Author Archives: carmen

Plantar Fasciitis

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“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

“Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. It is caused by repeated strain on the plantar fascia, the ligament that connects the heel bone to the toes, supporting the arch of the foot. A strained plantar fascia causes weakness, swelling, and inflammation, especially in one or both heels. Causes of plantar fasciitis include rolling the feet inward while walking; having high arches or flat feet; and running, walking, or standing for long periods of time. Symptoms include pain upon waking and pain while walking and climbing stairs. Treatment includes resting the feet, doing calf stretches and towel stretches several times daily, and wearing shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole.” ~ WebMD, Plantar Fasciitis Directory

My left heel has been in pain for the last few months. Not debilitating pain, but enough that getting out of bed in the morning had become a painful exercise.

The thing is, once I started moving around, it was fine. Still painful, but not searing… it’s those first few steps that get you.

Plantar Fasciitis sucks.

I’ve got strong feet. I danced for a many years when I was growing up, and I started dancing again in January. My feet are flexible and strong.

But… I’m a little too heavy for my own good, and I’m sure that doesn’t help. I’m also running headlong into middle age, and that doesn’t help. I walk a lot, and even though I make sure that my shoes are good for walking, I may have hit a pair that’s not doing me any favors. Add to that the fact that my calves tend to be tight; that’s not good, either. It’s only my left foot that’s bothering me, so I suspect there was a precipitating event, but I don’t know what it was (a strenuous dance class with cold feet?).

So for now, I wear a brace at night that keeps my foot in a flexed position. I take Advil when I’m in pain; I ice if it gets bad. I tape up when I go for a walk or to a dance class (and I wear leg warmers for most, if not all, of my dance classes — bellydance, so it’s not as critical to observe the feet).

Not the most masterful job of taping, for sure, but it gets the job done… that tape is really good stuff.

I’m in Love with an Owl

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“The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” ~ Eden Phillpotts

Today I had a magical experience, with a guy named Orville.

Orville is a Sparred Owl, a hybrid Northern Spotted Owl/Barred Owl, and he’s lovely.

He got caught in a barbed wire fence and his wing healed improperly. He can stretch it, but he is no longer flighted.

He’s the newest bird to land at the OLC, and he’s learning to be on the fist.

I’m new to the OLC and I’m learning to have birds on the fist… so as you can imagine, it works out that we should get to learn some new things together.

Owls have a remarkable tolerance for hanging upside town. Stan (the Harris’s Hawk), will work to right himself after he bates; Orville likes to just hang by his jesses, or the lead, or my sleeve. The trick is to slide your hand under his body and help to guide him into an upright position.

We’re working on it.

But he’s handsome, don’t you think?

Feeling Badgered

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“Badger hates Society, and invitations, and dinner, and all that sort of thing.” ~ Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

I had a big deadline this week, and I finished up a day earlier than I thought I would, so I spent a chunk of yesterday afternoon doodling photos of badger faces.

Why? No reason I can think of. They’re not all that cute, per se, and they’ve got disagreeable personalities. But they’re interesting to look at… so why not?

Lilo: The Power of the Pup

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“We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.” ~ George Eliot

I love my dog.

I’ll admit that she’s not perfect, but who among us is? I don’t like that she doesn’t care for other canines. I wish she would remember that she’s not supposed to relieve herself inside, even when it’s raining. And she’s kind of snobby about her food… I’m sorry, but I think you cooked this cube steak two days ago, and for that reason I’m sure it has gone bad… will you please be a dear and make me some more right now?

But I love that she enjoys the company of people. And I love that people enjoy her company.

We went to visit my grandparents in Portland a couple of weeks ago, and my Grandma lit up when Lilo came into the room. She’s going through a rough patch, but you wouldn’t know it when Lilo was around.

(Lilo, by the way, usually looks a little worried. Like most dachshunds, happy doesn’t really show in her face. She is a little bit concerned in this shot because my Grandma’s lap is so teeny… my Grandma is very petite.)

Full Tilt

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“The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.”
~Robert Frost

I missed my OLC appointment last week because I was travelling, and this week has been super busy, so I was happy to walk in this afternoon.

There’s nothing quite like being clicked at by an owl. This is Tilt, a Western Screech Owl.

