The mourning doves are spending a lot of time sitting and fluttering around on the deck, and I wonder if they're planning to nest. They've done this before, a scrappy little nest on the ground, and their eggs didn't survive. Better luck this time.
I thought those of us who practice visible mending might like to know we're in a long tradition
And Mary, Linda and other doll lovers might be interested in these Chilean significant narrative appliqued dolls, depicting actual people in everyday life
And here's one of the few remaining Ainu people of Japan still creating yarn and weaving it, from tree bark, a long, arduous process for a people with no access for centuries to other weaving fibers.
Nearer home, I've set up an ENT appointment in April, for a hearing test, to see what needs to happen about my hearing. It's harder to keep up with some voices now, and I may need to consider aids.
Meanwhile I'm educating myself about hearing aids, especially the possibility of over the counter ones now that they're available. They're cheaper than rx aids, but far from cheap.
Yesterday afternoon I spent researching what's out there, how they work, and doing a variety of hearing tests, with results varying from hearing loss typical of my age, maybe requiring a fairly simple amplifier, to profound loss, it's all over for you!
The world of over the counter hearing aids is a highly aggressive sales pitch environment. I've already blocked texts and emails from would be sellers after just a short time of checking.
We'll see! One thing I am not, in the hearing line, is the answer to the Haggard Hawks puzzle, a
MAESTRO! but you knew that!
Happy day, everyone, and
I have twice found Mourning Doves nesting on the ground, unusual to be sure. Whether or not the nest survived I have no way of knowing. Ground nests are always more susceptible to predation, of course.
ReplyDeleteThey've done much better when they nested in a hanging plant in the porch, but I don't have one out this year.
DeletePerhaps you could just put out the hanging basket with a handful of twigs or something it into get them started.
DeleteOh my goodness, you must have been up with the birds. Sorry that you struggle with hearing loss and good luck with finding the right aids. My grandfathers' were the price of a good used car and when he complained of them not working, it was discovered that he had such a build up of earwax that they would not fit. The problem was temporarily resolved with a good cleaning...
ReplyDeleteThe price is an issue. Also how helpful they are or aren't.
DeleteThere's a bark cloth tradition in Hawaii too, if I'm not mistaken.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if that bark is processed into thread and woven. Some bark cloth is sheets of bark treated, soaked etc, to make fabric. This ainu process is much more laborious.
DeleteI love the movement in the skipping piece. And I have a hearing test next week.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see how we do, yes?
DeleteHearing loss especially if progressive is a miserable way to feel isolated even in big groups. I still find it amazing the resources that people turned to and the ways they found to process them to meet their daily needs. Not surprising perhaps that having done all that by hand they also had a strong tradition for mending and recovering unworn parts (backs of knees of trousers was one I'd seen made into patchwork quilts) to repurpose and get the maximum amount of use out of the original investment of time and skill. No waste.
ReplyDeleteClothing was precious, couldn't easily be replaced, so it was important to keep it going almost indefinitely. So much labor.
DeleteMy mom -- who was a bird person -- always said mourning doves are stupid. Yet it's amazing how many of them there are!
ReplyDeleteWe have a local flock who seem to do fine. But if you compare their scruffy nests, twigs thrown around, to the artworks created by Carolina wrens, you do wonder about their abilities.
DeleteMake do and mend is a thrifty way to live, and if it can be attractive, too, so much the better.
ReplyDeleteYes, why not look nice as well as functional?
DeleteThe Chilean wall hanging is delightful. I have one in our bathroom that is vintage- "proplr on the beach" they are all nude. I hope the birds on your deck find a home.
ReplyDeleteI thought you'd know this form. Not surprised you've got one!
DeleteLet's hear it for visible mending!
ReplyDeleteYes. Those appliquéd dolls are darling.
I know nothing about hearing aids except that my husband needs them badly and he is resisting with all his might.
Sigh.
In some ways, it is very good to have a strong will. In other ways- not so helpful.
He's probably been around a lot of loud engines and power tools, also hunting firearms. That can take a toll. But if you don't attend to deafness, it can be very hard and tiring on your family. I want to avoid that. But, full disclosure, it's over a year since my doctor agreed I should get a hearing test. She pointed out that hearing loss is related in some way with dementia. Probably to get me to move on it!
DeleteYes. And Glen worked in car repair shops from an early, early age until he retired from owning his own shop. The noises in those garages are intense.
DeleteMark recently got hearing aids and doesn't use them. Sometimes he is irrationally stubborn. I see mourning doves on the power line, but that's the only place I do see them. We have a lot of barn swallows making their nests not only in the barn but under the eaves on the house and on the front porch. That gets messy!
