Mag Pie Visitor

This Mag Pie has gotten me pretty well trained I guess. When he comes to the feeder, and I don't have any suet out for him to eat or carry off, he looks in the window at me sitting at my desk. Cocks his head as if to say, hey buddy what's up. Then he will fly off to a post where he will sit until I bring out some suet to the feeder. As soon as I'm back inside he's there for his snack. Smart Bird to have me trained so well.

Squirrels Friends

Here is a picture of a shy one, hiding behind it's tail.

Merry Christmas

Greetings from the Permafrost Ranch here in North Pole, I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

bob

172nd Combat Brigade Returns Home

Welcome Home, to all the soldiers in the 172nd

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seniorchief/

There is a link to some pictures of the ceremony in Fairbanks

Red Squirrel

Here is a picture of a little female who has been visiting the feeder.

2006 Council Oak Tree Ceremony

(This is a reprint from the Muscogee Nation News) November 2006

2006 Council Oak Tree Ceremony

"One hundred and seventy six years ago, the first Muscogee Creeks traveled across the land on what has become known as the Trail of Tears. They brought with them ashes of sacred ceremonial fires from the ancestral homeland in the southeast; and these ashes were spread beneath the towering oak tree (now known as the Council Oak) overlooking the Arkansas River. This become the chosen site to establish the Loca Pokv Tribal town which later became the city of Tvlse."

The tree still stands in the Metropolis of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Flyer at the feeder

I haven't posted anything lately, because I'm missing my favorite squirrel. He's not been around, I'm sure everyone remembers fatso. Well, he's gone missing for a while now. I'm just wishing he is okay. He is an older squirrel and everyone knows how fat he is. I just hope some predator hasn't caught up with him. I'll let you know if he shows back up soon.

Until then here is another shot of one of the flyers who has been frequenting the feeder at night.

Frosty Snack at the Feeder

It's been very cold here on the Permafrost Ranch located in North Pole, Alaska. Look closely at the frost on this squirrels whiskers. It's where his breath has frozen in the cold air and frosted his whiskers.

Day After Thanksgiving

I'm so bad... Guess what I had for breakfast this morning the day after Thanksgiving... Pie Apple, then a piece of Pumpkin and then a piece of Pecan. I'm so bad... And so fat.

Here's a close up of one of my little flyers the frequents the feeder.

Tailless Flying Squirrel

The Tailless One came for a visit last night at the feeder, and brought a buddy along to. It's cool here at the Permafrost Ranch, it's been hovering around the - 20 degree F mark all night and this morning. It's now 2:05 PM and it's warmed up to a -16 F. As life in the far north goes, being we are only 165 miles south of the Arctic Circle, I guess I shouldn't complain about the temperature. It could be much colder. Our hours of daylight are quickly fading this time of the year, we are losing anywhere on the average of 5 to 7 minutes a day. Sunrise this morning was at 9:28 AM, and sunset this evening will be at 3:39 PM. Makes for a very short day. With the encroaching darkness, I have this urge to go to bed early and sleep late. I have to blame it on that, I don't want to say I'm just lazy.

Election Results

Well, it's over. I'm glad, because we won't be seeing any more campaign ads. The winners are celebrating and the losers are crying in their beer. Nonetheless, I've got a major gripe. I just heard the final statistics for the vote. Only 44 percent of the registered voters voted. That's a sad commentary on our election and on our citizens of this fine state of Alaska. Now these numbers are suspect I know. The main reason is that the voter list haven't been purged since the Motor Voter Registration went in to effect some years back. So, what is the turn out, I don't know if we will ever know the true numbers until the laws are changed. My belief is this was put into law to suppress voter turnout. Furthermore, I think both parties practice voter suppression allowing a minority of the faithful, so to speak to elect our representatives. It's a sad state of affairs that a minority elect to office people who will affect the majority in everything they do. Shame on those unnamed majority who feel voting isn't worth their time or effort. I hope it comes back to bite you in the very end.

