The beginnings of fall are upon us!

...or at least they should be. Here in Corpus, it's actually fairly similar to summer AKA still an above 100 degree heat index every day and muggy as hell. The only difference is that it has been raining quite a bit, which while pleasant is not so fun when you are unsuspectingly cleaning outside and suddenly the heavens split open and all the water that ever existed drenches you for half an hour straight. Then, when you finally get inside away from the thunder and lightning, it clears up and the day is absolutely beautiful. But not beautiful enough to actually dry any of your clothes. Also the mosquitoes come out in droves after rainstorms. BUT nothing is as terrible as the Minnesota north woods in the middle of summer, so at least I don't have to worry about losing 50% of my blood on a daily basis.

Enough banter, time to discuss important things such as this "weekly" blog feature that I have definitely been keeping up with...


10 Things I'm Loving



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1) New training goals

Our department is undergoing some new, really exciting changes! We are now all on different training teams for different animals; primary trainers for some and secondary trainers on others. I'm the lead trainer for Kogi, my favorite baby Military Macaw, and Cleo, the semi-angry Swainson's Hawk. I'm excited by the potential both of these animals have, as well as learning how to work and train the other animals that I have the pleasure of teaming up with. Basically, I'm excited to go to work now and play with animals all day; it's truly a wonderful experience to love what you do for a living.


2) Finding pieces of nature in the city



(from my IG)

It's incredibly important for my being, my soul, to find the wild wherever I am and allow myself to be one with it. I used to wander the mountains at midnight (to my mother's chagrin), take afternoon walks through my Minnesota woods to watch dappled sunlight and juvenile wood frogs cross my path, and now I miss it. I miss it desperately. I used to be a ten minute drive from rural mountain paths, I used to live deep within the woods next to a lake inhabited with loons and osprey, and now I live in a city desolate of wilderness. There is the ocean, and for that I am grateful, but this ocean is filled with people and, tragically, their garbage. People do not respect or care for the environment very much here, which saddens me, so I try to help when I can. I need wild places sans people, places to be with the birds and then insects and the water and my thoughts. Luckily, I've been able to find some portions of wilderness to give my heart hope (as Laura and I joked). We went to Hazel Bazemore park, a large section of woods and water half an hour north of Corpus, to release some Barn Owls (as seen in the previous post) and were astounded that such a large natural reserve can exist somewhere like Corpus Christi. I look forward to picnics, bike rides, and book reading dates at Hazel Bazemore.


3) Homemade french fries



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I make some pretty damn good french fries, if I do say so myself. I slice up some golden russet potatoes from my birthland of Idaho, slather them with olive oil, shake generous portions of garlic salt and chili powder on top, and pop them in the oven for 20 minutes. Delish.


4) Halloween items making their way into stores



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Of course, any mention of Halloween makes me absolutely GLOW with joy! I went grocery shopping yesterday and saw the store setting up for Halloween. I perused aisles of sparkly pumpkins and bloodied skulls and sighed with contentment. I love Halloween.


5) Costume shopping



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My friend is having a Murder Mystery party for her birthday and I am stoked. So stoked that Murder Mystery is capitalized. The theme is old west poker tournament, and I'm a saloon girl (yessss all my dreams are coming true). At first dressing up was just a suggestion, but now it seems as if those who don't choose to dress up will be in the minority, so I am definitely ordering a costume. I think I know what base I'll work with, I just need to see how much it is and get to working on it! My name is Sally Starr :D


6) Mental Health Days



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Sometimes, you wake up not feeling 100% and you decide you need to sleep until noon and then sit around in pajamas while you watch Grey's Anatomy. This happens to basically be me every weekend, but this weekend two days were not enough. Since everyone else had a labor day weekend, I made my own and watched a lot of reality television, talked with my BFFL, and skyped with my Oma. It was emotionally challenging but still a good physical break.


7) Skyping



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Skype is a wonderful invention, even though my father says 75% of the time you're on Skype is spent trying to figure out why so and so's camera turned off, or why there's suddenly no sound. However, without it I wouldn't be able to see my parents as much considering they live in Spain now and I unfortunately can't call up my mom whenever I want :( The good news is SKYPE exists and I can call her with some careful pre-planning on our parts and talk to her for hours about the animals I play with, the feathers I collect, the things that made us smile, and Onion articles.


8) Fall colors



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I absolutely adore Autumn (it is my namesake), and with that everything that comes with it (even the eventual winter, for a time). This includes the magnificent colors that burst like wildfire in the mountains of my home in the west, or the woods of my home in the north. Here in the south, where muggy heat reigns, there will be no fall colors. So I will have to gaze at past photos and sigh while I dip my toes in the atlantic ocean.


9) IBC root beer



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They were an impulse buy at the grocery store, but one I never regret. Bottled root beer is always a treat.


10) Copperhead Road



One of the things I know how to do that makes me truly feel like I live in Texas is a good country line dance. We frequent a country dance bar called Whiskey River, which proudly displayed taxidermied raccoons in little canoes and a fog machine. Every night at midnight, they play the song Copperhead Road, and the entire club piles onto the dance floor to dance in tandem to this song. It's so fun. I never get sick of it, and stomping in boots on the dance floor in time with one hundred other people is a thrill.

I spent the day compiling my costume for the murder mystery party, procuring an awesome Star Wars shirt, eating too much bad food for me, going on Sarah Dessen-esque adventures with Laura to the gas station for slushies, watching Grey's Anatomy, and, of course, blogging. A very good, relaxing day! Now to either late night clean my bathroom or watch My Cat from Hell...hmmmm...

Nighty night

owl release

There were three young owlets in the crate. Two females with toasted marshmallow bellies and a glowing white male. Their calls sounded like air slowly being released from a tire with undertones of a ringwraith, unearthly screams in a pint sized package. We reached their release point, Hazel Bazemore Park - an important migration route for the thousands of raptors skirting the edge of the gulf coast. We unloaded their crate, propping it up on a wooden bannister that overlooked a thick swath of forest. It was dusk, the golden hour, and the sky was filled with the hues of butternut squash, viridian, and candlelight. It was a perfect night for three owlets to return home.

The crate door was opened and the owlets hushed, clustered together at the back and unsure as to what trickery their human captors were playing on them. Was it safe? Was the greenery beyond the open crate door limitless? The first to leave was the largest female; a feisty carmel colored lady who was darker than her sister. She took us all by surprise, shooting out of the crate with silent fury. We fumbled for our cameras and I was lucky enough to get a snapshot of her rocketing into the undergrowth. The next female we were ready for. Her talons scrabbled against the plastic of the crate and she too flew with a quiet intensity into the trees. Last but not least, the male left the sanctity of the crate. He was the most distinct, his coloration standing out immediately against the sky, now muted to pastel colors. I followed his brilliant white and tawny flight into the trees with my camera until he sunk below the foliage.

To release a wild animal back into its native habitat after proper rehabilitation is invigorating. There are three new owlets in the woods of Hazel Bazemore, using their natural adaptations and apex predator instincts to hunt mice to their hearts' content. No more thawed white mice, no more confined spaces. They will be the epitome of free.