Birds of a Feather

My Uncle Larry and Aunt Alice recently retired to Panama. They are Jehovah's Witnesses; they moved to a place in the mountains of Panama where there is a Kingdom Hall and an active community of other Witnesses. But they were home last week so we met up for lunch.

Alice, my cousin Shawn, Larry, me, Mom, Poppy


Uncle Larry and Aunt Alice (for Luke and Logan: Larry is G. Rose's brother.)

After lunch, Logan and I headed to the Raptor Center at Yellow Springs to meet up with my brother who was picking up 'his' owl. Two weeks ago, my brother and this owl "hit each other" (as my brother says) and the owl suffered a broken wing. Michael contacted the Raptor Center and they took the bird in and rehabbed him and needed Michael to release him where he found him because the owl knew that territory and probably had a mate there.


The friendly staff at the Raptor Center removed the owl from his box for a photo session.


A full-grown screech owl. His eyes look funny because they are not made for bright sun.


The Raptor Center is at Glen Helen Preserve just outside the village of Yellow Springs. A very small, very cool place. All the birds on the premises were injured in some fashion. The goal is to rehab and release but some birds are too seriously injured to ever return to the wild. This is a red-tailed hawk sitting on three eggs. Her mate was perched above her in the pen.


A bald eagle at the Raptor Center.

Easter Queen

Only a week late posting these photos from Easter. Mom and Poppy returned home from Florida just in time for Easter so we had dinner at my house. Mom made me a belated birthday cake and brought out the Birthday Tiara for me. So I was the Easter Queen:


Mom and Poppy:


Tim had his new toy all spiffed up and parked in the yard. He couldn't wait to show it to Poppy:


Logan and the hole he dug for himself:


We didn't make Logan dig ditches on Easter but this is how he spent the day before Easter. He dug out the pipe between the water hydrant and the horse's automatic waterer to try to find the leak so I can have water at the barn again. And glory be, he found it and repairs will be undertaken soon.

Whatever writing time I have I end up spending on my book (page 222!) instead of my blog, but life rolls on at the Piddler's.

Walking machine

The very best thing about the laptop computer Tim got me for Christmas is the shelf he built across the treadmill so I can walk while I mess around on-line and write my book. I am a walking machine.

I have walked about five miles a day nearly every day since my shelf was built (two days after Christmas). I was reading about other Office Walkers and they all say they walk about 1 MPH. I started out thinking I was going to walk very slowly but when I walk that slow, it makes me feel as if I am pushing the treadmill and my knees begin to hurt. I find I don't have any trouble typing when I walk up to 3 MPH so I am usually in that range (and a little faster if I am just cruisin' the internet).

Click here to go to the site that inspired me to have a treadmill desk and to see photos of a wide variety of treadmill desk designs.

Here's one more photo of my shelf to show how simple it is - just a board we had in the barn, cut to fit across the arms of the treadmill. The shelf is attached on both sides with a U-bolt (my jar is leaning against the uprights of the U) and there is a small strip of trim across the front of the shelf to keep my stuff from sliding off the front (because the shelf leans a little to the front). Extremely simple, terrifically useful.

(Oh, and check out my horse butt boxers from my fellow horse-nut friend, Sue. It's obvious I did not get myself dolled up for this photo shoot.)

Santa visits

Cory meets Santa and Cory believes.


Trixie believes in anyone who might pet her.


Cory nearly melts down when his sister tells Santa that he had been naughty.


Chris, Carlena, Cory, Santa, Cameron, Courtney


Cory gives Santa the lowdown on Courtney's naughty behavior.


Our own Christmas Madonna and baby.

Christmas Parade

I've been neglecting my blog because I'm working on a book but before the holidays are over, I wanted to post photos from my town's recent Christmas Parade.

From left to right: Shelley, Haley, me.


Left to right: John, Shelley, Veronica, me, Sydney, Haley, and that's Emma in back.

We went from the Christmas parade to the Christmas show and it was a blast all around. The only drawback is feeling like I'm so far behind on my own Christmas stuff and the big day's coming up fast.

But I wouldn't have missed the parade and the show for the world.

The Darby Diaries - Equine WWF

We are having Indian summer in Ohio - perfect clear crisp days with temperatures in the 60s. Every morning, I look out my windows and this is what I see: the Equine World Wrestling Federation.

Gentlemen, take your corner. (It makes me laugh that they hold their games in the little arena instead of in their four acre pasture.)

Ding ding ding!

Rear up, bare your teeth, and look really ferocious but make sure no-one gets hurt.

The referee (Buckles) is forced to break it up before it gets out of hand.

Passage is the only way to express feeling this alive and manly. (Darby)

When the mornings are this lovely, you just gotta gallop. (Darby)

(I took these photos from inside the house. I tried on several mornings to go outside and take photos but the second they heard me coming they went to their stalls for breakfast.)

writing my book

Logan and I are sick today. He's playing his guitar (working on the song Vanilla Twilight) and I am working on my book.

I just told him what it's like to write a book.

I said, "I go back and forth between thinking it's a heartbreaking work of staggering genius to thinking it's the most boring drivel ever put on a page."

He said, "I don't think you're capable of writing the most boring drivel ever put on a page." (Bless you my son.)

Then I said, "I'll be tooling along on a scene, thinking, wow, I'm really developing this character and then my saboteur voice goes, 'Hey, when's something gonna happen here already?" (I don't know why this voice has a Cliffy Claven Boston accent, but it does.)

Logan chuckled at my angst and went back to playing his guitar.

That's what's happening at my house today.