Category: family and friends

When the Challenge Is the Reward

December 17th, 2019

I adore ice skating. Have I mentioned that before?

My non-giraffe readers may assume I can indulge my passion for skating any old time of year because, of course, there are indoor rinks. But at over sixteen feet tall, indoor ice-skating rinks are not an option for me. I must wait each year for the weather to become cold enough for outdoor ice rinks to open.

Luckily for me, there are quite a few great outdoor ice-skating options here in the D.C. area. I took Louisa to my absolute favorite, the National Gallery of Art ice rink, yesterday. Louisa is very athletic and she is a marvelous skater. She floats around the ice with stylish elegance. I admire her skill.

As for me, I gracelessly fumble around the ice and I fall quite frequently, especially in the beginning of the season when I am out of practice. But the challenge is the fun for me. I even kind of like the twinge of fear I feel when I first step out onto the ice, feeling like I cannot get my four feet organized under me, the very real possibility of slipping and falling imminent.

I eventually find my groove and manage to circle the rink with some speed and grace. It’s always such a hard-won victory! I think those infrequent moments are what make the whole endeavor so addictive for me.

Do you have something you like to do because it’s hard? Something in which the challenge itself is the reward?

XOXO,
Bernice
Celebrating Dad!

June 18th, 2019

My mom, dad, Louisa and I all had a delicious Father’s Day breakfast (prepared by yours truly) and then we headed out to play a few games of groquet.

What’s that you say?

You’ve never heard of groquet?

Ah, well, you’re not alone.

Groquet is a little-known game popular with giraffes the world over. It is similar to croquet, but the equipment is different in a few key ways. Groquet balls are larger and softer than croquet balls. And we giraffes do not use mallets. We swing with our necks and hit the balls through the wickets with our heads.

My dad was the east coast champion groquet player when he was in college. Alas, he missed winning the national championship by one game. His nemesis – a giraffe named Leonard who hails from L.A. – won that game.

That disappointment aside, groquet is my father’s favorite activity. It was an absolute no-brainer that we had to play it while celebrating Father’s Day.

No one in my family plays anywhere near as well as my father does, so I personally found it quite suspicious when Louisa won two out of three of the games we played. She crowed with glee the whole way home. My dad swore up and down that she won fair and square, but I have my doubts.

Were you able to see your dad on Father’s Day? If so, what did you do to celebrate?

XOXO,
Bernice
Ava Sees a Firefly

June 11th, 2019

The first official day of summer may not be for another ten days, but as far as I am concerned, once the fireflies start twinkling, summer in D.C. is well underway.

I went to my assistant’s house to check in with her regarding some illustrations she was very late completing for me (tsk tsk). We talked shop for a while and then NuNu told me she had to take her puppy, an eight-month-old Scottish Terrier named Ava, outside.

Auntie NuNu and I noticed the soft green glow of fireflies as soon as we got out the door, but at first Ava was too busy sniffing the ground for an acceptable place to do her business to notice the insects. Then the gentle green glow of a lightening bug hovering just in front of the little dog’s nose caught her attention.

Ava sat on the grass and stayed uncharacteristically still. She monitored the dark space in front of her nose with total focus. A few seconds later a firefly lit up from where it had flown to – about four feet away. Ava seemed mesmerized. I don’t think I have ever seen anything cuter in my entire life.

Do you have fireflies where you live?

XOXO,
Bernice
Babysitting

May 21st, 2019

Sunday I could be found, once again, at Rock Creek Park. I was babysitting my sister, Louisa, and her BFF, Teddy. We decided to take a hike and to do some birdwatching. The day was hot and humid so it was nice to be in the shade of the hiking trail.

Now, as I have mentioned before, it is important to be quiet when birding. The kids were in playful, rambunctious moods and they were making a ton of noise, so the trip was a fail in terms of finding birds, but we had a lot of fun anyway!

“Last one there is a rotten egg!” Teddy shrieked and took off at a gallop.

“Hey, you started before me!” Louisa yelled as she tried to catch up.

When I caught up to the kids way down the trail they were discussing who was and who wasn’t a rotten egg.

“Why must the last one be a rotten egg?” I asked. “Why not a moldy bagel or a rancid walnut?” The kids giggled and then, predictably, Louisa began running again.

