rampant curiosity--how do you waste time?

brennakimi:At last, a chance to finally explain my EvC name. Perhaps with my new avatar, this is not necessary, but Fly Fishing is one of the ways I spend a great deal of my non-working life. There's nothing like standing in one of the many beautiful trout streams found in Michigan, trying to fool an animal with the brain the size of a grain of rice into thinking the "thing" floating past is a piece of food .Along with fly fishing is, of course, fly tying. I recently convinced my brother to take up these activities as a way to calm down and unwind (he has a very stressful job). He loves em. I highly recommend them to anyone that needs a way to relax.But, believe it or not, fly fishing is NOT my favorite "waste of time" activity. Nope...that distinction is held by bicycle riding/racing. I do a great deal of that. I have a really nice bike and during the warmer (as in: the roads are not icy) months that is where you'll find me.So let me ask you people out there . why do drivers hate bikers so much? I’ve been honked at, cussed at, flipped off, and run off the road. I’ve had stuff thrown at me, been squirted with water and doused in soda. Hell, I even had one guy stop his car, jump out and want to beat me up! WTF! Are we bikers that intimidating?

But that doesn't bother me (as the biker, that is...you, as the driver, probably hate it). It's the assholes that DO try to pass, effectively running me off the road cuz they're such impatient fuckheads that waiting 30 seconds or so til it's safe to pass is way too big of an impact on their oh so very important lives, that bother me.

Once while riding through an intersection I was almost hit by three...count em...three separate cars. The fist sped past me only to then slow down abruptly to make the right hand turn in front of me, just like in your story. I hit my brakes pretty hard and he saw me in his rear-view mirror as I waved with just that one finger.Upon seeing this though, the car waiting to cross the intersection (from my left to my right) decided that he should probably just go for it as well, almost hitting me in the process...but rather than stopping he simply swerved out around me as I hit my brakes for the second time after traveling about three feet from my previous close call.And then the car waiting BEHIND this asshole decided that since the guy in front of him (the guy that had just nearly broadsided me in his rush to get through the intersection) had already come to his stop (before almost killing me), he didn't need to himself, so he made his left (in front of me...now headed in my direction) nearly ramming me from the side.These occurred over about a four second time span and about 10 feet of distance. I simply lifted my hands up in the air and stated: "WTF people, do none of you know how to friggen drive?!"

So do you participate in the Cornell University Project Feeder Watch Program?This is for anyone out there that may enjoy, on occasion, watching the birds at their feeders during the winter months. About five years ago my wife and I joined "Project Feeder Watch". It's a blast and I highly recommend it to everyone at this site. You don’t need to be an expert birder (I sure as hell am not), so that will not suffice as an excuse. There is a small fee to cover the costs, but the payoff is great.Here's a link to the site. FeederWatch - Count Feeder Birds for Science
Go check it out. It provides a valuable service to the scientific community and gives everyone a chance to participate in a worthwhile endeavor.

So what are you waiting for? Push, push, nudge, nudge. The season has already started (two weeks ago), but it is certainly not too late to sigh up. It sounds to me like you have an ideal spot. Plenty of woods, plenty of cover, available water...perfect. Just do it. Trust me; you will enjoy filling in the sheets each week. It’s almost like a challenge to us. We look forward to seeing what new species we might get, and find ourselves rooting for rotten weather so more birds will show up (of course, we don’t see it as “rotten weather” . we LOVE winter storms and lots of snow).Like you, we too live in the woods (about six acres). Mostly oak and maple, with a few sassafras, beech, white and red pine, witch hazel, a handful of white birch, and numerous shrubs. There is a nice wetland on our property and we are basically surrounded by 700-800 acres of undeveloped woodlands and wetlands. We get lost of fun birds, including a resident Coopers Hawk that routinely "feeds" at our feeders, and a local grouse that will on occasion waddle up and feast on the spillage. Once we had over 70 wild turkeys going bananas during a snow storm.Now, I am by no means a "bird nerd", but I do thoroughly enjoy the Feeder Watch Program. We do ours over the internet and I have even made my own color coordinated data sheets to match those found at the Cornell site used to enter the data. It is, to me, the best way to do it (as opposed to filling out paper sheets and mailing them in at the end of the season). My data sheets reflect only those birds that we are most likely to see each weekend (our count period); listed in the order they are found at the Feeder Watch Site. I’d be happy to send you a sample of the sheets I have made.The fun thing is to compare your typical count numbers with the "expected" or average numbers in your general area. For example, we get far more than the typical 4-5 Dark-eyed Juncos seen by most people. We have had more than 40 at a time. Of course we have seven bird feeders set up, along with 7 suit feeders, so we do offer lots of feeding sites.So again, Omnivorous . sign up today. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s an inexpensive way to enjoy terrible weather.This goes for everyone here. Hey, we’re obviously all interested in science, so join up . do something scientifically worthwhile for once . rather than bitching about creationsists and/or evolutionary biology . lol .

