Open Thread – Moose Twins Update
27 05 2009I saw some rustling in the trees this afternoon, and caught a few fleeting glimpses of reddish brown, and an occasional set of ears in the area behind the garden where Brenda the moose had her twins, but they didn’t come out in the open until late this evening. At about 10:45, I noticed something dark pass by the sliding glass door and sure enough, mama and the babies had come out to explore.
~Got milk?~
The first thing I noticed was how much steadier they seemed on their feet after just 36 hours. They are still trying to master those tall gangly legs, but they are well on their way. The kids had a great time playing with the toys in the yard, and even checked out the swingset for quite a while. One of them really seemed to take an interest in the toys, and also tried to frolic, which was quite amusing because the legs seemed to have a mind of their own and he almost wiped out on a couple of occasions. Then when he started to nose the big red inflatable buoy, I knew who he reminded me of. Brian. Although Brian is a full grown bull now, he has so far not outgrown his youthful enthusiasm and often plays around with the stuff in the yard, and engages in spontaneous frolic on the lawn.
The other sibling seems a bit more tentative and definitely hungrier. He would wander a little too far and then let out a noise which I can only describe as part meow, part squeaky toy and part baby alligator. It was almost painfully cute. And right on cue, mom was there. She walked about half the distance to the baby and made her own version of the noise; a soft breathy “Eh. Eh.” and the baby trotted over and began nursing. There were lots of licks and nuzzles all around.
I was sitting in the thresshold of the door the whole time with my feet outside on the step, and the camera was clicking almost nonstop. The light was very low, and I knew that most of the shots would probably be a bit blurry. But I snapped over 300 images in that half hour, figuring that at least a few would be good. I’m glad I did.
None of the family seemed the least bit interested in me, and mom led the babies right past me at one point, less than 10 feet away.
Then the little Brian-like one bent over and began eating grass in the “downward facing moose” yoga pose, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this little guy took after dad.
After about half an hour, and a complete tour around the yard, they returned home to their little spot behind the garden and disappeared behind the grass and bushes. I was left sitting half way in and half way out of my house feeling absolutely thrilled. Brenda had made eye contact with me a couple times, but never with any fear or hostility. It was more like an, “Oh, it’s you.” And, when she walked right past me so close, it was almost as if she was showing off her new family.
I am resisting naming the little ones. As much as I don’t want to think about it, statistics tell us that it’s very possible at least one of these guys won’t make it to his first birthday. (I say “he”, although we won’t know for a while what gender they are) There are bears in the area, and all creatures must do what they need to do to survive; many at the expense of others. But for right now, these little guys (or gals) are having great fun exploring this new world that is full of green grass, and swingsets, and rose bushes, and yellow trucks, and soft places to sleep and warm milk. And some creature that keeps taking pictures.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:45 PM
Aussie Blue Sky Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 4:32 PM
Latest tweet
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1869
I can’t believe the title …….
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If I were Andree, I would call up Rex, and sue the SOA for that! That’s harrasment!
May 27th, 2009 at 4:48 PM
Aussie Blue Sky Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 4:40 PM
LOL which half has the fake tan? And what are the rules about wearing (almost but not quite) flip-flops to work as governor? Major ewwww!
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/large_photo.php?id=320
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The red ho shoes again….look at those kids, they look really impressed by her…
May 27th, 2009 at 4:54 PM
“If I were Andree, I would call up Rex, and sue the SOA for that! That’s harrasment!”
Palin is such a COW Everyone in her camp watching her cut her own throat without intervening. When your own people are out to watch you die a slow painful death, not good.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:58 PM
Palin speaking to an American Gov’t class?? I wonder if she’s explaining how the VP runs the Senate?
May 27th, 2009 at 4:59 PM
Those aren’t the same red ho shoes – these (in the school) are flats, the ones at the Veteran’s Memorial were high-heeled sandal strappy type.
And Andree would not have it easy to call it “harrassment” as all SP would have to do is point out the different complaints that Andree has filed… dang.
I vote for silence. Don’t let the ‘bots see any kerfuffle going on over here, don’t give them any “ammunition” to revive their failing heroine-worship “stuff.”
Remember in “Wait Until Dark” how the last 8 minutes of the movie were shot in total silence? Very effective.
Nan
May 27th, 2009 at 5:04 PM
I wonder if there’s a limit to how many posts/comments one can make in an hour. The last one (a sort of p.s. that didn’t make it in the last comment) just disappeared. This one might, also (too). We’ll see, eh?
