Birds of a feather flock together--at listener's place and here at Howard Empowered People too!
listener--I am of two minds about Paul Lam's "Tai Chi for Arthritis" DVD's. (It's two discs in one case, actually.) It was recommended to me by a Sun Style teacher in Washington as an introduction, and judging from Lam's samples on YouTube I expect that it uses very good pedagogic methodology. Do check out the YouTube videos. Skip about the first twenty minutes of his first disc IMO. I paid about $26 for a copy. There are Tai Chi for arthritis classes hereabouts for the geezerhood, but at times only suited to those who are not working. I paid GBP 13 plus shipping for Faye Yip's instructional DVD, and I think her style looks more interesting than Paul Lam's, but it is a single DVD and the pedagogy is not as good. I am beginning to have some slightly sore muscles from the stretching exercises and think I will work through that before settling down to work on T'ai Chi. In the meantime I will investigate and compare the two DVD's; stay tuned. And let me know how your classes go! This is great stuff. Not only can I now easily pick things up from the floor, I can easily raise my feet to put on my socks without hauling them up by the pants-leg. Those sorts of things (not to mention reduction in pain and increased mobility) constitute a real quality of life improvement. And I haven't even gotten to the T'ai Chi yet!
Hmmm... we see from time to time birds that I had thought were starlings, but they don't look like those. The ones I thought were starlings are similar to blackbirds, a bit more shiny, with yellow eyes and beaks.
Yes, Starlings! Beautiful and docile in their native Europe, but where they were introduced into the Americas they had to learn to be aggressive, since a species suddenly brought to a new place has to compete with all the regular species for food and living space. It's become aggressive or die. I let any bird or creature feast in my yard in Winter, but with the Starlings and the squirrels I often have to tell them when their turn is up.
While passing the town cemetery: Grandad: "Hey, maybe we should stop and see where Snowflake Bentley is buried." VT*Grand: "We're not going to dig him up. We're just going to look at the label."
This is the follow on to a year ago when Grandad mentioned that he'd heard that Snowflkae Bentley is buried in this cemetery, and suggested we stop and have a look. To which VT*Grand responded, "What do you mean 'have a look'?"
Alan, that's so good about already feeling the benefits of the exercises! We use them for warm up exercises. There are also a few cool down exercises at the end. I enjoy it all so much! Many thanks for your reviews!
We made a quick run to San Jose today for shopping, and on the way back I remembered to stop at a convenient Mexican supermarket in Los Banos and see which brands of mexican chocolate (for making hot chocolate) they had. They had four brands, including Moctezuma--which is made with real chocolate rather than cocoa oil and soy lecithin. Not the premium Moctezuma, but that's OK. I mean to give it a try tomorrow. Surprisingly, it was less expensive than at least some of the other, more readily available brands (e.g. Abuelita--now owned by Nestle--and Ibarra, which I remember as really delicious as either hot chocolate or candy). I can't locate my old double-boiler, but should be able to jury-rig one.
Not a lot to say here. Weather cold and clear. Nickie Kitty has been spending a lot of time sleeping under a quilt, which is unusual enough to be slightly worrisome. Mum and Dad are doing well. Did I tell you, Dad retired from his tax clinic. He's been spending a lot of time working on his memoirs. Sis is doing much better, knock on wood!
I'm doing OK, getting back to Facebook after some weeks. Hoping the new upgrade to Window-eyes will resolve or at least reduce the apparent conflicts between all the "improvements" they keep making to FB and Window-eyes. Still slogging along in the Global Challenge tournament at Fun Trivia and spreading my wings a little. My new found speed has opened the possibility of playing more games in a meaningful and more satisfying way. On Tuesday I won the Expert badge by coming in first in my division in the Expert hourly game in Physics. I was totally psyched! The next day my second Expert victory came in Tolkien and the next, I racked up my third with Poetry. None today, unfortunately, but I knew that kind of momentum was unsustainable. Sure was fun while it lasted though. I think there's a Harry Potter category in the Expert game and there may be others I can snag. Also playing other games and tournaments. It's all good for the ol' brain as well as the hand-eye coordination.
