Some others of you may wondered about my constant photographing and displaying their visits to said bath/pond.
It goes back.
Way, way, way back to the days of my youth in a small town in northwestern North Dakota where I was born and raised.
The town's name was Stanley and the nickname of the school's sports teams was . . . well, I bet you guessed it, didn't you?
I never was on any of the teams but, as I think I've said here before, I was the tallest student manager in the state.
And I still remember the "fight song".
And I still remember the "fight song".
Stanley Blue Jays
Hats off to thee
Your name, your fame
spreading from sea to sea.
Rah, rah, sis-boom-bah,
Rah, rah, sis-boom-bah,
H'ray for the white and blue!
So forgive this alumnus of 1958 for his favoring the blue jays in his yard.
It runs deep.
They're fun birds to watch, but kind of greedy!
ReplyDeleteMakes sense.
ReplyDeleteSteve
Okay, you're entitled to support your Blue Jays.
ReplyDeleteOur teams were the "Redskins", now changed to the 'Knights". Our cheerleaders wore dark red (tight) jump suits with white fringe on the legs and the arms, white moccasins,white beaded head bands with a white feather. Probably wear chain mail now. Oh and the band played that Indian Beat...dum-dum-dum-dum that you used to hear in the movies. And we had an Indian head logo.
ReplyDeleteAnd I wonder what your favorite baseball team is! Probably the same as mine?
ReplyDeleteSorry to disappoint you, Pat, but my team is the Diamondbacks!
DeleteThis old boy finished high school in 57 and had his school team play in Sherwood North Dakota.
ReplyDeleteI have a fondness for the color purple, having spent 21 years teaching in a district of Bulldogs, formerly called the Purple Pups.
ReplyDeleteSo your team was the Blue Jays and my team was the Blue Devils.
ReplyDeleteWell, that explains it! I didn't know you were from North Dakota. That area has changed a lot with the oil boom, hasn't it?
ReplyDeleteOur HS team (in my hometown in Florida) was the Gators. Fortunately I don't see many of those around in England.
Yes it has changed greatly, not all for the good. I haven't been there, though, in nearly 30 years.
DeleteJays can be nasty and bossy birds, despite being pretty. I'm wondering how in the world some committee or athletic director in Stanley even thought of a blue Jay. I figured Stanley would be off their flight path as you had what 3 days of spring, 2 days of summer? I didn't think they'd stick around in those siberia like conditions.
ReplyDeleteAnyway-we were the Warren Warriors. Warren Township was named for Dr. Joseph Warren, an associate of Sam Adams, Paul Revere and other early patriots. He died in the battle of Bunker Hill. The Warriors however are of Indian vestige and features a chief. By the way, Jane Pauley and writer director Ryan Murphy are among the distinguished grads. Aside from a good athletic record the school has been known for its championship speech and debate teams-Jane and Ryan being among them. In fact frequent viewers of Murphy's Glee-should know some of that is Indiana centric and a bit autobiographical. Now that's a long way from Blue Jay's shivering their tail feathers off in Stanley!
I too adore Blue Jays! They are members of the corvid family, which includes crows, and they are amazingly clever birds. When they scold my cats they make that raucous cawing sound for they are famous, but when they talk to each other they trill the most lovely sweet tunes. I put out bowls of dry cat food in the yard just for them, and in return they drop their feathers for me during the Summer molt. I've been collecting Blue Jay feathers for over 20 years and each one is a joy and a miracle.
ReplyDeleteThe effort to make a Blue Jay look tough as a sport mascot is hilarious. I live on Long Island and the high school team is the Bulldogs, a breed known for being hugely lazy and corpulent and pacifist. Their name is the only thing bully about them.
I love your photos of western jays. I'll trade you an Eastern Blue Jay feather, handsomely striped black and turquoise, for a Scrub Jay tail feather. But don't tell anyone; songbirds are protected species and trading feathers is frowned upon by the U S Fish and Wildlife Dept.