Nuthatch Bird

The little nuthatch is a regular at the feeder since it's turned cold.

Fatso's beauty shots,

Ol Fatso's been busy at the feeder, you can see the crumbs on his chest.

Cool Weather

It's cold this morning here at the Permafrost Ranch, and -20 on the old temp gauge...but here is a little picture of a guy on alert.

Chow time at the old Permafrost Ranch

The flyers are bouncing off the feeder and the tipi poles hanging on the side of the house...I hear them all night. And Fatso, loves those chopped pecans and almonds.

Squirrels

The reason behind the chatter :-)

Below Zero

It's cold here this morning at the old permafrost ranch. A cool -9 on the old back porch thermometer. This picture of the Magpie at the feeder shows that deep blue color of his wings, along with that bright black and white. Sure makes for a pretty bird. Fatso, is bulking up for the cold weather in his picture. And the flying squirrels are really more active with the longer hours of darkness that comes along with the cold weather.

Tailless Flying Squirrel

The northern flying squirrels that come to my feeders during the darkness hours have these fluffy tails and they use them like a rudder as they glide through the boreal forest. I've seen many a little red squirrel loose parts of their tails in territorial fights but I've never seen a flyer with a bobbed tail, until last night. I'm sure this hinders his gliding ability. Here is a shot of the little guy.

The Return of Rotary #1 Video

Lunch at the old Permafrost Ranch

Guess who's head is in the feed bowl?

Birds of Alaska

Here is another little visitor to my feeders. The Black Capped Chickadee. They say these little birds have amazing memories of where they stash food because during the extreme cold they must eat to keep their body heat up over night.

Birds of Alaska

The little Red Poles come in Bunches when they come to the feeders. You can see dozens at once in the spring and winter when they are in the area of the Permafrost Ranch here in North Pole. The Hairy Woodpeckers are very neat birds, and I love to hear their calls when they are in the yard.

Flying Squirrels at the Feeder

I caught this little beauty at the feeder early this morning.

Mag Pie Visitor

This sure is a pretty Magpie and a large one that keeps visiting the back feeder.

Flying Squirrels at the Feeder

Just a shot of the squirrels who came to the feeder tonight while I was sitting here at the computer.

Mag Pie Visitor

This one MagPie is visiting quite often now. It loves that suet I put out for the birds. It's gobbling it up as fast as it can. Whew, I won't be able to afford it at the rate this bird eats. It's a big bird compared to the little boreal chickadees and the black capped ones. lol

I just bought firewood for this winter, it went up another 12.5 percent a cord. Good lord.

1968

Man did I look young...and I guess I was back in 68.

Nuthatch Bird

This little Nuthatch visits my feeder every day...It's about time for him to go south I think. They don't hang around all winter.

Squirrels

Just had to post a Squirrel Picture...it's what this blog is all about isn't it. :-)

Squeakers Video

Here is a video of Miss Squeakers shortly before her release. I sure miss this little squirrel, she's long gone to squirrel heaven but she is remembered.

Fatso's beauty shots,

Here is a couple of Fatso's beauty Shots.

Pine Grosbeaks

Caught a pair of Grosbeaks out in the yard. Very pretty birds, the male is the red one, the other is female. She's just as pretty as the males with that yellow color.

Video of Grouse

Here is a small video of the Grouse

Grouse

Caught on the Cam this little Sharptail out in the driveway. At first she was just getting gravel I think for her craw. This time of the year they seem to do that a great deal. I think to make sure they have enough when the snow covers everything. Then she started to feed. I watched her for quite a while out the window. They sure are pretty birds.

Boreal Chickadee

These little Boreal Chickadees are such small little birds. I'm amazed that they can survive our winters. They are residents of the boreal forest all year around. They sure like that peanut butter and syrup mixture and the suet I put out for them.

