Ever Seen One of These?

Our Creator sure has a wild imagination doesn't He? Looks like a cross between a turkey and a goose...

Here my boys pose beside the lake at the library...

Enthralled with the wildlife...

Don't Leave Me Hanging!

(Warning: Rant Ahead)

Today, I got another one of those automated calls.

You know the ones "This is your last chance to lower the rate on your credit card. We've attempted to contact you previously..blah-blah-blah..."

In the past I would try to connect with a real person and ask to be removed from their call list. I would get hung up on. This has happened approximately five times.

So today, when I pushed the button for customer service, I played along.

"Hello. This is Kenneth in Guest Services. How can I help you today?"

"Um. I got a call from you guys saying I could lower the rate on my credit card."

"Why yes ma'am. That's true! I just need to verify your identity." He proceeds to tell me my name (Another rant for another time...WHO sends them my information????) and asks me to verify. I tell him "I don't have any credit cards." He says, "So that's your last name "Idonthavenaycreditcards?"

Can you believe he talked to a customer like that?

Because he got belligerent and smart-alecky I asked to speak with a manager. Here are his exact words:

"Well okay, but I can wait just as long as you can."

We'll see about that.

Ten minutes goes by. Fifteen. I tell him all I want to do is be removed from their call list and that I have been hung up on in the past and I am really irritated with their sales practices. He tells me that I have to verify my identity. I tell him I have no idea who THEY are and I won't, and is the manager still busy?

"I'm not going to hold my breath because I could die before the manager gets over here." He retorts.

((Click))

Wait, did he just hang up on me?!

I hope I obliterated his handle time.

(For those of you who haven't worked in a call center, the handle time is the length of time that you spend on a phone with a customer. In call centers you have to keep it low to meet performance expectations.)


I think the next time I am going to tell them that they haven't reached so-and-so but I would love see if I could lower the rate. I think I am going to think up a psuedonym and use up their precious handle time and resources. I am tired of getting bombarded by calls WHEN I DON'T EVEN HAVE A CREDIT CARD.

Oh and to just add to the extreme annoyance, those calls always come up "Unknown Number, Unknown Name" on my caller ID. So I can't even figure out who the company is!

One time when I was younger, telemarketers kept calling the house. My mom, sister and I were so tired of getting up to answer the phone and have it be a telemarketer trying to sell us something we didn't want or need. So I told my family that the next time I answered and it was a telemarketer, I was going to scream. (Most people mean it figuratively, I was so fed up I meant it literally!) The phone rang again, and you guessed it, it was a telemarketer. Well, this poor telemarketer heard the most blood-curdling scream on the line and then I hung up. We didn't get any more calls!

Maybe I should try that strategy again....

Perhaps, if the notation next to my name read : "Wacko. Don't waste your time!", I would have less annoying calls to deal with.

What would you do?

More Birds!

Here are some more feathered friends we happened upon around our town...

Canadian Goose. Lingering on the lake behind our local library was this laid-back lounger.
They are so peaceful to watch as they float serenely on the surface of the water.

Female Lesser Scaup. She was the prettiest female we saw there. Again, notice the detail God put into those tiny, ornate feathers on her back! Aren't her yellow eyes striking?

Male American Goldfinch. I'm not entirely sure we got this classification correct. During this time of year, many birds are shedding their winter feathers and they can appear to be an entirely different species altogether. It takes an experienced birdwatcher (which we are just novices) to discern the nuances. But this was our best guess based on what we could find.

Male and Female Mallard. I learned something new in our bird studies about this species. I always thought that "mallard" was the term that was used for the male duck not a species unto itself! Well, these are mallards, characterized by the male's beautiful green head. As with most pairs, the female is more sedate in her plumage in order to blend in with her surroundings better as she raises her family.

One fun thing that we have in our neck of the woods is a wetlands preserve! Also, on Wednesdays from 12-1p they have a fun FREE event called "Lunch with the Birds." We get to congregate at a viewing shelter to observe the natural wildlife from a safe, non-intrusive distance using binoculars. They even have some high powered spotting scopes trained on a bald eagle's nest! The best part is their is an experienced orinthologist who heads it up, so you can ask questions and get them answered! The kids had a blast and we look forward to going back often to observe the change in the wildlife throughout the seasons.

More Progress...

He's got the studs up!

Here is the view from the kitchen door.

And right now he is at Home Depot gathering up sheet rock to put up!

Avian Art

Here are the renderings of a Northern Flicker as drawn by my sons..

This one was done by Mr. Dramatic, age 6

This one was done by Mr. Independent, age 4

They had fun drawing the "polka dots" :)

Birds, Birds, Birds!

(As an aside note, the word "birds" starts to look REALLY funny if you have typed it out ten or more times!)

In our school this past month, we have been studying birds. We have emptied our library of all Audubon encyclopedias and books that help you identify the different species. We have attuned our ears to hear the birdsongs around us. Making oneself more aware of the beauty and "wildness" that you can discover in your own backyard helps you slow down and appreciate what God created!
Here is just a smattering of what we have found and identified so far...

Male Red-Breasted Nuthatch. They are easy to spot even though they are tiny...just look for a little bird bouncing upside down along the trunks of the trees! They feed upside down, extracting insects from underneath the bark of the trees. And yes, this little fella is truly upside down, I have not adjusted the photo at all!

Male Lesser Scaup. We went to our library to find this handsome guy. Our library has a man-made lake behind it and it attracts all kinds of waterfowl! What a treat in our own city. I just love the detail God put into the tiny feathers on the Scaup's back. And have you ever seen a duck with yellow eyes before?

Male Northern Flicker. This striking specimen made his presence known by drumming on our gutters! Apparently in breeding season they do that to attract a mate and make their territory known to other males. The boys had fun drawing this one!

Male House Finch. I have lived in this house for three years and I have never seen one of these before! Actually, I wasn't exactly bird watching at that moment. I was busy putting laundry away in my room and I startled a pair of finches into a nearby tree. Well, I grabbed my camera quickly and quietly snapped a photo of the dashing pair!

We have lots more photos. So far we have identified over 10 birds that frequent our neighborhood! Who knew there was such variety in modern suburbia?

This weekend the boys are going to the free Home Depot kids workshop to make, of course, birdhouses! Our unit study on birds is turning out to be a lot of fun!

We are using these fabulous books from the library to aid us in identifying the birds we find:

National Audubon Society's
North American Birdfeeder Handbook
By Robert Burton

The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher
By The National Audubon Society

Birds of Oregon--Field Guide
By Stan Tekiela

The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible
By Sally Roth

The Backyard Bird-Lover's Guide
By Jan Mahnken