Scram

I believe this is the bird-from-hell making mincemeat of our cedar siding. Here, he is shown innocently eating a sunflower seed, but this is only for show. What they really do is wait until you're taking a nap and then alight on your house peck the heck out of your siding, leaving holes the size of pieces of eight.

The state tells me these winged cretins are a protected species. (If I had a gun, I'd blast them into the next county.) Our only resort has been stringing mylar strips where they've been attacking the wood, which keeps them off that particular area and nudges them along to virgin territory.

We may have to turn the house into a disco ball.

Meanwhile, if you have any bright ideas on how to kill get rid of these stupid things, please leave me a comment. I have a cold and between my nose and the siding, it's a toss up as to which looks worse.

Census Bob Comes Through (Mostly)

Quite frankly, the actual census was a bit of an anti-climax. Sure, ole Bob of the U.S. Census Bureau came through and all. But there wasn't nearly enough detail in the questions. In fact, Honey wanted to know where we could put our dog, Bandit, on the form. Clearly, Bob did NOT think this through. Otherwise, this was a pretty boring form to fill out, particularly as there are but the two of us. Three, really, if you count Bandit.

I am hoping Bob and his minions will keep a running tally on the people who were so underwhelmed by the questions that they put their forms into the envelope backward and obscured the bar code. I'm sure it will be more than half because the directions were kind of confusing. PLUS, everyone is asked to respond to the number of people who will be living in said domicile on April 1, 2010 (not counting people in prison, nursing homes and caves). Choosing April 1st invites ridicule, people. Wasn't there some sort of Bureau vote on this date? Yeesh, can't you see some shmoe licking his No. 2 and writing "32" for the number of persons living in his house? "April Fools, Census Bureaucrats." The date ranks right up there with the naming of the Ipad.

Oh, well, I can't control everything, as much as I'd like. At least my descendants, when viewing the extracted information 100 years from now, will nod and say, "Yup. There they are in Naperville, Illinois. I wonder if they had a dog?"

Volunteer Croak

While I was in St. Louis, I suffered major climate envy. There were Robins everywhere. Also scads of crocuses.Then guess what I found in our yard in Naperville. And I didn't even plant it.

Wicket City

Speaking of family trees, I'm dashing to St. Lou-ee for a quick visit with a live branch and will be back on the blog Sunday.

Count U.S. In

A letter from the U.S. Census Bureau arrived today, so I grabbed my No. 2 pencil and ripped into the envelope only to find out that Robert M. Groves, Director, U.S. Census Bureau, has sent me a letter to advise me that the 2010 Census form is in the mail.

Bob (May I call you Bob?), the advance notice was unnecessary. As a genealogy near-fanatic, I have been waiting waiting waiting for the census to get here. In 100 years, my descendants will be combing through this form for information about little ole me and my family and extending my hard work right on through the millennium. I love that.

I also love the fact that Bob's letter was duplicated in five different languages, only two of which I recognized.

This is what genealogists see when they look at the 1910 Census.

Do me a favor. Keep those pencils sharp. Print legibly. And don't forget to send in your 2010 Census form promptly. Bob thanks you. I thank you. Our descendants thank you. (And I think there's tax money for schools and highways and other stuff based on how many of us are living where, so it isn't just all genealogy. But it will be.)

It Looks So Easy on HGTV

We're trying to spruce up the old chateau for the day when we downsize and bifurcate our existence to Savannah, GA. At least that's the plan, my loyal readers will recall. So to that end, we are doing a little tweaking -- paint, plumbing, lights, mirrors. But of course, nothing ever goes according to plan and we have mostly a LOT of spackle dust all over our black pants and visiting black labs.

Eric Stromer LIES when he says this stuff is easy peasy.  If you see him, tell him he's needed on the second floor.

Or possibly the backyard.

Go, Evan, Go

Wanted to share this with you some time ago. Good ole Neuqua had this on its sign:

Pretty darned neat.