My Yard

All I can say, is they have been at it again. I guess they just can't help themselves, it's either that or I've offended them in some way. The green nice looking lawn needs to have these tire tracks in it, because beauty must offend them.

I hope to hell they get theirs in the end.

Squirrel Cam Pictures

Can't let this blog go by without any pictures of my buddies...

Mag Pie Visitor

Here is a shot of a visitor to the feeder I had this morning. Stunning birds, I wish I could have gotten a close up, but they are so skittish that just the sight of me in the window runs them off.

Vandals

Here is a couple of shots of the damage done to my lawn. This has been an on going problem for several years now. If I ever catch the culprits, I'm afraid they won't like the damage I'll do them. It may even be fatal.

Winters Arrival

I was awakened this morning by the sound of someone's truck rutting up my yard next to the road. They did a really fine job of it. This isn't the first time someone has done this to my yard, I reported it to the troopers, and they said they were aware of it and are trying to catch the culprit. I wasn't the only one I guess this idiot hit. So, here I was up and with my insomnia I couldn't get back to sleep. The squirrel cam was up and captured this shot. Winter has arrived.

Ducks

Had the whole fam damily here today, wanting a hand out...

Baby Squeakers

Winter

I just wanted to remind everyone that winter will soon be here, and this is a reminder of what it will look like soon.

Internet Banking Scams

I've been a ICQ user and other Instant Messenger user for years. Here lately I've received a lot of messages from unknown people, wanting me to help with their banking problems. Millions of dollars are promised if I help them. Well, of course, I say no immediately and then place them on ignore. Still, it's frustrating to think some folks might fall for this, and give out their personal account information. I don't ever give out personal information to unknown people over the internet. I've got everything someone could want on my public profiles except that type of info. If they want to get to know me, it's all right there and to ask for further information sets off all my warning bells.

Insomnia and into my life it creeps

The dog, one of the daschounds wanted out at 2:00 AM, this morning. I tried for the longest to ignore it. Hoping above all hope that the wife would get up and let it out. She did, but then Sugar Bear, our Golden who has a mind of her own doesn't listen to my wife when she is called. The dog takes her sweet time in returning to the house. My wife, bless her heart will call her for 10 or 15 minutes. Well, I was wide awake by then... I've been up ever since. I tried once to return to slumber but my mind wouldn't allow it. So, I'm surfing the net, blogging away.

I got a couple of phone calls yesterday evening and a email or two wanting to know if I was on that TV program whereby people get a new house built for them. I wasn't even though I know it was a big thrill for the town to be part of it all. I stayed well out of the way. I'm happy for those folks.

So, if you were looking to see my smiling face on National TV. It wasn't there. Count your lucky stars.

Hairy Woodpecker

Today, I got a pair of woodpeckers at the feeder, a female and a male Hairy Woodpecker. This is a picture of the male, isn't he a beauty. Both him and the female, love the peanut butter and syrup mixture.

Great Grandmother

Here is a posting of a picture of my Great Grandmother on the right. Dang good fisherwoman it looks like to me.

Ok, I'm sorry I should have told everyone who the other young woman was in that picture.

Her name was Norma Des Cygne Gilcrease, Miss America of 1926

The Over Looked Burden

This hidden, much overlooked heavy burden carried by the families of our proud military, who are fighting and surviving in far off lands slipped up on me. Funny, that it should. Most of all my remembered childhood was of being a military brat. Memories of things, like that shouldn't be forgotten.

The men who have had a sizable influence on my life, were or have been in the service at one time or another. Be they my peers or those of my family, friends and now my neighbors. But there is another side that's just a bit different and that is the burden carried by the women, the children and the families of these warriors. Alaska has more veterans than any other state per population much less a larger part of our population is active duty either Air Force or Army.

What brought all this to mind began with an earlier posting of a invited Cub Scout Troop, over for an exercise in my lodge. go to: Native American History
Then a phone call from a long time friend. Many of the young cub scouts military fathers were in the Infantry Brigade stationed here in Fairbanks now deployed in Iraq.