When owls are bothered, they clap their mandibles against their beaks, making a snapping sound to tell whomever they’re snapping at to back off.

Tilt does that a fair amount.

I comply, for the most part (except when I’m cleaning out his enclosure).

Tilt is a small owl, maybe 8 inches tall. He’s at the OLC because he suffered from an eye injury and his sight is compromised.

And you will recognize Stan. He was in a mood today. Some people might be surprised to learn that birds are emotional, but it’s true.

The glove he’s sitting on — I’m wearing it!

Speaking of emotional birds, I’ve got to go take care of a cranky cockatoo…

Will Work for Cake

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“My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M’s and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.” ~ Dave Barry

I got to do something really fun this week, and I took my payment in cake.

Our friend Nick is celebrating his 30th year with The Associated Press, so I got to design a “broadside” for the celebration.

The broadside appeared on the cake. Apparently, you can print stuff on edible “paper” and use it as decoration.

Now the coolest thing about this project is that the broadside is comprised of stories that Nick has written in the last few years. He’s a gifted writer and a great storyteller. Who else could make a red football field, giant palouse earthworms and dish soap smuggling informative and entertaining?

I’m not going to post the PDF because all of these stories are copyrighted by the AP, but I can show you my piece of cake.

Fun with Computers

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“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” ~ Joseph Chilton Pearce

A couple of weeks ago, I started working on an illustration for someone. I’m just now getting around to actually putting it together, and I’m doing it on the computer…

Granted, it needs some work (a lot of work!), but I just started, and I’m having a really good time with it. (This owl will be part of a much larger (wider) piece. After I get him sketched out, I’ll work on a Red-eared Slider (turtle) and California King Snake.)

Update 05/04: Here’s how the owl eventually came together.

WVOLC

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“The hawk with talent hides its talons.” ~ Unknown

It’s been a while. There’s been a lot going on, not all of it spectacular. Since this is my place to celebrate some of the better stuff in life, I’ll keep the not-as-cool stuff to myself.

That’s not to say everything has been all bad… far from it. A month ago I started volunteering at the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center, a local environmental education center owned by the West Vally School District. Every kid in the district gets two field trips a year to the OLC. It sits adjacent to one of the elementary schools on a small tract of land that has a couple of classrooms (one of which houses several reptiles and some interesting insects), a small pond system and meadow, and a sanctuary that houses the hawks and owls. They hold public open houses several times a year, and they’ll bring their raptors to you for a HOOT (Hawk and Owl Outreach Talk), for a reasonable fee.

I wanted to volunteer for the OLC because they have raptors, and I totally dig the birds of prey (and the scavengers!). Each of the birds is at the OLC because it can’t be released. Pants, the Rough-Legged Hawk, is missing part of a wing. Willie, the Barn Owl, is missing an eye. Orville, the Sparred Owl (Barred Owl X Northern Spotted Owl) got tangled in a barbed wire fence and has lost the use of one of his wings. Each of the birds now serves as an ambassador and teacher.

Once a week I get to go scoop poop, haul water and feed them. Maybe someday I’ll work up to handling them (I hope), but I just started so I’m happy to follow some of the other volunteers around and learn to care for the birds.

This is Danny and Stan:

Danny, on the left, is a graduate student and OLC volunteer. Today he showed me how to measure food for the birds, and how to properly butcher a quail. (Thanks, Danny!) In this photo, Danny is taking a picture of Stan.

Stan, the Harris’s Hawk, was a falconer’s bird before he came to the OLC. He had an injury that prevents him from flying properly, and since he’s been around people his whole life, he’s kind of a love bug (for a wild hawk). Notice that Danny isn’t wearing a glove; Stan’s grip is actually quite gentle, but those talons are amazing. (Let’s just say I’m glad I’m not a rabbit.) The minute Danny stepped outside with Stan, the hawk spread his wings. It was a good day to get some fresh air!

Look at those talons!

Harris’s Hawks don’t hail from this part of the world. They live in the American Southwest and Mexico. One of the reasons they make good falconry birds is because they hunt cooperatively, like wolves.

