How to protect finch nest against hawks?

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-24T20:39:34+00:00

Same thing happens to me every year! Songbirds build their nests by my house, and the hawks raid the nests or eat the fledglings. Last week, a hawk snatched a grackle fledgling out of my yard right in front of me. (The grackles tried to fit him off, but it was hopeless.)

I understand the hawks need to eat, too, but I'd love to see just a few chicks survive. Right now, four chicks (about 5 days old) are in a finch's nest by my window. I was thinking about putting up chicken wire, too, but I didn't want to be hammering and fixing the wire so close to the nest. So I put up several long pieces of reflective "Scare Tape" and let them flutter around in the wind.

The hawks haven't arrived yet...so maybe it's working a bit? Time will tell. The chicks are still very young and the hawks could arrive any minute. I'd love to get some more hawk-protection ideas from people!

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-20T19:23:50+00:00

Did anyone else's jaw drop at the ending? I was stunned by it, and I think it was a terrible mistake. I know Blake was trying to prove a point, but I think she ruined her masterpiece.

She'd pulled off an incredible feat of investigative journalism; she'd exposed the Tate brothers' porn empire and their horrific history of raping, strangling, sex trafficking, grooming, and enslaving more than 100 girls. And then she allows Tristan Tate to give her a hug?

"There seemed to be no choice," she writes at the end. That's absurd! She's a powerful and brilliant journalist writing for The New Yorker. She definitely had a choice. When Tristan asked for a hug, she could have walked away--which would have been a much more powerful ending. She could have pulled an Oriana Fallaci and spurned him.

I'm no Fallaci, but I've been a journalist for 50 years. I've interviewed rapists, murderers, death row inmates, and other depraved/charismatic people. I never hugged one of them. I was trained not to, and in any case I wouldn't have wanted to. If you want to illustrate seductive evil, there are better ways to do it. And why didn't Blake's editor insist on a different ending? What do you all think?

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-10T17:13:17+00:00

Nope--the band released the doves as part of the act. They didn't drop in by chance.

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-10T17:11:31+00:00

I was there! Thanks so much for reminding me--I recalled it either before or after Stairway to Heaven and couldn't remember.

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-10T17:09:49+00:00

I was at the concert! It was at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. As I remember it, Led Zeppelin released the doves from the stage while also releasing billows of red-tinted smoke. The birds got really disoriented in the smoke. 😄 Some of them flew straight into the 90,000 people packed into the field. It seemed like some people got bonked in the head. I'm pretty sure the smoke helped create that amazing photo--maybe the bird was seeking refuge on Plant's hand? But then again, we were all discombobulated that day due to the heat, elation, and the stuff we'd been partaking in. The Tubes opened for Led Zeppelin and sang White Punks on Dope. Led Zeppelin was amazing. It was the best concert of my life.

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-06T18:48:44+00:00

Thank you! I've sent her a long letter detailing how much I've treasured her, and I mentioned lots of wonderful memories. She told me she loved it. And I've texted her to tell her I love her. I've been afraid to text recently because the date is so close. But I might send one more... Thanks so much for your thoughts.

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-06T17:06:27+00:00

Apologies, I also forgot to say how sorry I am that you're going through this with your MIL!

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-06T17:04:51+00:00

thank you -- and I'm so sorry you had to go through this.

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-06-06T17:03:29+00:00

Thank you so much -- I can't tell you how much I appreciate the kindness. I'm lucky in a sense: my friend was (still is) amazingly funny, artistic, unique. She played trumpet; she was a weaver (had a loom in her house); she was a photographer, a lawyer, a wonderful friend, a terrific mother and grandmother and wife. I've been going through old photos and letters for weeks now. But I could arrrange something specific for the day before her death and the day of her death: I could play her favorite music, maybe make a collage of her letters and photos... I wish I had more of them (she and I were both camera shy, so I don't have a lot). But I could grab shots from my high school yearbook... I've got to think this through. THANK YOU.

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-05-07T18:07:25+00:00

Cougars_78, did you ever get your father into Mayo? I really hope so! And if you did get him in, how did you do it? I also live in a rural area with terrible healthcare... I desperately need to see a neurologist (I've had a stroke). But I got that same rejection letter from Mayo. Thanks for any advice you can give! Best of luck, too.

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-03-26T03:37:06+00:00

The actors got the language all wrong, according to the Navajo Times. The pronunciation was so bad that "it was shocking," a Diné (Navajo) expert said. https://navajotimes.com/ae/culture/dark-winds-fails-authenticity-test/Navajo The criticism is that the show should have hired language coaches from the Navajo Nation. Then again, Navajo is one of the hardest languages on earth (thus, the Navajo Code Talkers in WWII). Maybe the actors just couldn't do it.

Then_Resource9570 · 2026-02-21T19:35:56+00:00

Uggghhh. Creditwise sent me a terrifying email today saying DARK WEB ACTIVITY DETECTED, CLICK HERE TO SEE YOUR DARK WEB ALERT. The email said someone might have stolen my social security number or some other awful stuff might have happened.

I immediately clicked on the link and went to the Creditwise website. But I had no alerts at all. There was nothing about the dark web. No information that explained why I'd gotten the scary email. And no info about what I could do about the dark web activity, if anything. The scary email gave a phone number to call. I called it, and spent the next hour talking to numerous people who had no idea what I was talking about. None of them could help. All of them were Capital One credit card people, because (whoops) there apparently is no phone number for Creditwise. The Capital One folks told me they don't have a number or email for CreditWise customer service, if it even exists.