"The 172nd Stryker Brigade, the largest Alaska contingent in Iraq, has suffered 22 killed and 327 injured since its deployment in the summer of 2005, according to Army spokesman Maj. Kirk Gohlke. Three have been killed since July's extension order." This was according to the Anchorage Daily News Paper

One of the mothers of a young scout and I were talking, as we watched the kids build their drums, it was through this conversation with her, that I learned that her husband was in Iraq. As I watched the two (mother & child) interact it all came back with a rush. That almost forgotten, overlooked burden, carried with as much bravery that they can muster. The memory of such things had slipped my awareness until now. Right then it just snapped it back into focus. Although, only but briefly, just in passing, as did that day until that phone call from my friend.

That phone call was from a friend of mine who works with that same young military mother, who was there in my lodge that day. We didn't know that, until the young mother was describing the scout meeting at the lodge to my friend at where she works, and then it dawned on my friend that it was my lodge she was talking about. This mother expressed to my friend, the good experience, she had at the cub scout meeting. It all came back then that burden that is carried my all members of the families of our fine service men and women. It all came back into focus pushing away the fog of time and everyday living.

Today with modern technology, the family has more direct contact with their loved ones, by blogging. email, web pages etc. But what really happens when this service member is wounded or worse yet killed in action, not until official notification does the family learn the fate of the men or women in question. They learn quickly that someone was either hurt or killed long before official notification. This is mostly through our military community grapevine or with this advent of quick news, over the internet. Even the commercial news quickness of today with satellite transmissions provided to the local community are we aware of the injury or death of one in the Unit even before we know who it was. What a burden they carry, these families in knowing their love ones stands in harms way and all they can do is bravely carry on. We must always remember to support them in anyway possible by not forgetting they carry such a burden. Maybe by just not forgetting we can lighten this load a tiny little bit. I know I wont ever forget again not as long as these families need us.

A Wake for an Indian Warrior

A Wake for an Indian Warrior

Papa and Grand babies

Squirrels Friends

Here is why I have this blog, my little buddies

Jackie's Garden

Jackie is asleep on her couch and behind her in that picture is a Christmas Cactus. I just thought I would drop everyone a picture of the one we have in our living room. It's in full bloom.
Jackie's Garden

Ducks

Here is a short video of my duck visitor:

Native Americans

My daughter sent me this after reading my last posting. I've seen it before and had forgotten about it. Years have passed since then, but I don't think much has really changed. The numbers may be wrong today, but the truth hasn't.

Hello Papa, I was thinking you should post this on your blog.. very fitting for the topic you are on right now.
Love ya forever, Kelly


"A SOVEREIGN NATION IS ONLY AS STRONG AS IT'S PEOPLE WHO MUST STRIVE FOR GOOD GOVERENCE,ENVISIONED LEADERS AND SOLID ECONOMIES." Charles Blackwell,
Address to the NCAI. Spokane Washington 1976

Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...

That 1 in every 13 people living in the US today is a Native American?
That while our national Native American population is small (2,416,410)
...we have the highest population of any race enlisted in the Armed
Forces?

That the words "Miami", "Chicago", "Cuba", & "Potomac" are all derived
from Native American words?

That the names of over half the states in the US came from Native
American languges? For example, "Oklahoma" is from the Choctaw language
meaning "home of the red people". "Utah" is what the Ute people named
themselves.
"Kentucky" is from the Iroquois language meaning "planted field".


Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...


That 75% of the Native American workforce earn less than $7,000 per
year?

That 45% of Native American's live below poverty line? 38% of those
living below the poverty line are aged 6 to 11 years old.

That the national average of umemployment for Native American's is 45%?

That the unemployment rate on some reservations is as high as 90 %?

That 45% of Native American mothers have their first child under the age of
20? This is more than double the rate of any other ethnic group.


Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...


That 46% of our Native American people have NO electricity?