May 27th, 2009 at 5:05 PM
@ crystalwolf – you are going to be one popular mudpup (not that you aren’t already)! I like your tenacity – you are everywhere, all the time.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:08 PM
Levi, gets GQ, while Bristol, sucks on a TABLOID weekly cover. Someone needs a new agent.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:13 PM
How old is too old?
http://www.nowpublic.com/health/elizabeth-adeney-66-will-be-oldest-women-give-birth-uk
May 27th, 2009 at 5:15 PM
Martha Unalaska Yard Sign Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 5:05 PM
@ crystalwolf – you are going to be one popular mudpup (not that you aren’t already)! I like your tenacity – you are everywhere, all the time.
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May 27th, 2009 at 5:25 PM
I wonder if this is the same lawyer:
http://labor.state.ak.us/oshboard/do/94-1055_Halliburton_Energy_Services.pdf
Haliburton = Cheney…? I think this guy if he’s the same needs some looking into. I’m not all up about law. It just seems funny If this is the same guy.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:40 PM
Yes, that is the same lawyer.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:00 PM
the problem child Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 5:40 PM
Yes, that is the same lawyer.
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And now this guy is dismissing all of GINO’s ethics complaints because “in his opinion” they have no merit?
I think at this point anyone and everyone associated with her needs to be scrutinized, b/c cronyism is Her administration!
And why is her “personal lawyer” Van flea…going on the radio blabbing about state ethics complaints???
May 27th, 2009 at 6:07 PM
A good article on religious support for California Prop 8:
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/05/prop_8_ruling_a_blow_to_all_minorities.html?hpid=talkbox1
May 27th, 2009 at 6:38 PM
Shannyn has been a Verrrrrry busy woman today. She has another story up on the HuffPo. (not so good for Scarah)
“The Alaska Correctional Officers Association filed a lawsuit today against Governor Palin’s administration.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/cop-union-suing-palin-adm_b_208419.html
May 27th, 2009 at 6:41 PM
Shannyn has been a Verrrrrry busy woman today. She has another story up on the HuffPo. (not so good for Scarah)
“The Alaska Correctional Officers Association filed a lawsuit today against Governor Palin’s administration.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/cop-union-suing-palin-adm_b_208419.html
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I wonder if lawyer Geraghty will get it dismissed? Joe and GINO have history..from WHS…!
No abstinence there… !
May 27th, 2009 at 6:44 PM
About Shannyn’s story on HuffPo…. there is only 1 comment there so far….
But it is pretty funny…
Quote :
“Her high school boyfriend is 2nd in line to the govenorship? I wonder what his qualifications were, hall monitor?”
May 27th, 2009 at 6:47 PM
honestyinGov Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 6:44 PM
About Shannyn’s story on HuffPo…. there is only 1 comment there so far….
But it is pretty funny…
Quote :
“Her high school boyfriend is 2nd in line to the govenorship? I wonder what his qualifications were, hall monitor?”
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I would say something…but this a family friendly environment, lol!
More than hall monitor, maybe a nice car with a big back seat? Oh facial hair, also, too.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:57 PM
Thank you AKM! These pictures, like many of your posts, have brightened my day.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:13 PM
Way to capture nature at it’s best! I LOVE these pics of the babies and mom. We get deer, racoons and an occasional bear. We have a bald eagle that nests in a tree behind us, but I have never seen anything like these pics. Thanks for sharing what must be an awesome and precious experience.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:44 PM
Okay, my husband made me laugh really hard when he said last night that he heard that Brenda was actually in Eagle River when she went into labor but decided to make the trip back to your yard in South Anchorage (I think that’s where you are, Potter perhaps?) to give birth as she did not want her twins to be Eagle River babies!
He called it Brenda’s “wild gallop” and I know we don’t discuss those issues here but it still made me giggle.
Still waiting to see the new mooses around here. Mom usually has twins each year and we’ve had two years running that they have survived to adulthood. We have seen last years’ babies up and down the woods along the cul-de-sac looking “lost” as mom as kicked them out in anticipation of the new ones but have yet to see her or the new babies.
Thanks for the photos! They were spectacular!
May 27th, 2009 at 7:46 PM
AKPetMom Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 7:44 PM
Okay, my husband made me laugh really hard when he said last night that he heard that Brenda was actually in Eagle River when she went into labor but decided to make the trip back to your yard in South Anchorage (I think that’s where you are, Potter perhaps?) to give birth as she did not want her twins to be Eagle River babies!
He called it Brenda’s “wild gallop” and I know we don’t discuss those issues here but it still made me giggle.
