from ethan

pipe cleaner in bowl
1/2011

bye bye blackbird

this week, the christian science monitor has a piece on the USDA's role in mass killings of birds. pretty upsetting stuff (millions of birds dying to protect an industry based on killing animals (cattle)? seems hard to reconcile)- but at least it reminds of the importance of one of the missions of the museum of the everyday- acknowledging those little feathered tragedies we may pass by:

"Some 5 billion birds die every year across the US, most largely unnoticed."

here's to noticing. r.i.p. to all those blackbirds, starlings, etc. etc. cows too, but those rarely wind up on the sidewalk.

shucks, really could have started of 2011 by taking care of the dual goals of more bird pictures & checking off the states i haven't been to with a trip to arkansas this week. alas, bedridden. fare-thee-well, red-winged blackbirds.

so- the last week of 2010 was a glorious one of snowstorms and coastal ramblings on the homefront, then some winter wooskies and tromping up the hill in VT.


then, i decided to really bring 2011 in with a bang, and fractured my skull tumbling down the stairs in my house. at the risk of this becoming a food blog, one of the perks of being essentially bedridden is the delivery of snacks by my amazing friends. in lieu of an obligatory neck brace shot (pending i'm sure), this about sums up my hopes, dreams and reality for the next month or so: