BLUEJAY vs. SQUIRREL a peanut war

Several months ago, my wife and I noticed two blue jays coming to our feeder helping themselves to the peanuts we had set out for them. They would fly in, snatch up a nut and fly out just as fast as they came in. We wondered how they could crack the nuts open so fast and come back for more. We watched as they flew off to a tree line next to our home and realized they were stashing the nuts on the ground. Little did they know that something else took an interest in what they were doing. Two squirrels waited in the shadows for the Blue jays to fly off and ran in to steal the nuts only to hide them a few feet away. After about twenty minutes of this activity going on, the Blue Jays caught on to what was going on. One would remain sat above a branch to guard their catch while the other fetched more. Not wanting to be out done, the squirrels would work together to fool the Blue jay that lay above them. One would dart in to distract the Blue Jay while the other grabbed what he could and ran with his prize. In the end the Blue jays gave up and took the rest of the peanuts from our feeder to somewhere else. We laughed at this so much that I thought it would make a nice story to tell. Take care and thanks for visiting my blog. Mike

My Wife and Daughters

My wife Tammy holding one of our grandchildren Jali, Daughter of Rani, Tammy's oldest and also my stepdaughter. Tammy and I have opened our own store in Albert Lea, MN. She sells scrap booking and card making supplies and I have my portrait studio. It started off slow like so many businesses do when first starting out, but we have had a great customer feedback on both of our businesses thus far. Tammy has a great talent for being well organized both at home and with her portion of the store. Her friends got her into scrap booking several months ago, and when the opportunity to open a shop came up suddenly, we both decided to give it a go. I'm glad we did cause there is a good sense knowing you can be your own boss and make allot of new friends in the process.

My oldest daughter Macayla has a natural talent for drawing. Not a day goes by that she doesn't have a pencil, marker or crayon in hand designing her next masterpiece. She started her first year of school (kindergarten) a few weeks ago and has had the time of her life. I think her favorite part is being able to ride the bus back and forth each day. She likes it when she has homework to do from time to time. I think in time that may change if she is anything like her dad (lol).

My youngest daughter Mckenzie is our little peanut. She is small for her age but full of energy. She enjoys playing dress up and mothering her dolls. She is very content when playing with her dolls. At times I will listen in on her conversations she has with them and its cute at what she has to say. She likes to cuddle up with me at times to watch cartoons or ride on my shoulders for a piggy back ride around the house.

A Brief History

I was born in Mankato Minnesota on December 30th 1965. I lived a few miles from town next to a county park which was a perfect setting for me and my three older brothers. That's where my love for the outdoors began. Walking the trails and inner tubing down the creek next to our home in the summer was some of the best memories for me. Later as I grew up and moved away from home, the county bought our property and moved our house to another location. It was somewhat sad for me because I wanted to take my kids to see the home I grew up in.
On another note I wanted to say that along with all the good memories from my younger years, there were also the bad. In mid 1992 my oldest brother Steve discovered he had an aggressive form of Cancer. After me and my other brothers were tested, it came down that I was a perfect match to be a bone marrow Donner. I always looked up to Steve and thought what better way to help him by giving him the gift of life. The surgery went well and a few months later just before Christmas, he was sent home to be with his wife and to young daughters. Then just days after Christmas, my parents came to my apartment to give me a birthday present and informed me that Steve was back in the hospital. The Cancer had spread to his brain and there was nothing more the doctors could do. Steve wanted to have his youngest baptised before he died so we all gathered in his home for the proceedings. It was also a day for us to say our goodbyes to him. I felt as though I failed him but being my brother and even in his current state also knew the right thing to say to me. He told me I did all I could and that if it had not been for me that he never would have had a first Christmas with Courtney who was only a few months old then. His words are something I will never forget and it makes me happy that I could give him those last few months with his children. He died the first week in January 1993.
Years later, my brother Rick who had always known that he had problems with his kidneys, was in need of a kidney transplant. Of course I volunteered to be tested and found once again to be the perfect match. We went through with it and in July of 2001, he received one of my kidneys. Things changed for him and now to this day his health is great and he is living a normal life. I'm glad I could be there for him as I was with my brother Steve. Remember that friends may come and go, but family is always there. Do what you can and life will give you its rewards in time.
I am just starting out doing this blogging thing and over time I will be doing updating and showing photos of my work. Thank you for stopping in and I hope you will come by this way again. Mike