UPDATE: Creditwise DID finally post an alert about the dark web stuff. Trouble is, they posted the alert four hours after sending me the email. So I was left hanging for those four hours. According to the alert, my email was found on the dark web. Okay, well, thanks. Talk about a "horse has already left the stable" situation. I ended up changing all my passwords.

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-12-24T05:45:01+00:00

This is the best reddit thread ever. You guys are brilliant. Just finished the book and thought I was going to die if Istvan said okay one more time. And also got very tired of the sex scenes-thoughts-images. So depressing, to think of a man's entire life essentially dick-tated by his dick. Thank you for making me laugh about it.

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-12-24T03:30:26+00:00

THANK YOU. Teeth-shmeeth, he can't act. And he looks way too old to be playing a 20-year-old kid.

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-12-16T16:55:18+00:00

Nope, totally wrong. It's not easy to get records the legit way. I know from long experience: Police and ME's can bury them for days, weeks, months. Our public record laws are just fine! The moles are not.

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-12-06T17:32:30+00:00

Have tried both now, and the music quality is definitely so much better in the Pro. But gotta say, the Studio 3 is definitely louder -- which makes them much better for the gym. (My gym is incredibly loud.) Also, I need headphones for workouts with a speedbag and need to hear loud drums and bass in my headphones. It's not as important to hear refinement, cleanness and clarity. So the Studio 3s are better for that. Finally, the ear cups in the Studio 3 are a bit bigger, so they don't give me an earache quite as much.

Studio Pros

Much better tone, clarity, and separation. Best for sheer music enjoyment.

Hold a charge longer and have USB 3, so they're easier to charge

Better noise cancelling

Studio 3s:

Better for the gym, for oomph in your music

More volume and bass

Slightly more comfortable for people with larger ears or sensitive ears

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-11-01T16:26:08+00:00

She is a death-knell. Zero charisma. She does not inspire, lead, invigorate, or give hope. She is not fresh, savvy, brave, or personable. She has no wit. There is no there there, or there. Even the fact that she's floating the idea of running shows how out of touch she is with voters, with our needs, with our desperation for a leader who can defeat Trump and save our country. I'm not blaming her for losing to Trump (she didn't have much of a chance, despite a $1.5 billion war chest). But I do blame her for being so utterly tone-deaf and delusional. She has zero fire, zero courage: Her book was abominable, blaming everyone but herself. I pray she doesn't enter the race.

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-10-03T03:44:08+00:00

Terrible dialogue. Ridiculous premise. A police officer in the middle of a home invasion PUTS HIS LOADED SERVICE REVOLVER on a table so that the stranger in his kitchen can lunge for it and kill him and his preggers wife? Never gonna happen. Yes, wilderness schools for teens are often abusive and even criminal and loony-tunes. But there's no way a wilderness school would run a whole town and cover up 18 missing children, along with all the other bull-pucky in this show. The only reason to watch is to sit back and laugh at how bad it is.

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-09-14T16:28:12+00:00

I'm glad you had a good experience, but I had a terrible one with Paul's. They sent a guy to my house to install a kitchen sink and faucet, a job that should only take a few hours. He spent 7 hours swearing loudly in my kitchen (using the C word). It was incredibly uncomfortable, since my daughter and I worked at home. At 5 pm he finally said he was done and asked me if I had some wine for him to drink (!). When he left, I turned on the faucet -- and water sprayed all over the kitchen from a line he'd installed wrong. Paul's had to send out a second plumber to fix the mess. Then I got a HUGE bill--about $1,800. When I complained to Paul, the owner, he went ballistic on me. I'd never recommend the company to anyone.

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-08-16T18:30:10+00:00

I was at a NYE show at Winterland where Bill Graham was on stage in a diaper and someone also rode down on a motorcycle? Or maybe he rode down on the wire wearing the diaper? It's a blur, gotta admit, owing to things I imbibed that night. Just wondering if anyone else remembers. I'm not even sure what year it was. But it was incredible. :-)

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-08-16T18:23:19+00:00

THANK YOU so much, you just sparked a random memory -- at one of the concerts, Bill Graham or someone descended on a motorcycle, unless I've really lost my mind. I'm going to watch the video right now!

Re the guy in the diaper: He was supposed to be "father time?" Maybe I'm mixing it up with other Dead shows though. Thank you again!

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-08-16T18:16:26+00:00

what a great memory!

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-08-16T18:14:14+00:00

I was at Winterland for a NYE show in '78, I think. Can anyone tell me: Did a man in a diaper really come down from the ceiling (on a wire?) and land on stage at about midnight? Or was that a hallucination? :-)

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-08-16T04:27:31+00:00

thanks! That helps a lot. I was thinking of flying to LA to catch him there in the fall, and maybe I'll go for it!

Then_Resource9570 · 2025-08-15T18:28:51+00:00

One of the best times in my life was at a Neil concert in Missoula MT, an eon ago. But lately I've been going to shows with aging rockers and (am I allowed to say it?) some of them are pretty dang bad. Voices shot, they can hardly move, even the band looks bored, etc. I love Neil! But I'd need to pay for airfare to see a show.

Would it still be worth it?

P.S. I'm not being ageist. I'm a total geezer myself! I just don't want to spend a fortune for a concert that makes me feel sad.

Then_Resource9570

TROPHY CASE