Comments on: Happy Christmas

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:15:12 +0000

He’s a bit bigger and more obvious than the merlins, who are barely the size of the doves they take. You hear them zipped through and then strike in the cloud of feathers, and then may see them carrying off “lunch” to their larder, but you rarely see them at rest.

By: LadyMin

LadyMin — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:29:29 +0000

I had a lot more doves hanging around until this young hawk started visiting the yard:

http://ladymin.com/2010/09/24/dinner-guest/

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 04:14:55 +0000

Well, I have dozens of the ring-necked variety and, in addition to perching around the large kibble bowls to empty them, they hang out on the the eaves of my house for morning sing-alongs. In addition to the cooing, there is the racket of various and sundry cats attacking the the shadows they cast on the mini-blinds. Not my favorites.

I do not mourn when the occasional merlin takes one in a burst of feathers, or they fall prey to a momma cat attempting to teach her kits how to hunt.

By: LadyMin

LadyMin — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 07:34:58 +0000

I have one or two mourning doves that stop by on a regular basis so they aren’t too bad. And they aren’t noisy. My biggest complaint is that they will eat in the open tray feeder and then proceed to sit down in it and take a nap leaving little room for other birds to eat. It’s so strange. They sleep on the bird bath too.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:41:22 +0000

The names of corporate entities goes beyond the rules of spelling into the courts of laws. If there is no apostrophe on the corporate papers it had better not show up anywhere else. As near as I can tell from a number of stories there is a move in Britain to ignore “extraneous punctuation” by official organizations to “save money”. There have been some nasty fights over the issue in road signs and official maps. The press is extremely loose on spelling and grammar, especially among the tabloids, with a rather free-form approach to the language. Manuals of Style are considered suggestions, not actual rules.

That is a greeting card quality cardinal, Lady Min. We view doves down here in much the same way that urban dwellers view pigeons – noisy, messy vermin. Familiarity breeds contempt, especially when you have them outside your window before dawn calling. We generally have the ring-necked doves, another domestic invader, and in great quantity. They gather to eat the kibble at the feeding station.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 07:18:02 +0000

Hope you had a very nice Christmas. I am a few hours late!

Ahhh… the real English robin. We have a few American robins still hanging around in Chicago although I suspect they are from Canada wintering in what they think are warmer regions.

I do have a lovely picture of a cardinal, a fine winter bird.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladyminsgarden/4198255263/
A dove was outside my window yesterday so she was my holiday photo.

By: Steve Bates

Steve Bates — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 07:15:08 +0000

That seems right.

I was made aware of the “Caesars Palace” situation (which I misspelled above, even ignoring the question of the apostrophe) by the estimable Carole Nelson Douglas. In her Midnight Louie mysteries, the primary human character is a freelance publicity agent who finds herself constantly correcting copy that erroneously inserts the apostrophe. Perhaps correct grammar and lost wages are not compatible. 🙂

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:56:52 +0000

In reply to Steve Bates. I'm sure they would include the apostrophe as the origin is clear as the college of a King, with all of the requisite paperwork available. I'm sure there was royal approval sought for the founding of the institution, and the name reflects that. The college is rather consistent in using the apostrophe, so I'll take their word for it, and edit accordingly.

By: Steve Bates

Steve Bates — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:29:17 +0000

OK, it seems we have another situation like “Ceasars Palace” (sic) in Las Vegas: is it “Kings College” or “King’s College”? Wikipedia shows the latter; other listings, including British news references, are all over the map on whether to use the apostrophe. At first I wondered if the name referred to the Three Kings of wise-men fame, but there’s also a Queen’s College, so I rather doubt that. (Although… I personally know more than three queens from London.) Does anybody know the definitive information on the apostrophe?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 21:00:31 +0000

I would suggest moving the orchids inside for a few days, MB, as it is going to get chilly again, even down in your area.

Yes, we actually got the feed in Rochester as a replacement for a midnight service on the local public television station with a simulcast on their radio station.

PRI is colocated with Minnesota Public Radio and distributes Prairie Home Companion, as well as the Festival. It is similar to WGBH in Boston.