ReplyDeleteBarn swallows, such beauty in the sky, such lousy housekeepers. I wonder what there is about hearing aids that makes people resist them? Maybe the stigma, where people who can't hear well are dismissed as not too bright. Anyway I hope to handle my situation rationally. At least that's the plan.
DeleteMourning Doves are one of my favorite birds. I love their plaintive, haunting cry.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen them on a deck so close to home. Hopefully they will build a nest in a safe place.
They're around here a lot, but a bit skittish when they see me. My deck is a popular dove rendezvous hangout.
DeleteI'm with you on hearing aids. My ENT tells me I should consider it. But mostly I have trouble hearing when my ears are plugged and when he pulls out a pile of wax I'm pretty good. Not perfect but adequate (except in the car!). I am not sure about the quality and longevity of the otc aids vs. the "official" ones but in any event both are out of my realm of payment for awhile. I wish insurance covered them.
ReplyDeleteYes, cost is a big issue, whichever way you buy. I'm considering this with deliberation!
DeleteThe weaving traditions are so beautiful and fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThe Ainu are such a persecuted minority, but so resourceful. The lady in the picture is in her eighties.
DeleteIt will be interesting to read your results about hearing aids.
ReplyDeleteI've been putting testing off, especially now that I'm not timid about telling a person I don't understand what they are saying. Hearing good, we pass over mumblers. There are way to many out there.
I agreewith Tiger's Mom, try a hanging basket for the doves.
I'll be interested to find out the ENT's verdict, too.
DeleteThe doves are already embarked. Any outside interference will probably drive them away.
Good Luck with the hearing test! The hearing issue is probably age related, as are certain vision issues. Sometimes, we need outer aids such as spectacles and /or hearing devices.
ReplyDeleteI've had hearing damage since childhood measles. But I think it's deteriorating now a bit.
DeletePerhaps you read my of my fellow resident who had a pair of hearing aids purchased by her children from Amazon. I was skeptical, but I helped her with them when they arrived and she was very confused. She says her son bought the "best" on Amazon. When I looked over Amazon, they ranged from $300 to $600. My own hearing aids cost $7000. As I said, I was skeptical. However, Betty now can hear. I'm sold. I've read it costs only $100 to manufacture hearing aids and the rest is what it is in the industry. But when I have to replace what I'm wearing now, I'm going to Amazon.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember your helping her get set up. Yours were totally beyond my means.
DeleteMy hubby is totally deaf in one ear. So he has two hearing aids. The one I the deaf ear picks up the sound and transmits it to the hearing aid in the other ear. So all sound for him comes from that one side. If you call out on the deaf side he turns away from you. That’s when he wears them. He says it’s so confusing he doesn’t bother. Which is really annoying as it cost us thousands of dollars. So now I call and call and he doesn’t answer so when I yell really loud, because by now I’m grumpy, all he says is. You don’t have to shout. And then the arguments start
ReplyDeleteThat's so frustrating for both of you.
DeleteHaving worn hearing aids for over a decade, I have a few tips.
ReplyDelete1) Our brains forget how to hear at the frequencies we've lost. It takes time (months, for me) to "wake up" those pathways again. So, if you get aids and they don't seem to help at first, persevere.
2) Due to #1 - the earlier you get hearing aids once hearing starts to deteriorate, the less ground you'll have to make up. I learned that the hard way (as do many people, for financial, vanity, denial and other reasons).
3) For regular hearing aids (I don't know about the OTC ones), it can take multiple sessions with your audiologist to get them adjusted correctly for your situation. Many people are initially dissatisfied and just quit. Again, persevere.
4) Aided hearing is (alas) not the same as original hearing. Increasing the volume is one thing, comprehension is a whole other ballgame. But it's a lot better than nothing.
5) Yes to Salty Pumpkin Studio's approach - be forthright and speak up when people mumble (or talk facing away from you).
Glad you're moving forward with the ENT appointment, Boud, and looking into the overwhelming variety now out there. Deliberation is good.
Best wishes to your doves and their nuptial endeavors. 'Our' screech owls are investigating the nest box. Fingers crossed!
Chris from Boise
Thank you for valuable advice here. This is so generous of you and much appreciated.
DeleteLet's hope your screech owls move in.
Hearing Aids are a huge and recurring cost for me.
ReplyDeleteYes, I really think insurance ought to step up.
DeleteMourning doves often seem to be not the brightest creatures...good thing they're prolific.
ReplyDeleteResident Chef needs hearing aids but flatly refuses to even consider them. My dad, when he lived with us, had them but refused to use them. I've grown used to pitching my voice to a level that RC hears - mostly. Sometimes I think he simply chooses not to bother to listen. He has tinnitus that's often quite bad so he thinks aids would just magnify that sound.