“Last one there is a putrid mushroom!” she bellowed as she charged full-steam-ahead through the trees.

“Last one there is a fetid brussels sprout!” Teddy, not to be outdone, whooped as he took off after Louisa.

By the time we got home, the kids had tired themselves out and were more than ready for their afternoon naps.

XOXO,
Bernice
Celebrating Mom!

May 14th, 2019

Sunday was Mother’s Day and so I went to my parents’ place first thing to help my dad and Louisa prepare a special brunch for my mom. We had been planning to go on a picnic, but the weather was all wrong for that idea. It was a cold, rainy day here in D.C..

My dad made my mom’s favorite salad. He added his crispy acacia bark topping which adds a delightful crunch to each bite. It’s a secret family recipe, so I cannot share it on this blog. Sorry!

I brought my mom a potted peony, which was in full bloom. My sister, Louisa, gave my mom some leg-warmers she and my dad found at the giraffe boutique a few weeks ago.

I asked my mom about her first Mother’s Day and she reminisced about how small I had been then – a mere six feet. I can’t remember what life was like when I was that small, but I do remember when Louisa was a newborn, so I do know what it’s like to have a wee giraffe around.

We had a splendid celebration with good food and even better company. I think my mom had a terrific day.

Did you have a nice Mother’s Day with your mother? If so, what did you do to celebrate?

XOXO,
Bernice
Birding at Home

February 19th, 2019

Hector and I had promised Louisa that we would take her to the National Arboretum on Saturday to do some bird watching. Unfortunately, Louisa got the flu, poor kid. She was very unhappy about having to cancel our outing.

I tried to comfort my sister by promising we would go as soon as she was well again, but Louisa would not be comforted. She whined in that pathetic, stuffed-up, nasal voice one has when one is sick and complained that everything was HORRIBLE and that she was SO DISSAPOINTED she might DIE.

Then I had an idea and it was brilliant, if I do say so myself.

“What if we could go birding in your room, Louisa? Would that make you feel better?” I asked.

She thought about that for a minute.

“Are you bringing me a pet cockatoo?” Louisa asked in response, sounding pretty darned excited all of a sudden.

“Er… no,” I answered. “But I have an idea. Gimme an hour, okay?”

I got to work and ran over to Auntie NuNu’s house. I asked NuNu if I could borrow her tablet. Auntie NuNu said sure and got it all set up for me. Then I went to my parents’ place and set the tablet up in Louisa’s room.

“That’s not a cockatoo,” Louisa whined miserably.

“I told you I wasn’t bringing you one, silly. But this will be fun. I promise.” I kissed my sister’s feverish forehead and told her to watch the screen.

“What is this? This stinks!” Louisa screeched as we watched an empty bird’s nest wave around a little in the breeze.

“It’s the National Arboretum Bald Eagle Nest Cam! We can birdwatch right here in your room! This is awesome. Trust me. Two Bald Eagles live here,” I said as I pointed at the screen. “Just keep watching. The eagles are fixing their nest up and preparing for the arrival of some new chicks. They’ll be home again soon, I swear.”

The livestream was, admittedly, pretty dull just then as the eagles were not home. The show doesn’t get really good until the chicks hatch and as of now the eggs haven’t even been laid. But it was birdwatching and we were in her room. Louisa harrumphed then watched the screen.

Alas, it was a while before anything of interest happened. Then one of the eagles finally came home with a fish and settled down to eat it. I looked over at Louisa to see what she thought now that one of the birds was home, but she hadn’t noticed. Louisa had fallen to sleep.
The Carnivores – Part Two

February 5th, 2019

As promised, I went to Auntie NuNu’s to try to see the bird of prey she claims is menacing her little dog, Ava. My strategy was simple: I took Ava out into the yard to act as bait. While we waited for a bird of prey to show up, I tried to enjoy what is left of the formerly-fantastic birding in Auntie NuNu’s garden.

Ava spent the whole time we were outside terrorizing house sparrows. As soon as she scared one off, the puppy was off like a shot to chase another one. Occasionally Ava sat on the grass to catch her breath, her pink tongue lolled out of her mouth and panting. But even then she did not stop hunting – it seemed to me I could see her mind working to figure out how to get up into the tree branches in order to continue the chase.

