radical kinship looks like—in living it out on these
pages—Gregory Boyle has me wondering:
What if outreach to the marginalized is really about being willing to be
reached by them?
What if it's about receiving rather than giving or doing? You know—truly
receiving the unwelcome with a welcoming embrace?
What if I came to know, deep within my core, that you are the other me, and I
am the other you... that our separateness is only an illusion?
What if I said yes to entering into the fullness of kinship with you,
and you, and you?
What if we meet there at the edge of I and Not I and discover unity?
What if we lifted one another out of isolation by merely showing up... every
time?
Perhaps radical kinship begins with living these questions.
Perhaps compassion is the answer to every question.
Perhaps the welcoming embrace begins there—begins here.
I open myself to it... to being it.
I invite you into this beautiful kinship.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Wondering what sold lately on eBay? Well, as always, the sales from my store have included an eclectic mix of new, used and vintage items. Welcome to the the fourth issue of my What Sold on eBay series. What follows are six items that sold from my store during the first two weeks of September, 2022.
MY FAVORITE ITEM - A STEIFF SOCCER BALL
Favorites are always hard for me to pick but I liked this mohair Steiff soccer ball. It was manufactured by the famous German teddy bear company of the same name and was only one of a number of interesting Steiff pieces in my eBay store.
See the rest of my Steiff collection on eBay by clicking here. There are no more balls but there are, as you might expect, a selection of teddy bears as well as a circus clown, an elephant, a camel, two egg cozies (yes, egg cozies) and even an adorable snowman. If you are looking for a small Steiff gift item perhaps to use as a stocking stuffer, I also have a number of felt Steiff elephant keychains.
HIGHEST VALUE ITEM - A TORCHWOOD MINI-SERIES SET
Torchwood: The Complete Original UK Series was the highest priced item that sold in my store during this time period. This series was a popular British science fiction show that aired from 2006 to 2011. This boxed set was in excellent condition and complete. I never watched this program but now that I have handled and sold it, I will admit that I am curious about it. Have you seen it?
INTERNATIONAL SALE - A MINIATURE METAL BUG
The cost of international shipping from Canada means that I do not sell many items beyond Canada and the United States. It makes sense then that my one international sale during this time frame was for this small metal bug. I have sold small metal bugs before and as it turns out, people collect bugs. Would you entertain the idea of collecting bugs?
LOWEST VALUE ITEM - A SEAGULL PEWTER BOOKMARK
This bookmark, though a handsome piece, had been waiting for quite awhile for the right person to come along and buy it and so, the price was greatly reduced and it was very affordable. I do sell Seagull Pewter items fairly often, though most of them do not sell at this low price point.
Seagull Pewter pieces are designed and handmade in Nova Scotia. The company started with just three employees in 1978 and now employs over 360 people. It makes a wide variety of products and is a popular tourist destination. Find all of my Seagull Pewter items on eBay right now by clicking right here.
NEW ITEM - A DISNEY CARS PLAY-DOH SET
I sold a number of new items including this Disney Cars Lightning McQueen Play-Doh set. Someone, likely a little boy who loves the Disney movie Cars, will have hours of fun playing with this set. My boys would have loved it. Still might, actually. See all of my Play-Doh, including more of this fun set, on eBay by clicking right here.
OLDEST ITEM - A QUEEN ALEXANDRA 1902 MUG
Queen Alexandra was the daughter of Christian IX of Denmark. In 1863, she married Edward VII and throughout her life, she called Marlborough House in London, Sandringham House in Norfolk, Buckingham Palace in Westminster and Windsor Castle in Windsor home.
This item was a small, antique mug with a fairly simple outside design and a portrait of Queen Alexandra on the inside. It was not in perfect condition but it was 120 years old. Interesting that people collected royalty memorabilia even as early as the 1900s.
Looking for more eBay related reading? Visit this link.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Peanut Butter on the go! Yes, please. The major peanut butter manufacturers offer convenient, small personal sized and individually packaged portions of peanut butter and the products promises as delivers.
While this family prefers creamy peanut butter, the peanut butter cups and pouches are also offered in crunchy, natural creamy and chocolate flavored peanut butter.
Perfect Size
One major manufacturer offers the popular spreadable nuttela in cups which are perfectly sized for one. Enough quantity to make one or two perfectly sized snacks! Pair with fruit for a peanut butter and fruit snack, healthy breakfast, mid day work snack or after school snack. Leftovers can be easily saved with securing the cup with plastic wrap and/or a plastic bag for use at another time.
I also discovered individual sized portions of peanut butter in squeezable pouches. The portion size is larger than the cup, but what I really like is the turn top so the pouch can be easily closed and reused.
Travel
Both the cups and the pouches are wonderful for road trips! No muss, no fuss, the containers can be disposed of and no sticky peanut butter remains to worry about. Pair with individually portioned packages of jelly for mobile peanut butter and jelly!
Packaging
The mini cups are sealed well and durable for travel. The pouches are very secure with the screw top and pouch design. With confidence I can pack both in a lunch bag, backpack or briefcase and the seal does not break.
Cost
There is no price point comparison with purchasing the cups or pouches versus using peanut butter from a jar. The price point is higher as is usual for individually packaged food. Convenience no doubt comes at a price and as we continue through inflationary pricing, this product is no different.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”