Great! I think you're gonna enjoy yourselves. Let me know what you think after your first (dare I say "virgin") data collection day.Ha, I love the idea of everyone keeping news about the bog quite. Some things are much better off being kept secret.And believe it or not, I just got off the phone with my wife (she was out in the woods walking our pooch) and she saw a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitting around.
Living in the boonies sure can be nice...at times.Ok, I have to ask. What is the Blue Line? Is that the line the delineates the State Park? If so...hmmm...how many blue ribbon trout streams are on your 66 acres? Just wondering

By the way, was anyone other than myself a little nervous (and perhaps frightened) when they noticed the Brad McFall had posted to this thread? I was both intrigued and wary to read what the hell sorta hobby he might have.As is typical though...even after "reading" his post, I still have not the foggiest idea what he does in his spare time (but a penis fetish seems likely...based on his second collage).

What...no trout stream! Sell the place, it's obviously worthless. I have to ask though: Are the skeeters really that bad? At times up on Beaver Island they are horrendous, but, by-and-large, I am not bothered by them too much. After a few bites early in the summmer I no longer get those itchy welts and barley even notice when I'm being bitten. Black flies on the other hand...Arrrrrrrrrg!By the way, I have to admit that your property appears to be located in an ideal setting. Is it as remote as it appears? How hard is it hard to get to? Is snow a problem? I’ll bet Fall is stunning. How about paved roads? Riding my bike around that area seems like it would be a blast, but hey, I don't ride one of them sissy mountain bikes. I need pavement.Now, as far as fishing goes, I don't really need a trout stream to fly fish. I use flies exclusively, no matter the body of water (lake, pond, river, creek, etc) nor the target species (brookies through suckers and carp). It is just so much more enjoyable for me than using spin casting or bait casting rigs with any sort of live bait or store bought artificial lures. I have quite a few fly rods, so if ya want to learn...So, did you join Feeder Watch?

I think you and I may actually be the same person...some sort of parallel universe thing. Priceless. It's nice to know that not only do locations like this still exist, but that people like your and your wife have acquired them. I am about as envious as a person can be. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery. Try riding a bike...it is great fun and very good exercise . Seriously though, I sincerely hope you're soon able to get to the job at hand. It sounds like it will be a true labor of love...and quite a good time ta boot.
Hey, I also own a chainsaw and am a bachelor for most of the summer (my wife is off doing her cormorant research). I love the outdoors, am not afraid of physical labor or getting dirty, appreciate good beer and single malts, can cook over an open fire (but can't master it indoors using a gas stove for some reason) and was an Eagle Scout!
Gads, I feel like I'm at the "EHarmony.com" site or something...lol Since you're the only other person I know at Feeder Watch, let me know if you see anything cool this weekend. What about the rest of you weenies? When the hell are any of you gonna join Feeder Watch. Come on...do something valuable with your online time.

Welcome aboard. I do find it very fun, I hope you do as well. Like I said, I'm not very good with my birds (my wife on the other hand...sheeesh...it's embarrassing sometimes...how much smarter than me she actually is), but I try hard. I forgot my data sheets from the weekend, so I'm not sure how we did, but it was pretty cold where we live so I imagine we did well.
Tragically though, I believe we’ve lost out beloved female red-bellied woodpecker. She apparently hit our window while we were not home. Last year she hit it once and my wife went out, picked her up, brought her indoors and she recovered after a while. This time, my wife found here partially frozen on the ground. It's very sad. The pair have been a mainstay at our feeders since we moved in seven years ago