That 54% of our Native American people have NO indoor plumbing?

That 82% of our Native American people DO NOT have a phone?


Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...


That ONLY 52% of our Native American children graduate highschool?

That ONLY 17% of our Native American kids attend college?

That ONLY 4% of our Native American youth GRADUATE college?

That ONLY 2% of our Native American youth attend graduate school?



Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...


That alcohol mortality is 627% greater than ALL other races combined?

That the alcoholism death rate for Native American's ages 15-24 years
old is more than 17 times the comparable rate of other American's?

That Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is 33 times higher in Native
American's than ALL other races combined?

That Turberculosis is 533% greater than ALL other races combined?

That Diabetes is 6.8 times greater in Native American's than ALL other
races combined?

That Pneumonia and Influenza is 61% greater in Native American's than
ALL other races combined?

That there are 962 Native American men and women who have HIV?

That there are 2,537 Native American men and women living with AIDS?

That one in six Native American adolescents has attempted suicide.
That's four times the national average.

That homicide is 63% greater in Native American's? Homicide is the
second leading cause of death among Native's 14 years old and YOUNGER and
the
third leading cause of death for Native's 15-24 years old.

That Native American's die younger than any other race? 13% of Native
American deaths are under the age of 25 compared to only 4% of the national
average.

Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...

Native American's are the only ethnic group mentioned in the US
Constitution?

That there have been more treaties, agreements, federal legislation, and
executive orders written concerning Native American's than any other
single group in the history of this country?

"The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards Indians; their
lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent."
Congress, 1789

"No wrong will ever be done to you by our nation." Thomas Jefferson,
1804

Now..are these shocking to you? Do you find these statistics disturbing?
Or do they not even bother you?
My beautiful, intelligent and amazing brother's and sister's...WHAT ARE
YOU DOING TO NOT ONLY BETTER YOUR LIFE, BUT THE LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE?

Think about it...

Food for thought.

Count your blessings.

Native American History

Yesterday, I was honored to host a Cub Scout Troop for a visit to my Lodge (tipi), one of the grandmothers of a member of the troop contacted me, being I know her husband and family, and asked if they could have a Troop meeting there. They were making small drums, and were studying Native Americans for a merit badge they can earn. None of the children were of Native Heritage.

What I noticed the most is the lack of knowledge about Native American Culture. It's kind of shocking to me, that so many don't realize just how much this country's history is tied to the history of Native Americans. For example, just look at the amount of state names that are of Native Americans Language and is now thought to be just English terms.

One of the mothers with the troop said she was from Kansas and didn't realize that Oklahoma had a large Indian population. That's quite the statement being Oklahoma was where many Native American Tribes were forced to relocate to during the 18th and 19th Century. In fact, before Oklahoma statehood which wasn't until the early of last century that the area was known as the Indian Territories...

Maybe, my being of native heritage makes me more aware of this history, but I'm seriously thinking now that much is lacking in our education of history for our children. At least they were trying to learn more with this exercise in this Cub Scout Troop. It's kind of sad to think that the culture of our Native American ancestors is being lost even more with the lack of such education.

Native American culture is still alive and is still here but most don't realize that or are not aware of it. Indians shouldn't be relegated to being only a piece of history. We are such a living part of this Country that we can't be separated from it's history and it should be taught to our children.

I hope this will encourage more to help in the education of such.

Maybe I'm a little crazy

Ok, this is a semi-rant, did anyone read this besides me and think this guy is a little off his rocker:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before being used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday.

The object is basically public relations. Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions from others about possible safety considerations, said Secretary Michael Wynne.

"If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation," said Wynne. "(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press."

Or is it me, who's just a little crazy.

Ducks

Over the years I've had this one duck hen stop by every now and then for some free groceries. One year a Drake showed up with her, but only for a short time. This year she has come by but not only her but two other females came with her this last few visits. I don't know whether or not they are her offspring but I believe they may be. It will soon be time for her and her companions to fly south.