We were outside for quite a long time without seeing any birds of prey. But then, at about 4 pm, I saw a red-shouldered hawk soar into view. I wondered if that was the bird Auntie NuNu was worried about as I watched it fly right on by. That was the only action I have to report.

I informed NuNu that if she was worried about that bird, there was no need. My understanding is that red-shouldered hawks cannot carry more than their own body weight, which is a mere 1.5 pounds. Ava may have been an appropriate dinner for a red-shouldered hawk when she was closer to newborn status, but she now weighs ten pounds, which is too much for the bird to be able to fly off with.

I have no way of knowing if the red-shouldered hawk I saw is the bird Auntie NuNu is worried about. Perhaps the next time I go to her house I will see another kind of bird of prey. I will let you know if I do!

XOXO,
Bernice
The Carnivores – Part One

January 29th, 2019

My assistant, Auntie NuNu, has a teensy dog named Ava living with her these days. NuNu, Grandma and Granddad, who live just outside the city, absolutely love the little 17-week-old carnivore.

Ava is awfully cute, but I am not a big fan of hers as she is absolutely ruining the birdwatching in their garden. The garden used to be a suburban bird paradise. There are plenty of trees, many of which produce berries that last throughout winter for birds to eat. There is a fountain to bathe in and to drink from. There are something like 200 birds’ nests in the trees there – which speaks to just how idyllic the garden was.

Was – past tense – because the new resident of the house sees a bird and thinks: lunch.

Ava is a little terror. She is a Scottish Terrier. Does the word terrier come from the word terror? That seems likely to me, but I do not know. I will look it up. I’ll be right back!

Okay, I looked it up and terrier does not mean terror. Le sigh. It’s from the French: chien terrier, which means dog of the earth. To be fair, that is also an appropriate name for the little dog as Ava is a digger. She adores digging holes in the dirt.

But I digress.

Auntie NuNu told me that Ava is being menaced by a large bird of prey. I confess that when she told me about it, I thought turnabout is fair play, but NuNu loves the little beast and is quite worried. I told her I would come over and monitor the situation. I figure I will be able to either put NuNu’s mind at ease or warn her that Ava is indeed in danger.

I’ll let you know what happens in my next post.

XOXO,
Bernice
Home Sweet Home

January 22nd, 2019

The weather has been absolutely frightful and I found myself craving a good gallon or two of steamy-hot, green tea. I picked up my favorite kind and decided to go to my parents’ place to see if they would like some too.

As luck would have it, my parents were making my favorite salad for dinner. They had purchased a few hundred pounds of acacia leaves earlier in the day, so there was enough to go around. For a couple of days anyway.

Louisa, my much-younger sister, was super excited to try the special giraffe’s blend of tea I brought so we made that while my parents prepared the salad. Louisa grimaced after she took her first sip and said she did not like the tea AT ALL. I told her it was an acquired taste and suggested she try it again.

At the moment Louisa’s favorite word is NO. And yes, that’s NO in capital letters. My sister speaks many words in all caps these days. My sister told me she thought the idea of acquiring a taste was just plain-old SILLY and that she had absolutely NO intention of liking the tea EVER.

“Alright, alright, settle down, missy,” my dad said to her with a smile.

“It’s time to eat your dinner, Louisa,” my mom added.

Three of us filled our tummies with salad and tea.

One of us just had salad.

We were all satisfied.
New Year, New Blog

January 1st, 2019

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it’s 2019. Remember when everyone was talking about Y2K? No? You weren’t born yet, you say? I see. Well, don’t worry about it. That was a whole lotta fuss over nothing. But I digress – back to the present!

Hello. My name is Bernice and I have decided to start a blog so that I can share my adventures with the world. I love to explore and I am a passionate birder, so you can expect me to blog a lot about birding. I love my hometown of Washington, D.C., but I also love to travel.

My best friend is named Hector. He is not a passionate birder, nor does he love to travel, but he is passionate about me and so he usually tags along on my adventures. We had a great New Year’s Eve celebration last night. There was a crescent moon. Did you see it?

I just thought I would introduce myself today, so I’ll keep it short for now, but before I go: I would like to thank my dear friend, Auntie NuNu, for her typing and illustration assistance on this project.

Finally, this blog is dedicated to Ella and Abby, two very special humans who warm the cockles of my heart.

XOXO,
Bernice