Maybe I should try Tai Chi again. Gotta do something about being so stiff and achy all the time.
Starlings have an unusual bill that springs open to grip prey or pry plants apart. Starlings only molt once a year (after breeding) but the spots that show up in the winter wear off by the spring, making them look glossy black. In Starlings, the length of the intestinal tract actually varies depending on the season. It is shorter in the summertime (when birds are mainly eating protein-rich) insect foods and larger in wintertime when they are mainly eating seeds, which are rich in carboy hydrates. (Source: Analysis of Vertebrate Structure, Hildebrand and Goslow)
Identification: Juvenile European Starling. Almost looks like a different species. Photo by Wendell Long
Adult starlings are about the size of a chunky Robin. They have glossy black plumage with an irridescent green/purple sheen, a SHORT, squared tail (vs. the long tail of a grackle) and a triangular shape in flight, black eyes (Common Blackbirds have a yellow eye ring), and a long pointy, bill (unlike North American blackbirds) that is yellow during breeding season (January to June) and dark at other times.
Birds of a feather flock together--at listener's place and here at Howard Empowered People too!
ReplyDeletelistener--I am of two minds about Paul Lam's "Tai Chi for Arthritis" DVD's. (It's two discs in one case, actually.) It was recommended to me by a Sun Style teacher in Washington as an introduction, and judging from Lam's samples on YouTube I expect that it uses very good pedagogic methodology. Do check out the YouTube videos. Skip about the first twenty minutes of his first disc IMO. I paid about $26 for a copy. There are Tai Chi for arthritis classes hereabouts for the geezerhood, but at times only suited to those who are not working. I paid GBP 13 plus shipping for Faye Yip's instructional DVD, and I think her style looks more interesting than Paul Lam's, but it is a single DVD and the pedagogy is not as good. I am beginning to have some slightly sore muscles from the stretching exercises and think I will work through that before settling down to work on T'ai Chi. In the meantime I will investigate and compare the two DVD's; stay tuned. And let me know how your classes go! This is great stuff. Not only can I now easily pick things up from the floor, I can easily raise my feet to put on my socks without hauling them up by the pants-leg. Those sorts of things (not to mention reduction in pain and increased mobility) constitute a real quality of life improvement. And I haven't even gotten to the T'ai Chi yet!
Alan
Wow, Alan, that's wonderful! May the improvements continue!
DeleteOh, and what kind of birds are those?
ReplyDelete--Alan
listener-- for Paul Lam's "Tai Chi for Arthritis" 2-DVD set I paid $30 plus $5 shipping/handling, so $26 is below list.
ReplyDeleteGotta run.
--Alan
I think they're starlings, Alan. See the stars?
ReplyDeleteHmmm... we see from time to time birds that I had thought were starlings, but they don't look like those. The ones I thought were starlings are similar to blackbirds, a bit more shiny, with yellow eyes and beaks.
Delete--Alan
Alan, that's what I thought starlings looked like. But then, what do I know?
DeleteYes, Starlings!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and docile in their native Europe, but where they were introduced into the Americas they had to learn to be aggressive, since a species suddenly brought to a new place has to compete with all the regular species for food and living space. It's become aggressive or die. I let any bird or creature feast in my yard in Winter, but with the Starlings and the squirrels I often have to tell them when their turn is up.
While passing the town cemetery:
ReplyDeleteGrandad: "Hey, maybe we should stop and see where Snowflake Bentley is buried."
VT*Grand: "We're not going to dig him up. We're just going to look at the label."
This is the follow on to a year ago when Grandad mentioned that he'd heard that Snowflkae Bentley is buried in this cemetery, and suggested we stop and have a look. To which VT*Grand responded, "What do you mean 'have a look'?"
Alan, that's so good about already feeling the benefits of the exercises! We use them for warm up exercises. There are also a few cool down exercises at the end. I enjoy it all so much! Many thanks for your reviews!