Leap Day

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“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” ~ Rogers Hornsby

Last week we had a big windstorm and a sunny 50-degree day. It was a great day for a walk (to see a pair of Hooded Mergansers and a pair of Buffleheads among the Mallards and Wigeons). Yesterday morning the temperature dropped to 6 degrees. Today we woke up to this (with more to come, according to the weather folk):

Sigh… looks like it’s a good day to do some yoga.

It’s been birdiepalooza at the feeders today. The usual suspects (House Finches, House Sparrows, Juncos and Goldfinches) are here in droves. Honored guests include a Flicker, a couple of Chickadees and a few Pygmy Nuthatches. Everybody’s feathers are starting to get a little bit more contrasty… methinks it’s getting time to set up house for these birds.

Speaking of birds, I got a package in the mail yesterday: a copy of Louis Agassiz Fuertes and the Singular Beauty of Birds. Louis Agassiz Fuertes was an American ornithologist, naturalist and illustrator who spent a big portion of his career at Cornell.

Secretary Bird, by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, 1927

I appreciate this kind of painting, because it’s as much about acquainting the viewer with a species of bird as it is about making a beautiful piece of work. In an academic sense, this would be classified as illustration rather than art, but you can count me among those who are tired of arguing the distinction. Secretary Birds are amazing creatures, and this painting gives me a good sense of how beautiful these ferocious birds can be.

(This is probably heresy, but I prefer LAF’s work to Audubon’s. I couldn’t tell you why, except that most of Louis Agassiz Fuertes’s work doesn’t feature exaggerated poses. I’m a fan of bird portraits, for reasons I can’t really explain, except to say that since birds aren’t capable of many expressions, their eyes are very important in a painting, and portraits are a good way to see them.)

Black-headed Heron, by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, 1927

Another thing I appreciate about his work: he’s a watercolorist, and from the looks of it, a pragmatic one. (Translation: it looks like he uses some opaque white.)

I’m planning to spend tonight poring over plates of these paintings. I can’t think of a better way of spending a snowy evening than examining a coffee table book full of beautiful bird paintings. (At least it beats staring out the window waiting for spring.)

I (heart) Whales

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“The Cetacea hold an important lesson for us. The lesson is not about whales and dolphins, but about ourselves. There is at least moderately convincing evidence that there is another class of intelligent beings on Earth beside ourselves. They have behaved benignly and in many cases affectionately towards us. We have systematically slaughtered them. Little reverence for life is evident in the whaling industry – underscoring a deep human failing…In warfare, man against man, it is common for each side to dehumanize the other so that there will be none of the natural misgivings that a human being has at slaughtering another…” ~ Carl Sagan, The Cosmic Connection, New York: Doubleday, 1973 (quoted in “Whale Nation” by Heathcote Williams, Jonathan Cape ltd,1988)

Last week I made the singular mistake of paying attention to politics.

Not only did I not learn anything new about the state of American politics or the individual candidates’ views, the whole experience made me want to crawl under a rock and hide until after the election.

So I did what I like to do when I’m tired of the exposure to excessive amounts of hot air… I found a documentary about animals other than humans. (I’m pretty sure that we’re horrible deeply flawed creatures, and watching political “discussion” does nothing to disabuse me of that notion.)

Nature had a great, great 3-hour documentary featuring whales and dolphins, Ocean Giants.

Watch Visit from an Infant Sperm Whale on PBS. See more from Nature.

Newsflash: there is intelligent non-human life, and it’s right here on Earth. Curiosity, language, culture… whales and dolphins have all of that stuff.

Bowhead whales can live a really long time, and they remember whaling.

Gray whales in their nurseries in Baja California are social to humans.

Resident Orcas in Puget Sound are chatty, and are fish eaters; the transients are silent and eat everything.

I got to hear a talk last summer by a Humpback Whale researcher (who is featured in this documentary). In it he talked about a fun time he and his team were having after a day of work. They weren’t aware of whales in the area (the researchers don’t get in the water with, feed, or interact with the whales) and they were splashing around to blow off steam. When they were finished and climbed back aboard the boat, a group of Humpbacks started splashing around, breaching and generally making a ruckus.

So who was observing whom?

I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to communicate with these great creatures at some point in the not-too-distant future, and when we do, we’ll find that our oceanic neighbors are not impressed.