And you do not accompany her to London? Are you insane! London would be a bit of a long trip for a weekend rendezvous I guess. Well, I at least get to go visit my wife every once in a while...seeing as how she's only about a 2 1/2 hour drive and then a twenty minute flight. We try...but funds are limited and very tight right now.
We use to do whatever we could for The Nature Conservancy but lately we have kind of fallen out of favor with the TNC. I won't get into the details, but we have disagreed with many of their long term goals. Seems they have abandoned their roots and are becoming more similar to the WWF and such (going after large, regional stuff as opposed to locally important habitats). I think that currently there are a lot of negative connotations regarding Scouting. Personally, I loved my time in the Scouts. We were a great troop and most others that knew of us were somewhat envious. We always took on the more difficult tasks and the Jamborees and were known for our lashing. We friggen made everything out of poles and some rope. Remember Monkey Bridges? Holy crap did we have fun on those things! We'd have "battles", trying to make others fall off into the inevitable mud pit that would form underneath. We camped, or hiked, or road, or canoed almost every weekend...Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Winter camping can be a blast. Hey, "be prepared" right. Remember klondike derbies?I recently ran into a number of my former scout leaders (at a 50th wedding anniversary for a neighbor) and we talked for about an hour or so. Many of the stories we of events that I had forgotten. Many others were stories of my father that I had never heard (he passed away a few years back). It was pretty cool.I have given some thought to checking out the local troop in my town. But I have to admit, having no children makes me a bit leery of what others may think or accusations that could get started. I'm real sorry to admit that...but it's something to consider in this day and age. Christ, the more we "talk", the more and more I become convinced that we are indeed the same person. I lived in Speedway Indiana for a short term (ages 2-5), and as I got older, my brother and I (along with a few friends) would make the pilgrimage back for the time-trials, the race or both. We'd camp right there across the street (in a big field) from the main entrance and the home stretch. Perhaps you parked our car once or twice .When I was 15, I went for the first time without any parental accompaniment (just my older brother and some of his friends). I remember wandering around with a bottle of whisky in one hand and a beer in the other. The main road in front of the track was closed to vehicle traffic and was lined with dirty old men sitting in lawn chairs holding signs that read "SUYT for a dollar". I imagine a girl could've made a couple hundred dollars just walking up and down that road once or twice. I recall very little about the actual race (hey it was still two days away), but saw more breasts that weekend than any 15 year old (at that time) ever dreamed possible.All-in-all though. I had a pretty good life growing up. My family liked the outdoors (but I certainly took it further than the others) and my mom once helped us raise some garter snakes we had caught. The amazing thing was that she knew they fed on earth worms. To this day, I have no idea how she knew that. My wife felt terrible (as did I), especially since she was so proud of "reviving" it last year.
She hopes to get a banding permit this year. If so, we might band a few birds to see what our return rates happen to be. Because of our location and relative remoteness an ornithologist colleague of my wife really wants to use our property (and the neighbors) as a study sight. That would be interesting. We did have a herp friend (a turtle guy) use our wetland a few years back. We are fortunate in that we have a large population of Blanding’s Turtles. We even had a nest in our backyard about 4 years ago. When we got home from work one day and watched sixteen hatchlings head off into the woods. They've never come back to visit or say thanks for protecting them from coons and possums with a chicken wire cage we constructed. Ungrateful little bastards! We had a similar episode last year. I think it's rather common in some species. A few years back we had a hen turkey pounding her head against our sliding glass door. My wife scared her off but about ten minutes later she was back at it again. My wife then took off after her, chasing her a couple hundred feet back into the woods (she never returned...the turkey that is). If I recall correctly, we had nothing spectacular this weekend. But our Cardinal numbers do seem to be down. Not sure why.By the way...I can be very competitive (but really don't mind losing) and plan on kicking you butt (and robinrohan's as well) at Feeder Watch!...lol...

And of course this means that you already belong to Feeder Watch...correct? If not, then sigh up today. Come on, join me, Omnivorous and Robinrohan to see who has the "best" season.

My pilgrimages to the Mecca of automobile racing where made during the late 70s. Of course, I'd never waste a beer by pouring it over someone’s head. But then, you did say it was PBR, which I'm not sure really counts as beer...so...who knows...maybe...nah, wasn't me.Did you live in Indianapolis at the time...or maybe out in Speedway. Hey, maybe we were neighbors at some point? We also have a fairly healthy population of grey tree frogs. Each Spring and Fall we hear them calling and during any given evening, we may have between one and six individuals clinging to our large picture window. Now that would be neat. We have yet to see a fox but we have seen bobcat tracks. I also had a bobcat cross in front of my car while on my way to work this past Fall (about 1/2 from the house).I agree that taming a wild animal is not a good thing but must confess to occasionally feeding an opossum that shows up at out feeders during the winter. The poor thing looks absolutely miserable and cold so my wife will go out and toss him some bread or crackers or some other terrible food. It's actually quite fun to watch. The poor guy will just freeze and look up at her as if to say: " Oh crap...I'm caught...please just kill me quick and get it over with". She’ll toss down the food and come back indoors and I swear that the opossum will be in the same exact position...looking up at where my wife used to be standing, with that same look on his face for about ten minutes. Then he'll grab the food and slowly walk away. He's so damned cute. I love opossums, and they're just a fuzzy tail away from being loved by all. So can you beat 21 Dark-eyed Juncos and 35 American Goldfinches (just to name a couple)? Edited to fix at least one typo I noticed.This message has been edited by FliesOnly, 12-08-2005 04:35 PM

Good point(s) RAZD. I think I might just look in to some of those ideas. To be honest, I'm not even sure that my home town has a local Troop. Perhaps I should start there and see where it takes me.

Hi RAZD:I just read through the requirements for the fly fishing merit badge. Looks pretty cool, and I must say, not all that easy to obtain. Some of those knots can be tough. At least they're not requiring the Scout to attempt to tie them while standing in an ice cold stream during a January snow storm after snapping your leader on the biggest brown trout you have even seen, and your supposed fishing buddy wandering your way with a big-ass grin on his face.About the only requirement I feel I would not strictly adhere to would be number ten. I'd be happy if they caught and identified two different species. I would not require them to clean and cook one of them. Hell, who knows, we could be fishing on the "Catch and Release Section Only" of the Pere Marquette, in which case we could not keep one, even if we wanted to.