ReplyDelete10 AM tomorrow morning.
ReplyDeleteHope I'll be able to do at least one more post before I get back.
BlogSpot is really causing problems posting from this device. It chopped off 3/4 of that post.
ReplyDeleteAw, Bill, I hate it when that happens! Take care!
DeleteSafe travels, Bill!
ReplyDeleteWe made a quick run to San Jose today for shopping, and on the way back I remembered to stop at a convenient Mexican supermarket in Los Banos and see which brands of mexican chocolate (for making hot chocolate) they had. They had four brands, including Moctezuma--which is made with real chocolate rather than cocoa oil and soy lecithin. Not the premium Moctezuma, but that's OK. I mean to give it a try tomorrow. Surprisingly, it was less expensive than at least some of the other, more readily available brands (e.g. Abuelita--now owned by Nestle--and Ibarra, which I remember as really delicious as either hot chocolate or candy). I can't locate my old double-boiler, but should be able to jury-rig one.
ReplyDelete--Alan
Pretty pic for yesterday!
ReplyDeleteListener, Tuesday is Sis' fortieth birthday. May I post for her on Facebook the birthday cake you posted for me here?
ReplyDeleteNot a lot to say here. Weather cold and clear. Nickie Kitty has been spending a lot of time sleeping under a quilt, which is unusual enough to be slightly worrisome. Mum and Dad are doing well. Did I tell you, Dad retired from his tax clinic. He's been spending a lot of time working on his memoirs. Sis is doing much better, knock on wood!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing OK, getting back to Facebook after some weeks. Hoping the new upgrade to Window-eyes will resolve or at least reduce the apparent conflicts between all the "improvements" they keep making to FB and Window-eyes. Still slogging along in the Global Challenge tournament at Fun Trivia and spreading my wings a little. My new found speed has opened the possibility of playing more games in a meaningful and more satisfying way. On Tuesday I won the Expert badge by coming in first in my division in the Expert hourly game in Physics. I was totally psyched! The next day my second Expert victory came in Tolkien and the next, I racked up my third with Poetry. None today, unfortunately, but I knew that kind of momentum was unsustainable. Sure was fun while it lasted though. I think there's a Harry Potter category in the Expert game and there may be others I can snag. Also playing other games and tournaments. It's all good for the ol' brain as well as the hand-eye coordination.
Maybe I should try Tai Chi again. Gotta do something about being so stiff and achy all the time.
listener--want to thank you: that's the first time I've ever actually *seen* the stars on the starlings!!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, puddle! :-)
DeleteAlan, perhaps your shiny birds are Grackles?
Cat, OF COURSE you may use the photo! You may use ANY photo I post, excepting only any that show my grandkids. ♥
Of course, Alan, you may be thinking of Starlings in their Summer plumage.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.petinfoclub.com/Images/Starling%20in%20colour%20shutterstock_36832600.jpg
Grackle
ReplyDeletehttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Quiscalus-quiscula-001.jpg
Starlings have an unusual bill that springs open to grip prey or pry plants apart.
ReplyDeleteStarlings only molt once a year (after breeding) but the spots that show up in the winter wear off by the spring, making them look glossy black.
In Starlings, the length of the intestinal tract actually varies depending on the season. It is shorter in the summertime (when birds are mainly eating protein-rich) insect foods and larger in wintertime when they are mainly eating seeds, which are rich in carboy hydrates. (Source: Analysis of Vertebrate Structure, Hildebrand and Goslow)
Identification:
Juvenile European Starling. Almost looks like a different species. Photo by Wendell Long
Adult starlings are about the size of a chunky Robin. They have glossy black plumage with an irridescent green/purple sheen, a SHORT, squared tail (vs. the long tail of a grackle) and a triangular shape in flight, black eyes (Common Blackbirds have a yellow eye ring), and a long pointy, bill (unlike North American blackbirds) that is yellow during breeding season (January to June) and dark at other times.