““““““`
That’s quite cute..DH saying that…
May 27th, 2009 at 8:11 PM
Isabella–it’s the job of the Lt. Gov. to swear in legislators, so no surprize there…
And, yes, there are only three members on the Personnel Board.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:32 PM
I just can’t describe my emotions at your moose-family pictures. Thank you SO MUCH for them, and for the love you radiate about them and towards them. Such a profoundly important commodity it is. Just a few wild creatures on the planet trying to survive in such a basically hostile world, for them. But SOMEONE cares about them…
I have never seen a moose, LET ALONE MOOSELETS!! The lump I got in my throat at your first picture of them has only grown larger at these update pictures. Such precious, beautiful, wonderful little miracles I have never seen before.
Many question have come to me since I saw your first picture. I wonder if in due time, you might share some more info…
1. What, if you know, is the mortality situation of TWINS for moose (apart from the predator threat, etc)? In mean, is there truly enough for two, and does a mother favor one and neglect one, etc?
2. Wondered if one seems significantly stronger than the other (more so than one just maybe being a female)?
3. About how far is their nest from your actual house (that glass door you speak of) and how far is it away from your garden… just trying to assess, I guess, how safe these particular moose parents feel around you. It SOUNDS LIKE Brian at least, feels pretty darn familiar towards you! In fact, you say you have had so many families born right there, really shows you that moose do communicate with each other and they know that is a safe place. Just wondering how close the whole operation is to actual PEOPLE and people houses.
4. Better thee than me… I would be desperately fighting off very strong maternal instincts right about now, trying NOT to talk to the family and NOT, NOT to feed them anything (in winter I probably would cave in). And just generally I would be having one heck of a time to keep myself from turning into their grandmother, their fairy godmother, their all-you-can-eat-buffet maintainer and Lord knows what else. And I know perfectly well, all that is NOT helping them survive in the long run and building too much trust of humans is definitely putting them at risk…
I don’t know how you handle it because you can’t fool me, you are fighting the same urges on some level. Are you having a beastly battle with these types of things?
5. Wondering how “dog” feels about this situation? Is he a risk to the babies? Ha, probably not when he’s looking down the broad nose of Brenda… but he must be interested. What does he say about it?
I’m just a dyed-in-the-wool animal lover and really interested in how they live their lives… I guess I prefer them to the human kind on many levels. I guess it’s just easier to understand why they do what they do, than it is with humans.
Thanks for any info.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:41 PM
hmmm? the showing some skin thread has up and gone?????
May 27th, 2009 at 8:42 PM
Did something happen to the showing some skin thread? Or is it just me?
May 27th, 2009 at 8:43 PM
nswfm CA Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 8:42 PM
Did something happen to the showing some skin thread? Or is it just me?
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It went POOF!
Hope it wasn’t palinized!
May 27th, 2009 at 8:50 PM
What was that thread about?
May 27th, 2009 at 8:59 PM
crystalwolf, it is not just you. That thread is gone. I’m guessing there is a reason. I can’t imagine what it is, but it definitely POOF!
May 27th, 2009 at 9:00 PM
Nekkid Tripp, shirtless dad changing him, SP dressed totally like Sharon Stone at a ceremony for Memorial Day, the redacted memo Andree McCleod (sp?) if I remember correctly.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:08 PM
Yep, it’s gone. I was in the Rural Update thread and got really confused (not hard).
May 27th, 2009 at 9:09 PM
Hey let’s blame it on SP since EVERYTHING is always her fault anyway! LOL!
May 27th, 2009 at 9:09 PM
Can I ask a stupid question about meth?
I used to get sinus infections a lot when living in NYC and would often use psudafed(sp) alone or with Advil or Tylenol for the sinus headache. Luckily, I’ve not had to buy this stuff since 2003, but now you need to register your first kid to get these pills.
How do the people who make meth get enough to make it, and a normal sick person is treated like a criminal?
May 27th, 2009 at 9:09 PM
Thanks everyone that confirmed there WAS a showing some skin thread……I thought I was losing my mind. Glad to know it was the thread that ‘poofed’ and not my mind!
May 27th, 2009 at 9:10 PM
More cereal names: (I’m so fourth grade)
Sarah Snaps
Special KT
May 27th, 2009 at 9:27 PM
nswfm CA Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 9:09 PM
Can I ask a stupid question about meth?
I used to get sinus infections a lot when living in NYC and would often use psudafed(sp) alone or with Advil or Tylenol for the sinus headache. Luckily, I’ve not had to buy this stuff since 2003, but now you need to register your first kid to get these pills.
How do the people who make meth get enough to make it, and a normal sick person is treated like a criminal?
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there used to be “recipes” about how to make meth. I think they use all kind of stuff, but this pseudophrine was a important part.
I used to get sinus problems and sudafed made me sleepy, so I used to take chlor-Pheniramine for allergy, I used to be a vet tech and we used that for the dogs allergy.
I hardly every use that anymore, but for sinus problems/cold/allergy I would recommend the “neti pot” Uses salt water to wash and irrigate the sinuses. You can buy them pretty much anywhere now.
I guess Cali agrees with you?
May 27th, 2009 at 9:34 PM
I notice the skin thread was gone too. I thought I had only imagined it. Whew!!! Thanks for reassuring me that I had not lost it.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:52 PM
califpat……
Were you successful trying to find that friend on the internet Yellow Pages from last week…?
Did it work…..
May 27th, 2009 at 9:58 PM
@ Honesty in Gov. Sorry to say I didnt. I got names in the White Pages.Com that were identical to mu daughter-in-law’s but they were older ladies who did not know her. Plus I found out that I was not spelling the city right. It’s Beaufort, South Carolina not Buford, South Carolina. So, I am still searching. Thank you for your concern.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:59 PM
Skin thread is back up.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:09 PM
Califpat, try anywho.com to find people. Good luck!
May 27th, 2009 at 10:15 PM
C aka C, a lot of medical issues went away when I moved back to CA. Found a great NUCCA chiropractor, got off thyroid hormones, stopped the colds/sinus infections. Also stopped the constant travel which was the exposure to the germ mobiles of the whole air travel. Life is pretty good near the water. Plus, my kitty kids have a lot more room to run around like 12 YO kittens.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:17 PM
And the kitty kids are closer to grandma and grandpaw, plus all kinds of sunny patches to follow around every day.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:23 PM
nswfm CA Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 10:15 PM
C aka C, a lot of medical issues went away when I moved back to CA. Found a great NUCCA chiropractor, got off thyroid hormones, stopped the colds/sinus infections.
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What’s NUCCA? Muscle testing? How did you get off thyroid hormone?( just asking ‘cuz I take them) what do you take instead?
May 27th, 2009 at 10:26 PM
@nswfm: Thanks for the information. I will try that and let you know if I have any luck. Fingers are crossed.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:36 PM
# 239
califpat Says:
May 27th, 2009 at 9:58 PM
@ Honesty in Gov. Sorry to say I didnt. I got names in the White Pages.Com that were identical to mu daughter-in-law’s but they were older ladies who did not know her. Plus I found out that I was not spelling the city right. It’s Beaufort, South Carolina not Buford, South Carolina. So, I am still searching. Thank you for your concern.
—————————————
Well… best of luck in your search. When we were tracking/looking for the HS graduates we had no idea what City. We left it blank and just let the search field/filter empty. You get a larger search of names initially on the page…. but it would list everybodys age…. so it was no problem.
Never used anywho.com which nswfm recommended but it is worth a shot. Hang in there… you will find her.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:20 AM
AKM isn’t the only one with twin moose babies – but Brenda looks a whole lot healthier than this poor moose mommy
http://community.adn.com/mini_apps/vmix/player.php?ID=4287781&GID=118
May 28th, 2009 at 2:07 AM
What an adorable sight! The most exotic animal I’ve seen here in GA is a oppossum stuck up a tree. He was frozen with fear so there wasn’t much to see.
LOVE the pictures!
May 28th, 2009 at 4:42 AM
The government is trying to make it more difficult for meth addicts and meth cooks to get their hand on the cold ingredient. Therefore, if you want the product which contains that ingredient, you need to go to the pharmacy counter, present your ID and sign the sheet. Under the requirements, you can only get one 30-day supply at a time. Any more and you get a little extra attention. It’s the same for the meth-heads but they tend to do their buying in groups or thru proxies which makes it seem that it’s easier for them.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:57 AM
Here’s to wishing that Andree, etc., will finally file a Writ of Mandamus in an effort to force the personnel board to actually investigate an ethics complaint. Seems to me that the investigators are taking political instead of substantive considerations/actions in dismissing each and every one of these complaints. Put the matter before a judge in the appropriate jurisdiction and get an evidentiary hearing on the appropriateness and legality of dismissing all those complaints en masse.
From my view, some portions of all of the complaints could be dismissed due to interpretation. But there is substance in nearly every single ethics complaint which requires an investigation of the facts. To dismiss all of these complaints in their entirety without further consideration or competent explanation represents an abuse of quasi-judicial power and is legally dangerous.
And unlawful.
Someone with standing needs to file a writ with the appropriate court and force the issue into an evidentiary hearing. The board needs to be kicked in the arse and there is no better way of compelling it to fulfill its statutory obligations than to present it with a Writ of Mandamus.